266 of 295 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A different perspective..., June 15, 2009
This review is from: The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology (Paperback)
I see that there are something like 32 reviews of this book, each one giving it 5 stars. It is a very nice book. A reasonable introduction to Buddhism for many people, an invitation to practice and learn. But let us have a slightly deeper look, OK? IMHO. For me, a relatively intense (in terms of time on retreats, reading material, study and daily practice) Buddhist practitioner of about 9 years, this books skims the surface. It skims a wide and useful surface and this can be quite a good thing in terms of a place to start. I acknowledge that it is very difficult to find good introductory texts, places to start. I will recommend this book to friends - BUT. There is also something a bit trite and monotonous about the structure of the book - for example: Introduce a concept, enlarge and expound a bit and then tell the story of Aleesha, James, Mitch, Kyle, on and on (no disrespect to these people or to those whose true experience contributed to these little blurb/stories). Jack gives them a practice or two "I encourage her to continually ground herself in her body" and then, magically, everything unfolds and soon they are crying or dancing or laughing or reconciling, recognizing their early childhood abuse, volunteering at literacy programs for immigrants, and so forth. It is too cookbook, too simplistic, slightly melodramatic and, unfair. Unfair because, while we can have many wonderful periods of clarity, healing, insight, etc. in our practice, it takes a lot of time for these things to unfold, a lot of right-effort and tremendous patience - many, many, many, many breaths! And typically this unfolding is very gradual, over years of practice. That is one thing I object to - the cure-all nature of the stories, the unreasonable expectations these may create - the way in which deep and complex psychological issues are, it seems, so easily resolved. It is certainly good to offer hope to people who are suffering, but I question the ultimate value of this slightly feel good approach. It may take us a lifetime of regular practice to have the kinds of healing experiences that seem to unfold seemingly regularly in a matter of weeks under Jack's guidance.
In the book I think there is a lot of valuable, although relatively basic, practice advice/instruction and suggestions, and many gentle invitations to open up to our present experience in a compassionate way. This is very helpful and I commend the author for this. I think the book suffers from a lack of editing and a certain monotony to the presentation of the material. Way too many "real life" stories actually winds up making them feel trite [to me], rather than providing a useful way for the reader [again, just little old me] to identify with the practical use of the material.
One other gripe. I think there is a bit of an over dependence on quotations. I think the author is seeking to be very inclusive in his selection of writers and I commend that. But, some of these are little snippets that are kind of throwaways which don't deeply add to the explanation of the material. Not a big deal. However, I do find it bothersome that many are not referenced. For example I really liked the short quotation of Lama Yeshe on page 126. I would like to read more about his experience of being hospitalized for heart failure. But there is no reference for this quote, either as a footnote, in the "Permissions" section or in the "Related Readings" section. Sorry to put it this way, but this is simply a bit lame, a bit lazy.
I also find it odd that the author frequently references Thich Nhat Hanh, either directly or indirectly, and yet does not include any of his readily available books in the Related Readings section. Nor does he mention any of Pema Chodron's titles despite quoting her in the text. As this is clearly an introductory book to Buddhist practice I would expect to see some helpful reading suggestions - from different traditions - for newer practitioners.
IMHO :)
In summary, there are other good books which cover this material, for example those of Thich Nhat Hanh (Transformation and Healing, The Miracle of Mindfulness, Anger, Teachings on Love, etc.), or the wonderful books by Henepola Gunaratana - which have served many practitioners, both novice and experienced alike, in a more concise, yet thorough and accessible style (also, Nyanaponika Thera, The Heart of Buddhist Meditation, or the classic pamphlets of Mahasi Sayadaw readily and affordably available on the Pariyatti website). No reason not to buy and enjoy this book if you are so inclined, but every single review up to mine has been 5 stars - so I wanted to offer a slightly different perspective. I hope it has some value for you.
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130 of 145 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Timeless wisdom made accessible, May 1, 2008
This wonderful book makes the timeless teachings of Buddhist psychology explicable and accessible to all.
With explanations and exercises that are not culture specific and with a healthy helping of Jack's great stories that further illuminate the psychological wisdom of the Buddha, this book opens the deep understandings of Buddhist thought for all to use for their own benefit and for the benefit of all beings.
As the Dalai Lama says, "Buddhism isn't a religion. It is a science of mind"
and IMHO, a science of mind that can help bring healing to our own lives and to our wounded world.
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78 of 87 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Count on Jack Kornfield for Balanced Wisdom & A Couple Recommendations Along Those Lines, May 9, 2008
There's an irony that at times Buddhists can become stuck in ideology, clinging to their ideas of what they believe the Buddha intended as THE right way. Jack Kornfield avoids this. He has the soft touch, open heart and discerning wisdom that comes from his own struggles and decades of meditation, practicing therapy, and teaching. He knows there is no such thing as a formula for happiness. Kornfield generously quotes from a wide range of thinkers, mystics and disciplines, knowing Buddhists don't have a lock on insight.
Still, Kornfield is steeped in and dedicated to Buddhist practices; his goal is to transmit what may at times be difficult to discern insights from Buddhist psychology to a wide audience. As he writes:
"At this moment, a winter rainstorm is drenching my simple writer's cabin in the woods above Spirit Rock.On my desk are classic texts from many of the major historic schools of Buddhism: the Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma, the eight-thousand-verse "large version" of the Heart Sutra, with its teachings on form and emptiness, and a Tibetan text on consciousness by Longchenpa.
Over time, I have learned to treasure these texts and know that they are filled with jewels of wisdom. Yet the Abhidhamma (or Abhidharma in Sanskrit), considered the masterwork of the early Theravada tradition and the ultimate compendium of Buddhist psychology, is also one of the most impenetrable books ever written. What are we to make of passages such as, "The inseparable material phenomena constitute the pure octad; leading to the dodecad of bodily intimation and the lightness triad; all as material groups originating from consciousness"? And the Heart Sutra, revered as a sacred text of Mahayana Buddhism in India, China, and Japan, can sound like a mixture of fantastical mythology and nearly indecipherable Zen puzzles. In the same way, for most readers, analyzing the biochemistry of a lifesaving drug might be as easy as deciphering some of Longchenpa's teachings on self-existent empty primal cognition."
Happily, Kornfield succeeds at making the translation from traditional Buddhist texts accessible to everyone--from clinicians to those new to Buddhism. For those who are familiar with his previous books, they won't find this surprising.
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