Synopses & Reviews
Have you ever thought about trying meditation, but didn't know where to start? With Meditation for Beginners, trusted teacher Jack Kornfield shows you how simple it is to start-and stick with-a daily meditation practice. Now, this indispensable guide that has sold more than 100,000 copies in previous formats, is available in paperback for the first time. Insight or vipassana meditation is the time-honoured skill of moment-to-moment mindfulness which results in greater clarity and effortless flow in any situation. In this complete course created especially for beginners, renowned teacher Jack Kornfield offers a straightforward, step-by-step method for bringing the fruits of insight meditation into your life. Using the six guided meditations on the included CD, readers will discover how easy it is to use the breath, physical sensations-and even difficult emotions-to create tranquility and lovingkindness in everyday life. These simple, elegant practices are so easy to learn that readers will begin enjoying the benefits of meditation immediately-while laying the foundation for a lifetime of inner discovery and awakening.
Synopsis
Have you ever thought about trying meditation, but didn't know how to get started? With Meditation for Beginners, trusted teacher Jack Kornfield shows you how simple it is to start--and stick with--a daily meditation practice.
"Insight" or vipassana meditation is the time-honored skill of calming the spirit and clearing the mind for higher understanding. Now, in this course created especially for beginners, Kornfield offers a straightforward, step-by-step method for bringing meditation into your life.
Using the meditations included in this book, you will discover how easy it is to use your breath, physical sensations--and even difficult emotions--to create tranquility and lovingkindness in your everyday life. These simple, elegant practices are so easy to learn that you will begin enjoying the benefits immediately--while laying the foundation for a lifetime of inner discovery and awakening.
"With humor and insight, Jack Kornfield patiently explains the Buddhist way to bring deep spirituality into your everyday life."
--TRICYCLE magazine
Table of Contents:
Chapter One: The Ancient Art of Meditation
Chapter Two: Why Meditate?
Chapter Three: The Benefits of Meditation Practice
Chapter Four: Meditation 1: Connecting with the Breath
Chapter Five: Meditation 2: Working With Sensations in the Body
Chapter Six: Meditation 3: Working With Feelings and Emotion
Chapter Seven: Meditation 4: Witnessing Your Thoughts
Chapter Eight: Meditation 5: Forgiveness Meditation
Chapter Nine: Meditation 6: Loving Kindness Meditation
Chapter Ten: Meditation 7: An Eating Meditation\
Chapter Eleven: Meditation 8: A Walking Meditation
Chapter Twelve: Meditation and Social Responsibility
Chapter Thirteen: How to Cultivate a Daily Meditation Practice
Excerpt:
Meditation for Beginners offers the central trainings and teachings found in the best Buddhist monasteries translated for Western society. In Meditation for Beginnings, you will find some of the simplest and most universal of the practices of meditation--in particular, the practices of mindfulness and lovingkindness.
The point of these teachings has nothing to do with becoming a Buddhist, or learning any Eastern ceremonies or rituals or bowing. The point is that you learn how to work with meditation in order to find benefits from it in your life. When we take time to quiet ourselves, we can all sense that our lives could be lived with greater compassion and greater wakefulness. To meditate is to support this inner potential and allow it to come forth into our lives.
Synopsis
Step-by-Step Instruction for Newcomers to Meditation
Have you ever thought about trying meditation, but didn't know how to get started? On Meditation for Beginners, renowned teacher Jack Kornfield uses clear language and step-by-step guidance to show us how to start--and stick with--a daily meditation practice. From the basics of how to get started to dealing with distractions, this complete course introduces us to the Insight tradition of meditation that has helped practitioners throughout the ages cultivate profound inner calm and a lasting capacity for happiness.
Available in three formats, Meditation for Beginners offers us a variety of entry points into this life-changing practice. In the DVD edition, we join Jack in a live 99-minute session that brings you the experience of a meditation retreat in your living room. With the integrated book and CD, Jack shares teachings based on the original video program plus six guided practices on audio. The two-CD audio program distills the information from the DVD and integrated book-and-CD course, providing four guided meditations for those ready to dive right in to practice. Topics covered in each program include:
How to use breathing, posture, and attention to enter the meditative state
- Simple and effective strategies for dealing with "busy brain," and other common challenges in meditation
- How meditation can help you deepen compassion, find healing through forgiveness, and dissolve your fear of death
- Four cornerstone meditations for your practice--from resting in the moment to experiencing lovingkindness, and more
With his gentle delivery and ability to translate ancient practices for modern audiences, Jack Kornfield has become one of the most accessible and sought-after teachers for helping first-time meditators get their start. Now you can begin to develop the foundational skills to start your practice immediately--and discover the life-changing power of meditation for yourself--with Meditation for Beginners.
Synopsis
For readers who have thought about trying meditation but weren't sure how to get started, Meditation for Beginners presents a complete introduction to Insight meditation with bestselling author and trusted teacher Jack Kornfield. Through step-by-step instruction in everything from breathing, posture, and attention to working with difficult emotions and physical discomfort, readers from any spiritual tradition will learn the essentials for creating a daily meditation practice. CD includes five guided meditation sessions to help cultivate the inner tranquility, natural joy, and mental clarity that are just some of the fruits of meditation.