Mindfulness in Plain English: Revised and Expanded Edition Paperback – International Edition, November 1, 1996

The first third or more of the book sells the idea of mindfulness and meditation. That's nice, but I was already sold, so I didn't find this particularly useful—although, admittedly, I did find it reassuring. A thorough introduction for beginners though—they'll find this useful, I'm sure.

Then we get down to brass tax—to the nuts and bolts of practice. This text does a thorough job of detailing that, covering lots of material on the mechanics of how to meditate. If you're just starting and have questions about the execution/technique of meditation, you'll assuredly find all of your answers here.

Toward the end—maybe the last fifth or less—the text starts touching on mindfulness in the context of meditation. I was super excited for this part, to actually get a feel for what my mind or body or "self" should be doing or thinking—or not doing or thinking—while deep in meditation. That's where the book falls flat and feels lacking.

If you're someone who is trying to start a practice of meditation, get this book. It will send you down the right path. If, however, you're already making your way merrily down that path, and can successfully meditate for a good length of time on a daily basis (say 30 - 60+ minutes), you'll have to look elsewhere to really understand how to "level-up" your practice—how to make the most of your concentration.

Open a search engine, and search for the "best buddhist books for beginners," or "best beginner books on meditation." Regardless of what tradition the person compiling the lists that come up (be that person a follower of a far eastern, tibetan or southeast asian school, the one title that always shows up on these lists, is this book by the Sri Lankan monk, the Ven. Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, "Mindfulness in Plain English." The book's exactly what it claims to be: a clear, straightforward guide to the the practice of insight meditation, one written with great warmth, wit and understanding. I found it indispensible when I started my practice, and remained so thru all the inevitable, ups, downs, and occasional lapses. It remains the single most useful book on the shelf where I keep books on practice, buddhist psych and philosophy.

Nuts and bolts instruction in insight meditation. I've been "going it alone" for a while now, so this book was a departure for me - and a good one. If you feel you could use some structure to your meditation practice and are without a teacher at this time, this book is a wonderful guide. There is an insight meditation center not too far from where I live, and because these meditation instructions have been so helpful, I've decided to finally check it out. I am very grateful for this straightforward, helpful book.

This is actually a book about vipassana (insight) meditation and some of the teachings of the Buddha. It offers a better discussion of these topics than most other books that I have read on meditation. Gunaratana's writing style is clear and free from excessive jargon. The book will be understandable to most Americans.

Gunaratana makes vipassana meditation seem desirable by discussing its benefits at various places in the book. I have just finished reading it and haven't practiced vipassana meditation yet so I'll mention some examples from the book. Gunaratana says that in vipassana meditation we face up to unpleasantness in our lives rather than avoiding it. We reduce tendencies to be greedy and lethargic. We are reminded of what we are supposed to be doing. We see things as they really are. We see the true nature of all phenomena.

Another good aspect of the book is that it includes good instructions for the practice of vipassana meditation and for dealing with problems and distractions during meditation.

I give this book five stars for what I mentioned above. But, I want to caution you about a couple of things before you buy this book.

First, if you are considering meditation because you want to solve problems in life, vipassana meditation may not be the best place to start. Gunaratana says that vipassana meditation is not a problem-solving technique. More direct approaches for dealing with problems can be found in books such as Coping with Difficult People by Robert M. Bramson, A Guide to the Good Life by William B. Irvine, and A Guide to Rational Living by Albert Ellis. Recommendations in those books are practical. Insight meditation may improve problem solving capability in the long-term, but I think it should be used only after using more direct, reasoned approaches. It is worth noting here that Gunaratana was ordained a Buddhist monk at age 12 - as stated on the back of the book cover. Life in a monastery is unlikely to be as challenging as holding a job in a competitive or difficult situation. So, Gunaratana can't be expected to offer much help in dealing with immediate problems.

My second caution is that, while Gunaratana's book is not a complete description of Buddhism, it does espouse some Buddhist beliefs. On page 144, Gunaratana says that if we practice mindfulness, we can perceive that the three prime characteristics which Buddhism advocates are the deepest truths of existence. One of these is selflessness. Gunaratana says that selflessness means that there is an "absence of a permanent, unchanging entity that we call Soul or Self." Further, in connection with this, he says that "there are really no entities that are unchanging or permanent, only processes." When I have seen Soul and Self capitalized elsewhere, it is a reference to God. So, Buddhism holds that there is no God and/or we do not have souls that exist eternally. This is contradictory to what is said in many holy books. It is also in conflict with what is reported by mystics and by some people who have had near death experiences. This is a great book on meditation, but do we need this religious indoctrination? (The Buddha did not claim to be a god but he is discussed in this book as if he has the role of a savior.)

If you are looking for a good overview of meditation and its benefits, I suggest The Relaxation Response by Herbert Benson, MD. Good books on dealing with difficulties in life include those by Albert Ellis and A Guide to the Good Life by William Irvine.