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The Dharma of the Princess Bride
The Dharma of the Princess Bride: What the Coolest Fairy Tale of Our Time Can Teach Us about Buddhism and Relationships | Ethan Nichtern
4 posts | 3 read | 8 to read
An engagingly contemporary approach to Buddhism through the lens of an iconic film and its memorable characters Humorous yet spiritually rigorous in the tradition of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and The Tao of Pooh, drawing from pop culture and from personal experience, The Dharma of The Princess Bride teaches us how to understand and navigate our most important personal relationships from a twenty-first-century Buddhist perspective. Friendship. Romance. Family. These are the three areas Ethan Nichtern delves into, taking as departure points the indelible characters Westley, Fezzik, Vizzini, Count Rugen, Princess Buttercup, and others from Rob Reiner s perennially popular film as he also draws lessons from his own life and his work as a meditation teacher. Nicthern devotes the first section of the book to exploring the dynamics of friendship. Why do people become friends? What can we learn from the sufferings of Inigo Montoya and Fezzik? Next, he leads us through all the phases of illusion and disillusion we encounter in our romantic pursuits, providing a healthy dose of lightheartedness along the way by sharing his own Princess Buttercup List and the vicissitudes of his dating life as he ponders how we idealize and objectify romantic love. Finally, Nichtern draws upon the demands of his own family history and the film s character the Grandson to explore the dynamics of the last frontier of awakening, a reference to his teacher Chogyam Trungpa s claim that it s possible to be enlightened everywhere except around your family. With The Dharma of The Princess Bride in hand, we can set out on the path to contemporary Buddhist enlightenment with the most important relationships in our lives. "
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BookHermit
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This movie was my security blanket/comfort food well into my 20s. Now I get to share it with my kids. I‘ve never thought of it as spiritual but the author makes some very interesting points.

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Leftcoastzen
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So never read a Buddhist book? Love the Princess Bride?Ethan is a teacher in the Shambhala tradition whose obsession with the film leads him to extract lessons that can better relationships and help one be more centered and mindful. He gets extra points for using the word “schadenfreude” in the text.Playful and informative.

Suet624 I saw this at the bookstore months ago and got so excited! Haven‘t read it yet though. 7y
amvs1111 This is right up my alley! My favorite movie through the lens of one of my favorite philosophies! 7y
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Liberty
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I put all the entries from the #FALLSTACK giveaway into the random name generator and @NCNY won! Thanks to everyone who participated. 🎉📚😘

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Yay!!! Congratulations @NCNY 😊😊😊 7y
DivineDiana So nice of you @Liberty ! 7y
NCNY Yaaayyyy!!!! Thank you so much!!! 7y
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MrBook WOOHOO!!! Congratulations, @NCNY !!! 😁👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 7y
Megabooks Yay @NCNY !! 👍🏻👍🏻 7y
LeahBergen @NCNY ! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 7y
kspenmoll @NCNY 🎉🎉 such fun! Congrats! 7y
151 likes8 comments
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Liberty
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WOOOOOOOOO it's the weekend, seems like a good time for a GIVEAWAY! Here's how to enter: make a NEW post about where you like to read. (Comfy chair, hammock, etc.) Then tag me in the photo, and use the hashtag #FALLSTACK. Do this by 9pm EST, Monday, Sept. 4, and I'll pick one random Litten and mail them all these books. (Open to everyone.) Good luck! 🎉

wanderlustforwords Oh Christopher Moore! Lamb is by far the funniest book I've ever read! 7y
JackOBotts @wanderlustforwords - yes! Lamb was the first of Moore's I read...hilarious! 7y
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