Happiness Here and Now: The Eightfold Path of Jesus Revisted with Buddhist Insights

West, who leads Buddhist and Christian retreats and belongs to the World Community of Christian Meditation, here uses the words of Christ's beatitudes as a jumping-off point for instruction in Buddhism. For example, ""Blessed are the poor in spirit"" becomes a lead-in for teaching the Buddhist virtue of detachment. ""Blessed are they that mourn"" segues into a Buddhist sense that death is part of life, that one should ""let go of clinging to the life of the body and turn to the deathless."" Christians are further instructed that this is the meaning of Christ's resurrection--which will come as a surprise to anyone whose faith is founded on the empty tomb. West's openly stated hypothesis is that all faiths at heart are one; the unstated conclusion to which her instructions lead the reader is that that one faith is Buddhism. Prior to the chapters on the beatitudes are chapters on interfaith dialogue, meditation and meditation's psychological benefits. The book concludes with a chapter on mindfulness. The most appropriate audience for this book may be those who were raised Christian but who are interested in exploring Buddhism. West's presentation helps them make the transition by offering Buddhist teachings using Christian terminology. (Apr.)