Bringing Home the Dharma: Awakening Right Where You Are [Hardcover]

Jack Kornfield (Author), Daniel Siegel (Foreword)

Book Description

Release date: December 6, 2011

If you want to find inner peace and wisdom, you don't need to move to an ashram or monastery. Your life, just as it is, is the perfect place to be. Jack Kornfield, one of America's most respected Buddhist teachers, shares this and other key lessons gleaned from more than forty years of committed study and practice.


Topics include:

   • How to cultivate loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity
   • Conscious parenting
   • Spirituality and sexuality
   • The way of forgiveness

   • Committing ourselves to healing the suffering in the world
Bringing Home the Dharma includes simple meditation practices for awakening our buddha nature—our wise and understanding heart—amid the ups and downs of our ordinary daily lives.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala; First Edition edition (December 6, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590309138
• ISBN-13: 978-1590309131
• Product Dimensions: 1 x 6.3 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #479,044 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“One of the greatest spiritual teachers of our time.”—Alice Walker

“Jack Kornfield is a wonderful storyteller and a great teacher.”—Thich Nhat Hanh

“One of Western Buddhism’s wise elders, Jack Kornfield harvests a lifetime of experiences to create a masterful, clear, and moving picture of the human mind and heart.”—Norman Fischer


“Jack Kornfield brings to life a way to understand and cultivate mindfulness, compassion, lovingkindness, and true wisdom that penetrates to the core of what liberation is all about.”—Jon Kabat-Zinn

“Jack is helping to pave the path for American Buddhism, bringing essential basics into our crazy modern lives.”—Natalie Goldberg

“[Kornfield’s] eloquence and accuracy here demonstrate his own mastery of many everyday and ethereal insights.”—New York Journal of Books

“Kornfield has filled his latest book with jewels of Buddhist insight, wisdom, metaphor, and anecdotes, as well as practical instructions for meditation practice and living a meaningful life.”—Yoga International

“Ever wish your life had an owner’s manual? Jack Kornfield has written it for you in Bringing Home the Dharma.”—Portland Book Review

About the Author

<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"> <p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">Jack Kornfield is one of the key teachers to have brought Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. He is the cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, and Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California. His books include After the Ecstasy, the Laundry; The Art of Forgiveness, Lovingkindness, and Peace; Meditation for Beginners; and The Wise Heart. <p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala; First Edition edition (December 6, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590309138
• ISBN-13: 978-1590309131
• Product Dimensions: 1 x 6.3 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #479,044 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jack Kornfield, Ph.D. co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, in 1975 and later, the Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. He holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. His books include After the Ecstasy, the Laundry and the national bestseller A Path with Heart (over 100,000 copies in print).

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great read January 4, 2012

By t.haines

Format:Hardcover

I think this book would be equally enjoyed by those both new and old to Buddhist practice. It is well written, engaging, and approaches the contents of its chapters in a considered, warm and light-hearted manner. Jack Konfield's wisdom flows through the text - I couldn't put it down.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Jack Kornfield is a great teacher, but... September 30, 2012

By A. Max König

Format:Hardcover

My first book of Jack Kornfield, A Path with a Heart, I have read in 1995 and only in retrospect I realize how his writings have been of great influence and help to my life. I can reread his books ( like "After the Ecstacy" or "the wise heart" ) again and again and find new insights. Years later I find advice which in the first reading I did not notice since "I wasn't there yet".

Jack Kornfield has a wisdom and personal experience, which is very humble and selfless and I find him to be one of the best authors inspiring the very practical aspects of spiritual life.

So why only three stars for this book? Two things:

Parts of the book is recycled texts from previous publications, which is a bit dissapointing. But there is another thing, which I found disturbing:

Kornfield has in his previous books very gently and very wisely taken up the issue of betrayal in spiritual communities and the fact that some teachers don't live up to what they promise, often in the areas of sex, power or money. I noticed that Kornfield was over time more open in mentioning this and also had in some books very helpful advice how to deal with such experiences.

Now to my suprise, Kornfield has a long chapter containing enourmous praise regarding Chögyam Trungpa, describing his amazing qualities on full 16 pages. The uninformed reader is left with the impression that Trungpa was absolutelty amazing and almost without any flaw. I am left with the impression, that Kornfield answers an "insider discussion" which only those having more information understand completely. In only one short paragraph he mentions that Trungpa "drank and was a womanizer" -- which seems after all I know quite an understatement.... Brad Warner for example describes such issues in a good chapter "when good spiritual masters go bad", also mentioning Trungpa as "a problematic teacher to say the least",and his even more problematic successor.

I am not saying that Trungpa may not have had amazing qualities and that he created much good, as for example establishing Naropa and Buddhism in general in America and the West. But from Kornfield I had expected a more balanced presentation of Trungpa-- his later chapter on the "sex life of gurus" does not ease my uneasiness about the Trungpa chapter. The fact that he is controversial must be clearly stated and discussed in a chapter about Trungpa and not "covered up" in one-sided praise. It simply raises much bigger questions: If some ideals, especially the celibate life, fail so often in spiritual communities, be they Catholic, Buddhist or whatever, one has to honestly ask if these ideals cause more damage and hypocrisy than true help. From Kornfield I am used to see such discussions and I am really puzzled about this chapter on Trungpa, since it does not seem to be Kornfields usual style.

I still find much inspiration in large parts of his book. I do think his previous ones were better and I am disturbed by the Trungpa chapter the way it is written. Maybe since I have had my share of dissappointments in the Catholic tradition I grew up with and had so far thought the Buddhist community would deal better with these things. Read more ›

21 of 26 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Another excellent book January 26, 2012

By barbara sher

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Jack Kornfield has spoken to me.....in my mind..... since I first read his book ¨First the Ecstasy then the Laundry. I've read every book since. His words feel like a down to earth and clear interpretation of what the Buddha said. I wish my life were such that he were my personal teacher, but shy of that, his work has been enormously helpful to my intention to be mindful, accepting and aware. I read everything he writes and I'm always grateful and glad I did.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Maybe Good If You're New to June 10, 2012

By Barjugo

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I read Jack Kornfield's "The Wise Heart" and really got a lot from it. It's a bit academic, but it's a wide ranging discussion of Buddhism and how it applies to daily life, full of anecdotes from Kornfield's experiences as a practitioner and teacher. So I agree whole-heartedly with the many positive comments previous reviewers have made about Kornfield, as a wise, gentle, and FUNNY teacher. But I don't agree that this book is close to his best, especially if you're familiar with Buddhism. The first few chapters of "Bringing Home the Dharma" are pretty much word for word taken from previous writings, and so far the chapters on parenting and politics are quite basic. I respect Kornfield as a teacher, but honestly, if you are a student of Buddhism you may find, as I did, that his points flow so obviously from Buddhist teachings and practices that they seem, well, facile. Reading other reviews and the titles of later chapters gives me hope that I will find more richness as I read, but so far I am disappointed - and disappointed that I'm disappointed!

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Bringing Home December 28, 2011

By donna giandomenico

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I am enjoying this book greatly. I bought it to learn more about Buddism and more importantly, just how to live life daily with the right intentions and behaviors. This book has given me both. You don't have to be interested in buddism to get a lot out of this book. It teaches you how to live a good life.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Bringing Home the Dharma January 12, 2012

By MPK

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Once again, Jack delivers the deepest, most powerful teachings in a storytelling style that appeals to all. Having had met him, I can only say;, Thank you for taking us beyond the couch and back to the foundation of psychology and happyness.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Useful and Captivating Book by Jack Kornfield for Beginners and Experienced Readers June 17, 2012

By lynn krown

Format:Kindle Edition

by Lynn Krown, MFT

As a marriage and family therapist in Encino,CA, I utilize mindfulness training with my patients. For the past 20 years, I have been a student of Buddhist psychology and have had a mindfulness practice. Jack Kornfield's influence has been transformational. In my field, there is growing emphasis on brain neuroscience: how relationship with our earliest caregiver in the first year of life affects the development of the brain and abilities to securely attach, tolove and to self-sooth. Mindfulness, the practice of being present and aware, is a useful tool for anyone, but especially for patients that have difficulty with anxiety and early trauma. It is also a proven tool for therapists, parents, doctors,hospice workers, caregivers, people suffering from chronic illness and the dying.

In 2012, I completed two five day silent meditation retreats at Spirit Rock, founded by Jack Kornfield,in Marin County, California. The teachers who led the retreat are trained by Jack in the style and principles of Insight Meditation which Kornfield pioneered. I have read all of his books to date, and listen to his Dharma talks on his website,on Dharmaseed.com, and elsewhere, as part of my mindfulness practice and commitment to Buddhist principles outlined in this book and all writings and teachings on Buddhism for the West.

This book is accessible to newcomers and experienced mindfulness students alike. It is filled with stories of everyday people that the reader can identify with, which brings the teachings to life. As I read this book, which I keep with me in my purse so I can center myself during my work day, I imagine Jack's voice speaking directly to me. It is this quality of intimacy that the book offers.... The book is consistent with the teachings that are communicated in Kornfield's writings,lectures and videos. With each new book and talk at Spirit Rock or elsewhere in the world, Kronfield displays ongoing engagement and clarity in the moment. This book is gem to be savored and tasted. It is also a helpful tool when I get lost in stress or anxiety; I can open to any page and find my way back to freedom. Read more ›