If You Meet Buddha on the Road, Kill Him!: The Pilgrimage to Pyscotherapy Patients Mass Market Paperback – January 1, 1976

It's hard for me to overstate the impact this book has had on my life. As someone who spent a great deal of his late teens and early twenties mired in feelings of aimlessness, unhappy in his relationships but unsure why, seeing potential all around him but feeling hopelessly lost on how to navigate it, this book has pulled me out of the darkness on more than one occasion.This book is many things, but for me it's a treatise on being self-reliant/self-sufficient. Yes you can learn from gurus, therapists, teachers, books, influencers, etc; but the true learning that happens comes from within. We humans are all highly unique and individual creatures, yet we're all jammed into the same mold as we go through our education and professional lives.Part of becoming self-reliant (to me), is understanding your own mind and how you can best learn and progress in life. What type of learning modality works best for you when acquiring new knowledge or skills? What pitfalls do you see in relationships you've had, both intimate and non, that you can self diagnose and learn to avoid? A therapist or guru can guide you towards these things, but the sooner you learn to self-diagnose and correct course in life the faster you'll excel and the further you'll be able to go.This book set me on the path to figure those things out for myself, and I can't recommend it highly enough.

Happy that I found this old book.

I bought a used copy probably 30 years ago, thinking it was a book on Zen Buddhism, and discovering it wasn't, I got rid of it.But I thought I'd give it a shot again, and I'm pleased I did (if only because it's another I can check off my list). It's not earth shattering, and having just finished reading it, I can't say I've learned anything new (I've read in the field of Buddhism, humanistic psychology, and this type of literature for 40 years). But at least the writing, lessons, and examples do not seem outdated in this day and age.

I picked up this book as I had heard about it on a TV show. It was a delightful surprise that it was a pretty good book. Can get dense every so often, and it did take me longer to read it than I thought it would. However, there were several portions of the book that really resonated with me, specifically around being responsible for our thoughts and actions.Probably not one of my top books that I’ve read, but it definitely ranks somewhere on the list.

Unfortunately, this isn't a book you can explain to others. I will say this, if you have the slightest curiosity, I suggest you read this book; however, you must follow this book closely and pay attention to its narrative in order to grasp its full meaning. Moreover, you should access your ability to read between the lines, so as to thoroughly understand it. You may need to read other pieces of literature because Mr. Kopp references other materials to make his point. For example, he uses Dante's Inferno in his book and if you don't know the meaning behind that poem you'll miss the point Mr. Kopp's trying to make.This book gave me clarity on my life and a new perspective as well. Upon completion of this book, I immediately started making adjustments in my life to follow the book's suggestion. I'll leave you with this, trust yourself and no one else, after all, as an adult you're your best teacher as a "grown up". Simply put, "If You Meet the Buddha on the Road, Kill Him!Thank you to the TV show "Fringe" for exposing me to this book so happy to have read it. Great book and an even better life changing read! Happy Reading!!!

I've bought this book 5 times, I was going to buy it a 6th time when I got distracted writing this review. I recommend this book to everyone and have bought it for 5 people. He has no answers but through his telling of his story and the stories he references, you can look at the struggle of others and realize you're alone, but not. Take the time to read this book, it might save your life. "Life is an ambiguous, uncertain mixed bag, but ultimately, it is worth it as that is all there is."

This was published back during the Me Generation, when everyone and their neighbors were in therapy. Though the Me Generation was looking inward, and was accused on only contemplating their navels, the people in therapy weren't narcissistic, but were trying to do good work. The Narcissist Generation is now, not then. This book speaks to the limits of therapy. It says that a therapist can't become a guru or a spiritual master, because the goal of a therapist is to get someone back on the feet and out into the world. It ends with an Eschatological Laundry List; the one that explains the title is "18. If you have a hero, look again: you have diminished yourself in some way."

The Audio was good, the message was good. I just wasn't a fan of how it was written. But that is always open to interpretation.

Excuse the capitalisation but I feel totally justified in the use of having enjoyed this book as much as I did.The book was recommended by the presenter of a podcast I listen to and as a curious individual who always looks for ways to expand and improve my mind I ordered it immediately.There is not one thing I can criticise this book, I would describe it as an anti-selfhelp-selfhelp book. None of the outrageous unsubstantiated claims made by many books in the "selfhelp" section of many bookshops. Beware such books and beware the gurus who try to sell you self improvement that will "give you all you need to change your life for good".Sheldon wrote this in the early 1970s and it appears that he had the foresight to see what an industry would be created from optimising people's potential, the nonsense "you only use 10% of your brain" sellers who base their writings on what is a myth. Ask any neuroscientist.Buy this book, enjoy the fantastic use of language, enjoy the reality of how to improve yourself and your life. From the teachings of the toaist monks to discussions of psychoanalysis this book provides a history of and a future for selfhelp. Your mind is yours, YOU are in the driving seat. Read this book, take control and enjoy the journey.

Interesting read, not mind blowing stuff but thought provoking on occasion. TERRIBLE quality. I appreciate this is the 'low cost' version Vs a hardback but it looks and feels like it's been printed as a school project, with text of differing sizes, blurry text, cheap paper and not even cut properly.This will sit here on the book shelf as a novelty in the 'smallest room 'for visitors !

I must admit that I bought this book as an antidote to my boss's addiction to 'Success' Guru's - the thought of bumping off all those testosterone-fueled windbags was just too delicious ... But, actually 'If You Meet the Buddha' stands up on it's own as a very thought provoking read. The essence of the book is in the title - if you meet someone who tells you that they have the the map to guide you through life's problems (and especially that THEIRS is the ONLY answer). then you should ignore them. Sheldon Kopp then goes on to explain through examples and gently reasoned argument, that the best way is your own way - but that it's a longer road. It's a brave and interesting read - especially in this era of Instant Fix self-help books.

I got book after reading a couple of reviews. I like reading self-development material and this seamed to tick most of the boxes.Reading it was particularly enlightening. The stories are well written and you can immediately connect with the action.The only down side to this book is it's print size: it's simply too small ( the size of a note book, with a size 10 Font writing) and it can become tying after an hour or so.I would recommend this book to anyone looking for answers to any of the important questions in life.

This is basically a fantastic book about the journey of psychotherapy patients and their therapist, using literary archetypes and real case histories. It seems a little dated (was written in the hippy 70s when anything went!) and the second hand copy I ordered was a cheap imprint with tiny typeface, hard to read... still worth the trouble.