Product Description

If you'd like to read about meditation and then go back to your regular life, don't get this book. Henepola Gunaratana, a monk from Sri Lanka and venerated teacher of Buddhism, warns us that vipassana meditation is "meant to revolutionize the whole of your life experience." In one of the best nuts-and-bolts meditation manuals, he lays out the fundamentals of basic Buddhist meditation, the how, what, where, when, and why, including common problems and how to deal with them. His 52 years as a Buddhist monk make Mindfulness in Plain English an authority on a living tradition, and his years of teaching in America and elsewhere give it the clarity and straightforwardness that has made it so popular. If you'd like to learn the practice of meditation, you can't do better. --Brian Bruya

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Product Details

Publisher	Wisdom Publications
ISBN	0861713214
Features	ISBN13: 9780861713219 Condition: New Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
Format	Paperback
Author	Bhante Henepola Gunaratana
EAN	9780861713219
Label	Wisdom Publications
Edition	2nd
Dewey Decimal Number	294.34435
Studio	Wisdom Publications
Number Of Pages	224
Title	Mindfulness in Plain English: Revised and Expanded Edition
Publication Date	1996-11-01
Manufacturer	Wisdom Publications

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Customer Reviews

A well written book

Review by K. S. Dennis, 2010-08-15

This is actually a book about vipassana (insight) meditation and some of the teachings of the Buddha. It offers a better discussion of these topics than most other books that I have read on meditation. Gunaratana's writing style is clear and free from excessive jargon. The book will be understandable to most Americans.

Gunaratana makes vipassana meditation seem desirable by discussing its benefits at various places in the book. I have just finished reading it and haven't practiced vipassana meditation yet so I'll mention some examples from the book. Gunaratana says that in vipassana meditation we face up to unpleasantness in our lives rather than avoiding it. We reduce tendencies to be greedy and lethargic. We are reminded of what we are supposed to be doing. We see things as they really are. We see the true nature of all phenomena.

Another good aspect of the book is that it includes good instructions for the practice of vipassana meditation and for dealing with problems and distractions during meditation.

I give this book five stars for what I mentioned above. But, I want to caution you about a couple of things before you buy this book.

First, if you are considering meditation because you want to solve problems in life, vipassana meditation may not be the best place to start. Gunaratana says that vipassana meditation is not a problem-solving technique. More direct approaches for dealing with problems can be found in books such as Coping with Difficult People by Robert M. Bramson and A Guide to the Good Life by William B. Irvine. Recommendations in those books are practical and experience-based. They offer the prospect of handling some of life's problems with readily available approaches. Insight meditation may improve problem solving capability in the long-term, but I think it should be used only after using more direct, reasoned approaches. (It is worth noting here that Gunaratana was ordained a Buddhist monk at age 12 - as stated on the back of the book cover. Life in a monastery is unlikely to be as challenging as holding a job in a competitive or difficult situation. So, Gunaratana can't be expected to offer much help in dealing with immediate problems.)

My second caution is that, while Gunaratana's book is not a complete description of Buddhism, it does espouse some Buddhist beliefs. On page 144, Gunaratana says that if we practice mindfulness, we can perceive the three prime characteristics which Buddhism teaches are the deepest truths of existence. One of these is selflessness. Gunaratana says that selflessness means that there is an "absence of a permanent, unchanging entity that we call Soul or Self." Further, in connection with this, he says that "there are really no entities that are unchanging or permanent, only processes." When I have seen Soul and Self capitalized elsewhere, they are references to God. So, Buddhism holds that there is no God and/or we do not have souls that exist eternally. This is contradictory to what is said in many holy books. It is also in conflict with what is reported by mystics and by some people who have had near death experiences. This is a great book on meditation, but do we need this religious indoctrination? (The Buddha did not claim to be a god but he is discussed in this book as if he has the role of a savior.)

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Love it

Review by Caroline, 2010-08-10

At last, a book on meditation...in plain english! Simple, clear and concise language which has really helped me improve and gain further understanding of my own personal practice. Would highly recommend.

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Practical and simple

Review by Pnigro, 2010-08-04

The author of this book is very good at explaining the benefits of meditation and teaching how to do it.

What I liked the most is that he doesn't talk about Buddhism or religion at all. Anyone, regardless of his/her religion, can benefit and enjoy this book.

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Superb!!!

Review by S. A. Saribay, 2010-08-02

This is a superb book on Vipassana style (insight) meditation, very practically oriented, but also the best explanation of why you should meditate and what happens when you meditate that I've seen. The author really has managed the job of explaining the inexplicable (since meditation is very much about a pre-symbolic experience of reality). I felt compelled to underline almost every line of this book. I cannot recommend it strongly enough.

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Excellent, easily understandable book.

Review by Len, 2010-07-13

Excellent, easily understandable book. Great for self practice of mindfulness meditation. I am enjoying every word in it.

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