I realise this book has been translated from Swedish, and a fine job they’ve done. But there’s one really clumsy simile in the book, when Björn is talking about his health problems and how he ‘fell asleep like a clubbed seal’. Goodness me, in a book about mindfulness, compassion, and the life of a forest monk, surely they could have found a better simile than that. High Hatters (vocal: Frank Luther) - recorded August 23, 1929 for Victor Records (catalog No. 22105). [4] We like to think we understand what's happening around us; that we can determine the path our life takes. But often, things don't go that way - in fact, they rarely do. Thank you Björn, Caroline and Navid. And Agnes Broomé for the English edition. Björn died in January of this year (2022) but the world is a better place for his having been in it. Gladys Rice and Franklyn Baur, recorded November 26, 1929 for Victor Records, catalog. No. 22226. [8]

We follow him through his years in Thailand, pre-monk, monk-in-training, full-monk, and then his years in 'forest monasteries' outside of Thailand. The inverted commas are mine, because I'm not sure from the reading that the European variants are in anything that could truly be called a forest. The term applies though because, as I understand it (and I may be wrong) the term forest monastery refers to a concept / ideology / tradition / denomination / family as much as it does to the location of the building. What is new in the book is Björn's personal story. He grew up in Sweden, studied economics (without questioning whether it was what he really wanted to do), started to forge a very successful career (without questioning whether it was what he really wanted to do). And then he questioned it. What helps us to live freely? How can we find comfort in difficult times? Is there a way to stay humble in the heat of the moment? And what stands out as most important when things are coming to an end? Let me tell you what this audiobook is not. It's not about religion. It's not about telling you how to live your life. It's not about taking on a new set of beliefs. Plain and simple, it's about how to relate to your own thoughts and emotions in a way that makes your life more enjoyable, more free, brighter, clearer and wiser. We like to think we understand what’s happening around us; that we can determine the path our life takes. But often, things don’t go that way - in fact, they rarely do.First of all I would like to thank Milky, CJ, Paco, Philip, Rishonly and Goodman (others?) for their comments to my posts. I’m very grateful for this. Let me tell you what this book is not. It's not about religion. It's not about telling you how to live your life. It's not about taking on a new set of beliefs. Plain and simple, it's about how to relate to your own thoughts and emotions in a way that makes your life more enjoyable, more free, brighter, clearer and wiser.

When the Dalai Lama adds his words to your frontispiece, I'm inclined to think it doesn't really matter how the rest of the world responds to your book. I know, having read the book in question, that Lindeblad would disagree with that thought. He knows (and at core so do I) that it matters very much how the rest of the world responds to this book, because it tells the truth as it is, in the early 21st century. Summary: A manual for living with uncertainty – told in simple everyday language through the perspective of a man who chose to live an extraordinary life, but recognises that most of us will stay closer to home and can nevertheless benefit massively from what he learned along the way.And – the short version would go – he threw it all up and became a Buddhist monk. The fuller version shows us that it wasn't quite as easy as that. More importantly, that isn't where the story ends. I often pass the ruins of a monastery when I’m out for a walk, and I wonder what it would have been like to live there four or five hundred years ago. Spending your days serving others and seeking your own spiritual salvation. I've sometimes wondered what it would be like to join a Buddhist monastery but the closest I ever got was going on a silent ten-day meditation retreat in an old boarding school in Kells, Co Meath. I enjoyed it, and it left me feeling renewed, but I didn't experience what I’d describe as a calling. Forest Monk Is in this context “I may be wrong” the same as “I might be wrong” (I suppose almost nobody uses might) I’ve often wondered what it’s like to get 'the call’ - the desire to drop everything and take up a spiritual vocation. I have a cousin who did get the call to be a priest when he had already finished training to be an accountant. At the time I thought it might have been nice if he’d been asked before all those years of studying, but I appreciate it doesn’t work like that. Doris Day with Harry James - included in the album Young Man with a Horn. Released on Columbia CL-6106 in 1950.

Philosophically, there is nothing new in here. The parables that Lindeblad quotes, mainly from the Buddhist tradition (as that was his training) are stories that many of us will have heard told countless times before in one variant or another. They are parables, the story can change, the song remains the same. The Sunday Times bestselling book of comfort and timeless wisdom from former forest monk, Bj urn Natthiko Lindeblad

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The book is full of wisdom and wonderful stories, many of which I had heard but I still enjoyed listening to again and pondering on their messages. Some understanding and explaining of the life of a monk in the lessons they learn were lovely. A few ideas that are worth noting for me: If you're up for a deeper read on the development of Buddhist philosophy we can recommend The Open Road by Pico Iyer – if lighter ways to well-being are more your thing we heartily recommend the Bear of Very Little Brain (not least because Lindeblad also quotes him!) Try Winnie-the-Pooh's Little Book Of Wisdom by A A Milne and E H Shepard if you're not familiar with the stories. Life-changing. This book is sensational. If you're struggling, feeling a little lost, anxious or in need of a mental lift, please read it' ELLA MILLS, FOUNDER OF DELICIOUSLY ELLA Infusing the everyday with heart, grace and gentle humour, this is a book to help us all navigate the realities of modern life.

Is it correct to say “I can be wrong”? (I’m not talking about grammar, but about common correct use) This book tells a quite amazing interesting story of a Swedish student who went off to become a Buddhist monk in Thailand for 17 years and other countries before leaving his cause as a monk and returning to Sweden. He then found love and also loss, the experience and description of his fathers at the end of the book really touched me.The next important thing is something else he throws at us up front, and I am going to quote it in full because I can speak to the fact that it utterly encapsulates why you should read this book. If you only read one philosophical book a year, read this one. It's simple. It's heart-warming and at times heart-breaking and those two things are intrinsically linked. It's thought provoking. And it's so quotable that if I started, I wouldn't know where to stop. So let me just summarise the core messages: Actually, no, I am going to finish on a quote, because I love this one so much. He quotes one of his teachers, Ajahn Jayasor as saying The important thing here is not how efficiently we do this, but how we all feel afterwards. I may be wrong' is full of humility and grace, and his writing style is warm and engaging. The book is based on talks he has given, and you can tell from the conversational tone of the book. It's like he's sitting beside you.