What you practice is what you have : a guide to having the life you want

A follow-up to the perennial bestseller__There Is Nothing Wrong with You__, this book gives readers the opportunity to pinpoint the practices in their lives that hinder their happiness and success and replace them with practices that will enhance their well-being. Examples of everyday issues—and the accompanying, unconscious practices—that can weigh a person down, such as weight gain, sleeplessness, trouble at work, and family life, are addressed with clarity and humor. Employing the tools and techniques of Zen awareness, this guide helps readers make their lives better by freeing themselves from the barrage of repetitive thoughts that constantly besiege the average person. Cover 1 Copyright 2 Acknowledgements 4 Table of Contents 5 Introduction 8 What This Book Is About 12 LIGHT ROOM/DARK ROOM 16 Two “Realities” 17 Light Room 18 Dark Room 22 The “I” Voice and the “You” Voice 33 FINDING YOUR MENTOR 40 Working Out Your Own Salvation 41 A Crucial Relationship 50 DIRECTING THE ATTENTION 54 Learning to Direct the Attention 55 Why Learn to Direct Attention? 63 What You Do Is What You Get 68 What Are You Practicing Now? 76 Paying Attention: Monastery Discussion 78 Entering the Portal 81 “The Gap” Guided Imagery 82 How Do You Want Your Life to Be? 86 How Do You Want Your Life to Be? Guided Imagery 89 MEDITATION: HOW AND WHY 98 Get Out of the Conversation 101 How to Get Out of the Conversation 103 Meditation: Open Air Discussion 108 Meditation: Monastery Discussion 113 Remembering... 116 AN AMAZINGLY HELPFUL TOOL: THE RECORDING 120 Your Recording: The Content 124 Your Recording: The Process 130 Who Makes the Recording? 135 Making the Recording: Monastery Discussion 138 30 DAYS OF EXERCISES: A SELF-GUIDED WORKSHOP 142 A GLOSSARY: WITH EXERCISES 176 What Is Awareness Practice? 177 The Foundation of Awareness Practice 178 Subpersonalities 179 Beliefs and Assumptions 181 Projection 183 Disidentification 185 Centering 189 Egocentric Karmic Conditioning 191 Amanda 194 The Wall of Resistance 197 Self-Hate 201 What to Do When You Wake Up in the Night and Self-Hate Is Trying to Kill You 202 True Nature 205 A follow-up to the perennial bestseller There Is Nothing Wrong with You , this book gives readers the opportunity to pinpoint the practices in their lives that hinder their happiness and success and replace them with practices that will enhance their well-being. Examples of everyday issues—and the accompanying, unconscious practices—that can weigh a person down, such as weight gain, sleeplessness, trouble at work, and family life, are addressed with clarity and humor. Employing the tools and techniques of Zen awareness, this guide helps readers make their lives better by freeing themselves from the barrage of repetitive thoughts that constantly besiege the average person. "This book is a sequel to Cheri Huber's widely read "There is nothing wrong with you : going beyond self-hate, published in 1993. Over the years, many "There is nothing wrong with you" retreats have been filled by those inspired by the book to look more deeply into how we can free ourselves fromthe ravages of conditioning and self-hate. What you practices..... further exposes the antics of conditioning and self-hate. Awareness practice tools, developed over the years by Cheri and the monks at the Zen Monastery Peace Center, are included. Cheri recorded the guided imageries in this book and has made them availabe online"-- Back cover