You don't have to become Buddhist.

You don't have to change your religion.

You don't have to believe in rebirth, meditate for an hour every morning, or travel to a monastery in the mountains.

And you certainly don't have to give up the beliefs that have given your life meaning.

This book begins with a much simpler invitation:

What if some of the ideas developed by Buddhist thinkers over thousands of years could make your ordinary life a little easier?

Maybe you're religious. Maybe you're spiritual but not religious. Maybeyou're an atheist. Maybe you're curious.

Wherever you stand, you can experiment with an idea without signing your name to an entire philosophy.

You can learn something from a person without becoming that person.

You can appreciate a tradition without joining it.

That's the question we'll keep returning to.

Not, "Do you believe everything Buddhism teaches?"

Not even, "Are you becoming Buddhist?"

Just:

"Does this help?"

Because life gives all of us certain experiences, regardless of what we believe.

We worry about things we cannot control.

We hold on to people who change.

We become angry when reality refuses to cooperate with our plans.

We replay conversations that ended hours, days, or years ago.

We chase things we think will finally make us satisfied—and then discover that satisfaction doesn't last.

We hurt.

We lose.

We love.

We age.

We change.

And eventually, everything we know changes with us.

Buddhism has spent an extraordinarily long time examining these ordinary human experiences.

You don't have to accept every Buddhist answer.

But you might find some of the questions useful.

Margaret Meloni

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