In a world where navel-gazing is almost a cliché, psychiatrist Mark Epstein proposes a new, very old way: Curb your ego.
In this age of unbridled braggadocio and deep anxiety, it’s easy to wonder who we really are. But that’s why Advice Not Given: A Guide to Getting Over Yourself (Penguin Press), by the psychiatrist and author Mark Epstein, MD, a longtime scholar of Buddhism and author of the best-seller Going to Pieces Without Falling Apart, feels like a godsend. Weaving insights from psychology together with Buddhist philosophy, Epstein shows us in this warm and riveting book how following the Eightfold Path—eight clear steps of meditative practice designed to deepen self reflection, behavior, and action—can reduce stress; reboot our natural human empathy; and help curb our egos’ gnawing desire to make ourselves “bigger, better, smarter, stronger.”
ELLE: You write that our human egos can be very tricky and persistent, making us feel arrogant and entitled, or embittered and less than, depending on the day or even the moment. But you also say we can slip free of our egos’ grip by taking what’s known in Buddhism as “the backward step.” Please explain.
This story is from the January 2018 edition of ELLE.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the January 2018 edition of ELLE.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MUSIC for This MOMENT
Featuring NORMANI, GRACIE ABRAMS, FLO MILLI, COCO JONES
Ms. Bright Side
For Dua Lipa, queen of the dance floor and everyone's big sister, life is only worth living if you're having fun.
SUMMER SOUNDS
Meet the breakthrough artists you'll have on repeat.
JEWEL WILL STILL SAVE YOUR SOUL
Artifice is out, mental health is in, and Jewel's been ready for this moment her entire life.
BODY BY BOTOX
Barbie neck. Angular shoulders. And a long-lasting back massage? Injections are no longer just for your face.
The MAGIC of CHARLOTTE TILBURY
The world's most beguiling makeup artist on beauty, stars, love, and sex.
ONLY IN VENICE
As the Venice Biennale marks its 60th edition, the city's art scene has never been more vibrant.
RISE & SHINE
Van Cleef & Arpels's Poetic Complications collection is the ultimate pick-me-up.
GREATEST HITS
Musicians are revisiting their fashion \"eras\"-and with them, their pasts.
THEY'RE WITH THE BAND
Thanks to groups like Blackpink and boygenius, musicians' synchronized dressing has reached new heights.