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Mindfulness in Plain English: Revised and Expanded Edition Paperback – November 1, 1996

by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana (Author)

118 customer reviews

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Mindfulness in Plain English: 20th Anniversary Edition
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With his distinctive clarity and wit, "Bhante G" takes us step by step through the myths, realities, and benefits of meditation and the practice of mindfulness. We already have the foundation we need to live a more productive and peaceful life — Bhante simply points to each tool of meditation, tells us what it does, and how to make it work. This expanded edition includes the complete text of its bestselling predecessor, as well as a new chapter on the cultivation of loving kindness, an especially important subject in today's world.

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Product Details

Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Wisdom Publications; Revised & enlarged edition (November 1, 1996)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0861713214
ISBN-13: 978-0861713219
Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (118 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #46,750 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #16 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Eastern > Buddhism > Theravada
- #90 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Eastern Religions & Sacred Texts

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Bhante Henepola Gunaratana is the author of the best-selling Mindfulness in Plain English, which has sold more than 50,000 copies. He was ordained at the age of 12 as a Buddhist monk in Sri Lanka, earned his Ph.D. in philosophy from The American University, and has led meditation retreats, taught Buddhism, and lectured widely throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia. He lives in High View, West Virginia. Bhante Henepola Gunaratana is the president of the Bhavana Society in West Virginia and the author of the bestseller Mindfulness in Plain English --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

(118)

4.7 out of 5 stars

5 star		99
4 star		9
3 star		6
2 star		3
1 star		1

See all 118 customer reviews

That's why this book is one you'll use, rather than just read.

Bart Popowski

I highly recommend this book for any other beginners out there that want to know how to meditate.

B. J. Zale

This book explains the Bhuddist meditation technique vipassana which focuses on breathing.

kyara

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

136 of 146 people found the following review helpful

Meditation for skeptics...

By A Customer on January 3, 2004

Format: Paperback

I am a rationalist. I am not a mystic. I do not believe in chakras, yogic flying, psychic visions or tantric orgasm. I have a western scientific mind, and a very short patience for BS.
I loved this book.
Mindfulness in Plain English is a meditation manual that's been brutally stripped of superstitious hokus pokus. It's focused, straight-forward, practical, yet profound. It says what it means and it means what it says. And if you practice, really practice, you'll find the techniques it describes can honestly change your entire outlook on life in a frighteningly short period of time.
If you're a skeptic, and you're interested in meditation as a psychological exercise rather than a mystical mystery, you'll do well with this book. If you need your chakras petted, look at any of its 10,000,000 lesser competitors in your local flaky pseudo-eastern bookshop.

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40 of 40 people found the following review helpful

A resource you'll return to again & again.

By Bart Popowski on August 30, 2005

Format: Paperback Verified Purchase

Nothing I've read comes close to "Mindfulness in Plain English." Besides explaining how to meditate, and why to meditate, Gunaratana lays out a lot of the underlying fundamentals of Buddhist thought. He provides by far the best description of nirvana(nibbana) that I've ever seen. Read this description, and you'll feel you understand the concept for the first time.

He explains a variety of ways to meditate, details the kinds of problems you'll confront, and offers a variety of methods to deal with those problems. Instead of telling you "the" way to meditate, he helps you find your way to meditate.

That's why this book is one you'll use, rather than just read. It's not like all those other trophy books we read once and then leave out for display, for ourselves or others.

His writing style reminds me of the Dalai Lama's; it is eloquent, yet to the point. It's profound, yet practical. His writing is grounded in your immediate experience. It is not abstract, esoteric or grandly philosophical.

I can't agree with the notion that this is a fast read. This isn't because it's a difficult read. There is a lot to absorb in a few pages. I found myself wanting to reread many chapters, just so I could articulate it myself. It is a very thought-full book.

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48 of 50 people found the following review helpful

Best available book but needs to offer better practical help

By "johnskoyles" on May 16, 2004

Format: Paperback

One third of what you will learn about meditation will come from your teachers and your fellow class and retreat meditators; one third from yourself on your own patient journey - and one third from a good book. That book will sometimes seem the least important third, sometimes the most important part. Having read a shelf full, I find, Mindfulness in Plain English, to be the best available how to meditate guide - it is well written, clear, graceful and it covers all the issues tackled elsewhere.
But it leaves out much advice that would have made it much better. 90% of those starting a meditation class drop out - meditation teachers such as Gunaratana rarely seek to find out why and so the small things that get in the way of even the most determined intentions. A good meditation book must tackle them - and Gunaratana like every writer does so only partially.
Here is a list of a few of things that could be added.
A beginner requires equipment to handle the 20, 30 or 40 minute duration of their meditation -- for example, a timer used in cooking (under something to dim its unpleasant alarm sound), or a CD burnt with silent tracks that end with one of bells. After a few months, time can be estimated by looking at a watch but in the initial days such checking just adds an additional and an unnecessary burden.
Ear plugs (motor cyclist shops and internet sites are a good source), or ear muffs (internet sites again check for Bilsom or Peltor brands) might be an idea. Again after a few months, distracting sounds of kids, power tools, TVs in other rooms etc are not a problem, and can even add to the practice, but in the initial stages they add that extra difficulty.Read more ›

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25 of 25 people found the following review helpful

Extremely USEFUL book!

By Gabriela Perez VINE VOICE on January 18, 2007

Format: Paperback Verified Purchase

Okay, I only gave this 4 stars because there were parts of it where I'd have much appreciated even more information and explanation.

That said, I will admit that some of those parts dealt with processes that are hard to explain adequately in a book. But I still sat there at times thinking, "what? how, precisely, do I do that?" For example, in the section on dealing with problems that crop up during meditation, the author advises the reader to deal with physical pain by relaxing tensed muscles one by one, doing so very thoroughly. Now, that may sound simple to you. Perhaps I'm a dolt. I dunno. But I haven't a clue how to relax each muscle one at a time. I'm constantly amazed to find I have muscles where previously I thought I had none. ;-) I'm supposed to accomplish this muscle relaxation strictly through thought processes? Okay, I believe that's possible, but what do I do? Ack. Right after that, the author advises the reader to continue by going after the mental resistance next.

Now, to be fair, the author admits there are no human words to precisely explain this process. And I feel in my gut that he's right, but I'm disgustingly literal and really require precision in explanation in order to think I can get my head around something new and challenging.

Have I turned you off? If so, let me now say that I LOVE this book. I've never read anything that so clearly was written to help someone understand how to meditate for insight. The writer takes great care to explain the process as much as he is able to. The stuff that he doesn't explain--well, it's just not enough of a factor to make me dislike this book.Read more ›

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

Sigh.

Not written for people who need a spoonful of humor to make their medicine go down.

Published 6 days ago by H. O. Tanager

Excellent

Excellent introduction to mindfulness. Highly recommended. Now, if I could get my son to return it!

Published 1 month ago by M. Jones

The addendum chapter is worth the price alone!

This is a great book, written beautifully and simplistically. But even if the body of the text isn't to your liking, the narrative of the final (additional) chapter is worth the... Read more

Published 9 months ago by Critical Reviewer

Clear, powerful, effective.

What can I say. It is the book that got me (back) into meditating. Clear, powerful, effective. No self-help mumbo-jumbo.

Published 10 months ago by ozzywood

could be a life saver

This book exposed some of my most basic and stupid mistakes, like confusing stupification with depth, or treating concentration as an end in itself. Read more

Published 10 months ago by Brian Griffith

Mindfulness Meditation Explained by a Buddhist Monk

I was going to meditation at a local Buddhist vihara (monastery) where the Theravada monks (from Sri Lanka) offered teaching and meditation in English two nights per week. Read more

Published 22 months ago by AlexandraLeaving

Misguided Political Correctness

By and large, I found this book useful. It has a lot to say about what happens in our minds and the impact of this on our lives. Read more

Published on September 7, 2012 by Sam

Eh...

I thought since this was the "plain english" version of mindfulness, it wouldn't be so blah, but it was. Read more

Published on May 29, 2012 by Laura

Not a Good Book...

My biggest pet peeve in a book is repetition to make a book into a book rather than a pamphlet. Too much repetition and not engaging enough in it's repetition to be considered... Read more

Published on November 19, 2011 by John H. Hughes

Mindfulness in Plain English

It is an exceptionally good book for people interested in meditation. The author, a Buddhist monk, is an experienced meditation teacher in his own right and could put the... Read more

Published on September 12, 2011 by H. Latt