The Heart of Buddhist Meditation
by Nyanaponika Thera
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This is a classic text on the essence of Buddhist meditation. It is an excellent, in-depth description of mindfulness practice and its benefits. It includes a concise explanation of clear comprehension, which is the kind of mindfulness you use in the course of your daily life. It also presents an easily understandable explanation of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness. This new edition includes an introduction from noted author and teacher Sylvia Boorstein. Although the Buddha lived over show more 2500 years ago, his teachings on meditation are among the most effective methods for healing the pain of grief, finding inner peace, and overcoming the sense of dislocation caused by living in the 21st century. Mindfulness is a method not only for committed Buddhists. It is for everyone interested in mastering the mind. show lessTags
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Review From LibraryThing:
This book consists of three parts. The middle part of this book contains a translation of the Satipatthana-sutta (30 pages) which claims to describe (p. 117) "the sole way [...] for the realization of Nibbana." The first part is an interpretation (by Nyanaponika Thera, henceforth called author) of this sutta together with a rudimentary introduction into a dedicated meditation practice (110 pages). The third part (60 pages) contains excerpts from the Pali-Canon and other sources that shall emphasize the importance of the sutta.
The first part took me by far the longest to read. The reason is not only that it occupies the most pages but rather that it is written in a very dry style and makes use of very show more sophisticated (intellectual and grammatical) constructions. Unfortunately, this dryness and sophistication seem appropriate for the subject at hand (maybe even necessary, for an analytical approach to the sutta). If one accepts this, however, one gets a concise and quite complete discussion of the core Buddhistic ideas.
The only real negative point that can be mentioned is that the author advertises the method put forth in the book/sutta as a panacea, e.g., (p.27) "The remedy that will prevent catastrophic developments [of modern civilization] is the Buddha's Middle Path." show less
This book consists of three parts. The middle part of this book contains a translation of the Satipatthana-sutta (30 pages) which claims to describe (p. 117) "the sole way [...] for the realization of Nibbana." The first part is an interpretation (by Nyanaponika Thera, henceforth called author) of this sutta together with a rudimentary introduction into a dedicated meditation practice (110 pages). The third part (60 pages) contains excerpts from the Pali-Canon and other sources that shall emphasize the importance of the sutta.
The first part took me by far the longest to read. The reason is not only that it occupies the most pages but rather that it is written in a very dry style and makes use of very show more sophisticated (intellectual and grammatical) constructions. Unfortunately, this dryness and sophistication seem appropriate for the subject at hand (maybe even necessary, for an analytical approach to the sutta). If one accepts this, however, one gets a concise and quite complete discussion of the core Buddhistic ideas.
The only real negative point that can be mentioned is that the author advertises the method put forth in the book/sutta as a panacea, e.g., (p.27) "The remedy that will prevent catastrophic developments [of modern civilization] is the Buddha's Middle Path." show less
This book consists of three parts. The middle part of this book contains a translation of the Satipatthana-sutta (30 pages) which claims to describe (p. 117) "the sole way [...] for the realization of Nibbana." The first part is an interpretation (by Nyanaponika Thera, henceforth called author) of this sutta together with a rudimentary introduction into a dedicated meditation practice (110 pages). The third part (60 pages) contains excerpts from the Pali-Canon and other sources that shall emphasize the importance of the sutta.
The first part took me by far the longest to read. The reason is not only that it occupies the most pages but rather that it is written in a very dry style and makes use of very sophisticated (intellectual and show more grammatical) constructions. Unfortunately, this dryness and sophistication seem appropriate for the subject at hand (maybe even necessary, for an analytical approach to the sutta). If one accepts this, however, one gets a concise and quite complete discussion of the core Buddhistic ideas.
The only real negative point that can be mentioned is that the author advertises the method put forth in the book/sutta as a panacea, e.g., (p.27) "The remedy that will prevent catastrophic developments [of modern civilization] is the Buddha's Middle Path." show less
The first part took me by far the longest to read. The reason is not only that it occupies the most pages but rather that it is written in a very dry style and makes use of very sophisticated (intellectual and show more grammatical) constructions. Unfortunately, this dryness and sophistication seem appropriate for the subject at hand (maybe even necessary, for an analytical approach to the sutta). If one accepts this, however, one gets a concise and quite complete discussion of the core Buddhistic ideas.
The only real negative point that can be mentioned is that the author advertises the method put forth in the book/sutta as a panacea, e.g., (p.27) "The remedy that will prevent catastrophic developments [of modern civilization] is the Buddha's Middle Path." show less
A Handbook of Mental Training Based on the Buddha's Way of Mindfulness
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Heart of Buddhist Meditation
- Blurbers
- Fromm, Erich
Classifications
- Genres
- Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, General Nonfiction, Philosophy, Health & Wellness
- DDC/MDS
- 294.34435 — Religion Other religions Buddhism/Hinduism Buddhism Buddhism - practice Religious experience, life, practice Worship, meditation, yoga Meditation
- LCC
- BQ5630 .S2 .N93 — Philosophy, Psychology and Religion Buddhism Buddhism Practice of Buddhism. Forms of worship Religious life Devotion. Meditation. Prayer
- BISAC
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- 385
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- 80,868
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (4.12)
- Languages
- Dutch, English, German, Hungarian
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 9
- ASINs
- 9
