Reviews, Articles, Interviews
Editorial Reviews:
From Publishers Weekly
"How do you maintain balance in an environment that promotes imbalance, comparison, and competition?" Yoga instructor Jeon offers readers a dharma, or way, to cope with the commotion, stress and accelerated pace of modern life in this warm, entertaining spiritual guide for urban dwellers. He examines the aspects of our lives that often cause the most stress: encounters with people made rude by routine hustle, the trap of "keeping up with the Joneses," the monotony of jobs and/or love lives, and violence in our society. Jeon uses his personal experiences (including the devastating theft of his computer and finished manuscript) to illustrate the path to a peaceful and happy life amidst chaos and challenges. Rather than looking outward to spiritual leaders, Jeon suggests opening ourselves to what is happening now, being awake and in the moment. He says that too many Americans work harder and longer days in an eternal quest for more luxurious possessions—and while Americans may have bigger houses than our European counterparts, the stress of making more money ultimately reduces our life expectancy and negatively affects our relationships with others, he argues. Being awake to the "NOW," as Jeon writes, revives us from the rat race so that we maintain a calm perspective on what matters most. Although written for city folk and high-powered suburbanites, this book should delight anyone living anywhere. Unlike self-help books that ask you to change part of yourself to become a better you, this dharma simply asks you to be a bit more considerate of who you already are.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Is your nightly commute a nightmare? Do you suffer from SUV envy? Are headlines giving you the heebie-jeebies? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then it's quite possible your dharma is deeply disturbed. Dharma, an Eastern concept, is the manifestation of one's basic outlook on and approach to life, from the trivial to the monumental, the personal to the global. Whether it's the ubiquitous chirping of cell phones or the unctuous posturing of coworkers, potential pitfalls to personal peace abound everywhere. Within today's supercharged, security-conscious society, there are many who seek a more peaceful, less stressful way of navigating the world. Incorporating strategies based on painful experience and honed from years of personal practice, Jeon crafts a soothing strategy for reevaluating our internal responses to external stimuli such as road rage, status seeking, and other unnerving behaviors. Straightforward, sensitive, and sassy, Jeon's approach offers effective methods for turning down that annoying voice in your head from a wail to a whisper. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
From Yoga Journal
This gritty but compassionate book grew out of weekly “dharma conversations” that the author, a yoga instructor and screenwriter, conducts in Santa Monica, California. In it, he touches on familiar vicissitudes of modern life, including road rage, noise, urban rudeness, status envy, the hassles and mental pitfalls of work, and “Sex and the City Dharma.” This witty, wise, anecdote-filled examination of the perils and possibilities of pursuing the spiritual path is an entertaining, illuminating read.
New York Daily News
"City Dharma: Keeping Your Cool in the Chaos," by Arthur Jeon (Harmony Books, hardcover, $23). No one ever said the boroughs made for easy living. If you find yourself frantic in traffic on the FDR, or jealously ogling the Manolos of some woman on Fifth, take a breath. Jeon has created a manual of contemplations to get you through the urban elements that wreak havoc on your soul, whether it's stress from status envy or inner turmoil at confronting the homeless. The author, a consultant to Fortune 500 companies who turned yoga instructor and dharma talk leader, notes that we can't control the world but we can control how we respond to it.
From Yoga Basics Online
City Dharma By Arthur Jeon
This excellent book simply and clearly addresses how to live a spiritual life within our chaotic and hectic modern world. Through personal stories and real world examples, Jeon applies spiritual principles and practices to everyday situations and life events. Jeon applies the fundamental practice of "be present in the moment" to transcending neurotic thoughts, car alarms, road rage, consumerism, rude people and traffic tickets. Fun, friendly, honest and full of wisdom, City Dharma is an effortless and engaging read and inspires one to experiment with these simple concepts to live each moment fully.
From Dragonfly
After a hectic life in the corporate fast lane of New York and Los Angeles, Arthur Jeon met Catherine Ingram, whose dharma dialogues and retreats guided him towards “wakefulness.” Now he returns the favor by showing others how to be “peaceful and awake within the challenges of modern city life, coping with all that is stressful, irritating, and occasionally dangerous.”
Using a format very similar to the weekly dharma conversations he conducts in Santa Monica, Jeon suggests a number of practical ways to shuck off the straightjacket of obsessive behavior and continual anxiety.
Analyzing twelve types of stress, Jeon offers ways to perceive and defuse them without adding on more belief systems or practices. The ever present fear of violence, the problem of constant noise, feelings of road rage caused by traffic congestion, and the frustration of dealing with mass transit are just some of the urban dilemmas addressed. His overall message is that it’s not what happens to us that is important, as much as how we react to these events, people and thoughts that cause our suffering.
“The dharma teaches one to remain peaceful while the external world wobbles on the brink of chaos,” Jeon writes. Crack the book open and start reading. If, after a few pages, you want to keep going, the connection has been made.
From The Wellness Concierge
City Dharma: Keeping Your Cool in the Chaos by Arthur Jeon
You don't have to know what "dharma" means to appreciate the insights and wisdom offered in this funny, informative, and mind-and-attitude-changing tome on how to deal with the challenges that are part of daily modern urban and suburban life. Jeon peppers his real-life tales with practical ways to tackle the stress and strain that are byproducts of our noisy, chaotic, aggressive, 24/7, technology-driven, over-scheduled, over-stimulated, info-overloaded lives with their daily intrigues and dramas. (And that's before you factor in TSA patdowns, cancelled flights, and the other rigors of regular air and car travel!) You'll smile and laugh as you recognize the all-too-human behavior of yourself and your fellow citizen-travelers in chapters titled Road Rage (Dealing With Mad Max Within and Without); "Hell Is Other People" (Was Jean-Paul Sartre Right?); Moving En Masse (Public Transportation); Turn It Down (Noise Versus Sound); and "Me. Me. Me. What about Me?" (Urban Rudeness and Narcissism).
Even if you don't fully understand the philosophy and concepts behind some of the observations and suggestions, you'll still be prompted to rethink how you view what happens to you and, more importantly, how you respond. And that's the beginning of real change.
If you really want to put an end to your on-the-road anger, rage, and inappropriate behavior (or learn how to deal with others who exhibit annoying behavior), this is an essential and terrific resource.
From Nexus
Want to know how to keep your cool in the midst of chaos? Arthur Jeon¹s CITY DHARMA (2004 Crown) is a hip guide to maintaining a happy outlook in the midst of daily crisis. The author¹s own roller-coaster ride as a Fortune 500 consultant led him to drop out and start smelling the spiritual roses. Now, Jeon shares smart, practical ways to overcome the crazy-making reactivity of our own minds such as awakening from status envy, dealing with urban rudeness, transcending media negativity, and more.
Aquarious Magazine
TAKING IT TO THE STREETS: Bringing Your Spiritual Practice into your Daily Life
Another book that expresses the importance of a spiritually based demeanor while transgressing the daily activities of urban life is City Dharma: Keeping Your Cool in the Chaos by Arthur Jeon. With his easy to read style and humorous perspective, Mr. Jeon leads the reader through a series of urban circumstances and mini stories that exemplify the importance of a centered, balanced approach to challenging situations.
With chapter titles such as Road Rage (Dealing with Mad Max Within and Without), Turn It Down (Noise versus Sound), Moving En Masse (Public Transportation), Scaring Ourselves to Death (Transcending Media Negativity) and Sex and the City Dharma (Seeking Love vs. Expressing Love), Mr. Jeon writes about the nitty gritty reality of city living. However, his book extends beyond living in modern America to some of his experiences while on an extended stay in South Africa. Mr. Jeon’s South African tales show that all cultures experience similar challenges, although the physical circumstances may appear vastly different.
In his book, Mr. Jeon gives wonderful examples of how to and how not to handle situations. As with Dr. Orloff, Mr. Jeon emphasizes the importance of approaching life with a positive outlook. When one flows through daily life with a sense of humor, it is a joy to witness the immediate change in circumstances and other people’s temperament. Mr. Jeon tells of his experiment with this philosophy while waiting tables at a restaurant and the immediate results based on his energy shift were amazing.
