Very interesting book, but also very intense reading for me. It’s a challenging read, but it is worth reading too.

I started reading this book and stopped, because I got distracted by other titles but when I came back to it, I loved it more for the aspect of gratitude, of being thankful and giving thanks in all that I do and such mindfulness in times as this, made this an insightful read.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the eARC.

I had no clue what Naikan was before I read this, but thought it sounded interesting and very positive. I wasn’t disappointed, I came away with lots of tips and idea’s.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

This was an interesting read. I love learning about new things and I certainly took on board some of the aspects of this book. It was interesting reading but for me a little over the top. This book will certainly work for some people. Even though it didn't fully work for me I am still glad to have read it as I have learned some great lessons from it. It was well written and mostly easy to understand and take on board. The author uses his own life as examples to back up and explain the principles of Naikan. At times I think the author shared a little too much. I was certainly cringing. Let's just say a list of what he was thankful for and what his wife does for him might have been better emitting the more intimate things. This book would be great for people to learn more about some interesting Japanese/Buddhist practices. This book certainly gives you alit to think about. Many thanks to the author and publishers for bringing us this interesting read. I am certainly thankful for the authors' efforts to explain Naikan and I will be taking on board the things that I have learnt.
The above review has already been placed on goodreads, waterstones, Google books, Barnes&noble, kobo, amazon UK where found and my blog https://ladyreading365.wixsite.com/website/post/naikan-by-gregg-krech-stone-bridge-press-3-stars under ladyreading365

I loved this book. If you’ve enjoyed anything by Tim Ferris, or you read The courage to be Disliked and it spoke to you, or even just run of the mill “How to Win Friends…” you should definitely read this book. I had no idea what Naikan was when I selected this, I was (in all honesty) going into it thinking it would help me develop my calligraphy (a misleading cover perhaps). I was glad to be wrong on that. This book is practical, inspirational and spiritually affirming all at once. A great alternative to the self-help commercialism that seems to have increasingly burdened the book market in recent years. 5/5

I loved the messages of this book and to find out about Japanese Naikan practices of self reflexion. The book is straightforward and simply elaborates on three main questions that one asks oneself. I found it useful and enlightening and a different approach to self improvement, meditation, and how to look with fresh eyes at all the different everyday challenges.

I thought this anniversary edition of Naikan would be a contemplative read to round out the year; however, there are several aspects of this book that I found either out-of-touch, dated, or even downright harmful. In theory, Naikan seems sound. Gratitude is very trendy, and there are many saying much of the same thing as Gregg Krech. I have no issue with going down the line to bring awareness to all of the people/things that had to exist in order for something as seemingly simple a morning cup of tea to be present in my mug. I have no qualms with working to see the good around me and in my relationships, and placing a greater value on them.

What I don't find helpful is the extensive account-taking, like trying to add up what it cost (in dollars) my parents to raise me. No one asks to be born. For me to be in existence and be raised with my material needs met seems like the bare minimum given that I did not ask to be here. I am here for reasons I had no control over, and man, we could really get far into this especially given the dismal reproductive rights in the US. Yeesh.

I also felt very put off by his holiday recommendations. Reflections on New Years? Sure. But the Thanksgiving part was... ick. He was so focused on not eating turkey and volunteering at a soup kitchen that he completely missed the obvious. Or was that intentional? How about thanking and showing gratitude by showing up for native folks who are still very much here? Perhaps meaningful action for this particular "holiday" should mean doing something to amplify and support the work of the very people who continue to be harmed by the perpetuation of this Thanksgiving myth? This seems so obvious, and I can't help but wonder if the author has done any work whatsoever on examining himself in order to even understand why he can spend his life peacefully contemplating Naikan when some people are working their asses off to survive the day.

Finally, the part where he talks about modern day psychology and the practice of therapy was enraging. I can't seem to find anything in my searches that indicates the author is a therapist of any sort, and yet he presents to mental health professionals and has been "conducting retreats and online courses on Japanese methods of psychology for 33 years," according to the Stonebridge Press website. If Krech paid any attention whatsoever to the therapy world, he might be surprised to find that there are many of us challenging and working outside the narrow scope of Western psychotherapy. He makes it sound as if Naikan is the only path, and that too is ignoring the fact that BIPOC therapists are including ancestral healing in beautiful and creative ways to their therapy practices already, and he's not gonna be the white/white-presenting savior to guide us all to enlightenment. As a therapist (and one with Japanese heritage at that) I was particularly incensed by his tone in that section of the book.

All in all, I would say that the good in this book is in its exploration of larger themes, but that the more detailed work is better explained by others who are current, inclusive, and more thoughtful. I imagine that Krech has had many decades to perfect his explanation of Naikan to audiences outside of Japan, and yet I think he misses out on the cultural nuances that make this practice sound different in other contexts. Some of his explanations are things that, in Japanese, have a connotation that doesn't have an equivalent in the English language. That said, I think the limitations are not just linguistic, but also in the perceived lack of connection to the issues that matter in the present. Or it could be unexamined privilege. Either way, it greatly detracted from my appreciation of this book.

The Naikan concept was developed in the 1940s by a Japanese Buddhist from the Pure Land tradition and focuses on self-reflection around 3 questions when thinking about a specific person (e.g. your mum, a particular work colleague, etc.)
1. What have I received from [person X]?
2. What did I give to [person X]?
3. What troubles or difficulties have I caused [person X]?

The central insight from Naikan is that we’re all very good at complaining about others but not very good at 1) counting our blessings and 2) realising just how much others give us. By using these questions as part of a daily self-reflection regime, we should grow in our gratitude (as we realise how much others do for us) and in our self-awareness of when we’ve slipped up (and we chose not to exercise self-control).

Where I felt the book was lacking (from a philosophical/theological perspective) is any sense of what to do with these lists you’ve made under the 3 questions. Sure, you might have 20 things under one of the headings but is that enough or too much? Indeed the book explicitly side-steps any notion of right/wrong and just focuses on identifying when we’ve inconvenienced someone. But, if right/wrong moral judgements don’t matter, then why should we care when we’ve inconvenienced someone (as it’s not wrong)? In addition, there’s no sense that some mistakes are bigger than others - bad mouthing another person and startling a bird when you opened a door would both just be items of equivalent standing in your lists. But (from a western perspective), we know they aren’t of equal value and bad mouthing another person is clearly worse than startling a bird. Also missing is any sense that correcting someone sometimes is a good idea and beneficial - parents/teachers/mentors who help us understand our errors and work with us to correct them are a blessing.

The book zips along and is an easy read (albeit a little repetitive). There are exercises to do (and keep doing) so that you can integrate these questions and reflections into your life. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.