Customer Reviews

Quiet Mind: One-Minute Retreats from a Busy World

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"Welcome to a new way to cope with the demands of a too-busy life. Welcome to a way that requires no difficult skills, adds no new burdens, and accommodates all spiritual systems and life-styles. Welcome to all who want to do nothing-more often, more creatively, with joy, and without guilt. Welcome to one-minute retreats that can be yours at any time of the day or night." - From the book

According to author David Kundtz, a mindful posture centered from the quiet state of your being is *crucial* for any undertaking. In fact, he asserts, if we do not take the time to pause with purpose, disappointment and failure awaits us.

In his book Quiet Mind, Kundtz invites us to do nothing-but to "do" it with purpose, meaning, and value. That is, to take time for ourselves, to rest, to find peace, to awaken, to remember, and to find ways to recognize what we may have forgotten, and how not to forget again.

At 370-pages, Quiet Mind: One-Minute Retreats from a Busy World is brimming with dozens of meditations designed to promote thoughtfulness, calm, and quietude. The mini-retreats, one and a half to two pages long, feature a sage quote and Kundtz's wise and gentle commentary. At the end of each, the author offers one-sentence encouragement, inviting readers to observe life and apply the wisdom found in the meditation.

Kundtz has organized these meditations under fourteen general categories, including:

* Making Room for Life
* Creating Opportunities for Serenity
* Defining Your Values
* Finding Peace at Work
* Knowing Thyself
* Awakening to Wonder
* Giving Back to the World

Under the category Finding Peace at Work, for example, is a meditation about Weariness. Beginning with a quote from Eric Hoff saying, "Our greatest weariness comes from work not done", Kundtz observes:

"...what tires us most is not work, but the anticipation of work still to do. Here is a time when living in the present moment is vital. The past is gone, the future is a just a concept and a projection of our minds. All you have is now. It's all you need..."

In the section Making Room for Life, a meditation called What's Going on Here begins with a quote by George Wilson: "Things are seldom about what they seem to be about." Kundtz notes that all too often we narrowly focus on accomplishing a particular task that we overlook the obvious cause of pain and distress in those around us. He relates the story of a frustrated mother bringing her son to him for counseling. The boy refused to go to school, and neither the son nor the mother was very communicative as to possible causes. Kundtz couldn't figure out what was at the heart of the problem! When he suggested they come back next week the mother replied that they could not come back next week because they were moving across the country. Aha! At last, a window into the boy's world: he was grieving the loss of his friends and all things familiar.

Quiet Mind by David Kundtz is a delightful book, providing a much-needed respite from overloaded senses, cluttered thoughts, and hurried lives.

This book is a miracle of mindfulness! In short segments that can be read in less than 10 minutes, Kundtz manages to distill the philospohy of Christian, Buddhist, and other religous traditions in a way that is refreshingly non-sectarian. The exercises that conclude each segment can easily be remembered and conducted throught the day and, taken together, form a transformational course in mindfulness for the everday person. My only complaint about the book is that I wish it weighed less, so it could more easily be tossed into a briefcase or purse.

I originally picked up this book because of the title, figuring it would have some nice observations about existing in our "busy" world. I was surprised that not only did it have some pithy, and relevant thoughts about our lives, but that they were insightful and thought provoking as well. The short one or two page comments are just enough to read quickly, but deep enough that I found myself thinking about them at various times throughout the day. I have enjoyed this book so much, that I bought four more for Christmas gifts. One of those incidental purchases that turned into a real find.

Quiet Mind is such a thought provoking book. It points out issues that, in our ridiculously busy lives, we forget to even think about. Kundtz challenges the reader to be introspective and to take the time to notice, consider, be, and most importantly, look inward to determine what is really important in our lives.

The quick, two-page bursts of thought are perfect. They really are one-minute retreats.

One criticism, though, is that there are some editing problems. Being a grammar instructor and freelance proofreader, I can't help but find these things where they exist. It's the curse on my life.

This is a great little book that reminds us to stop and breathe to clear the mind. It helps us to manage some peace among our crazy lives. Thanks!

Thoughtful questions or ideas to consider as meditation, focus for the day, or a daily reminder for mindfulness. We know our bodies need rest and recovery; it is important to give our minds the same gift. There are interesting thoughts about every day events.

David Kundtz has captured what I didn't know I was looking for.

This book is not a catechism, an introduction to Buddhist meditation, or a list of mantras. But it might have a similar effect. Kundtz gently encourages the reader to slow down, to notice what is happening inside, to breathe. The result, at least for me, is almost always a noticeable letting go of the day's tension. His prescription is to try his various simple techniques to look inside oneself and get back in touch with our internal life, and I find myself saying, ``Yeah, that sounds good. I'll try it.'' Sounds a bit trite, but it's difficult to capture the tone and the perspective Kundtz presents. It works.

The book is divided into 14 sections, each with about 8 or 10 short essays, carefully crafted to run no more than two pages in a paperback. You can read the meditation for the day in less than two minutes. They are each preceded by a short epigraph from a philosopher or writer of note, say Thoreau or Thich Nat Han, and some you haven't heard of. Each epigraph ends with a bit of encouragement to take the next step and do the practice. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. It doesn't matter. Just reading Kundtz is a two minute vacation at the beginning, middle, or end of the day.

This is the book I didn't know I was looking for. It slows me down and gently nudges me to take note of what I'm feeling, to turn down the volume on that noisy internal conversation we have with ourselves.
Highly recommended.

Who has time to take a retreat today? There's work, there's family, there's other obligations, there's no time to retreat from the world Fortunately, Kundtz's excellent book provides retreats that everyone can find the time to take.

One of my favorite retreats is on writing where Kundtz encourages to write as a way to keep in touch with yourself. Each of Kundtz's retreats is prefaced by a quote that makes you think about the subject.

This is a book I keep by my bedside and flip open when I'm in need of a quiet mind.

This book offers over 150 two-page musings on aspects of our busy, hyper-stimulated modern life, and ideas for 'stopping' in the midst of it. In `Telephones, Beepers and Clocks', the author suggests designating a particular sound you hear daily - such as the microwave beep when something is done - as a trigger for a mindful moment through a single deep breath. In `A Hard Question', the author muses on the materialism of our world, the pressure to accumulate more and more, and suggests looking for ways throughout that day to say to yourself "that's enough". This is a great way to focus on just one simple mindful theme each day, in a way that is bound to transform your perceptions over time.

This book contains short 'thoughts for the day', and is ideal to read before one begins their day. I belong to a meditation group, and we use it prior to our meditation. It generates discussion among us; has practical applications to everyday life.