Don't Believe Everything You Think: Why Your Thinking Is the Beginning & End of Suffering

How does Nguyen’s work differ from other self-help books about finding peace and inspiration? Pick another self-help book, such as The Secret by Rhonda Byrne or Protect Your Peace: Nine Unapologetic Principles for Thriving in a Chaotic World by Trent Shelton, and compare the two in terms of voice, style, themes, and message.

How does Nguyen distinguish thoughts from thinking? Is it possible to divide the two so cleanly? How can one have thoughts without them slipping into thinking?

What function do Zen parables play within the book? How are the stories different, and what common themes do they help to reinforce?

What is the difference between thinking positively and non-thinking? What, in Nguyen’s opinion, makes the latter far more preferable than the former?

How does Nguyen distinguish “goals of inspiration” from “goals of desperation?” (79). What are key ways to tell the difference, and how can one be sure that they are pursuing goals of inspiration and not desperation? Identify three of your own goals of inspiration and desperation. How did you feel while pursuing each? Does this align with Nguyen’s argument?

What role does intuition play within Nguyen’s plan for non-thinking and happiness? Compare his theories on intuition to another work that discusses intuition, such as Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell.

Why does Nguyen claim that things aren’t inherently bad or good? What does he specifically mean by “bad” or “good”, and how does this idea fit within his overall teaching?

Nguyen’s final teaching is to practice unconditional love. What does unconditional love look like outside the context of close or intimate relationships?