The Power of an Open Question: The Buddha's Path to Freedom

A bold, playful, and invigorating look at how asking challenging questionswithout expectationscan lead Buddhist practitioners to powerful spiritual insights (Pema Chdrn) How do we find a resting place in a world that is complex and always changing? How do we practice spirituality beyond the limits of blind acceptance and doubt? Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel proposes that when we ask challenging questions like these, we access our deepest intelligence and most powerful insights. When we ask a question, Mattis-Namgyel suggests, our mind is engaged yet open. The process of inquiry protects us from our tendency to reach static conclusions. Instead, we can respond to uncertainty and change with inquisitiveness and a sense of wonder. By telling the story of the Buddha's awakening, Mattis-Namgyel shows us that by contemplating hard questionsand by not simply rejecting seeming contradictions in his experiencethe Buddha became enlightened. Her book guides us on a provocative, playful, and spiritually enriching journey of contemplation that could last a lifetime.