Destructive Emotions: How Can We Overcome Them?

Essential. The group of scientists involved with the creation of this book: Paul Ekman, Daniel Goleman, and Richard Davidson are at the forefront of affective neuroscience (the study of the neural mechanisms of emotion) and its attendant social sciences.

This is also a book of comparative psychology/philosophy of mind: Western vs. Buddhist. It explores in detail the complex Buddhist concept of emotions/afflictions, and how Western language and philosophy have framed ideas of compassion, mind, and ethics in contrasting ways. It creates a practical bridge between the mythical elusiveness of concepts like nirvana and samsara and the way that the brain actually handles emotions across cultures.