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Mindfulness in Plain English: 20th Anniversary Edition [Kindle Edition]

Henepola Gunaratana
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (171 customer reviews)

Print List Price: $14.95
Kindle Price: $8.02
You Save: $6.93 (46%)
Sold by: Simon and Schuster Digital Sales Inc

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Book Description

With over a quarter of a million copies sold, Mindfulness in Plain English is one of the most influential books in the burgeoning field of mindfulness and a timeless classic introduction to meditation. This is a book that people read, love, and share - a book that people talk about, write about, reflect on, and return to over and over again.
Bhante Gunaratana is also the author of Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness, Beyond Mindfulness in Plain English, The Four Foundations of Mindfulness in Plain English, and his memoir Journey to Mindfulness.


Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

If you'd like to read about meditation and then go back to your regular life, don't get this book. Henepola Gunaratana, a monk from Sri Lanka and venerated teacher of Buddhism, warns us that vipassana meditation is "meant to revolutionize the whole of your life experience." In one of the best nuts-and-bolts meditation manuals, he lays out the fundamentals of basic Buddhist meditation, the how, what, where, when, and why, including common problems and how to deal with them. His 52 years as a Buddhist monk make Mindfulness in Plain English an authority on a living tradition, and his years of teaching in America and elsewhere give it the clarity and straightforwardness that has made it so popular. If you'd like to learn the practice of meditation, you can't do better. --Brian Bruya

Review

"A masterpiece. I cannot recommend it highly enough." -- Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of Wherever You Go, There You Are

"Of great value to newcomers...especially people without access to a teacher." -- Larry Rosenberg, Director, Cambridge Insight Meditation Center

Product Details

  • File Size: 3157 KB
  • Print Length: 226 pages
  • Publisher: Wisdom Publications; 20th Anniversary Edition edition (September 6, 2011)
  • Sold by: Simon and Schuster Digital Sales Inc
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B003XF1LKW
  • Text-to-Speech: Not enabled
  • X-Ray:
  • Lending: Not Enabled
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,583 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  •  Would you like to give feedback on images or tell us about a lower price? .


Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
625 of 633 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Meditation for the West August 25, 1997
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Ever start reading a really cool looking
meditation book only to find that the picture on
the cover is the only thing that makes any sense?

Have you ever wondered why the author or
translator never bothers to tell you what those
weird words mean, "Samahadi...",
"Vipassana...", "Dukka..."

Have you finished a meditation book and
understood about half of what was talked about and
figured that half is better than none? (a very 'enlightened'
but often frustrating outcome
especially when these books aren't cheap)

This little known book seems to have addressed
and solved all those problems and more. It is a book
written for people who have no clue how to
start meditating and for those who have started, but
don't know where to look for the answers to
questions that come up during their practice.
The best thing about this book is in
its title,'plain English'.It seems to gently
lead one by the hand through the mystery and
confusion of meditation with a sense of humor
and patience rarely given to the subject.

I have been meditating for nine years now and
have built up a small library of books on the
subject. When friends ask me about meditation
I dig around in all the books with great
covers and reach for "Mindfullness In Plain
English" every time.
Was this review helpful to you?
166 of 166 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Exactly what the Title Says it is... May 21, 2001
Format:Paperback
Sometimes when I pick up titles on meditation, yoga, or other practices associated with Eastern philosophy, mysticism or relgion, I am overcome with the author's inability to say what they mean in language that is useful to the rest of us. My relief was enormous, therefore, when a friend gave me this book by Venerable Henepola Gunaratana! This book is exactly what the title implies...easy to read and understand because it is not written in mystic hokum, rather it is written in plain english. The result is a manual for the beginning student of meditation that is sufficient to get you well on your way to benefitting from the practice of Insight Meditation.
In "Mindfulness" you will gain an understanding of what mindfullness is, how to cultivate it both during sitting practice and the rest of the time, tips on how to sit and how to overcome some of the most common distractions (including your feet going to sleep and your back hurting), and what to look for and what to avoid. I have not been practicing meditation for long, and this book was of enormous value in helping me identify the things I was doing that served as barriers to effective insight meditation, as well as giving me ideas on how to enhance the effectiveness of my meditation.
This is an extremely practical book for the western practitioner. It draws heavily upon the Buddhist paradigm, but the techniques for effective meditation cross all sect boundaries, and the beginning practitioner of any faith will find this book of enormous benefit. I would strongly encourage the reader to suppliment this book with "The Miracle of Mindfulness" by Thich Nhat Hahn. The two together are a delightfully easy to read but complete and well rounded introduction to the practices of Insight Meditation. If you want to know how but don't want to hire a Yogi to translate, this book is the place to start.
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226 of 231 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Mindfulness is not an easy concept to explain in words yet H. Gunaratana does a nice job of doing just that. First and foremost, this book is a beginner's guide to the practice of Vipassana (or Insight) meditation. Having it's roots in the Gutama Buddha's life over 2500 years ago, Vipassana meditation is a skill that takes only a short while to learn but a lifetime of dedication to master.
The introduction gives a brief look at the roots of the practice and tells the reader that meditation is intrinsically experiential so the best way to get started is to just sit and try it. In the following chapters, Gunaratana helps the reader to understand exactly what meditation is and what it isn't. From there he goes into more detailed instructions as to what your mind and body should be doing while you meditate. This is accompanied with useful tips on dealing with problems that may arise in your practice, including the 5 major hindrances that nearly all meditators face. The book wraps up with a more in depth look at exactly what "mindfulness" is and how to "take it from the cushion" and integrate it into our daily lives.
I found this book very easy to read and understand and feel it would be an excellent guide for people just getting into Buddhism and meditation. Already being the owner of a collection of books on Buddhism, this book didn't offer any new revelations but I was extrememly pleased with the sections on mindfulness and have already used some of the author's suggestions on integrating it into daily life. The main reason I did not give the book 5 stars is because it offers much more for the new reader than it does for one with more experience.
If you buy this book and still feel like you could use more detailed instructions on meditation, I recommend you also purchase "Change Your Mind: A Practical Guide to Buddhist Meditation" by Paramananda (ISBN: 0904766810).
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53 of 56 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The best you'll find on mindfulness meditation. February 5, 2000
Format:Paperback
I love this book. It is straightforward, thorough, and easy to read. I don't know who Gunaratana is, but he does a great job with this book. Even the layout of the book is clean and simple and pleasant.
If you are interested in vipassana or mindfulness meditation, or even zazen, this book is worth reading. It tells you how to do this kind of meditation, and what to do with the problems that come up. It is a practical handbook and it's also fun to read. I'm the author of the book, Self-Help Stuff That Works, and I can tell you with some authority that the techniques Gunaratana describes in this book work, and they are worth applying, even if you don't sit still. You can do your work with mindfulness. You can talk to your child with mindfulness. Anything can be a meditation. Mindfulness in Plain English will show you how. I recommend this book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
The title says it all
Published 5 days ago by Elizabeth Mowlam
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
I love all the scientific back up! What an insightful book. Enjoyed the witty style too!
Published 6 days ago by Sheila Bazleh
5.0 out of 5 stars but it looks like an excellent overview of meditation - for beginners
Only a couple of chapters in, but it looks like an excellent overview of meditation - for beginners, and old dogs such as myself.
Published 12 days ago by kaglecom
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Easy to understand. This will become a book that I will read again and again.
Published 16 days ago by Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Fabulous and simple
Published 18 days ago by Tatiana Nemo
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Excellent read
Published 24 days ago by james
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Useful!
Published 1 month ago by Vince
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Very clear and inspiring. Encourages you every step of the way.
Published 1 month ago by Bridget Thompson
5.0 out of 5 stars The Plain Truth about Mindfulness Meditation
This is easily the best book on Mindfulness Meditation. If you want to get an in-depth understanding of the why, what, and how of mindfulness or insight meditation, then this is... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Venkataraman Nilakant
5.0 out of 5 stars Just what I needed to read.
I'm just getting started with meditation and had a lot of misconceptions about what exactly it is, and this book really clarified a lot of things for me. Read more
Published 1 month ago by BJ
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