The tangles referred to in this title are not twisted strands of hair or fishing line, or even a web of lies, but the complications of everyday life that can lead to a state of confusion or complete bewilderment.
“The tangle is all the ways we bind ourselves up in our fears, our unhelpful stories, and our self-created clouds of confusion. It is made out of the ways we try to seek happiness and avoid pain that totally don’t work,” says psychotherapist and Zen teacher Koshin Paley Ellison.
His book, Untangled, uses the “eightfold path” of Buddhism to guide readers toward clarity and happiness. This involves recognizing that we are more than just our bodies, more than just our thoughts, and more than just our feelings. It employs meditation and conscious attention to what we say, how we work, and how we interact with others.
And it is not a permanent fix, but a process. “Everything changes,” says Ellison. “The path is not about attaining some kind of static state, or winning a Buddhific trophy — it’s about how we approach each moment. How are you approaching this moment right now?”
