Breath by Breath: The Liberating Practice of Insight Meditation (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Every student's practice is peculiarly his or her own and comes together in its own way..." (more)
Key Phrases: distress with reference, thirteenth contemplation, calming mental processes, Anapanasati Sutra, Ajahn Buddhadasa, Insight Meditation Society (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In any meditation class, one of the first things one learns is the importance of breathing. For Larry Rosenberg, a seasoned instructor of insight meditation, the breath is everything. And he's not in bad company since the Buddha himself delivered a sutra on the subject. Rosenberg's Breath by Breath is an elaboration on this short classic but couched in familiar language, liberally spiced with anecdotes from Rosenberg's decades of practice and teaching. It's Rosenberg's earthy humor and patient instruction that make him such a popular teacher and that make Breath by Breath a rewarding read. He takes the beginning student from the wandering "doggy mind" to becoming a chicken, along the way getting a teacher's bite and sitting like a frog. For the hurried and harried, he includes a nutshell, two-step version of the sutra's 16-step practice (appended in the full text of the sutra). More of a coach than a disciplinarian, Rosenberg takes a see-what-happens attitude. "You don't make liberation happen," he says. "To contemplate breathing is to contemplate life itself." --Brian Bruya --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Rosenberg, a teacher at the Insight Meditattion Center in Cambridge, MA, provides a clear description of meditative practice. The technique is based on the Anapanasati Sutra, the Buddha's own instructions to meditators.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala (November 9, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590301366
• ISBN-13: 978-1590301364
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #56,853 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This one's a keeper, July 2, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Breath by Breath (Hardcover)

This book is wonderful. Rosenberg's approach to meditation and Buddhism comes without the baggage of superstition and folklore that attach themselves to some books on these topics. Rosenberg offers not only basic instruction, but a path for advancing one's practice through the various contemplative steps beyond that, using the anapanasati sutra. I also love the fact that his background is from the East Coast of the U.S., and Jewish. I get a little tired of the condescending attitude toward Westerners from some of the more traditional Eastern authors and teachers. Rosenberg doesn't have a built-in cultural bias toward the East, and is clearly an experienced, dedicated and wise teacher with a sense of humor. I'm usually too cheap to buy the hard-back version of any book (sorry, Amazon), but this one's hard-back, and I'm glad for it because it's a keeper.

50 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent... highly motivating... very promising, April 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Breath by Breath (Hardcover)

I am one of those people who wish it was easier to sit for an hour a day. I am one of those who is struggling to motivate myself to pursue what I have come to believe is an essential part of my life. This book is one that constantly makes my efforts and my struggles easier and keeps me motivated. I just wish I could do justice to this author's efforts in sharing what he has had the good furtune to have gained. I have given my copy of this book away on a few occasions just to replace it with yet another copy soon after. If you are a meditation enthusiast, make sure this book is on your bookshelf, if not right next to you, always.

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Witty and Interesting Meditation Guide, March 8, 2001

By	Elizabeth Marks "Liz" (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Breath by Breath (Paperback)

I picked up this book after a professor read excerpts from it out loud in a class. I was taken with the author's wit and writing skill. This is an absolutely essential guide to meditation, great for beginners, advanced students, and folks like me who are just interested. Very clear, entertaining, lots of antecdotes. Not a dry tome by any means, but not a frivelous book either. It does get to be a bit repetitive at times, but otherwise, well done!