Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening

I believe this to be the magnum opus of Joseph Goldstein's writings. This book is physically exquisite. Sounds True did a fine job of editing and publishing this book. The book is derived from a series of lectures on a particular sutta (talk) of the Buddha, the Satipatthana Sutta, which is found in a collection of talks called the Majjhima Nikaya. (The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha, edited by Bhikkhu Nanamoli and Bhikkhu Bodhi, Wisdom Publications). However, the sutta itself is also to be found as an appendix in Goldstein's new book. Goldstein's lectures were given at the Forest Retreat of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts. Goldstein used, for these lectures, a recent interpretation of this sutta by a Buddhist monk Analayo, named Satipatthana: the Direct Path to Realization, Windhorse Publications. Over a series of retreats Goldstein systematically commented on every verse of the sutta,using the Venerable Analayo's commentary as an comparative guide for his own commentary. This kind of commentary is a classical method of working with a sutta in the Buddhist world. ( Also, Sounds True has issued the actual talks as a three part cd series, Abiding in Mindfulness.) The Satgtipatthana Sutta is meant to be a complete and sufficient description of a particular form of meditation that is called vipassana or Insight Meditation. (This meditation has also just been called Mindfulness and has become increasingly popular as a means for reducing stress.) The Buddha says that if this sutta's methodology is strictly adhered to, it will led to realization or Enlightenment. Goldstein takes that claim very seriously. His book reflects a careful, years long, relationship to both this sutta and to the meditations revealed by the Buddha. I believe Goldstein's work to be one of the most complete and beautifully written books about Buddhist meditation, I have read in the fifty years of my own Buddhist practice. So what thematic concerns drive the content of Goldstein's commentary? He addresses four major foundations of inquiry for this form of Buddhist meditation. These four are mindfulness of Body, Feelings, Mind, and the Dhammas. 'Body' is here understood as physical reality, the actual physical basis of the phenomena given to consciousness.' Feelings' include the whole range of emotive reactions to the phenomena being investigated. 'Mind' describes the vehicle for consciousness and its characteristics which help and also hinder realization. Finally, the larger part of Goldstein's book considers the fourth foundation, the Dhammas. This word is from Pali which is the language which the Theravadin school of Buddhism used for its texts. "Dhammas" includes an encyclopedic collection of all those conceptual factors which the Buddha considered necessary for the complete liberation from suffering. Such factors include both negative hindrances and positive aids in one's meditative investigation of Liberation. Goldstein says four qualities of mind are necessary for this investigation: Ardency, Clearly Knowing, Mindfulness, and Concentration. Briefly these qualities of mind can be described as dedication, a deep knowing of that which is being investigated, a consistent and close awareness of all phenomena being investigated, and, finally, a capacity for single pointed or intense concentration of the subject being examined. In other words, one dedicates to a level of realization which is purified by a complete examination of the subject under consideration, and which is also characterized by deep and undistracted attention. Okay, why is this book so good? First, because it is complete. Goldstein has been practicing for years, and he has studied with most of the major living Theravadin teachers. In addition he has gone to monasteries, temples, and centers in India and Southeast Asia to study. His knowledge and practice are nuanced and thorough. Second, he is vulnerable. He has learned from his "mistakes". He is open about his limitations and clearly expresses his gifts and learning. Third, he is a very advanced practitioner. He has become truly wise from his experience. I was asked once at a retreat by a well known Theravada monk, Bhante Gunaratana (auhor of Mindfulness in Plain English), if I had a teacher and who was it? I said Joseph Goldstein. BhanteJi (as he is sometimes called affectionately) said, "You could not do better!" You can not do better than with this book if you are serious about Buddhist meditation. The book is not meant to be read straight through. Rather, it should be considered in the context of one's own meditation practice. When used as a commentary to your own practice, it will reveal how truly comprehensive and cogent the Buddha's teaching was. In the end, the Buddha's Teaching is a radical method to confront and heal your suffering. The Dharma will reveal the true basis of your suffering. It will show the way out of it. It will reveal the very real possibility of a wise, compassionate, and peaceful life. Joseph Goldstein's new book is fully adequate to the challenge of revealing just what meditation can do in one's life. We live together now in a time when real wisdom and peace is possible. I very much believe that the deepest realization of what it means to be fully human is now available. For the sake of ourselves and for one another, please consider using Joseph's new book as a valuable resource in your own spiritual journey.

A must read of anyone interested in Vipassana Meditation or even Samatha Meditation, clear and comprehensive with great personal anecdotes. Joseph skillfully turned an otherwise dry subject to a rich heavenly spiritual retreat for the mind, where it can learn about itself with ease and openness, nothing to hide, nothing to fear, only to laugh, relax and let go. This is undoubtedly the bible of Mindfulness

I cannot completely express my gratitude for this work. Goldstein, co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society, provides a work of clarity and profound depth in relatively succinct presentation. I have approached this book as a practice tool, slowly reading each short chapter after a period of meditation. The reading itself becomes a kind of meditation. Though the chapters are short, they are dense with meaning. In each chapter, I find myself with enough meat to chew on and ponder throughout my day. With the advent of the so-called "information blitzkrieg," the incredible availability of information through the internet and social media, it has become increasingly difficult for hucksters and spiritual con men to continue their nefarious work. I bring this up to mention some of the abuses that other dubious dharma teachers, who I will respectfully decline to name, have propagated on their students. So, we must be realistic about who we choose to follow as students of Buddhism. We have to check resumes, so to speak, to make sure that our faith is safely placed. Despite some of its negative aspects, the information blitzkrieg has produced a kind of hyper-accountability for public figures and spiritual leaders. With all of that being said, Joseph Goldstein is a teacher of the utmost integrity, along with his counterparts at the Insight Meditation Society, Jack Kornfield and Sharon Salzberg. He has been the student of Anagarika Sri Munindra, Sri S.N. Goenka, Mrs. Nani Bala Barua (Dipa Ma), the Venerable Sayadaw U Pandita, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, and Nyoshul Khenpo Rinpoche. If you will kindly note, these teachers are from a mixture of Theravada, Zen, and Tibetan lineages. Goldstein brings this diverse mixture of approaches and perspectives into all of his works, and I feel this kind of presentation is of tremendous value to Westerners, as we attempt to determine what a Western Dharma looks like, stripped of some of the patriarchal and authoritarian approaches inherent in more traditional forms of Buddhism. Admittedly, I have read an unnecessary amount of books on Buddhism in my lifetime, which was most likely time that would have been better spent in meditation. In terms of getting out of my mind and getting onto the meditation cushion, and simplifying my practice, this book is one of the few that I would slowly study and then re-study to benefit completely from this excellent presentation of the Buddha Dharma. It's that good!

After reading Robert Wright's "Buddhism is True," Goldstein's book was too "Eastern" for me, and I expect for many other readers who may be more interested in Western Buddhism. It went too deeply into the roots of Buddhism instead of relating the key lessons and psychology behind them that we can use in our modern lives. There were a few good nuggets and an excellent index for getting more detailed information, but I would not recommend this as a beginning read for those new to Buddhism.

I’m a huge fan of Joseph Goldstein’s books. The Experience of Insight had a major life-changing effect on me and sent me down the Buddhist path thirty years ago. I read this book Mindfulness a few years ago and it had a huge impact on me as well. It reignited my passion for Buddhism and got me back into daily meditations.. However I have now been practicing for a few years and have read many more books on the subject. I would not recommend this book for beginners. I remember being very confused as I tried to organize Buddhism and meditation into some kind of coherent path after reading this book. There are so many ‘lists’ in Buddhism and the book doesn’t provide a clear understanding of how they all fit together, where to start and what to prioritize. It took me years to figure out that the Four Noble Truths was the first and most important list and the Noble Eightfold Path list should be my main focus for day-to-day practice. That said I’m now on my second reading and I’m loving the book again. That fact that Joseph Goldstein was raised in the west with English as his first language means that there are no ambiguities caused by fuzzy translation. I’m using the book as a reference this time and getting much deeper into areas of study that I have only previously skimmed. So yes, recommended, but not as an introduction to Buddhism or meditation.

This book is a clear and in depth guide to the sattipathanna sutta and the development of the four foundations of mindfulness. Truly a gift worthy of careful study and direct application through focused meditation

For an understanding of what the Buddha taught there's little that's left untouched upon in the Satipatthana Sutra. Add to the sutra itself an easy flowing commentary and you've got Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening by Joseph Goldstein. This book is likely to quickly gain its rightful place as a core teaching vehicle for basic Buddhism courses. As a commentary on the Sattipatana Sutta, it belongs in every serious student of Buddhism library along with the more academic Satipatthana by Analayo on the same subject. Ardency is the word the author chose for the title of the first chapter, and with a sense of ardency best describes how you should approach this 456 page gem. The author seems to know this for he immediately deviates from the sutra content to describe three of the preliminary practices of the Tibetan tradition aimed at inspiring practitioners to be persistent in their path: reflecting on the preciousness of human life and the dharma, reflecting on impermanence, and reflecting on karma. The book generally follows the outline of the Satipatthana Sutra itself and for anyone wanting to read the sutra in its entirety it's found as Appendix A in the back of the book. There is also a helpful Glossary for those not familiar with all the Pali terms. While useful tools, most helpful are the references and insights from both contemporary and historic teachers and scholars of Buddhism. Also animating the book are examples from the author's own life and years of study, meditation and teaching experience. There are many little gems, nuggets and treasures to be found sprinkled throughout the text: Look forward to the smuggling of Nazruddin, a great quote from Thoreau, a Groucho Marx moment, a description of the author's own self-doubts, Ludwig Wittgenstein's sense of self, the shadow of Anna Karenina. The succinct explanation of equanimity is invaluable. So when you purchase this book think of it as acquiring a companion for life.

I am updating my review of this book! Joseph Goldstein’s book summarizes so much of the various and important tenets of Buddhism in one place. The presentation of very complex topics are given in a much easier to understand format with lots of stories (which helps me a lot for my practice). My original review included the fact that my copy of the book sold by Amazon was missing 70 pages. I tried to report it to Amazon but was outside the return window. I couldn’t even send them an email about it because the website is set up to prevent you from advising them on anything once the return window ends. They apparently did not want to hear about any issues with their products. I was forced onto the review to notify them of the issue. Anyway, I have a happy update in case anyone else is missing pages. I sent a note to Sounds True the publisher (which is a website with very helpful information on Buddhism and resources on various topics including online classes). Anyway, they were lovely. Within a few days, I received a replacement book. Lesson learned, buy books from Sounds True or other outlets when I have those options.

Purchased this together with Meditation Kit by Goldstein. Both books are very clear and helpful will keep as a reference book to dip into as and when. Each reading brings up different aspects and I shall return to this again. The theme is in vogue now, but before the market was swamped I wanted some information to compliment the unabridged Dhammapada and I have found it beneficial.

Muy denso pero realmente enriquecedor y proporciona un conocimiento profundo del budismo que agradezco. Lo recomiendo si te interesa el nudismo.

If you have started some form of mindfulness practice, then this book is a very good follow-on. I'm not sure it would be best for an absolute beginner.

One of the most descriptive book, the message is pointed at in most practical way and flows naturally from the "truth" to the "truth" and through, as the truth it points toward is ineffable yet it is being completely addressed and what's more it is comprehendible , easy to grasp even for beginners , useful in more ways than can be percieved for the realised one's as it reaffirms the truth in daily , mundane life and beyond. This is one complete book that one can go through again and again only to find something of a new dimension being added experientially each time you read as the pointings start to sink in.

I haven't finished the book but its giving me a really positive feeling. The book is very well explained with really good anecdotes and examples. As a Buddhist, it helps me better understand myself and the religion.