A Thousand Names for Joy

Living in Harmony with the Way Things Are

By: Byron Katie, Stephen Mitchell

Narrated by: Byron Katie, Stephen Mitchell

In her first two books, Byron Katie showed how suffering can be ended by questioning the stressful thoughts that create it, through a process of self-inquiry she calls The Work. Now, in A Thousand Names for Joy, she encourages us to discover the freedom that lives on the other side of inquiry.

Stephen Mitchell, the renowned translator of the Tao Te Ching, selected provocative excerpts from that ancient text as a stimulus for Katie to talk about the most essential issues that face us all: life and death, good and evil, love, work, and fulfillment. The result is an audiobook that allows the timeless insights of the Tao Te Ching to resonate anew for us today, while offering a vivid and illuminating glimpse into the life of someone who for 20 years, ever since she "woke up to reality" one morning in 1986, has been living what Lao-tzu wrote more than 2,500 years ago.

With her stories of total ease in all circumstances, Katie does more than describe the awakened mind; she lets you see it and feel it in action. And she shows you how that mind is yours as well.

©2007 Byron Kathleen Mitchell (P)2007 Random House Inc.

Critic reviews

"[A] genuine and fresh spiritual manifesto." (Publishers Weekly)

A Thousand Names for Joy

Absolutely beautiful, powerful and freeing.
Katie's words instill peace and hope and take one to a higher level of thinking.
I keep listening over and over again.

The answers have finally revealed themselves !

Katie is a wonderful author and wise sage. How lucky we are to have this book, read to us by her!!

Must read... Or listen to

This work is most worthy of investing the rest of my life studying and then practicing for all I encounter. Bless you Katie!

Life Changing

Just finished A Thousand Names for Joy. Holy shit! That was a good book! The moment I put the audiobook on, I felt such immense peace. Byron Katie has a soothing voice and she looks and sounds so much like my grandmother, her presence fills me with such inner joy. Much like Byron, my grandmother was such a lovely woman and filled with such a unique perspective and cherished guidance.

Halfway through chapter 1 I felt my mind expand. All my worries melted away and I knew what was true. Nothing matters. Everything matters. All is important and not important. Love is all around us. The greatest thing in life we can do is to reflect gratitude. We should live each moment, moment by moment. Neither past nor future can tear us down. All are teachers. We both know nothing and we know all.

What I think may be most difficult about this book for others is the notion there is no good or bad. There is simply being. Good and bad are concepts we as humans give things and events. Things and events exist but outside our judgment. Our judgment takes away from existence. Our judgment takes away what the world has to offer us. Everything is a teacher. Everything can help us grow. There is no bad when everything helps us in some way. There is only love.

The other thing that may be difficult for people to understand or agree with is we are all one. Byron talks about how there is no me. There is no you. There is only we and us. What I do to you. I do to myself. What you do to me you do to yourself. Perhaps this does not make sense, but perhaps it does. When you hurt me, you are hurting yourself. When I hurt you, I am hurting myself. Pain spreads more pain. Who are we to know what is best for the other? Who are we to know what is best for ourselves? Byron tells us to merely be, and the moment will guide us to do what is best for us to do. Perhaps if there is a wrong, it is when we do not do what the moment calls us to do. If you see someone hurting someone else, and you feel the urge to intervene and say something, then intervene and say something. It does not matter that nothing matters and is as it should be. We live a life where we are watching life. We give up control of what we are supposed to do and instead do what we are called to do. We allow the calling to guide us, so instead of being players in our own lives, we are watching out our lives like viewers of a movie. This is the Tao. Also known as the Way. The Way is our calling. It is being true to what guides us when we open ourselves to the world and deeper knowing.

I love, love, love this book. This book has helped me more than years of therapy has done for me. Therapy only scratches the surface. Byron Katie upends it and shows me none of my fears or anxieties are even real. To people who believe their fears or anxieties they are believing a story that they made up in their head. To them the story is real and that is what frightens them. To not believe the story is believing in reality. Stories take us farther away from reality. "I am a bad dancer" takes us away from the reality that I am dancing and by me dancing in this moment, that is really quite wonderful and celebratory. How great it is to be able to move in the Universe in such a fluid way! Allow the fears and anxieties to wash away. Be your true self and live the life you are meant to.

All in all, I love this book, and it is definitely one worth reading and re-reading. Love you Byron and thank you for helping me uncover the Truth that was inside me this whole time.

life altering. everyone should read it!

my dream is to meet the author in person. amazing book! it's a really great follow up to Tolle's books. this one offers more specific examples of being in the now.

Life Changing

Within 30 seconds of listening to this book, I become instantly aligned and everything makes sense. To say I loved this book is an understatement.

Wow.

I'll admit I got a little lost. She would talk over my head and then I'd get distracted, but that meant I got to listen to a lot of it twice! That being said, what an incredibly interesting book. I love the personal stories, especially about her kids, it made me think of my mom. Definitely worth a listen! and a repeat 😁

Beautiful transmission of peace and love

Feeling so centered after listening to this. Thank you Byron Katie for reminding us to love reality and what is.

Loving life

This is ideal and mysterious the first read. Then it becomes a wonderful teacher. Thanks

Katie models conscious living 

It has helped me to return to a childlike sense of wonder.
I have no words. I’ll need to listen to it many times to grasp it all. But already so helpful.