Kokoro: Japanese Wisdom for a Life Well Lived

This is a fantastic book! By chapter 2 I knew I had to own a physical copy - which is exactly what I have done. Ordered and got my own copy! and then discovered that two of my book besties are also reading this book and loving it! overall, a wonderful and well-written book - I am savoring this book - its something about the way its written - its relatable and warm.

The Wisdom we carry within-Review of Kokoro-Japanese wisdom for a life well lived🖋️📖Beth Kempton, the author of bestselling ‘Wabi Sabi’ is back with another book enriched with timeless Japanese wisdom. In her forties, when half of her life lay in her past and half in her future, spurred by the untimely death of her dear friend Lisa, Kenptom decided to return to Japan once more to find her kokoro.But what is kokoro? The simplest translation of kokoro is 'heart'. However, distinct from the physical organ of the heart, kokoro represents the spiritual aspect of a human being.Alternative translations include 'mind', 'spirit' and 'heart-mind'. In fact, kokoro is all of these things.Some describe it as the thinking aspect of the heart, others as the feeling aspect of the mind, or the embodied spirit. There are those who say it is the seat of the soul. The kokoro is the intelligent heart, which communicates our innate wisdom and responds to the world in the form of felt impulses.The book is suffused with an aching sadness but at the same time steeped in a desire to not just survive but to thrive. Kokoro is structured in three parts inspired by three sacred mountains known collectively in Japanese as Dewa Sanzan:In Part One, inspired by Hagurosan, the mountain of the present and earthly desires, we take stock of where we are and consider what really matters at this point in our lives.In Part Two, as we climb Gassan, the mountain of death and the past, we face up to our own mortality and consider what death can teach us about living.In Part Three, we encounter Yudonosan, the mountain of rebirth and the future, where we contemplate how we want to live for the rest of our time on earth, however long we may have.Kokoro is a balancing act, where an individual strives to achieve balance between heart and mind. Do pick it up if you love The ambiguities of Japanese wisdom.