Train Your Mind and Find a Life that Fulfills (Essential Easwaran Library)

The presents an eight point program for effective meditation. His program demonstrates the fundamentals of a good meditation regimen. I am not convinced that this particular style is the best for everyone but there are aspects that can be used to enhance an existing practice. I found the section on mantras interesting and it was refreshing that the author did not insist on any particular number of repetitions. Walking meditation is amazing and adding a mantra enriches the experience. There is a question and answer section in the back that will be valuable for beginners. It is a nicely written book that is not in the least intimidating. Definitely worth a read for novices and experienced meditators alike.

I've read about the benefits of meditation for years, but have always had a hard time putting it in to action. The author has taught meditation for forty years. The book is broken down in to an eight point program. Maybe you're like me, knowing meditation is good for you, but not really knowing the background to the process. There's a lot more to learn than I originally thought. I appreciate the message about slowing down. I work in a deadline driven business that has become short staffed. The restless mind (as explained) is with me during the 8 hr workday. As Easwaran says "It will take persistent effort for a long time to reverse the patterns of hurry..." I found this book to be the best I've ever found on meditation. I'm slowly learning how to mediate with the author as an excellent teacher. Even the material of the book jacket is soothing. Recommended

Easwaran has been an extraordinary and singular interpreter, translator and teacher of ancient and spiritual Indian texts to English. For a Western mind, his translations and interpretations are easy to understand. He taught meditation and ancient Indian scriptures at Berkeley for several years.

This book is about his 8 point program of meditation. He recommends slowly concentrating on a timeless passage of ancient text of wisdom, for example, Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi. Each chapter is about one of the 8 points, like slowing down, repetition of mantra etc. Every aspect of meditation is discussed, when and where to do, how to sit, how to dress etc.

In order to follow the book, it needs to absorbed and digested slowly and then put into practice. the store has a special price on Kindle/Audiobook combo which is great to help you put this book into practice.

Never having felt particularly religious, but decidedly spiritual, I've grown curious over recent years about meditation, but not known quite where to start. Having grabbed this book, I really do feel it's the perfect introduction, even full course, for leading me into meditation and improving my day-to-day outlook on life.

The book is current, and Eknath Easwaran does a wonderful job of presenting evocative images here, great, thorough guidance, and direct connections to our modern world. The question and answer section in the back answers questions that may come to mind through the reading of the book, and rounds it out to an excellent book to guide the meditation newbie on the path to calm and solace in a frantic, too-fast-paced, overly digital world.

Thrilled to have this on-hand to help me find calm and peace that is so elusive in the modern world.

A method of meditation that anyone can dive right into. Those looking to begin practicing or improving to a more effective method of meditation would be served greatly by the eight points outlined in this book. The prinary point is meditation on a passage. This helps focus the mind and train is to properly become what we think. The other points follow and further enhance the meditation. These points are: repetition of a mantram (mantra), slowing down, one-pointed attention, training the senses, putting others first, spiritual fellowship and spiritual reading. The book goes into fine detail on each point and how to effectively utilize them for meditation. It shares optimum times to meditate, body positioning and relaxation tips. This is all followed by an extensive question and answer section regarding meditation and the principals in the book.

Passage Meditation is clearly written and the author has a sense of humor. I have meditated on a passage before but did not realize there was a name for this specific type of meditating. The author also explains how to use a mantra, or mantram, and how it can relieve stress and clear your mind.

I found the book to be informative. Unfortunately it took some effort to read even though it is well-written and not too long. It's just that the subject itself gets a bit dry as you try to learn the material. But Eknath Easwaran seems to understand the practice of meditation very well and explains what can sidetrack you and how to handle each challenge. Recommended.

This is a very solid introduction to meditation, as practiced and taught by Eknath Easwaran. It isn't my favorite book on meditation (that distinction belongs to "How to Meditate" by Kathleen McDonald), but as an overview of how to meditate on a passage from a sacred book, it is helpful. In the Christian tradition, there is lectio divina, which is similar (and my favorite book on lectio divina is "Lectio Divina, the sacred art" by Christine Valters Paintner). This book is a general introduction to techniques used in passage meditation, which can then be applied to any kind of text. Suitable for any religious (or even secular) tradition.

I read about a number of meditation techniques before finding this book. One of the interesting methods I found is inspirational reading. It appeals to me because I wanted something that seemed more substantial than using a simpler approach such as mindfulness or focusing on an object. Easwaran's approach combines inspirational reading with two other forms of meditation: passage meditation and the use of a mantram. The title is a little misleading because the book covers more than passage meditation. Still, it is an excellent book. The eight parts of Easwaran's approach fit together well. I also like the fact that his methods can be fit to one's religion.

Easwaran's book is not an overview of the many methods of meditation. If that is what you are looking for, I can recommend two books. One is Meditation: The Complete Guide by Patricia Monaghan and Eleanor Viereck. The other is The Meditative Mind by Daniel Goleman. If you want reading on dealing with problems in life, I suggest the books of Albert Ellis especially A Guide to Rational Living.

I've been struggling to learn meditation on my own through guided imagery and breath exercises, but it still felt a bit forced and artificial. With the help of this book, I've been able to find my own mantra to help me develop healthier habits. As someone who lives with sometimes crippling anxiety and ptsd, meditation is one of the best tools in my personal box of skills to work through my mental health issues and on to being a happy, healthy woman once again.

After my "born again" atheist phase, I was intent on discovering/uncovering God for myself. I read all sorts of books (see my other reviews for some of what I have read)and all of these books satisfied my intellectual curiosity for a more "personable" God. I wasn't interested in a new religion, I was interested in knowing that a God of Love could love me, as well.

I decided to start meditating for two reasons. (1) I always admired people who could somehow get still, centered, and focused and brought a clear sense of attention/intention to everything they did and (2)maybe through meditation I could form a deeper inner "knowingness" that God did exist within me and around me.

This was one of the first books on meditation that I not only read, but devoured. I enjoy Eknath Eswaran's simple approach to meditation. If you are looking for a more complicated approach I am sure you will find many books that will fit the bill. Simplicity is an art. Simplicity is very difficult for a confused mind to understand. Simplicity is the essence of genius.

So I studied Eswaran's words on meditation, but I also took them to heart. When I was first learning to meditate, I often broke my practice into "bite-sized chunks". Three minutes here, five minutes there, another two minutes here, maybe four minutes there. I celebrated every moment I could get still. I relished in every moment I could get quiet. I wish I could say that I mastered meditation in six short weeks but I don't think anyone ever quites "masters" meditation. It does have an accumulative effect and eventually I was able to get still for twenty minutes (with my longest session being two hours) but meditation is so unlike anything I have ever done. You can't just put a meditation practice into a "box" and say this is meditation because meditation is the art of just allowing things to be and when we let things be without trying to change them, for better or for worse, then we are allowing and when I finally allowed myself to "let" God be God, God "showed up" in my life.

Not that God wasn't always present within me and around me, but somewhere along the way, through the help of these practices, I pierced the veil between the seen and the unseen and in a split-second, I came to know and feel that God was really real. Most of us would try and cling to that feeling...I did...but I also knew enough to let it go...to let it go...to let it go...that the more I just made room in my heart, the more I allowed God to be God, the more I jus allowed my mind, heart, and soul to become aligned with each other and act as one, the deeper I went with my practice.

I believe that every one of us can "learn" to meditate. I believe each of us already know how, but we have forgotten. When we were tiny little infants we knew how to still our minds, and have our hearts be wide open, and be vulnerable enough, innocent enough, and beautiful enough to let ourselves be exactly who we needed to be. We had nothing to prove. And then we "built" a shell of identity around our true beauty. We began to worship the outside world and we gradually became fixated on those things external to our own being. Meditation is not about learning to be, each one of us really know how to be who we are, meditation is primarily about unlearning all those things that we thought we were and just allowing ourselves to be who we really are; Pure Spirit...

This is a beautiful book and I am sorry for being so long winded, I guess I just got caught up in the moment, because to me, writing is a meditation and I guess I was just going with the flow...

Peace and Blessings...

This is a very thorough and practical approach to meditation. I found it quite easy to read and quite helpful for any person who wants to get into meditation. The author is quite personable and you get the feeling that he's actually chatting with you rather than lecturing you. Reading thihs will lead you not only into meditation, but into a better life. I certainly recommend it to all.

Twenty years ago, I picked up an earlier edition of Passage Meditation because I wanted to know what meditation was all about. This book fulfilled that wish and much more. It presents an eight-point program for daily practice, including meditation on inspirational passages drawn from many of the world's great wisdom traditions.

This practice has given me practical tools to live life to the fullest. It has helped me deal with negative habits of thought and behavior in an artful way. It has given me a purpose in life greater than my own self-centered goals, and the means to work toward it. This purpose is inclusive of all the important aspects of life: including family, work, religion, relationships, recreation, education, culture and citizenship. It asks us to start where we are, not to leave our family or professional contexts, but to thrive within them; not to change our religion, take up another religion, or necessarily have any religion at all.

The core of the presentation is training the mind, a most valuable life lesson. When we are able to control our thinking process, slow it down and focus our attention, we have more clarity and better judgment. We have a more positive outlook on life and a greater capacity to thrive ourselves and to work with others to make the world a better place. This new edition has a wonderful new preface, but it is essentially the same time-tested text that has changed the lives of thousands of people around the world.

I recently finished this book and thought it a good place to start if one is having troubles with multi tasking or asking themselves some deeper questions about life. In my experience I have found that some people want to slow down and develop harmony within themselves, they read the words yet don't apply it to their lives. Eknath Easwaran takes you though each level of higher (inner) conscienceness if you are willing to follow,accept and apply it. I particularly enjoyed how one can reach for and obtain unconditional love, unheard of in the psychology world where unconditional love is only between parent and child, that adult love can not be so. He speaks about basic morals in our day to day encounters with others, our spouses, and the world in general, more importantly, for one to be aware that ones actions affects others. On speaking, the suggestion is to ask ones self three questions. First, "are these words true", secondly "are these words necessary", and thirdly "are these words kind". Imagine those with uncontrollable road rage asking themselves this! I have practiced this art of "single mindedness" throughout my life, not able to put it into words. This book reaffirmed me that I am on the right path. A pure delight to read and reflect upon, written in a comprehensive manner and from a person who practices what he preaches. Prayers for meditation at the end are helpful. Hopefully we all will find the right person to share a life that is emotionally rich and empowering, full of mutual love and respect. It starts with you.

I began practicing meditation in the 8th grade, fortunate to have parents that took me to learn transcendental meditation ("TM"). I learned through experience that I am completely in touch with my creativity and highest awareness when I am in a state of calm and that through meditation, I am able to experience calm no matter what is happening about me. This inspired me to write the chapter, Infinite Calm Brings Immediate Results in my book and audio book, Managing Thought: How Do Your Thoughts Rule Your World?, and I quote Eknath Easwaran from his book, Meditation,several times in mine. I have studied various forms of meditation through the years and have found this book to be the most practical quide to teaching anyone how to tap their inner resources and achieve clarity and focus in all they do through meditation. Eknath Easwaran is considered to be the foremost teacher of meditation and founded the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation in Northern California in 1961 and this book is a must read for anyone who wants a no-nonsense approach to learn how to meditate.

Eknath Eawaran is a true spiritual teacher--the "real deal"--and this book is both profound and simple to understand. There are many, many types of meditation techniques, but none that capture the importance of words that inspire, motivate, and transform consciousness. This edition includes 30% more information with extremely helpful questions and answers. Not only instructions on passage meditation, but also, Easwaran provides a comprehensive package of spiritual practices--8 points--that one can implement in every day life. The stories and analogies he uses are captivating, sometimes humorous, but always "right on!" Everyone and anyone can related to this book and I recommend it highly! Definitely 5 start rating!

There is no text like MEDITATION so easily accessible, useful, and kind on the heart (that also fits into the back pocket and can be found on audio tape). Rarely do we hear about devotional meditation, and, this is a valued manual.

MEDITATION as an instructional text literally guided me into a new practice as I needed a spiritual shift during a time of despair. This method helped me gently focus and heal my spirit, and since then I have recommended this book to hundreds of others yearning for an anchor practice that elicits more warmth towards one's self and those in our sphere or care -- while also allowing the meditation practice to impact the entirety of one's day.

Professor Easwaran is a gifted teacher and lover of world religions -- he shares with readers many options for honoring our own faith traditions as well as our neighbors' (I also recommend his other books which all convey deep respect for the scriptures & meditation practices of all the world's religions, especially his ones on passages and God Makes the Rivers to Flow). Eknath Easwaran identified as Hindu (born in India), and was the first to teach meditation in a U.S. University setting as a formal class (though he taught in the Humanities, I believe).

I, myself, am a Christian Minister working with the sick and dying of many world religions and spiritual paths. This meditation method helps me to tune-up my own energetic frequency when grief gets me down, and, has been a fantastic reference to others seeking a new way to live out their beliefs while attending to their spiritual health and sense of well-being in body, mind, spirit, and community. This devotional style also matches well with Christian prayer practices, and I feel no conflict in maintaining the integrity of my own religious faith.

One challenge: Sri Easwaran seems to have had a fairly traditional view of life in regard to "family" and therefore I invite a grain of salt regarding his gendered expressions and seeming assumptions that most are rooted in a male/female marriage with children; thus, I simply added a little grace and used my gifts for inclusive language adjustments in my head (as well for use of original patriarchal religious texts/prayers), and it all worked out -- as he does not at all seem anti-anyone, and, I expect many of his students were LGBT or feminist/womanist, and, he was embracing.

Thankfully his writings continue to be produced by his wife and students (Blue Mountain Meditation Center and Nilgiri Press), and I am a more well-rounded person in my own religion because of his books. I suggest this classic text as your first foray into the world of meditation writings by Eknath Easwaran.

A valuable and beautiful little book, filled with practical instruction, gentle good humor, and lots of personal anecdotes by a spiritual teacher from India who knew Gandhi and eventually made his way to Berkeley CA to set up a meditation center.

I have sifted through this book in the past, hitting the anecdotes out of sequence, because it's so enjoyable and readable, but this time I sat down and read the whole thing straight through with great attention. You have to like this guy; he's so unpretentious and he can really write. His own faith is Hindu, but he keeps the book free of any religious overtones so that those of any, or no, religion can benefit from its practical approach.

Thanks to Easwaran's instruction in this little book, I've taken on the Rosary as my mantra. I also use the prayer of St. Frances. My family says I have become more compassionate. I think so. I keep a small book shelf of key books. Since the shelf is small, if a new teaching comes along, I have to ask myself if it is powerful enough to displace the current collection. If so, an old one is booted out and the new one takes it's place. Easwaran's Meditation is still holding it's place.

I have been meditating using Easwaran's Eight Point Program for about a year, and I have attended a retreat where I met numerous individuals who have used this program for years and even decades. There is no doubt in my mind that Easwaran's insights into the mind and the spirit are genuine, and that his program is a powerful tool for becoming a better person, and for ultimately reaching life's supreme goal: the realization of the unity of all things.

As a technique, I don't think passage meditation is for everyone. It's basically memorizing passages from spiritual texts and repeating them mentally as an object of focus.

Having an object of absorbing focus is, of course, one of the many ways meditation is done. In the respect, this works. But one wonders if it would also work with a passage from any text as long as the focus was relaxed and repetitive.

That being said, this is an excellent book on the mechanics of meditation practice. Tips are to be had for posture, and even perseverance. It's worth a read even if the technique itself is not for you.

I first read Easwaran's book "Meditation" in 1984. Looking back, I realize now that at the time I didn't really like myself very much and I was searching for answers. Meditation has always intrigued me so when I came upon Easwaran's book "Meditation", I read it in one sitting, (not recommended... take your time) and started meditating the same day. With some lapses, I have meditated daily ever since.

I can tell you that Easwaran's book was the catalyst that changed my life. And now, thirty years later, if I learned that I would die tomorrow, I think that I would look back on my life, not with sadness or regret, but with the knowledge that I did my best to practice the profound spiritual principals that Easwaran passes on to us in "Meditation" and all of his writings, as only a great teacher can do. And that is a comfort.

This book is such an incredible read, and quietly motivating too.

New to meditation - this is a wonderful introduction and practice guide, one that you can explain to you friends (and they will get it, perhaps even be motivated).

Experienced - this is an amazing gift, explained so well, and to so many audiences. It will also expose you to the art and power of "passage meditation" the process of internalizing the capsules of wisdom - that we call - civilization. This is how we grow, since we are born with almost no knowledge, and there is only so much we can learn in the first 20 years. :)

Happy growing (through meditation).

In the passage meditation book Sri Eknath Easwaran gives a lofty goal in daily living and then in very simple and practical manner tells us how to get there. Before I read this book I never thought that I could sustain a daily meditation practice. This book has given me a purpose and positive direction in life. Each chapter offers a very practical tool that can be applied in daily living to overcome our impediments and to thrive on the challenges that life offers us.

This book was really well written. I've searched and tried various forms of meditation and I think this book explains a very effective method for personal transformation. The method of passage meditation that the author recommends is simple and practical. He also covers 7 other points which are supposed to help aid in deepening meditation. Each point is a chapter. Some of these points such as one-pointed attention, putting others first, and slowing down are very contrary to today's culture. I found these suggestions for swimming against modern day culture refreshing. For someone coming from a catholic background I also appreciated that author has fashioned a program free of dogma and ritual. This is something I can practice within my own religious background.

This is one of the best books anyone interested in meditation, spirituality or simply a calm, peaceful and happy life can hope to read. Easwaran outlines a very simply eight point program to help us through our daily lives grow towards a better, happier and more peaceful future. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone with spiritual inclanations, or a desire to slow down her or his hectic life.

This book has literally changed my life when I read it (the previous edition) 7 years ago when I was taking course in meditation based on his teachings at UC Berkeley.

In Easwaran's method of passage meditation, you choose spiritual texts or passages that embody your highest ideals, memorize them, then send them deep into consciousness through slow, sustained attention. Over time, the ideals in the passages become part of your life, part of who you are. This meditation method fits with any religious or nonreligious philosophy - counselors, yoga teachers, health professionals, and educators recommend it with confidence to their clients and students. Easwaran is an experienced teacher who offers clear instructions, points out the pitfalls, and conveys the deep joy, security, and selfless energy that regular practice can bring.

Sri Easwaran teaches us in very practical ways how to live our best life. He also provides practical tools for dealing with challenging people situations, stress, and for gaining mastery over our internal environment.

As leaders, the most important task for us is to constantly grow our capacity to problem-solve, and to serve as role models for those we lead. Given the roles we are fortunate to be in, our daily conduct as human beings will have a "ripple effect" -- and we get to choose if that effect will be positive or negative. Easwaran shows us how to be a positive force in the world.

I love this book and the writing style. It begins with a short intro of meditation and then goes in depth on his way of meditating on beautifuf or sacred writings. Really helped me in learning another way to meditate. Easwaran writes with much love.

I came across Easwaran's book after having read a few others on the subject - nothing comes close to this one in making the concept of meditation come alive in the minds of people who are not clear on the subject. Easwaran has the knack of getting to the heart of the matter in a flash, and then gently explaining the concepts in a simple fashion, with wry, and sometimes subtle. This is a book by a man who's been there, and done that. Highly recommended for any individual who wants to try to rise above the stress and strain of daily life.

This is definately one of the most inspiring and informational books I've read on meditating and passages that you can use to find peace in life.I reccomend this book to all! After reading it , I am on to a new life of spirituality and compassion, and a new way of thinking. EXCELLENT!

I first read this book several years ago. Read as many books on the subject as your heart and wallet compels you to read. As EE states upon encountering a gentleman whos shelves were full of books on meditation, (paraphrased) "Have you practiced what you have learned from all of these books?" Beautiful Book. Read it, practice it...decide for yourself.

Eknath Easwaran's "Meditation" is a book that came to me at a time in my life when it was sorely needed. Having read many books on the subject of meditation, I found Easwaran's approach to be both simple and practical. The affect this book has had upon me is very deep, and I recommend it as a fine companion for anyone who is embarking on a spiritual journey.

Easwaran offers us a concise and complete method of meditation -- as well as a method of growing into our Christedness. His gentle expression draws us into his mind set, showing us how we may become similarly centered and "on purpose." A marvelous book from an enlightened being.

I have been interested in spiritual development, but have found this type of literature to be difficult to understand. This author is clear and conversational. The book was wonderful and can be read over and over.

This practical and unique book is has offered me very powerful tools that in my personal experience can shape one's life. Without spending too many words on it, I think you should just try it for yourself!