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1-Page Summary of The Untethered Soul
Overview
Buddha’s Brain is a practical guide to achieving peace of mind and greater happiness, love, and wisdom in life. It aims to help readers unlock their potential by providing them with the skills needed for it. Specific attention is paid to mindfulness, which was developed in Buddhist teachings.
We’ve all experienced jealousy, sadness, and fear. These negative emotions make us feel like we’re not the person we want to be.
The mind is powerful, but it can also be dangerous. It can take us to great heights in creativity and power, but it can also bring us down by making us negative thinkers.
The truth is, we don’t really know why our minds work the way they do. We just know that there’s something inside us that can overcome negative emotions and release positive energy in all of us.
The following are the key points that will help you overcome your negative thoughts and emotions, and allow you to take control of your mind.
After reading this passage, you’ll know the difference between your “self” and your “personal self”; what chi and shakti are; how to channel energy through them. You’ll also learn about removing fear by conquering it like a splinter in your finger.
Big Idea #1: Listen to your thoughts, but don’t let them define you.
Everyone has a voice in their head. It’s what we think about, our style of thinking and writing, like James Joyce did with Ulysses.
But what is it and why does it continue to talk?
If you take a moment, you will notice that your mind is always active. It never stops to rest.
The first step to enlightenment is to pay attention to your inner voice.
You also need to understand that your thoughts don’t define you. They’re simply outputs of your consciousness, which is the part of your brain that spends all day processing information and feelings.
When you pay attention to your inner voice, you’ll notice that it tends to make people worried, upset and surprised. It also influences your emotions.
We sometimes get so caught up in our thoughts that we forget they’re not actually us. This is the difference between a person and his personality.
Your consciousness is your pure self. It flows as it wants to and creates patterns of thought that you perceive as your identity.
If you’re sad often, you might label yourself as a sad person. If you feel envious of others, you might see yourself as a jealous person.
In order to become enlightened, you must accept that these thoughts and feelings are not who you really are. The real person is merely aware of these thoughts and feelings.
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Big Idea #2: There’s a reservoir of energy within you. Don’t suppress it, but rather learn how to let it flow in the right direction.
Consciousness is a wonderful thing. It’s like energy, and if you can learn to flow with it, you can do just about anything.
Just like the energy around us, there is an internal energy inside you.
Imagine that your partner broke up with you. You’ve been depressed and lethargic ever since then. One day, they call you up saying they want to come over and see you again.
You’ll probably feel energized and ready to take on the world.
In Chinese medicine, this energy is called chi. In the yoga tradition, it’s known as shakti. You can feel it when you open your mind and allow it to flow through you.
Energy is a resource that’s always there, but we don’t use it as much because of subconscious blocks.
Imagine you’re driving down the road. Suddenly, someone who looks like your ex appears on the street. You think they are holding hands with another person.
You’ll keep driving, but your mind will be consumed by one image. It’ll make you anxious and jealous, and it won’t let you relax.