Presented, like a 12-step daily reader, in little chapterbursts, this is a guide to pure meditation. That is, meditation not "in order to relax, to experience a special state, to become a better person, to reduce some stress or pain, to break out of old habits and patterns, to become free or enlightened"--although those are "all valid reasons to take up meditation"--but for what Kabat-Zinn calls "mindfulness"--a waking from the dream of knowing what our lives are about and where we're headed to the realization that each of us is always in just one place and moment. Beyond that realization, we may achieve wisdom--at least so thought the Buddha and other sages Kabat-Zinn cites. In his book's three parts, Kabat-Zinn presents, first, the rationale for taking up "a personal practice of mindfulness," then some matters of meditational form (e.g., "Dignity," "Posture," "How Long to Practice?"), and last, applications and perspectives on mindfulness. Throughout his jargon-free, directly written text, Kabat-Zinn sprinkles suggestions for practice, and he appends a list of helpful tapes. Ray Olson
Review
“The program has as its goal a personal transformation of the listener. The presentation is clear and effective, suiting the material and expressing the author's ideas.” ―AudioFile
“With warmth and humor, Wherever You Go, There You Are blends stories, anecdotes, poems, images, and scientific observations with easily followed instructions. The result is a unique audio program that is part inspiration and part study guide to a revolutionary new way of being, seeing, and living.” ―EBOOKEE
About the Author
Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D. has been a student and practitioner of meditation and yoga for three decades. He is the founder and director of the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center and an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He lives in Worcester, Massachusetts.
The subtitle, Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life, says it all: a simple and straightforward introduction to Buddhist meditation practice from one of the country's leading authorities on stress-reduction techniques. The program has as its goal a personal transformation of the listener. The presentation is clear and effective, suiting the material and expressing the author's ideas. C.S. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine
