Naikan: Gratitude, Grace, and the Japanese Art of Self-Reflection

Not very many books can claim to shift paradigms as profoundly as this little volume. I've found it one of the best pathways for doing just that. I give copies of it often. I also read it whenever I want to become more present to a bigger reality, one in which there's room for more than just me.

Don't be intimidated by the title of this book. Gregg Krech is a very practical American man, and he uses plain English and clear examples as he teaches his readers how to recognize the way they are supported every minute of every day by people, processes and products that they give nothing back to, not even thanks. Bridges, electric companies, air traffic controllers, the person in the next lane who does not suddenly veer into my lap... Without the efforts and self-control of similar people and processes I rarely notice, my own life would just fall apart!! So would yours! In a time of financial disruption like this, when markets and regulatory processes we mostly ignored have suddenly turned around and demanded our attention in painful and frustrating ways, you might find great comfort in learning to recognize how many OTHER things still operate to benefit and protect you. And you might feel much better if you learn how to appreciate and even deliberately participate in all this invisible kindness and responsibility that goes on, every single minute of our lives. Through well-written real-life stories and easy and effective exercises, Gregg Krech's book teaches you to feel better and behave better, and notice it happening. Wouldn't you like that, right now? Okay. Maybe not as much as your money doubling on the stock market. But maybe enough to smile tonight when you walk in the door. And wouldn't the people you live with be happy about that?

I hope to buy copies of this book for Christmas this year to give to all of the people I love. I read this book and applied its principles to my life and especially my relationship with my husband. It is transformative! By using the techniques discussed in this book, which are really very simple to use, you gain a truer, fuller picture of what is happening in any relationship in which you are involved. It has helped me to truly appreciate my husband, something that hasn't happened in a very long time. Of course, he feels that appreciation and the result has been a wonderful transformation of our relationship. I recommend this book for everyone as I can't imagine anyone for whom it would not be life changing in some degree.

A fine, wise book. Direct, simple and useful. It helps one focus on what is truly important. Naikan is beautifully produced and a pleasure to read and hold. Author Gregg Krech has a graceful prose style that provides the reader with a clear, insightful roadmap. A welcome addition for those who value a purposeful, personal library.

Naikan: Gratitude, Grace, And The Japanese Art Of Self-Reflection by Gregg Krech (Executive Director, ToDo Institute, Middlebury, Vermont) is an accessible, "reader friendly" guide to the spiritual art of mental composure and cleansing through an ancient tradition of harmony and balance. Individual chapters address the nature of Naikan, and its practice and usefulness in everyday life. Offering simple exercises that the reader can do to train himself or herself in this healing and revealing way of deeper understanding, Naikan is a fascinating and meaningful guide, and highly recommended reading for anyone seeking to improve themselves in general, and their emotional well-being in particular.

As an aging pilgrim who has tried to improve her life via the zigzag path of running, meditation, simplicity and organic gardening, I find Greg Krech's Naikan an astoundingly effective small volume. As someone said, the practice of Naikan is about " What is" rather than " What was" or "What might have been." Like most Americans, I find it reassuring that the ancient Naikan techniques fit into my fast forward world easily. Thanks, Gregg Krech, for providing a better map for my life journey.