Review
"Believe there is a further shore reachable from here," the poet Seamus Heaney writes. This is a brave, generous, and thoroughly practical book! A modern man meets an ancient practice and discovers the currents to take him to his further shore. Get ready: As you are carried away on these pages, you may be tempted to dip into these waters yourself!
— Robert Kegan, The Meehan Professor of Adult Development, Harvard University; co-authorof Immunity to Change and An Everyone Culture
The Equanimous Mind is not for everyone. An astonishing introduction to the practice and benefits of Vipassana meditation, it should come with a warning label: "CAUTION - This book could change your life." Mr. Chopra is convincing in explaining how he has achieved a better work-life balance and now is filled with "purpose, peace, and purity." A happy man.
— Kenneth Roman, former chairman/CEO, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide
THE EQUANIMOUS MIND is an autobiographical telling of one man's experience into the world of Vipassana (insight) meditation. Manish Chopra writes in an engaging way that gives the reader a peek behind the curtain of silent meditation retreats. It is great reading for anyone curious about the benefits of meditation.
—Sharon Salzberg, insight meditation teacher and NYT best-selling author of Lovingkindness and Real Change
Manish Chopra's insightful book not only describes his personal journey through Vipassana meditation but opens up the path for all of us to practice mindfulness as leaders. Following his example on your own mindful journey will enable you to become a more authentic leader and lead a more fulfilling life.
—Bill George, Harvard Business School senior fellow, former Medtronic CEO, and best-selling author of Discover Your True North
Not often does a person find something that dramatically changes their life for the better. This book describes how Vipassana practice that can do exactly that. Manish went into it hesitantly, as we all do with something outside of our comfort zone, and came out of it with techniques and thoughts that forever made him calmer, more introspective, more grateful, and more successful.
—Mike Kaufmann, CEO of Cardinal Health (Fortune 20 company)
Full disclosure: Manish Chopra's writing changed my life. This is an intimate account of learning meditation that goes to the heart of a very personal journey. It inspired me to learn Vipassana and has impacted my life for the better! A compelling read.
—Mark Clifford, former executive director of Asia Business Council, and author of Greening of Asia
I found Manish's account of the personal transformation he has undergone and how it has impacted all aspects of his life a powerful read that should serve to inspire us all.
—Bob Roth, CEO of David Lynch Foundation, and best-selling author of Strength in Stillness
A vivid, up-close and heartfelt account of a personal transformation. Startling and inspiring, this is a must-read for all who aspire to explore their inner selves.
—Vikram Khanna, Associate Editor, Straits Times, Singapore
"Can a highly successful professional maintain mental composure for more than a decade — including during a global pandemic?" In this open and honest account, Manish Chopra answers "Yes," with wholesome insights and humility. This updated account of his transformative journey through meditation reminds us to focus on what matters most.
— Jeffrey A. Flaks, President and CEO, Hartford HealthCare
After more than a year of pandemic and in an ever-unpredictable World, The Equanimous Mind brilliantly brings us back to the fundamentals. The power of Vipassana meditation becomes even more evident through Chopra's captivating story. This book is a precious heart, mind and soul lesson to face our own personal and professional challenges and unleash our invisible power.
—Dr. Ilham Kadri, CEO of Solvay (global chemicals and solutions company)
This book will introduce readers to Vipassana and its approach to meditation. It is a vivid account of one person's experience with Vipassana and how it has changed - and continues to change - his life. A serious book for serious people. Definitely worth reading.
—D. Ronald Daniel, former global managing partner, McKinsey & Company
Manish Chopra's inner transformation, on and off the pages of THE EQUANIMOUS MIND, has inspired me to reflect on my own journey. His unique combination of left and right brain abilities—bringing together intellectual horsepower with personal insights derived from his spiritual journey of meditation—has been a privilege to observe and learn from!
—Erik Gershwind, President and CEO of MSC Industrial Supply Company
The Equanimous Mind narrates Manish Chopra's initial and ongoing journey into meditation, which has enabled him to have better judgment, be more focused and become a kinder person. I have observed these qualities ripen in him first-hand as he maintained and deepened his practice. This book as a must read for professionals, especially those skeptical about meditation.
—Rasmus Hougaard, CEO of Potential Project, and best-selling author of Mind of the Leader
THE EQUANIMOUS MIND makes a compelling case for all of us - and especially business leaders - to explore the benefits of developing a meditation practice. In healthcare, we are increasingly understanding the benefits of mindfulness and Manish's inner journey and transformation is inspiring.
—Robert C. Garrett, CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health (largest New Jersey health system)
Manish Chopra's The Equanimous Mind is a charming read that tempts you into trying out meditation. A daily connection to this vital source of strength and stability, including during the heights of business crises, has been as a vital anchor for me for over 50 years. Manish's capacity to be clear and candid makes for an easy yet provocative and seductive read.—Ramani Ayer, former CEO and Chairman, The Hartford
Whether a professional athlete, classical musician or a Senior Executive in a Fortune 500 Company, the ability to stay calm and composed (equanimous) and to see things as they really are (true Vipassana) are essential characteristics for peak performance, leadership and team success. The training of "mind and soul" is a never-ending process.
Chopra's The Equanimous Mind provides valuable insights on how to achieve calmness, composure and clarity in all aspects of our lives, both personal and professional.
— James E. Davis, EVP Quest Diagnostics (leading laboratory diagnostics company)
Outstanding leaders must show up every day as a whole person with strong self-awareness and a high emotional IQ, all the while being in the moment with others. These attributes are often in short supply. In The Equanimous Mind, Dr. Chopra with great humility and honesty, takes us on his intensely private journey with Vipassana meditation, shining a bright and brilliant light on his path forward.
—Elliot Joseph, former CEO of Hartford Healthcare
Manish takes you on his ten-day life-changing journey with incredible authenticity and transparency. The Equanimous Mind is a truly inspirational recollection of his journey through the 2,500-year-old Vipassana meditation practice in today's times and shares his transformational experiences in mindfulness, introspection, self-realization, calmness and forgiveness. Manish, through this book, will inspire you, like he did me, to incorporate a meditation practice into your life.
—Christopher D. Palmieri, CEO of Commonwealth Care Alliance
A butterfly will never go back to being a caterpillar. It is transformed. As Manish's colleague for more than a decade, I'm witness to his transformation. The Equanimous Mind uniquely shares with us what happened in his chrysalis—10 days during which a lifetime focused on "doing" melted into an awareness of "being". The result? Though he was already a successful professional, his complete self has been flying ever higher since.
—Scott Keller, Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, and author of the best seller, Beyond Performance
Sharing his deeply intimate ten-day awakening experience in THE EQUANIMOUS MIND, Manish reminds us to slow down and reflect on what is truly important in life as we search for answers to the unprecedented global turmoil marked by a healthcare pandemic and crisis, a social injustice crisis, an economic crisis, and a mental health crisis. His meditation journey to a closer state of equanimity is a gift for us all...an elixir that heals and nourishes the mind and body as we each find our way forward.
—Richard J. Liekweg, President and CEO, BJC HealthCare
A welcome second edition that not only takes us to India for a journey that few of us will ever know, The Equanimous Mind now charts the inner journey that Manish has been on since then, one of service and gratitude. I can attest to his generosity, attention and compassion - and to the equanimity that he possesses to an extraordinary degree, and inspires in others.
—Hugh Verrier, Chair of the global law firm White & Case
Authentic, compassionate, practical. The Equanimous Mind is the work of Manish's brilliant and compassionate mind which wishes every person to partake in the journey he took from struggling to healing, from human doing to human being. Manish has done a great service to humanity by humbly, lucidly, and with great integrity, sharing how he cultivated an intentional and deeper presence, and a resilient mindset.
—Dr. Amit Sood, executive director of the Global Center for Resiliency and Wellbeing, and author of The Mayo Clinic Guide to Stress-Free Living
I am not a yogi, an avid or principled meditator, a CEO, a famous person, or a world traveler. I am a daughter, sister, wife, and mom. I am a recovering alcoholic forever reconciling a childhood without spirit. I work hard, love deeply, play when I can, and am in relentless pursuit of meaning and higher purpose.
I am a regular Jane.
Meditation. That "exotic, enlightened practice," which I couldn't possibly be capable of doing. Or so I thought before Manish Chopra invited me on his journey in THE EQUANIMOUS MIND.
Manish provides us with a detailed accounting of his state of mind and circumstances leading up to his Vipassana experience, all ten days during his retreat, and his post-learnings, processing, and evolution.
His intellectual and visceral play-by-play of learning and practicing Vipassana meditation was an invitation to a party I thought I wasn't qualified or capable of attending. Manish has given me a gift by sharing his journey with a combination of intimacy, vulnerability, and incredible detail.THE EQUANIMOUS MIND erased all the mental obstacles and barriers I had in place, teaching me that the practice and the benefits of meditation are available and accessible to me every second of every day. I am grateful to Manish Chopra for acting on his vision to share his journey - giving the key to a door that some of us thought was locked.
—Jane Gladitsch, artist and entrepreneur
From the Author
This book is about my initial and ongoing personal journey with Vipassana meditation and the impact it has had on me and less about the instructional details of the technique, though references are made in order to share my experience with it. Vipassana is a complex meditative technique that should be learned only under formal guidance from trained instructors. Please do not try it on your own to avoid unintended outcomes.
Metaphorically, I am sharing my experiences of undergoing a highly invasive multiple-organ "life surgery," not as the surgeon but as the patient undergoing this life-altering procedure. Just as we hear about medical miracles but sometimes find it hard to relate to them, we need to come into the "hospital" (meditation camp) to experience the transformative process for ourselves.
This book is not a self-help guide. This book is a chronicle of the day-by-day changes I experienced during my first Vipassana camp and the pursuant existential impact the technique has had over my life and well-being.
Each individual has a unique experience with the technique. No two students of Vipassana have the exact same experiences, in fact, the teachings of the technique discourage drawing direct comparisons.
This is in keeping with the tenet that the only truth that our mind absolutely trusts is what we individually and directly observe, not what we read about or hear from others. Treat this account as one person's initial and ongoing experience with Vipassana, which by definition is different from what you or anyone else might experience or have experienced.
This new second edition comes at an important milestone in my journey as ten years have passed since my first ten-day retreat and the original edition. The new epilogue in this 10th anniversary edition has been expanded and enriched with updates on my progress since the journey began in 2010.
***
If the thoughts and ideas in this book appeal to you, I would be grateful if you pass it on to someone who you think might also draw inspiration or benefit from reading it.
***
From the Inside Flap
Excerpts from the Foreword by Dr. Paul Fleischman
The Equanimous Mind is a book that will introduce Vipassana to people who may not have been familiar with it, and that will increase buy-in from many people who are already practicing it. The book describes a ten-day Vipassana meditation course in the tradition of S. N. Goenka from the standpoint of someone encountering meditation for the first time.
It contains a detailed, journal-like narrative of the rich and complex sequence of events that unrolls during the ten-day retreat that is devoted to learning this form of meditation. The strength of the book is the author's capacity to recall and sequence vivid details by the hundreds.
Dr. Manish Chopra has a mind unusual for its precision. This gives the book the feeling of an experience rather than merely of a recounting. The reader feels as if he or she were right there, accompanying Manish in this breakthrough moment.
There has not been a book length account of the Vipassana experience until the first edition of The Equanimous Mind. The second edition has been amended for tone, veracity, and extended follow-up, and like its literary ancestors it conveys an exuberant and triumphant discovery.
Dr. Chopra's narrative has the quality of an outpouring, an urgent need to tell. It contains intense, almost photographic memories that avoid analytical assessment of the experience, but that capture a ready, energetic, and flexible mind receiving a flood of new information. Chopra's writing is also poignant due to the self-critique he allows himself to express day-by-day across the ten-day experience.
Manish Chopra steps forward with an act of daring confession, telling us in detail what was wrong with his life, and how, by learning Vipassana meditation, he reoriented every waking moment, and even some sleeping moments, to be in greater harmony with the power of Dhamma, the wisdom that is revealed by practicing the Buddha's teaching of Vipassana meditation.
The reader is treated to a kind of scientific journalism that heightens our awareness of a Vipassana course in a manner that is evocative of an engineer measuring the necessary details of every feature of the project he is observing.
Vipassana meditation touches down into the private and personal aspect of each practitioner's life, raising dark corners into the light, and elevating its practitioner's entire being. It takes a good deal of courage to write as revealingly as Dr. Chopra has done in this book, removing the description from generalities and abstractions, and bringing us much closer to the nitty-gritty details of what really goes on in the meditation of one particular person. The effect that Dr. Chopra conveys is truly inspiring.
The Equanimous Mind is written with an atmosphere of generosity in the attempt to convey experiential revelations. It is obviously intended to be a gift to other people.
Paul R. Fleischman
From the Back Cover
This is a brave, generous, and thoroughly practical book! A modern man meets an ancient practice and discovers the currents to take him to his further shore. Get ready: As you are carried away on these pages, you may be tempted to dip into these waters yourself!
— Robert Kegan, The Meehan Professor of Adult Development, Harvard University; co-authorof Immunity to Change and An Everyone Culture
The Equanimous Mind is not for everyone. An astonishing introduction to the practice and benefits of Vipassana meditation, it should come with a warning label: "CAUTION - This book could change your life."
— Kenneth Roman, former chairman/CEO, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide
THE EQUANIMOUS MIND is an engaging autobiographical telling of one man's experience into the world of Vipassana (insight) meditation. It is great reading for anyone curious about the benefits of meditation.
—Sharon Salzberg, insight meditation teacher and NYT best-selling author of Lovingkindness and Real Change
Manish Chopra's insightful book not only describes his personal journey through Vipassana meditation but opens up the path for all of us to practice mindfulness as leaders.
—Bill George, Harvard Business School senior fellow, former Medtronic CEO, and best-selling author of Discover Your True North
Manish went into Vipassana meditation hesitantly, as we all do with something outside of our comfort zone, and came out of it with techniques and thoughts that forever made him calmer, more introspective, more grateful, and more successful.
—Mike Kaufmann, CEO of Cardinal Health (Fortune 20 company)
About the Author
Manish Chopra is a senior partner at the global management consulting firm, McKinsey & Company, where he counsels CEOs and advises boards on their most strategic issues. His scope of responsibility includes serving prominent healthcare institutions and leading the firm's pricing practice. He has spent time professionally in North America, Asia, and Europe and was the managing partner for McKinsey's Singapore office from 2010 to 2012.
It was during his time in Asia that Manish experienced a personal transformation through learning Vipassana meditation that led to the original publication of The Equanimous Mind in 2011. With a continued volition to share the personal and professional benefits that he has received from the practice of this age-old and powerful technique, this tenth anniversary edition is enriched with updates from his ongoing journey of sustaining impactful changes and hopes will serve to inspire others.
Manish grew up in India and attended college at the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi before completing his masters and PhD from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. A keen squash and bridge player, he currently lives in New York with his wife and daughter.
Aside from his role as a professional and a family man, he devotes a meaningful amount of time in championing the message of inner personal development and cultivating one's well-being within his firm and through public speaking at business, government, and academic institutions. He also continues to extensively serve the organization responsible for enabling new and preexisting Vipassana meditators to learn and build upon their practice of meditation.
Out of gratitude for the benefits the author has received from the practice of Vipassana meditation, he will be donating the proceeds from this book to spreading awareness about the technique, so that others can draw value from it as well.
