Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com
Summary:
In his follow-up to Full Catastrophe Living--a book in which he presented basic meditation techniques as a way of reducing stress and healing from illness--here Jon Kabat-Zinn goes much more deeply into the practice of meditation for its own sake. To Kabat-Zinn, meditation is important because it brings about a state of "mindfulness," a condition of "being" rather than "doing" during which you pay attention to the moment rather than the past, the future, or the multitudinous distractions of modern life. In brief, rather poetic chapters, he describes different meditative practices and what they can do for the practitioner. The idea that meditation is "spiritual" is often confusing to people, Kabat-Zinn writes; he prefers to think of it as what you might call a workout for your consciousness. This book makes learning meditation remarkably easy (although practicing it is not). But it also makes it seem infinitely appealing. --Ben Kallen
Customer Reviews:
Average Customer Rating:
Wherever You Go, There You Are
Customer Rating:
This is a classic. Any day that I spend time with this book - usually just one entry at a time - greater peacefulness and focus are assured. And often the author's insights turn my views upside down - there's much to discover here.
Solid introduction to Meditation Practices
Customer Rating:
This book was recommended to me by a Sociology professor as a practical guide to exploring stress management techniques. I found it to be an interesting and basically useful introduction to Meditation Techniques and especially appreciated its inclusive, light-handed approach to encompassing more than just Buddhism when promoting the spiritual benefits of meditation.
There is certainly something to be gained from this book, whether it is life-changing "mindfulness meditation" or simply a new approach to self-awareness and the pursuit of peace.
6 stars
Customer Rating:
For someone growing up from a Buddhist culture, I feel the author has captured the essence of meditation. Specifically, the author reminds to practice meditation without feeling that you are better than everyone else, which is what I have felt. He also suggests to practice meditation without the goal of becoming a better person, more calm, more relaxed, more focused... etc. These are merely by-products of practicing meditation. So why do we do it? Better read the book to find out!
A reviewer who gave it 1 star says that "the book puts you to sleep." This indeed happened to me a few times when I listened to the audio version of the book while trying to meditate. When I have much stress, this is actually a great way to get sound sleep without any meditation and therefore any side effects. And for this quality alone, I wish I can award the book 6 star.
Kabat-Zinn & Tolle
Customer Rating:
I read this book after reading Ekhart Tolle's two books and listening to Jon Kabat-Zinn on Oprah's radio program. His ideas parallel Tolle. I devoured the book and recommend it to anyone who wants to grow in mindfulness.
A Keeper
Customer Rating:
This is a book to keep in your library for periodic re-reading. I wish I hadn't waited so long this time, to re-read it. Understanding and practicing this "philosophy" can change one's life for the positive.
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