The Journey and the Guide: A Practical Course in Enlightenment

Building on the success of Life with Full Attention , Maitreyabandhu offers a profoundly useful work on how to practice Buddhism in everyday life. Using examples from the life of the Buddha, Maitreyabandhu provides an easily understood outline of the spiritual life of Buddhists in the Triratna Community. The journey starts with our mind, particularly when we begin to look into the truth of things—the truth of the friend in hospital, the coffin we carry to the graveside. What we find in our guide, the Buddha, is a man with a "fit," healthy mind. To get fit, we need to work on becoming a happy healthy human being. Maitreyabandhu takes us on this journey with practical week-by-week exercises, focusing on cultivating mindful awareness and being happy. Maitreyabandhu is an experienced teacher and a member of the Triratna Buddhist Order. Ordained in 1990, he has published articles on Buddhism and meditation in the United Kingdom and abroad. He is the director of Breathing Space, the London Buddhist Centre's health and well-being program. He is also a published poet, winning the Poetry Business Book and Pamphlet Competition in 2011. Maitreyabandhu often presents Buddhism in the media. His previous books are Thicker Than Friendship on the Buddhist Path (2003) and Life With Full A Practical Course in Mindfulness (2009), published by Windhorse Publications.