Book Recommendation: Mindfulness in Plain English: 20th Anniversary Edition by Henepola Gunaratana

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Mindfulness in Plain English Quotes

“The irony of it is that real peace comes only when you stop chasing it—another Catch-22.”

“Patience is the key. Patience. If you learn nothing else from meditation, you will learn patience. Patience is essential for any profound change.”

“Buddhism advises you not to implant feelings that you don’t really have or avoid feelings that you do have. If you are miserable you are miserable; that is the reality, that is what is happening, so confront that. Look it square in the eye without flinching. When you are having a bad time, examine that experience, observe it mindfully, study the phenomenon and learn its mechanics. The way out of a trap is to study the trap itself, learn how it is built. You do this by taking the thing apart piece by piece. The trap can’t trap you if it has been taken to pieces. The result is freedom.”

“Pain is inevitable, suffering is not.”

Reviews

“A masterpiece.” (Jon Kabat-Zinn)

“A classic–one of the very best English sources for authoritative explanations of mindfulness.” (Daniel Goleman)

“Of great value to newcomers… especially people without access to a teacher.” (Larry Rosenberg, author of Breath by Breath)

“This book is the bible of mindfulness.” (Barry Boyce, editor of Mindful magazine and The Mindfulness Revolution)

“Wonderfully clear and straightforward.” (Joseph Goldstein, author of A Heart Full of Peace)

“Pithy and practical.” (Shambhala Sun)

“Jargon-free.” (USA Today)

An excellent book, clearly written, well-organized, and comprehensive. It describes a method by which you achieve meaningful meditation, including many helpful suggestions and descriptions of variations like walking meditation. It lists the many things that may occur as one meditates and suggests methods for dealing with each of these hindrances, treating most of them as useful objects for unattached observation. The reader is warned not to expect quick returns from meditation, but extols the benefits one can achieve from patience and practice. This is Vipassana meditation, which stresses concentration and mindfulness, living in the moment. If fully successful, it amounts to auto-psychoanalysis, discovering the deepest parts of oneself, good and bad, without judgment, allowing one to develop relationships of “loving friendliness” with others and enjoying a life lived in the moment.
– David N.Orth

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many of us still have a wounded child alive within us….

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“Many of us still have a wounded child alive within us. Our wounds may have been caused by our father or our mother. Our father may have been wounded when he was a child. Our mother may have been wounded as a little girl, too. Continue reading

keep on asking fundamental questions without trying to find an answer

I feel it is very important to ask fundamental questions and to keep on asking them without trying to find an answer, because the more you persist in asking fundamental questions, demanding, inquiring, the sharper and more aware the mind becomes. Continue reading

How to Still The Mind

“If you try and still the mind,
it will be the mind
trying to still the mind.

Rather become aware
of the mind.
Become aware
of the flow of thoughts. Continue reading

Sleepwalking is a fascinating phenomenon……

 I once read about a whole family afflicted with this problem. On one occasion everyone got out of bed, still sound asleep, to go to the kitchen for a midnight snack. In the morning no one could explain where the food in the refrigerator had gone.

The Buddha would call all of us sleepwalkers. Continue reading

Giving Up Your Symbols of Grandiosity

Ask yourself, “What do I feel I need to have to signal how very important I am?” Is it an expensive car? A job title that makes people look at you in awe? A Rolex watch? A trophy wife, wealthy husband, or child who attends an Ivy League school? The latest information on a controversial topic? The most salacious piece of gossip? A caustic attitude that intimidates others? A terrible childhood trauma that left you with no self-esteem?

its the people that know you the least, that judge you the most. Continue reading

Majority of us are zombies being carried away by the thought current….

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“Each day as you wake up, watch your thoughts for they are the steam that drives your engine. If you are a passive observer, then the thoughts will pass like clouds only making you just conscious of them. If your vigilance slackens, then a thought will hold your attention, and bring force upon you to act. At that moment remind to question yourself. Continue reading

Loving Speech and Deep Listening

Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful speech and the inability to listen to others, I am committed to cultivating loving speech and compassionate listening in order to relieve suffering and to promote reconciliation and peace in myself and among other people, ethnic and religious groups, and nations. Continue reading

Foundations of one’s spiritual life

Honesty, sincerity, simplicity, humility, pure generosity, absence of vanity, readiness to serve others Continue reading