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Top positive review
55 people found this helpful
5.0 out of 5 starsUnique, in ways unparalleled...
ByCraig Shoemakeon February 8, 2012
This is not your daddy's Dharma book! (Your mommy's neither.)
The differences start with the cover, and no, I'm not talking about the flaming dude with a chakra wheel for his heart. I'm talking about the author's title: Arahat. Now, Ingram does have a regular title-he's a medical doctor (M.D.) specializing in emergency medicine-"Everything from hangnails to heart attacks" he told me in a phone conversation. As you may know, an arhat (there are variant spellings) is one who has completed the Buddhist path as laid out in the Pali Suttas. "Done is what had to be done and there is no more of this to come!" goes the standard refrain by those who have attained such. Clearly Ingram is, as the suttas say, ready to "roar his lion's roar" in the spiritual marketplace. He spells the differences out further in the "Forward and Warning," wherein he puts you on notice he does not intend to write a "nice and friendly dharma book"; you know you're in for it when an author tells you he hails from a lineage of "dharma cowboys, mavericks, rogues and outsiders" (16).
That said, the books proceeds normally enough through part one. Ingram begins his discussion of dharma in terms of the traditional "three trainings": morality (sila), concentration (samadhi) and wisdom (paññ'). I especially found his discussion of morality illuminating. Going considerably beyond the standard list of things we shouldn't do (the five precepts etc), he says
"Training in morality has as its domain all of the ordinary ways that we live in the world. When we are trying to live the good life in a conventional sense, we are working on training in morality. When we are trying to work on our emotional, psychological and physical health, we are working at the level of training morality... Whatever we do in the ordinary world that we think will be of some benefit to others or ourselves is an aspect of working on this first training" (24-5).
He goes on to point out that while absolute mastery of concentration and wisdom (insight) is possible, total mastery in the worldly sphere of ethics is not. And so he calls it, rightly, the "first and last training."
Chapter 4 (oddly, the chapters are not numbered, only the parts) lays significant emphasis on seeing the three characteristics (tilakkhana) of phenomena-impermanence (anicca), suffering (dukkha) and not-self (anatta); indeed, this is a fundamental tenet of Ingram's approach to meditation, derivable in part from his experiences in the Mahasi tradition which has a similar emphasis. His discussion of anatta is clarifying: it means, simply, that when phenomena are investigated closely (as in vipassana), no agent, controller, or subject can be discovered; the things of the world are, in effect, ownerless. This, too, is a significant part of Ingram's dharma discussion, and comes up repeatedly later in the book. Ingram also discusses the spiritual faculties, the factors of enlightenment, and the four truths.
Most of the above can be found in other dharma books. Where things really start to get interesting is in the section entitled "Practical Meditation Considerations." Here Ingram's wealth of experience in formal retreat centers comes to the fore and makes for extremely informative, even entertaining, reading. For example, he lists the things retreatants tend to get neurotic about, such as wake-up bells ("too quiet, too loud, someone forgets to ring it at all"), roommates ("those that snore, smell, are noisy or messy, etc."), as well as "issues of corruption, romances, cults of personality, affairs, crushes, miscommunications, vendettas, scandals, drug use, money issues, and all the other things that can sometimes show up anywhere there are people" (94)-meaning everything and anything!
This is a section that demands multiple readings. Not because it's in any way difficult, just because the nuts and bolts of doing a retreat, of daily practice, are often the very things that defeat us. I repeatedly found Ingram's advice to be forthright, informed, and practical. Many people, for example, get obsessed over posture, but Ingram says simply "we can meditate in just about any position we find ourselves" (96). He notes, for example, how "Many traditions make a big deal about exactly how you should sit, with some getting paricularly macho or picky about such things" (97)-making me recall my experience in a Zen monastery in Japan. He writes how the four postures of sitting, standing, walking, reclining each have plusses and minuses, the principle differences being in the energy level and effects on concentration. He further discusses issues such as meditation objects, the critical role of resolve, and offers some very illuminating remarks on teachers. One clearly gets the sense Ingram knows what he says from firsthand experience.
The fireworks start in Part II, "Light and Shadows." Little lightning bolts-the sign of something controversial ahead-adorn several chapters. This is where Ingram gets up on his soapbox. Usually, I would say that in a bad way, meaning someone was just spouting. But here, I think, what Ingram does, even if you want to call it spouting, is all to a very good point, and that is to draw attention to some of the unconstructive shadow sides of Buddhist spirituality in America. For example, in the section entitled "Buddhism vs. the Buddha," he criticizes the religious trappings the Buddha's teaching-in its original form an applied psychology-has been buried under, and how Americans have contributed to rendering the master's technology of awakening into dogma or comfort food.
However, Ingram's purpose here is not controversy. He speaks also about having a clear goal, and encourages asking oneself questions like "Why would I want to sit cross-legged for hours with my eyes closed, anyway?" It's important you know what you're seeking, after all, and Ingram hammers this point throughout the book. (It was also one of the first questions he asked me in our phone conversation!) This section also describes the critical difference between dealing with one's "stuff"-i.e. the content of your life-and seeing the true nature of the phenomena that constitute that stuff. For example, if you're depressed because your significant other dumped you, trying to figure out why he/she did that to you is reflection on your "stuff," but patiently observing the emotions of anger or depression as they arise and pass away-i.e. trying to see the fundamental characteristics of those experiences-is insight. The difference here, as Ingram makes clear, is night and day.
Part III, "Mastery," forms the heart of the book, and this is where Ingram's starkly non-dogmatic, critical, and pragmatic intellect shows its best. This is also the part most likely to offend and where it becomes clear that if you're after spiritual pabulum, you've come to the wrong man. Ingram is all about "states and stages," about achieving exactly what the old dead masters achieved. We each have our purposes in our spiritual lives-and he acknowledges this-but he is not looking to comfort or console anyone, or make things seem easier than they are. Ingram's vision of the Dhamma is, rather, very goal oriented and effort driven. It is a path of achievement, of distinct and discernible attainments. If your mentality does not incline toward this way of thinking and acting, now is the time to bail out!
This section reviews in great, perhaps unprecedented detail, three distinct subjects: the concentration jhanas (1-8), the progress of insight, and the multiplicity of models and definitions of enlightenment. There is plenty here to make for argument, but also to educate, warn, coax and cajole. In short, this is some of the most stimulating, revealing and educational dharma reading I've ever done. You could read a hundred dharma books and still not come up with this stuff. And while Ingram is not a particularly great (or even good) writer (more on this below), he is at times eminently quotable. I can't resist offering a few snippets here. These give you a good idea of what you're getting into with this book.
You may have heard, for example, about those teachers who say "there is nothing to attain, nowhere to go, no one to get enlightened, your seeking is the problem." Or, even more intriguingly, that "you are already enlightened." You find these teachings in some Buddhist schools, J. Krishnamurti, Adi Da, and others. Here's Ingram's take on this take on enlightenment:
"[It's] like saying: you are already a concert pianist, you just have to realize it, or you already are a nuclear physicist, you just have to realize it... [It's] like saying to a severe paranoid schizophrenic: you already are as sane as anyone and do not need to take your medicines and should just follow the voices that tell you to kill people, or to a person with heart disease: just keep smoking and eating fried pork skins and you will be healthy...or saying to a greedy, corrupt, corporate-raiding, white-collar criminal, Fascist, alcoholic wife-beater: hey, Dude, you are a like, beautiful perfect flower of the Now Moment, already enlightened (insert toke here), you are doing and not-doing just fine, like wow, so keep up the good work, Man" (360).
I read this while on the train to work and enjoyed an unrestrained guffaw-several times!
However...to double back to my criticism of Ingram's writing: he's badly in need of an editor, and the people at Aeon Books let him down. Ingram grossly overuses the word "that"-it's one of the most overused words in the language, so he is not alone in the bad habit of thatting this and thatting that-and after a while it started grating on my sensitive literary nerves. He also does not seem to know the difference between "phenomena" and "phenomenon," and, on a different note, sometimes comes off sounding rather immature. There were occasions, too, where he went on unnecessarily about whatever, and a little more self-control would have helped the text out a lot. Again...where were his editors?
But this is minor stuff, mere bitching on my part. Ingram is actually a pretty fun read, and the book is outstanding and unique in so many ways, I/we can and should forgive him. He has much wisdom to offer and we should be grateful for all the hard work he's done on and off the cushion. I leave you with one nugget of insight that stood out for me:
"When I think about what it would take to achieve freedom from all psychological stuff, the response that comes is this: life is about stuff. Stuff is part of being alive. There is no way out of this while you are still living. There will be confusion, pain, miscommunication, misinterpretation, maladaptive patterns of behavior, unhelpful emotional reactions, weird personality traits, neurosis and possibly much worse. There will be power plays, twisted psychological games, people with major personality disorders (which may include you), and craziness. The injuries continue right along with the healing and eventually the injuries win and we die. This is a fundamental teaching of the Buddha. I wish the whole Western Buddhist World would just get over this notion that these practices are all about getting to our Happy Place where nothing can ever hurt us or make us neurotic and move on to actually mastering real Buddhist practice rather than chasing some ideal that will never appear" (330).
You have your marching orders.
The differences start with the cover, and no, I'm not talking about the flaming dude with a chakra wheel for his heart. I'm talking about the author's title: Arahat. Now, Ingram does have a regular title-he's a medical doctor (M.D.) specializing in emergency medicine-"Everything from hangnails to heart attacks" he told me in a phone conversation. As you may know, an arhat (there are variant spellings) is one who has completed the Buddhist path as laid out in the Pali Suttas. "Done is what had to be done and there is no more of this to come!" goes the standard refrain by those who have attained such. Clearly Ingram is, as the suttas say, ready to "roar his lion's roar" in the spiritual marketplace. He spells the differences out further in the "Forward and Warning," wherein he puts you on notice he does not intend to write a "nice and friendly dharma book"; you know you're in for it when an author tells you he hails from a lineage of "dharma cowboys, mavericks, rogues and outsiders" (16).
That said, the books proceeds normally enough through part one. Ingram begins his discussion of dharma in terms of the traditional "three trainings": morality (sila), concentration (samadhi) and wisdom (paññ'). I especially found his discussion of morality illuminating. Going considerably beyond the standard list of things we shouldn't do (the five precepts etc), he says
"Training in morality has as its domain all of the ordinary ways that we live in the world. When we are trying to live the good life in a conventional sense, we are working on training in morality. When we are trying to work on our emotional, psychological and physical health, we are working at the level of training morality... Whatever we do in the ordinary world that we think will be of some benefit to others or ourselves is an aspect of working on this first training" (24-5).
He goes on to point out that while absolute mastery of concentration and wisdom (insight) is possible, total mastery in the worldly sphere of ethics is not. And so he calls it, rightly, the "first and last training."
Chapter 4 (oddly, the chapters are not numbered, only the parts) lays significant emphasis on seeing the three characteristics (tilakkhana) of phenomena-impermanence (anicca), suffering (dukkha) and not-self (anatta); indeed, this is a fundamental tenet of Ingram's approach to meditation, derivable in part from his experiences in the Mahasi tradition which has a similar emphasis. His discussion of anatta is clarifying: it means, simply, that when phenomena are investigated closely (as in vipassana), no agent, controller, or subject can be discovered; the things of the world are, in effect, ownerless. This, too, is a significant part of Ingram's dharma discussion, and comes up repeatedly later in the book. Ingram also discusses the spiritual faculties, the factors of enlightenment, and the four truths.
Most of the above can be found in other dharma books. Where things really start to get interesting is in the section entitled "Practical Meditation Considerations." Here Ingram's wealth of experience in formal retreat centers comes to the fore and makes for extremely informative, even entertaining, reading. For example, he lists the things retreatants tend to get neurotic about, such as wake-up bells ("too quiet, too loud, someone forgets to ring it at all"), roommates ("those that snore, smell, are noisy or messy, etc."), as well as "issues of corruption, romances, cults of personality, affairs, crushes, miscommunications, vendettas, scandals, drug use, money issues, and all the other things that can sometimes show up anywhere there are people" (94)-meaning everything and anything!
This is a section that demands multiple readings. Not because it's in any way difficult, just because the nuts and bolts of doing a retreat, of daily practice, are often the very things that defeat us. I repeatedly found Ingram's advice to be forthright, informed, and practical. Many people, for example, get obsessed over posture, but Ingram says simply "we can meditate in just about any position we find ourselves" (96). He notes, for example, how "Many traditions make a big deal about exactly how you should sit, with some getting paricularly macho or picky about such things" (97)-making me recall my experience in a Zen monastery in Japan. He writes how the four postures of sitting, standing, walking, reclining each have plusses and minuses, the principle differences being in the energy level and effects on concentration. He further discusses issues such as meditation objects, the critical role of resolve, and offers some very illuminating remarks on teachers. One clearly gets the sense Ingram knows what he says from firsthand experience.
The fireworks start in Part II, "Light and Shadows." Little lightning bolts-the sign of something controversial ahead-adorn several chapters. This is where Ingram gets up on his soapbox. Usually, I would say that in a bad way, meaning someone was just spouting. But here, I think, what Ingram does, even if you want to call it spouting, is all to a very good point, and that is to draw attention to some of the unconstructive shadow sides of Buddhist spirituality in America. For example, in the section entitled "Buddhism vs. the Buddha," he criticizes the religious trappings the Buddha's teaching-in its original form an applied psychology-has been buried under, and how Americans have contributed to rendering the master's technology of awakening into dogma or comfort food.
However, Ingram's purpose here is not controversy. He speaks also about having a clear goal, and encourages asking oneself questions like "Why would I want to sit cross-legged for hours with my eyes closed, anyway?" It's important you know what you're seeking, after all, and Ingram hammers this point throughout the book. (It was also one of the first questions he asked me in our phone conversation!) This section also describes the critical difference between dealing with one's "stuff"-i.e. the content of your life-and seeing the true nature of the phenomena that constitute that stuff. For example, if you're depressed because your significant other dumped you, trying to figure out why he/she did that to you is reflection on your "stuff," but patiently observing the emotions of anger or depression as they arise and pass away-i.e. trying to see the fundamental characteristics of those experiences-is insight. The difference here, as Ingram makes clear, is night and day.
Part III, "Mastery," forms the heart of the book, and this is where Ingram's starkly non-dogmatic, critical, and pragmatic intellect shows its best. This is also the part most likely to offend and where it becomes clear that if you're after spiritual pabulum, you've come to the wrong man. Ingram is all about "states and stages," about achieving exactly what the old dead masters achieved. We each have our purposes in our spiritual lives-and he acknowledges this-but he is not looking to comfort or console anyone, or make things seem easier than they are. Ingram's vision of the Dhamma is, rather, very goal oriented and effort driven. It is a path of achievement, of distinct and discernible attainments. If your mentality does not incline toward this way of thinking and acting, now is the time to bail out!
This section reviews in great, perhaps unprecedented detail, three distinct subjects: the concentration jhanas (1-8), the progress of insight, and the multiplicity of models and definitions of enlightenment. There is plenty here to make for argument, but also to educate, warn, coax and cajole. In short, this is some of the most stimulating, revealing and educational dharma reading I've ever done. You could read a hundred dharma books and still not come up with this stuff. And while Ingram is not a particularly great (or even good) writer (more on this below), he is at times eminently quotable. I can't resist offering a few snippets here. These give you a good idea of what you're getting into with this book.
You may have heard, for example, about those teachers who say "there is nothing to attain, nowhere to go, no one to get enlightened, your seeking is the problem." Or, even more intriguingly, that "you are already enlightened." You find these teachings in some Buddhist schools, J. Krishnamurti, Adi Da, and others. Here's Ingram's take on this take on enlightenment:
"[It's] like saying: you are already a concert pianist, you just have to realize it, or you already are a nuclear physicist, you just have to realize it... [It's] like saying to a severe paranoid schizophrenic: you already are as sane as anyone and do not need to take your medicines and should just follow the voices that tell you to kill people, or to a person with heart disease: just keep smoking and eating fried pork skins and you will be healthy...or saying to a greedy, corrupt, corporate-raiding, white-collar criminal, Fascist, alcoholic wife-beater: hey, Dude, you are a like, beautiful perfect flower of the Now Moment, already enlightened (insert toke here), you are doing and not-doing just fine, like wow, so keep up the good work, Man" (360).
I read this while on the train to work and enjoyed an unrestrained guffaw-several times!
However...to double back to my criticism of Ingram's writing: he's badly in need of an editor, and the people at Aeon Books let him down. Ingram grossly overuses the word "that"-it's one of the most overused words in the language, so he is not alone in the bad habit of thatting this and thatting that-and after a while it started grating on my sensitive literary nerves. He also does not seem to know the difference between "phenomena" and "phenomenon," and, on a different note, sometimes comes off sounding rather immature. There were occasions, too, where he went on unnecessarily about whatever, and a little more self-control would have helped the text out a lot. Again...where were his editors?
But this is minor stuff, mere bitching on my part. Ingram is actually a pretty fun read, and the book is outstanding and unique in so many ways, I/we can and should forgive him. He has much wisdom to offer and we should be grateful for all the hard work he's done on and off the cushion. I leave you with one nugget of insight that stood out for me:
"When I think about what it would take to achieve freedom from all psychological stuff, the response that comes is this: life is about stuff. Stuff is part of being alive. There is no way out of this while you are still living. There will be confusion, pain, miscommunication, misinterpretation, maladaptive patterns of behavior, unhelpful emotional reactions, weird personality traits, neurosis and possibly much worse. There will be power plays, twisted psychological games, people with major personality disorders (which may include you), and craziness. The injuries continue right along with the healing and eventually the injuries win and we die. This is a fundamental teaching of the Buddha. I wish the whole Western Buddhist World would just get over this notion that these practices are all about getting to our Happy Place where nothing can ever hurt us or make us neurotic and move on to actually mastering real Buddhist practice rather than chasing some ideal that will never appear" (330).
You have your marching orders.
Top critical review
11 people found this helpful
3.0 out of 5 starsThe most loving and complete guide to makyo ever written
ByKSHon May 22, 2016
A book that I recommend, with caveats. There's a lot of hucksters out there in the spirituality world, and they use the ignorance around meditation and enlightenment to their benefit and the unfortunate detriment of their students/victims. To that end, Ingram does a seriously laudable service: he delineates exactly what you're likely to experience as you go through the traditional Buddhist path of meditation. He also punctures the various myths around enlightenment, what it means, and what enlightened people are capable of (spoiler: the same good/bad things as everyone else).
The caveats are that it is really easy to take all these carefully delineated models, and get so far up one's own posterior that you lose sight of the forest for the trees. All of the various meditative states of stable concentration, absorbtion, bliss, etc.; are waypoints on the path. They're not the goal, and getting fixated on them will prevent you from reaching the goal. That's the "makyo" -- for those unfamiliar with the zen tradition, it means "devil's realm," and more figuratively an illusory temptation. To the question, "I'm experiencing XYZ in meditation; what do I do?" a zen teacher would say, "get your keister back on the cushion."
So ultimately that is my advice to prospective readers: use the information to arm yourself against unethical teachers. Beyond that, get your keister on the cushion and observe. If you aren't getting what you want, then observe more carefully. Rinse, wash, repeat. As they say in the martial arts world:
"When I was a beginner a punch was a punch and a kick was a kick.
When I become more experienced a punch wasn't just a punch and a kick wasn't just a kick.
Now that I am experienced, a punch is a punch and a kick is a kick."
The caveats are that it is really easy to take all these carefully delineated models, and get so far up one's own posterior that you lose sight of the forest for the trees. All of the various meditative states of stable concentration, absorbtion, bliss, etc.; are waypoints on the path. They're not the goal, and getting fixated on them will prevent you from reaching the goal. That's the "makyo" -- for those unfamiliar with the zen tradition, it means "devil's realm," and more figuratively an illusory temptation. To the question, "I'm experiencing XYZ in meditation; what do I do?" a zen teacher would say, "get your keister back on the cushion."
So ultimately that is my advice to prospective readers: use the information to arm yourself against unethical teachers. Beyond that, get your keister on the cushion and observe. If you aren't getting what you want, then observe more carefully. Rinse, wash, repeat. As they say in the martial arts world:
"When I was a beginner a punch was a punch and a kick was a kick.
When I become more experienced a punch wasn't just a punch and a kick wasn't just a kick.
Now that I am experienced, a punch is a punch and a kick is a kick."
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ByC. B. Terryon April 15, 2018
The last 20 years of my life could have really benefited from the maps that Daniel has published.
While it can't be said that he has created this work on his own, he has certainly produced innovative ideas in the field of contemplative science.
The book is available for free on the dharma overground forums (in extended format). May it guide many through this murky world we conceptualize as reality.
Much Metta.
While it can't be said that he has created this work on his own, he has certainly produced innovative ideas in the field of contemplative science.
The book is available for free on the dharma overground forums (in extended format). May it guide many through this murky world we conceptualize as reality.
Much Metta.
One person found this helpful
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BySusanon January 7, 2018
I found this book quite interesting, but not much help regarding practice. I recommend strongly that seekers begin with Culadasa's book The Mind Illuminated.
ByDmitry Buterinon November 19, 2017
I have read many books on the subject and this is the first one that gave me a clear framework and guidance on pursuing the enlightenment!
ByH. Melvilleon September 15, 2017
This is the best book on meditation I have found, one of the few that takes the goal of enlightenment seriously, and one which has saved me from a great deal of illusions of what the spiritual path is about. After reading 10+ Buddhism books, this is my manual for my path.
ByPablo Heviaon August 27, 2017
This manual contains many valuable tips not usually found in other dharma books, and includes a warning not to get lost the many temptations promoted by the Buddhist establishment, Western meditation "clerks", New Age, etc. A straight-forward reading meant for serious meditators (i.e. those willing to work hard and become enlightened) with some basic previous knowledge who need a dharma self-check and possibly a confidence boost.
My advice is to read this book as a companion to The Manual of Insight by Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw.
My advice is to read this book as a companion to The Manual of Insight by Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw.
ByCUZon June 16, 2017
Taking at least one 10 day course will aid greatly in grasping the profound knowledge contained in this book. It doesn't say "hardcore" on the cover for nothing. Despite some of the reviews on here that say that this book is also good for beginners, I would say that to truly embark on this path you need to have a committed determination equal to being able to make it through a 10-day course. (Just Google "10-day Vipassana meditation course.") Otherwise, all of the valuable knowledge contained in this book will be nothing more to you than intellectual entertainment. In fact, I would dare say that a great deal of the material will go over your head if you haven't at least tried Zazen or some form of formal meditation. As someone who has sat two 10 - day courses so far (so much to learn still!), this book energized my practice, gave me a greater understanding of what exactly is going on during the myriad changes in the body and mind during Vipassana meditation, and also offers a great bibliography for further learning.
BySankhmmron April 6, 2017
I consider this book to be an instant classic. As someone who became an Arhat via a tantric path on 21 June 2003 I think that Arhat Daniel M. Ingram has provided an exceptionally valuable service to those on the spiritual path; namely, created a modern practice manual. It could just as easily have been titled, "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Path to Enlightenment, But That Everyone Is So Afraid to Talk About."
Here is what I liked about the book, in brief:
* The descriptions/maps of meditative experience. For those who have spent a ton of time "on the cushion" many, many, many, many, many different kinds of experiences can occur. Sadly though, most meditation books talk about technique, but very little about the nearly infinite things that can happen to you. As I was reading "Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha" I kept nodding my head and thinking, "Yup, that has happened to me," or, "Oh, so that is what that was." These details alone make this book worth the cover price, as well as make it an instant classic.
* It is laugh-out-loud funny. How often can you say that about a book about "hard core" spirituality? I especially love the lambasting of the various insecurities on display in any spiritually striving community; ranging from self-seriousness, to dictatorship over proper diet(s), to obsession with ceremony.
* His license to those of us that have been fortunate enough and humbled to have attained enlightenment to remain human. Enlightenment is not about becoming the perfect human, it is, instead, about a direct knowing of the fundamental truths of the Universe. An oft commented review here on Amazon criticizes Daniel for his use of the word, "God," but in my own book I give a list of about 10 different synonyms for That. These range from zero-point field, to the Void, to the Word, to the Infinite, and yes, to God. If you have experienced It, then that word is an apt description.
* His heart-centered delivery. People have criticized the book for its lack of humility, or for its direct tone. Me? I appreciated it. Spend some time around some Tibetan monks from any of the five schools (don't forget Bonpo!) and you will find that they are tricksters and practical jokesters. Also, spend some time on the cushion contemplating wrathful compassion if you have a hard time with the tone of this book.
* That he points out that attaining enlightenment was easier than some of the other things he has done in his life. I couldn't agree more. Attaining a graduate degree, a professional designation, a divorce, and excelling as a professional were all harder for me.
In closing, thank you, Daniel, for the thousands of hours you spent on the cushion, and thank you also for then sharing your experiences so openly.
Good luck and skill on your paths!
Here is what I liked about the book, in brief:
* The descriptions/maps of meditative experience. For those who have spent a ton of time "on the cushion" many, many, many, many, many different kinds of experiences can occur. Sadly though, most meditation books talk about technique, but very little about the nearly infinite things that can happen to you. As I was reading "Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha" I kept nodding my head and thinking, "Yup, that has happened to me," or, "Oh, so that is what that was." These details alone make this book worth the cover price, as well as make it an instant classic.
* It is laugh-out-loud funny. How often can you say that about a book about "hard core" spirituality? I especially love the lambasting of the various insecurities on display in any spiritually striving community; ranging from self-seriousness, to dictatorship over proper diet(s), to obsession with ceremony.
* His license to those of us that have been fortunate enough and humbled to have attained enlightenment to remain human. Enlightenment is not about becoming the perfect human, it is, instead, about a direct knowing of the fundamental truths of the Universe. An oft commented review here on Amazon criticizes Daniel for his use of the word, "God," but in my own book I give a list of about 10 different synonyms for That. These range from zero-point field, to the Void, to the Word, to the Infinite, and yes, to God. If you have experienced It, then that word is an apt description.
* His heart-centered delivery. People have criticized the book for its lack of humility, or for its direct tone. Me? I appreciated it. Spend some time around some Tibetan monks from any of the five schools (don't forget Bonpo!) and you will find that they are tricksters and practical jokesters. Also, spend some time on the cushion contemplating wrathful compassion if you have a hard time with the tone of this book.
* That he points out that attaining enlightenment was easier than some of the other things he has done in his life. I couldn't agree more. Attaining a graduate degree, a professional designation, a divorce, and excelling as a professional were all harder for me.
In closing, thank you, Daniel, for the thousands of hours you spent on the cushion, and thank you also for then sharing your experiences so openly.
Good luck and skill on your paths!
ByDemitri Foehlon January 30, 2017
The clearest, most insightful book on meditation out there. And believe me, I have read many.
Bydlbon January 10, 2017
It's the best book on meditation. If you don't like it... I bet you don't practice a lot. Guaranteed.
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