Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening Kindle Edition

I believe this to be the magnum opus of Joseph Goldstein's writings. This book is physically exquisite. Sounds True did a fine job of editing and publishing this book. The book is derived from a series of lectures on a particular sutta (talk) of the Buddha, the Satipatthana Sutta, which is found in a collection of talks called the Majjhima Nikaya. (The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha, edited by Bhikkhu Nanamoli and Bhikkhu Bodhi, Wisdom Publications). However, the sutta itself is also to be found as an appendix in Goldstein's new book. Goldstein's lectures were given at the Forest Retreat of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts. Goldstein used, for these lectures, a recent interpretation of this sutta by a Buddhist monk Analayo, named Satipatthana: the Direct Path to Realization, Windhorse Publications. Over a series of retreats Goldstein systematically commented on every verse of the sutta,using the Venerable Analayo's commentary as an comparative guide for his own commentary. This kind of commentary is a classical method of working with a sutta in the Buddhist world. ( Also, Sounds True has issued the actual talks as a three part cd series, Abiding in Mindfulness.)

The Satgtipatthana Sutta is meant to be a complete and sufficient description of a particular form of meditation that is called vipassana or Insight Meditation. (This meditation has also just been called Mindfulness and has become increasingly popular as a means for reducing stress.) The Buddha says that if this sutta's methodology is strictly adhered to, it will led to realization or Enlightenment. Goldstein takes that claim very seriously. His book reflects a careful, years long, relationship to both this sutta and to the meditations revealed by the Buddha. I believe Goldstein's work to be one of the most complete and beautifully written books about Buddhist meditation, I have read in the fifty years of my own Buddhist practice.

So what thematic concerns drive the content of Goldstein's commentary? He addresses four major foundations of inquiry for this form of Buddhist meditation. These four are mindfulness of Body, Feelings, Mind, and the Dhammas. 'Body' is here understood as physical reality, the actual physical basis of the phenomena given to consciousness.' Feelings' include the whole range of emotive reactions to the phenomena being investigated. 'Mind' describes the vehicle for consciousness and its characteristics which help and also hinder realization. Finally, the larger part of Goldstein's book considers the fourth foundation, the Dhammas. This word is from Pali which is the language which the Theravadin school of Buddhism used for its texts. "Dhammas" includes an encyclopedic collection of all those conceptual factors which the Buddha considered necessary for the complete liberation from suffering. Such factors include both negative hindrances and positive aids in one's meditative investigation of Liberation.

Goldstein says four qualities of mind are necessary for this investigation: Ardency, Clearly Knowing, Mindfulness, and Concentration. Briefly these qualities of mind can be described as dedication, a deep knowing of that which is being investigated, a consistent and close awareness of all phenomena being investigated, and, finally, a capacity for single pointed or intense concentration of the subject being examined. In other words, one dedicates to a level of realization which is purified by a complete examination of the subject under consideration, and which is also characterized by deep and undistracted attention.

Okay, why is this book so good? First, because it is complete. Goldstein has been practicing for years, and he has studied with most of the major living Theravadin teachers. In addition he has gone to monasteries, temples, and centers in India and Southeast Asia to study. His knowledge and practice are nuanced and thorough. Second, he is vulnerable. He has learned from his "mistakes". He is open about his limitations and clearly expresses his gifts and learning. Third, he is a very advanced practitioner. He has become truly wise from his experience. I was asked once at a retreat by a well known Theravada monk, Bhante Gunaratana (auhor of Mindfulness in Plain English), if I had a teacher and who was it? I said Joseph Goldstein. BhanteJi (as he is sometimes called affectionately) said, "You could not do better!" You can not do better than with this book if you are serious about Buddhist meditation.

The book is not meant to be read straight through. Rather, it should be considered in the context of one's own meditation practice. When used as a commentary to your own practice, it will reveal how truly comprehensive and cogent the Buddha's teaching was. In the end, the Buddha's Teaching is a radical method to confront and heal your suffering. The Dharma will reveal the true basis of your suffering. It will show the way out of it. It will reveal the very real possibility of a wise, compassionate, and peaceful life.

Joseph Goldstein's new book is fully adequate to the challenge of revealing just what meditation can do in one's life. We live together now in a time when real wisdom and peace is possible. I very much believe that the deepest realization of what it means to be fully human is now available. For the sake of ourselves and for one another, please consider using Joseph's new book as a valuable resource in your own spiritual journey.

This is THE comprehensive book on mindfulness. I would suggest it to someone who is of intermediate level ( a couple of months) of mindfulness practice to try it out. The reason being that after a couple of months of practice without a teacher you may end up on a plateau and not know what or why you're trying out something.

To give my own example: i started with Headspace app and after finishing all the basic and intermediate levels i knew that mindfulness meditation helps but the app is limited enough and will not help you make the connection between concentration on breathing or bodyscan or visualization and its bearing on meditation and in short you'll be left with insufficient information. Then i looked into books by Dan Harris and even his second book on meditation is comprehensive it may not give you the full gist of why some types of meditation practice helps under certain circumstances e.g. metta and noticing. There always felt a question of 'why am i doing this now?'

Joseph's book is comprehensive enough to cover almost all questions that an intermediate meditator might face; note that this is not a book about religion or buddhism but a book strictly on mindfulness. Things like metta and noticing finally cleared up and i finally got to know the answer on why a meditator should do them and under what circumstances. The source of this book is through his talks on 'Satipatthana sutta' and available on dharmaseed.org I would suggest hearing those talks because he gives examples (some of which have not been sourced into the book) and Joseph makes even hearing about meditation fun. And use this book as a reference when you're done with almost 46 hours of talk on Mindfulness.

Happy meditating!

Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening, by Joseph Goldstein: Our sangha is studying the Satipatthana Sutta, and I was looking for a book to augment another translation and commentary. Goldstein's commentary is practical and breaks down the various aspects of mindfulness practice into short sections, which I find easier to study and absorb. This one's a keeper and a book I'll recommend to others.

This is a great follow up to Joseph Goldstein's (and Jack Kornfield's) "Seeking the Heart of Wisdom". This book repeats some of the finer points of the aforementioned book and goes into more detail than his other works. I have been meditating for a few years and there were certain sections that discussed problems that I am currently facing. This definitely isn't a beginner's book so if you are new to Buddhism / meditation you may be better off starting with "One Dharma". I would recommend this book to someone who has taken a meditation retreat before or someone who is already familiar with some of the content in this book. It is definitely not an easy read, as the other reviewer pointed out, although the information contained is definitely priceless. Would recommend to everyone who is interested in learning more about Buddhist meditation from the Theravada tradition.

This is it. This is the book about Buddhism that I'd been looking for for so long. It is detailed and explains to you everything you need to know about why and how to be mindful in all the stages of enlightenment: Being mindful of the five hindrances, the five aggregates of clinging, the four noble truths, everything until nirvana. It even explains to you how to be mindful of the mind, body, and feelings, which is probably what has been having a bigger impact on me and is the best way to start.
No matter if you are a Buddhist or not, mindfulness is for everyone and this book shows that beautifully.
Can't wait to read more from this author.