Tea and Cake with Demons

Book excerpt: This is the book on Buddhism the new generation has been waiting for. If the Buddha were alive today, what would he say about the unique challenges we face? In Tea and Cake With Demons, NYC-based mindfulness and meditation teacher Adreanna Limbach shares a down-to-earth, often humorous, and delightfully insightful discussion of Buddhism through the lens of modern life—and all our cultural, technological, and still-timeless obstacles. So many of us go through our days feeling overwhelmed. We do our best to navigate the craziness of the modern world—finding a purpose while making ends meet, going down social media black holes but craving meaningful relationships, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle in a society that seems to be falling apart . . . At the end of the day, we have a sneaking suspicion of some fundamental flaw—our “demons” rear their heads, manifesting for many of us as a chronic sense of not-enoughness. Using The Four Noble Truths and The Eightfold Path as a guide, Adreanna guides us to meet all our most common demons—shame, perfectionism, self-doubt, fixation—all while myth-busting the cultural narratives that keep us stuck. Throughout Tea and Cake with Demons, Adreanna shares simple meditation practices, personal anecdotes, and traditional Buddhist tales that help you embrace the full experience of being human—even those pesky demons—and realize your fundamental, untouchable, and true self-worth.