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Mindfulness in Plain English: Revised and Expanded Edition [Paperback]

Bhante Henepola Gunaratana (Author)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (124 customer reviews)
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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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Wisdom Publications; 2nd edition (November 1, 1996)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0861713214
  • ISBN-13: 978-0861713219
  • Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (124 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,970 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
    #6 in  Books > Religion & Spirituality > Buddhism
    #2 in  Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Eastern Religions
    #3 in  Books > Health, Mind & Body > Alternative Medicine > Meditation

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Bhante Henepola Gunaratana
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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THE SUBJECT OF THIS BOOK is vipassana meditation practice. Read the first page
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loving friendliness, friendliness embrace, hare attention, appreciative joy, sinking mind, new meditators, vipassana meditation, return your attention
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The Pali, Bare Attention
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Customer Reviews

124 Reviews
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 (107)
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 (11)
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 (3)
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 (3)
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Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (124 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
342 of 346 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Meditation for the West, August 25, 1997
By A Customer
This review is from: Mindfulness in Plain English (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.

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144 of 148 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent beginning for your path to Liberation, May 31, 2002
By Saturnino Garcia (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Mindfulness in Plain English (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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76 of 76 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Exactly what the Title Says it is..., May 21, 2001
By Missing in Action (Idaho Falls, Idaho USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   
This review is from: Mindfulness in Plain English (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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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A well written book
This is actually a book about vipassana (insight) meditation and some of the teachings of the Buddha. Read more
Published 23 days ago by K. S. Dennis

5.0 out of 5 stars Love it
At last, a book on meditation...in plain english! Simple, clear and concise language which has really helped me improve and gain further understanding of my own personal... Read more
Published 29 days ago by Caroline

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical and simple
The author of this book is very good at explaining the benefits of meditation and teaching how to do it. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Pnigro

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb!!!
This is a superb book on Vipassana style (insight) meditation, very practically oriented, but also the best explanation of why you should meditate and what happens when you... Read more
Published 1 month ago by S. A. Saribay

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, easily understandable book.
Excellent, easily understandable book. Great for self practice of mindfulness meditation. I am enjoying every word in it.
Published 1 month ago by Len

5.0 out of 5 stars Just what the title says
I am familiar with "Bhante G" through his work founding the Bhavana retreat center here in WV. This book it exactly what the title suggests, a straightforward set of directions on... Read more
Published 2 months ago by K. Lahti

5.0 out of 5 stars The title is incredibly accurate
This text *IS* all about presenting what can be the very challenging topic of meditation (and particularly Vipassana meditation) in words and language any person truly can... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Anonymous

5.0 out of 5 stars As titled...
An excellent guide to anyone attempting to practice vipassana meditation, or any meditation. Techniques are given for dealing with common roadblocks and distractions, and... Read more
Published 3 months ago by P. Wing

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book Saved My Life
Well, not literally, but it certainly felt like it saved my life at the time. Here's what happened. About two years ago I decided to go to a Vipassana retreat as part of a trip to... Read more
Published 3 months ago by M. Kaminsky

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical and potentially life-changing
I found this book to be a wonderfully practical guide to Vipassana. It opens the door, in a helpful, non-jargon way, to this meditation style in a way that anyone can understand... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mark Tuniewicz

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