Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening

Just finished it, and have started back at the beginning to pick up points I no doubt missed my first time through. Plenty of good advice to be found here - and I must say it's already impacted how I think/respond to things. I'm a "work in progress"!

How timely (election 1 week away now) that politics was mentioned in a few passages, appropriately in a negative light - even touching on "birtherism"!!

You can't teach enlightenment. But we Buddhist teachers try to teach using books and words because it's all we have. Even Zen, the direct path, has books. So we write and you read and, hopefully, you get the message. This is a valuable addition to your library.

I was at first intimidated by the subject matter and it's potential for density. Don't be concerned, very easy to read and understand. If Buddhism speaks to you, this book will help to continue that conversation.

This book is a clear, concise and comprehensive over view of the Satipatthana Sutta and Buddhism in general. It is a practical guide to meditation goals and techniques and to implementing Buddhist principals in modern daily life. It is easy to read and organizes the material into an understandable framework bringing the fundamental concepts of Buddhism into focus in everyday common English. If you have any interest in Buddhism, meditation or just want some tips on being a better neighbor and or living a better life you should read this book..

As a reader with a Hindu upbringing and essentially a secular view, my early experiments with mindfulness were based on numerous books that prescribed specific lists of exercises without fully articulating its intent (perhaps not the authors' fault - they assume that a reader may have some understanding of the theoretical/philosophical underpinnings of mindfulness) or perhaps oversimplify (lists of one-minute exercises). To borrow an analogy from Goldstein, such books felt like "trying to row a boat across a river, exerting a lot of effort in the process, but never untying the rope from the dock". Perhaps, Goldstein was trying to address similar issues many have felt - and he delivers. (Readers familiar with other Eastern philosophies could find parallels in B K S Iyengar's efforts in Light on Life: The Yoga Journey to Wholeness, Inner Peace, and Ultimate Freedom and Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali in the context of the practice of yoga)

In a very accessible exposition, Goldstein first systematically guides a reader through the various components of mindfulness and the hindrances that afflict the mind. He then explains the various dimensions of "awakening" and approaches for mindfulness in the context of the fundamental tenets of Buddhist thought. Goldstein adheres to the sequencing and tone of Satipatthana Sutra throughout this book, though the various anecdotes and reflections on his own personal journey makes this less of a commentary on the Sutra and more of a meticulous guide to understand mind-body processes that could lead to improved awareness. A purist could argue that Analayo Satipatthana: The Direct Path to Realization already provided an authoritative retelling of this critical sutra and there is very little to add to it. That may be partly true. The author clearly acknowledges that work and quotes significantly from it.

Goldstein's book inspired me to get the above-cited work of Analayo and reading both almost simultaneously, I was able to better appreciate what Goldstein may be trying to accomplish with this effort - a less academic, accessible retelling that doesn't oversimplify or unnecessarily tries to "securalize" or 'westernize' the content. Of course. Analayo's cited work was essentially a doctoral dissertation, but that format has some advantages - a rigorous characterization and modularization of key concepts aided by a generous use of figures that helped clarify the concepts. Goldstein's approach can be mildly confusing at times for a beginner with numerous references to "five hindrances", "seven factors", "six spheres" without providing no immediate recourse for a quick check on what is being referenced (a couple of figures or a "roadmap" could have aided the beginner). But as a reader works through the initial chapters, the sheer clarity of thought, the simplicity of the expressions, the choice of the anecdotes and the well-curated level of details chosen to expound on any particular topic becomes self-evident and the book soon becomes a pleasurable journey in thought experiments. An experienced reader in this field will immediately notice the remarkably superior editing that has shaped this effort. Both a beginner and experienced reader may benefit more from this book by treating this as a companion to Analayo's work. Despite the obvious overlaps, the different styles could serve as effective reinforcement tools.

While accessible, this is not an "easy" book. With over 400 pages of dense text, a reader will be forced to think and reflect very frequently. "Finishing" the book is less important than beginning the journey, one could argue. The editorial process comes to the rescue again - with very well curated sections and logical flow and chapters that can exist almost independently. The thoughtful selection of anecdotes is what clearly stands out for me - and how it inspired me to invest in the series by Wisdom Publications (The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Samyutta Nikaya,The Long Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Digha Nikaya (Teachings of the Buddha),The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Majjhima Nikaya (Teachings of the Buddha)). I know that is ambitious, but this book can inspire to be more curious.

Overall, the depth, clarity, choice of anecdotes, and the systematic approach with attention to detail, makes this a foundational book for any student of mindfulness. Strongly recommended along with Analayo's treatment.

As the word “mindfulness” increasingly comes to be featured in the titles of books, blogs, apps, websites, online courses, corporate seminars, and meditation retreats, one might wonder whether there is room in the marketplace of ideas for even one more such entry bearing this remarkably overused, and perhaps somewhat misused, word. Renowned meditation teacher and Buddhist scholar Joseph Goldstein’s latest book, simply but confidently entitled “Mindfulness”, answers this query with a resounding “Yes, absolutely!”.

Using one of the most well-known discourses in the Buddhist Canon – the Satipatthana Sutta, which he translates as the “four ways of establishing mindfulness” – as his foundation, Goldstein embarks upon on a 400-page exploration into the historic roots of mindfulness, based upon the instructions laid out with such specificity in the verses of this discourse.

The suttas can be challenging to read in direct translation from their original format, but there’s no need for alarm at the central role the Satipatthana plays here. Its demanding, intentionally repetitive style is simply the core around which Goldstein constructs a thoroughly engaging and erudite narrative, enhanced by a generous supply of personal anecdotes drawn from a lifetime of practicing meditation and immersing himself in the teachings of the Buddha. Reading this book is as pleasant and educational as sitting in the meditation hall listening to one of Goldstein’s dharma talks.

Which brings me to the one caution I feel bound to include in this review. Goldstein makes so many repeated references to incidents and insights that have occurred to him on the countless retreats he has either attended or taught over the past five decades, that it could feel overwhelming – perhaps even somewhat off-putting – to readers not all that familiar with sitting in meditation, listening to dharma talks, or attending retreats.

But this warning is not meant to discourage anyone – novice or otherwise – from undertaking to read Mindfulness. Rather, it’s intended to guide everyone – and especially beginners – in setting appropriate expectations for their reading experience.

And here are two expectations every reader can bring to this incomparable and invaluable book: you will finish it with a much richer understanding of mindfulness than when you began it, and you will almost certainly return to its pages again and again in the future to continue enriching that understanding.

Just as Zen became a buzzword in the ‘90s, mindfulness is traveling a similar route into our 21st-century vernacular. Madison Avenue and social media have discovered that we like our diets, our magazines, our businesses, our relationships, and even our fashion to be mindful.

Oversaturation does not mean that mindfulness is a bad thing. It’s accessible, simple (although not always easy), and inexpensive. By truly engaging it, we can transform our society and ourselves. Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan has shown the implications for government in his book A Mindful Nation, its potential to reduce prison recidivism has been drawing recent attention, and the proven brain and health benefits are myriad.

What we generally call mindfulness comes from the Buddhist vipassana (insight) tradition, and one of the first people to bring vipassana to an American audience was Joseph Goldstein. Since 1967, he has studied and practiced different forms of meditation with eminent teachers from India, Burma, and Tibet. He has been leading retreats since 1974 and is a co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society, the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, and the Forest Refuge. His books include A Heart Full of Peace (Wisdom, 2007) and One Dharma (HarperOne, 2003).

In his most recent book, Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening (Sounds True, 2013), Goldstein explains and illuminates what mindfulness can bring to our lives.

To read an excerpt go to: [...]

My favorite book: for someone who has been meditating a while, or has a regular practice, it is the best book on the subject and best bargain in the history of bargains. I have been meditating daily about 18 months and got this book at about the year mark. The reason I am posting this review (I review very little) is that 1) I either heard Joseph Goldstein or saw it in print that his ego sometimes was raised if someone wrote a good review and he was disappointed if someone wrote something bad on the store. I am not summarizing this great. He reported this as something to work on as the mind should not be so influenced. I am writing because this book book has been so valuable to me as a meditator that I feel obligated to him to perhaps make his day minutely better. This is a book I own, highlight, mark up, read passages of a few times a week, and am very grateful for it existing; 2) I have read a lot of books on meditation/mindfulness and many are from the people whose reviews are on the cover of the book. This is the best book I have read on the subject and the one i have read the most.

The book answers questions I have had about actually meditating (how do I sit, breathe, get started, etc.), how I become more mindful and what I should be mindful about. Has tips for mediating and living life.

I have read the first 100 pages no less than 10 times and portions of the entire book 2-3 times. Every time I read it I pick up more wisdom to integrate into my life. I think of this book as the wisdom I need to fully develop my mindfulness and meditation practice.

It’s a cliché that once a popular cultural trend or movement ends up on the cover of "Time" magazine it’s over, officially passé. Mindfulness made its appearance in February. As if that wasn’t enough, everyone from Arianna Huffington to Congressman Tim Ryan has been boldly touting the benefits of mindfulness practice. Scientific studies keep pouring out demonstrating that mindfulness is good for just about anything that might ail us. And in just the last few years, there have been hundreds of books published on mindfulness—applying the practice to everything from child rearing to quilting to business leadership.

In the midst of this comes a new book by Joseph Goldstein with the nearly banal title “Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening” (Sounds True, Nov. 2013). Yet this book is anything but commonplace. It’s a profoundly realized exploration of a traditional source text of Buddhist mindfulness meditation—a landmark work that has the potential to provide the present-day mindfulness movement with the ground and roots it will need to survive its popularity and thrive.

You can be forgiven if you don’t know much about Joseph Goldstein. Though he does occasionally travel and teach, Joseph Goldstein has by and large occupied himself as a guiding teacher at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts—which he co-founded in 1976 with Sharon Salzberg and Jack Kornfield. He also worked to help establish the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies and the Forest Refuge retreat center, both located nearby. IMS has become one of the most prominent meditation retreat centers in the West, with well over 2,500 people attending intensive meditation retreats every year.

Joseph Goldstein’s new book is an outgrowth of a series of 46 lectures he gave to at the Forest Refuge center that explored the “Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta,” the Buddha’s discourse on the four ways of establishing mindfulness that is found in the classical texts. “The Buddha,” Goldstein writes, “introduces this discourse with an amazingly bold and unambiguous statement: ‘This is the direct path for the purification of beings, for the surmounting of sorrow and lamentation, for the disappearance of pain and grief, for the attainment of the true way, for the realization of nibbāna [nirvana]—namely the four foundations of mindfulness.’ And as we look at this sutta [sutra], we find that all of the Buddha’s teachings are contained within it. With each of these four ways of establishing mindfulness, the Buddha teaches different methods and techniques that liberate the mind. . . . When we open any one door of the Dharma, it leads to all the rest.” In this same way, Joseph Goldstein’s “Mindfulness” is not a commentary on Satipatthana Sutta, rather it explores the text as a means of revealing all of the teachings. With each passage a new door is opened to the Dharma.

“Mindfulness” is also interspersed with a wonderful array of quotes from teachers of various Buddhist traditions—a trove culled from Joseph’s readings over the decades. Though over 450 pages, this substantial work is remarkably readable and inspiring—a book to study as well as to flip through and explore.

While I’m sure the current craze over mindfulness will fade in time and many of the books on the topic will lose popularity, it’s impossible for me to imagine how this particular book won’t become an instant classic, treasured for years to come.

I initially hesitated to pick this up, but after reading just a short snippet of a sample from the Kindle version I immediately bough the full version. I though there could be little need for one more book on mindfulness /satipattana, even if it was written by one of the leading teachers in the field; I was wrong about this. This work is so well written and woven together that it seamlessly flows from chapter to chapter. Each time I started to put it down, I found myself reading one more section. While clocking in at 479 pages (in the paperback version), I would venture to say that there isn't a wasted or unnecessary sentence in the book.

This book introduced me to Buddbidm, so thoroughly that, 2 years later despite having little success in meditation, the mindfulness and insights I've developed from studying this book (together with direct, life experience), have inspired me to persist, to where I have enough faith in the Dhamma to follow the Path to its end. I am grateful.

P.S. now meditations are going well.

This book takes a deep dive into analyzing the satipatthana sutta, one of the most important buddhist works on mindfulness. What is really amazing about this book though, is that it covers pretty much all of buddhist ethics, thought, practice, etc. The satipatthana covers 4 main areas of mindfulness, and the last one, mindfulness of dharmas, opens the door for Joseph to cover basically all buddhist thought including the noble eightfold path. Highly recommend this book.

Joseph Goldstein is one of the foremost teachings to explain BUddhism and concepts to those of us in the West. This book is well worth reading if this is a topic of interest to you. MIndfulness is the big thing now, but it has been around for a long time as part of the Buddist practice (see Vipissana also known as insight medication). This book explains in great detail and easy to understand. I would purchase again and have given as gifts.

This is a beautiful book. A magnificent bloom on the flower of the dharma. Joseph Goldstein, a pioneer of western Buddhism, has brought us the words of the Buddha across oceans of time. Through his decades of practice and teaching, he has delivered these words in a practical, easily understood guide to awakening for the modern western human being. In this gift of the dharma, Goldstein draws heavily on his own masterful experience and another seminal text, "Satipatthana: The Direct Path to Realization," by which the German monk and Pali scholar Analayo finished his PHD.

The Universe has lined up for us here with the Buddha, Analayo, and Joseph Goldstein. You aren't going to get a better invitation to "wake up." The rest is up to you.

Joseph Goldstein is pure gold and this book is worth a king's ransom. Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening is thorough, scholarly, accessible and honest -- it's clear that the author has deeply contemplated every word & through his own practice has become a vessel for these profound ancient teachings. What a welcome voice--- full of personality, yes!! Ego-- no. If you are interested in the basics of Vipassana (or Insight Meditation) let this book inform your practice.

You'll get enlightened, or at least get closer! Joseph Goldstein is such an amazing meditation teacher, and in this book, he really offers a superior guide to insight meditation and the path to awakening.

I should have known from the cover that this book was for practicing Buddhist which I have no issue with, but as a Christian wanting to be more mindful the language in the book was hard to follow. I gave the book three stars because of being unable to read past the third chapter. If you are Buddhist please pick up the book if you are not move on.

As I was reading there seemed to be pages missing. It went from 49% back to 9%. Very confusing. It's a good thing I have the actual book. If I could figure out how to return the Kindle version I would do so.