66 of 67 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not really about meditation per se, but very good., October 31, 1999
By A Customer
If you're looking for a book on "how to meditate" you should look elsewhere. This book is not about Vipassana meditation technique, it's more about the philosophy that underlies it. So the title may mislead, depending on what you're looking for. However, having said that I found the discussions that are contained in the book to be extremely good and very useful from the point of view of Vipassana as an approach to life in general. So if you think of LIFE as an extended meditation, then perhaps the book really is about Vipassana meditation. Anyway, as long as you're not expecting a book on meditation technique, I highly recommend this one. Good stuff.
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56 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Life Changing, August 26, 2005
This book and the accompanying 10 day course changed my entire life. This happened because my mind actually transformed, completely reinvented itself into a rational, sensible self. I too was a hard sell- a highly educated, argumentative, self-centered business person- and have in no way given up my worldly life because of the program. I have cleaned out my mind of the negativities, so now I can continue to pursue excellence and success with a clean, positive, and radiant mind instead on an insecure, unsure, angry, and frightened mind. Every person in my life has appreciated the change, and not once have I tried to sell this technique to anyone else. It is too special. However, whenever people ask me about how I am able to live my life with the level of clarity, lack of fear, and boundless dreams and goals that I do, I love to share with them my secret, so they too can learn the amazing Vipassana. I am in no way a master, and I know I will need to study for a lifetime to make small steps. However, I will be eternally grateful for the changes I have already seen.
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30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The definitive textbook for Mr. Goenka's world-famous meditation courses, January 27, 2006
"The Art of Living" is an excellent introduction to Vipassana meditation. Prepared by William Hart and based on the lectures and writings of S. N. Goenka in the tradition of Sayagyi U Ba Khin, it could easily be considered the textbook for Mr. Goenka's world-famous Vipassana courses.
Although Vipassana is primarily experiential, I consider the intellectual framework provided in this book as key to fully accepting the positive impact of the technique. As the saying goes, success happens when preparation meets opportunity. Here, in my opinion, are two key passages from the book:
"Every thought, every emotion, every mental action is accompanied by a corresponding sensation within the body. Therefore, by observing our physical sensations, we also observe our mind."
"We observe the sensation without reacting, neither liking it nor disliking it. It has no chance to develop into craving or aversion, into powerful emotion that can overwhelm us; it simply arises and passes away. The mind remains balanced and peaceful. We are happy now and we can anticipate happiness in the future, because we have not reacted."
You can access your mind through your body. By viewing and dissolving areas of blocked consciousness in our body we systematically de-condition our mind. The result is increased clarity, happiness, certainty and true self-expression. In a world not overly abundant in these qualities that's an excellent contribution to make. I have completed two 10-Day Vipassana courses as taught by Mr. Goenka and they were the most positive transforming experiences I've ever been a part of.
In
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, Eckhart Tolle says that we can use our inner body as an anchor to the Now. I agree. The menu, however, is not the meal. If you want to anchor yourself to the Now, I recommend "The Art of Living" and the 10-Day Vipassana course it points to.
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