The Five Longings: What We've Always Wanted--and Already Have [Paperback]

Identifying the things you long for can reveal deep truths about yourself.  The Five Longings can show you how to work with these desires to live in a happier, more satisfying way.

If you’ve ever had a vague sense that something’s missing from your life, congratulations:  That longing for something better is a sign of being fully human, fully alive.  But what’s even more wonderful, according to Dave Richo, is that when you identify and carefully examine the things you long for—like love, meaning, freedom, happiness, and growth—you not only discover deep truths about yourself, but you also find that the things you long for were never really “missing” at all.  He provides enlightening advice and practices for accessing just this kind of profound self-discovery , illustrated by a wealth of examples from depth psychology, religion, and literature.  Our longings in fact point to the presence of something transcendent in us, he shows. In seeking something better, we are seeking that which we already are. David Richo has returned to us our very own longings. He shows us how they can reveal what it means to be truly human. Held with discernment and released from the requirement of a specific outcome, longings can be instructive guides on the path. The blind pursuit of “more” is usually a corrosive fuel, but Richo demonstrates how holding our longings for more can be evolutionary. Paradoxically, we can experience them within us as “ the riches of enough.” Finally, he reminds us that we are longing for what we already have and are: What a liberating discovery! This rich harvest is conveyed with clarity and illustrated with wonderful poetry ranging from Shakespeare and Dickenson to Frost and Lowell. --Joseph Bobrow, Roshi, Ph.D. author of Zen And Psychotherapy: Partners In Liberation

David Richo selected a fascinating topic for Tlă9