The Power of Belonging

THIS IS A PAPERBACK EDITION FOR THE EXPORT MARKET.Rooted in modern science and Buddhist meditative tradition, Engaged Compassion presents a seven-step path to lasting wellbeing through CBCT® (Cognitively Based Compassion Training), from the creator of the program developed at Emory University’s Center for Contemplative Science and Compassion-Based Ethics under the guidance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.With the guidance of the Dalai Lama, former Tibetan Buddhist monk and current Emory professor and scholar, Lobsang Tenzin Negi, explores new ways of sharing ancient Tibetan wisdom to create a more compassionate, peaceful, and happier modern world. In a world where burnout and disconnection have become epidemic, people are searching for a way to care deeply for others without depleting themselves. Engaged Compassion offers a revolutionary approach to human flourishing that goes beyond traditional self-care advice. This isn’t about building walls to protect yourself—it’s about developing the emotional intelligence and practical skills needed to create more meaningful connections at both individual and societal levels. Through seven evidence-based steps, readers learn to transform their relationship with suffering—both their own and others’—into a source of resilience rather than exhaustion. Bridging time-tested contemplative methods with insights from cutting-edge psychology, it demonstrates how genuine compassion energizes us when practiced skillfully. The result? Discovering compassion as the key to making a meaningful difference in the world without sacrificing your own well-being.

Leverage your biology to support the healing of anxiety, isolation, deep sadness, and conflict with this research-tested program for actively practicing compassion and unlocking the emotional and physiological benefits, in the tradition of Buddha’s Brain and Why Buddhism Is True. Many years ago, former Tibetan Buddhist monk and Emory professor, Dr. Lobsang Tenzin Negi was tasked by the Dalai Lama himself to find new ways of sharing ancient Tibetan wisdom with the modern world. Dr. Negi turned that mission into a research project to find scientific and biological evidence that compassion is an essential tool for building resilience. The result is an eight-step program known as CBCT (Cognitively-Based Compassion Training), developed in the Dalai Lama’s Compassion Center at Emory University. The Power of Belonging presents a revolutionary marriage between Western science and Eastern thought. In CBCT, the eight meditative steps help us grow our essential skills for building resilience and finding peace: an abiding sense of safety; a clear and focused mind; self-awareness; loosening the grip of self-blame; finding opportunity in difficult times; learning to love without bias; discovering our warm and tenderhearted connection to others; and compassion. These tools are the antidote to isolation, unrest, and personal suffering. And for the Dalai Lama and Dr. Negi, the stakes could not be higher: By cultivating our capacity for compassion, we become able to participate in building a more just and equitable world.