Naikan: Gratitude, Grace, and the Japanese Art of Self-Reflection, Anniversary Edition (Anniversary)
Naikan is a Japanese word that means "inside looking" or "introspection." A more poetic translation is "seeing oneself with the mind's eye."
Drawing on Eastern spiritual and psychological traditions, Naikan is an effective method of self-reflection for cultivating self-awareness, gratitude, empathy, and a path for moving forward in our lives. Naikan began as a spiritual practice in the Buddhist tradition and is now recognized by psychologists as an effective tool for helping people navigate the path of personal relationships, addictions, and other mental health challenges.
This edition commemorates the 20th anniversary of this influential work's first publication. Author Gregg Krech, now after 30+ years of teaching Naikan, shares the depth of his experience with essays, parables, poems, quotations, and recommended reflection exercises, and includes new material on relationships, a 7-day practice program, and an updated appendix for counseling professionals.
The unique structure of Naikan illuminates truths that we may otherwise overlook and that can have a dramatic impact on our understanding of life, our relationships, and our daily experience of being alive. More than a philosophy, Naikan is a deep and transformative practice that can open us up to a different understanding of how we have lived and where to go from here.
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Become an affiliateThe book's central notion of being mindful of the overlooked gifts we receive daily is illuminating and instructive." Publishers Weekly, 1/15/02
"Naikan: Gratitude, Grace, and the Japanese Art of Self-Reflection is an invaluable resource for anyone who practices everyday spirituality. The author presents plenty of concrete exercises that will spur your soul to attention, kindness, compassion, and, most of all, gratitude. Krech is especially cogent in his emphasis upon the connections that give life meaning and the importance of including inanimate objects in the orbit of our care and genuine love."--Spirituality and Practice
"Cultivating gratitude is among the most powerful and transformative spiritual practices in which you can engage. Gregg Krech's new book, Naikan, focuses on the art of gratitude, offering in a subtly simple, no nonsense, and highly useful style, practical ways to cultivate it in our own lives. This is a book to be read, and an art to lived." -Rabbi Rami Shapiro, author of Proverbs, the Wisdom of Solomon