Living This Life Fully: Stories and Teachings of Munindra [Paperback]

Mirka Knaster (Author), Joseph Goldstein (Foreword)

Book Description

Release date: October 12, 2010

“Whatever you are doing should be done mindfully, dynamically, with totality and completeness. Then it becomes meditation. It is not thinking, but experiencing from moment to moment, living from moment to moment, without clinging, without condemning, without judging.”—Munindra 

Anagarika Munindra (1915–2003) was a Bengali Buddhist master and scholar who became one of the most important Vipassana meditation teachers of the twentieth century. Unassuming, genuine, and always encouraging, Munindra embodied the Buddhist teachings, exemplifying mindfulness in everything he did.

Living This Life Fully is the first book about Munindra, and it features never-before-published excerpts of his teachings, stories and remembrances from Western students, a biography, and rare photographs.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Munindra’s view of the Buddhist path, his scholarship, and his insight all helped me go beyond my fears and self-doubt to pursue meditation practice wholeheartedly.”—Sharon Salzberg

“A kaleidoscopic view of one of the most influential figures in the spread of Buddhism in the West. Anagarika Munindra was one of a kind — wise, delightful, intriguing — and a fully human being.”—Daniel Goleman 

“Munindra was one of the most important teachers for Westerners in the establishment of Vipassana and mindfulness meditation. He was a warm, openhearted, scholar of immense learning, a pragmatic and truly compassionate teacher.”—Jack Kornfield

“Knaster skillfully weaves teachings and personal stories. This is a wonderful introduction to a teacher whose students are now household names: Sharon Salzberg, Daniel Goleman, Jack Kornfield.  This deeply felt, loving portrait of a modern Buddhist master will also inspire those on their own journeys.”—Tricycle

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala (October 12, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590306740
• ISBN-13: 978-1590306741
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #244,373 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I Am Full! November 11, 2010

By Cathy Edgett

Format:Paperback

I was browsing the Four-Eyed Frog bookstore in Gualala, when I picked up "Living This Life Fully".

I was not familiar with Munindra, but intrigued, I purchased the book, and began reading immediately and then I could not stop.

The book is organized for ease, acceptance, cultivation and integration. The reader is softly changed as though in the presence of Munindra. I was reminded of the teachings of my long time teacher of Sensory Awareness, Charlotte Selver, when I read his words: "Whatever you are doing should be done mindfully, dynamically, with totality and completeness. Then it becomes meditation. It is not thinking, but experiencing from moment to moment, living from moment to moment, without clinging, without condemning, without judging."

This book is an experience of that. We meet Munindra, who is an example of what he says. I think of him now when I start to feel angry, when I sit in traffic, when I am sad. I ask myself, "What would Munindra do?" That brings me to peace, acceptance, joy.

The title is just right, "Living This Life Fully." We are given the experience and the tools.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Study, Practice, Live November 21, 2010

By Mary Howard

Format:Paperback

What a gift this book is. Like the life of the beloved Vipassana (Insight) meditation teacher Anagarika Munindra, "Living This Life Fully" combines scholarship with meditation practice. Its unique format focuses each of the sixteen chapters on a different quality of the awakened mind and heart, and tells the story of how Munindra taught and embodied these qualities through the words of his students. In the process we learn about how to understand and practice these qualities ourselves: mindfulness, generosity, determination, compassion, wisdom, etc.

David Wong is quoted as saying of Munindra, "He made himself transparent. He pointed to the moon and I saw the moon; I did not see the finger." In the same way, author Mirka Knaster's prose is transparent, and Munindra shines through. A brief biography of Munindra by Robert Pryor presents the outline of his life in a spare but informative way, and each chapter fleshes out the depth, dedication, and lightness of this remarkable teacher. Munindra greatly influenced the spread of the Dharma (teachings of the Buddha) in the West but is less known than many of his students because he did not publish books or start a Dharma center of his own. Now, by writing "Living This Life Fully," Mirka Knaster has answered the question that appeared in her mind while meditating in May 2004, shortly after his death: "Who is honoring Munindra-ji's life and legacy in the Dhamma?"

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Touching the Root January 16, 2011

By Henry Coffey

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

For everyone practicing in the Insight tradtion in the US, Mirka Knaster book about the life and teaching of Munindra is the first and only chance to read about one of the key root teachers that taught so many of the senior teachers that have introduced and shapped Buddhism in the US. Where did they learn all this? Mirka Knaster's book is a chance to read about one of the key root teachers that brought Buddhism to life for so many.

"Living This Life Fully" is the only written work on the life and teachings of this remarkable teacher.