Meditation for Beginners [Paperback]

Jack Kornfield (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2008

For readers who have thought about trying meditation but weren't sure how to get started, Meditation for Beginners presents a complete introduction to "Insight" meditation with bestselling author and trusted teacher Jack Kornfield. Through step-by-step instruction in everything from breathing, posture, and attention to working with difficult emotions and physical discomfort, readers from any spiritual tradition will learn the essentials for creating a daily meditation practice. CD includes five guided meditation sessions to help cultivate the inner tranquility, natural joy, and mental clarity that are just some of the fruits of meditation.

Editorial Reviews

Review

" 'Jack Kornfield is a remarkable and thoughtful teacher' A Path with Heart - 'It's encouraging to find Westerners who've sufficiently assimilated the traditions of the East to be able to share them with others as Jack is doing'" --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

According to a recent Time magazine cover feature about meditation, ten million American adults say they practice some form of meditation regularly. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Sounds True, Incorporated; Pap/Com edition (August 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591799422
• ISBN-13: 978-1591799429
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,458 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #90 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Buddhism

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).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

269 of 275 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Most Perfect Beginning To Meditation!, November 14, 2004

By 

CPTScott - See all my reviews

This review is from: Meditation for Beginners (Audio CD)

I have been a practicing Yogi for many years and have a library full of books, videos, tapes and CD's on Yoga, meditation, sprituality and the like.

This program by Jack Kornfield (available as a video as well as audio) is the best single place I can think of starting from if you want to begin a meditation practice..

Jack Kornfield is a perfect teacher of meditation, especially for Westerners because he approaches it in a non-sectarian way. He gets to the heart of the practice, uses clear explanations and stories to give the listener/viewer some sense of the depth of the practice. He leads the meditations in a way that gives enough guidance without becoming a distraction. He also has a very soothing voice which enhances the overall experience of the program.

The program starts with the most basic form of meditation on the breath, and leads through ever slightly more subtle forms of Vipassana Meditation.

Very Highly Recommended!

Some other related meditation programs I would highly recommend are: Plum Village Meditations w/ Thich Nhat Hanh and Sister Jina which are guided Meditations. I have been using this tape for about 7 years daily. I use it during the day prior to lunch to renew myself for the rest of the day.

Stephen Cope's "Yoga For Emotional Flow" which has 2 CD's, the 1st CD is about Yoga Philosophy and the 2nd has guided practices which I find very helpful in my life. Also check out his book "Yoga and The Quest for the True Self" which is contains the ideas of the 1st CD in an in depth manner, one of the best books I've ever read (and I'm re-reading it for the 3rd time).

Jack Kornfield has many other wonderful books and audio programs in the "Sounds True" catalogue which are wonderful, one is a more in depth series (6 tapes) on meditation called "The Inner Art Of Meditation".

Jon Kabot-Zinn is a wonderful teacher as well. See his "Meditation for Optimum Health w/ Andrew Weil, as well as Andrew Weils audio, "Breathing, the Master Key To Healing" which is very much related to meditation, these are guided breathing (pranayama) exercises plus an in depth explanation as to the benefits of breath work.

Namaste

101 of 102 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Non-intimidating introduction for people who never meditated, March 20, 2006

By 

Patrick D. Goonan "see profile for URL" (Livermore, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Meditation for Beginners (Audio CD)

I like this DVD because it's a good introduction for people who have never meditated and for people who might not be the typical audience for such topics.

Jack Kornfield was a monk in Thailand, but is also a Western clinical psychologist. He approaches introducing people to meditation very gently and from a practical standpoint. While it is clear he is committed to a Buddhist path, he presents meditation in an unbiased, impartial and often humorous manner.

While the guided meditations aren't particularly long or deep, they give the listener a good taste of what meditation is about without making it seem esoteric. There are also some very nice stories on the DVD, which is worth getting just for this reason.

Something that distracts from the DVD is the timing and volume of bells sounding. Here and there this is bordering on corny, but I didn't find it a problem in any MAJOR way. It doesn't change the credibility of the core message or value of the instruction.

The biggest strength of this DVD is Jack Kornfield's ability to tell stories and use powerful analogies. For example, he compares "training the attention" to house breaking a puppy! He says, you gently bring the attention back to the breath as you would bring a puppy back to a newspaper and you do this over and over again patiently. You don't kick or beat the puppy and you don't judge yourself for letting your mind wander! I found this to be a very clever and useful analogy.

In my opinion, this is not Jack Kornfield's best work. However, it's a good resource for a lot of people. My favorite Jack Kornfield book is "A Path with Heart" and my favorite recorded material is your "Buddha Nature." However, I still enjoy listening to this DVD and often recommend it to beginning meditators.

If you want deeper material on meditation, try Breath by Breath by Rosenberg. This is my favorite introductory book on meditation for Westerners. If you want a recording that has more depth, then Insight Meditation by Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein is pretty good and has quite a bit of detail.

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Art of Meditation, October 24, 2006

By 

Rebecca Johnson "The Rebecca Review" (Washington State) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Meditation for Beginners (Book & CD-ROM) (Hardcover)

"The first session of meditation practice is a beginning like the beginning of any art form. Like any other art form, the art of meditation takes some time to practice." ~ Jack Kornfield

Meditation for Beginners truly is perfect for anyone who is just starting to meditate because it includes a Guided Meditation CD. The book introduces you to why meditation is a good idea, how to connect with the breath and how to cultivate a daily meditation practice.

The CD has sections for connecting with your breath, working with sensations that arise in the body, dealing with feelings and emotions, and observing your thoughts. The last two sections include a Forgiveness (7:13) and Lovingkindness (10:50) Meditation.

Jack Kornfield studied in monasteries in Thailand and trained as a Buddhist monk in Thailand and India. He is also the author of "After the Ecstasy, the Laundry," "Living Dharma" and "A Path with Heart."

As I listened to Jack Kornfield's beautiful voice, I was able to relax more fully and fall into the meditation in the moments of silence. You may lose track of time and just enjoy having Jack guide you through the various meditation practices.

Sometimes it is relaxing to release all your awareness of the moment-to-moment stresses of life and to truly find that place of peace where your body can heal. By listening to a guided meditation session you surrender into the moment and can feel a sense of joy rising from within where true happiness is born.

I remember the first time I tried to meditate and how restless I felt. Now years later, meditation is something I can appreciate for its intrinsic beauty and revelatory nature. If you find you are feeling especially restless, try exercising before meditating or doing a yoga routine right before the guided sessions.

~The Rebecca Review