Mindfulness in Plain English

Mindfulness in Plain English is one the very best books written as an introduction to mindfulness and Buddhist meditation. It is far more than simply in introduction to meditation. It is a masterfully explained “how to” handbook, a nuts and bolts kind of map, that walks you through how to meditate and deal with the many typical obstacles which virtually all people deal with as they begin and progress. What sets this book apart from other leading books in this category, is that Bhante Gunaratana is from the Theravada Buddhist tradition, classicly trained and ordained in the form of practice he calls Vipassana, which places great emphasis on mindfulness. He explains, “Vipassana is the oldest of Buddhist meditation practices. The method comes directly from the Satipatthana Sutta, a discouorse attributed to the Buddha himself.” Bhante Gunaratana writes with a very engaging and relaxed style, which makes the book easy to follow and even humorous at times. He speaks with candor and right from the beginning he emphasizes that, “Meditation is not easy. It takes time and energy. It also takes grit, determination and discipline.” But, then he goes on to emphasize that meditation should be rejuvenating and liberating, and in fact, that most seasoned practitioners have a good sense of humor, because the practice creates a calmness and relaxed perspective about life. The author’s explanations about key concepts is stated in a fresh manner, for instance explaining that the word “suffering” in Buddhism needs to be thoroughly understood to realize that in the original Pali language it does not just mean agony of the body, but that it also means a sense of dissatisfaction that is typical of what all people deal with on a daily basis. He also emphasizes that Vipassana, unlike some other Buddhist traditions, ranks mindfulness and awareness right up beside concentration as a means to liberation. Thus a great part of the focus of meditation is a combination of concentration and mindfulness. The author takes the time to explain differences in approach between Vipassana Buddhism and other forms, such as classic Mahayana sects like Zen Buddhism and Tibetan traditions. The other key element to this book is the great detail he goes into to explain precisely how to meditate, breaking it down regarding not using any mental recitations at all to help your focus, (which is something some other forms suggest you do). He explains multiple ways to help you focus through counting your breaths in different manners, emphasizing that different ways work for different people. And always, he emphasizes to be gentle with yourself and stay calm and patient as you experiment and practice. This last point is something he emphasizes again and again, making sure we understand that if our practice is causing suffering then we are clearly not practicing correctly. He addresses how to plan your practices and how to deal with common things such as your legs falling asleep, boredom, distractions, discouragement, drowsiness and inability to concentrate.

We hear news reports and studies about how meditation and mindfulness improve health, reduce stress, build focus, and increase longevity, all for free. But how does one go about incorporating these activities in our lives? H. Gunaratana provides the information we need in simple, understandable English. This is not a step-by-step "Meditation for Dummies" book that simply tells us to sit and stare. Rather, the book provides a gentle introduction into the entire mindset involved. You can see that from the very first chapter - "Meditation: Why Bother?" The book takes a down to earth approach. It's like sitting down with a good friend over tea and having a relaxed talk about everything. Meditation isn't just staring at a wall. It's not necessarily easy! It takes some perseverance - but the rewards are well worth it. He explains that it's not about one particular pose. The poses are simply ones many people find can help them - but if your body doesn't allow one, that's fine! Use a pose that works well for you. We are all different. Be patient, observe, and relax. Your mind is going to swirl - that's ok. Gently release those swirls and let your mind settle again. When those normal distractions come up, use them to help you build your skills. The book provides great advice on dealing with these and with the tiny aches that might come along. These practices help you immensely in daily life, too! And that's one of the benefits of meditation - learning to handle all those ups and downs that life is all about. I enjoy this book immensely and actively recommend it to friends. Yes, it provides great information on "how" to meditate. But it goes so much deeper into why meditation and mindfulness can be helpful in each life. It helps us take stock of this life we're in, realize how impermanent our life is, and to appreciate what we have each day. Everything is always changing. Nothing stays the same. To cling to the way things are is an exercise in futility. The more we can breathe in what we have, and look forward to what comes next, the better our health, well being, and life. Well recommended.

This beautiful book is an introduction to Vipassana (or Insight) meditation. As such, it may be the best book of this genre available today. The language is clear, simple, and precise. The first chapter is certainly a superb overview of meditation and mindfulness; chapter 14 on the interrelated roles of concentration and mindfulness in meditation was extremely helpful; and the Afterward on Loving Kindness was a timely addition to the original text. There are phrases and passages within this book that stand as some of the most compelling statements of fundamental principles of Buddhism that I have ever read. Bhante G has made an enormous contribution to the western literature on Buddhism, particularly that literature directed toward those new to the practice of meditation. This volume has become a classic and will remain as such for many decades, if not centuries, to come. So, why four stars? Why not five? Why not six? The reservations I have about this book are highly personal and I doubt that many others would even notice, let alone share, these concerns. So, buy the book. Download it to your Kindle or iPad. And consider the following rantings as those of a cranky old man. First, I found Chapter 2, describing what meditation is not, to be a little disconcerting. It is sad that Bhante G (or his editors) felt it necessary to explain that the purpose of meditation is not to become a psychic, that it is not dangerous, that it is practiced by ordinary people and not just ascetics, that it is not a great way to get high, and that it will not solve all of your problems in a few short weeks. There must be people somewhere who think of meditation in these ways. That is a very scary thought. If you are not one of those people do yourself a favor and skip this chapter. Throughout the book Bhante G uses language like "see things as they really are". When he, or other Buddhist authors, use this kind of language it makes me want to scream! First, it is not necessary; he uses more descriptive and less provocative language to describe similar phenomena in other parts of his book. This promotes clarity and credibility while wild eyed claims about Reality and Truth do just the opposite. Secondly, anyone who has spent any time at all studying philosophy and science know that claims about Reality must be taken with a grain of salt. At one point in chapter 5 Bhante G does clarify what he means when he uses this language and his explanation makes sense. Unfortunately, this explanation is little more than a brief footnote and most readers, I fear, will continue to attribute the common, ordinary meaning to this language and thus misunderstand what he is saying. At another point Bhante G discusses the goal of meditation as "The perfection of all noble and wholesome qualities latent in the subconscious mind". At other points he describes the task confronting the novice practitioner in such arduous terms that one wonders why anyone would begin the journey. All of this is true, I just wish Bhante G would tone down his language a little. Also, striving for goals is antithetical to the fundamental process of meditation which is focused on the present moment and surrendering to one's immediate experiences. If there is a goal, it would be much more modest, something like gently returning your attention to your breath when you notice that it has wandered away. Bhante G devotes considerable space to meditation posture, as he should in a manual such as this. He also indicates that it is fine to sit in a chair if that works for you. At a latter point he discusses subtle mental techniques to deal with the pain that most who are new to meditation will experience with traditional postures. I used a traditional posture (Burmese) for some time, and it worked well for normal meditation session of 45 minutes or less. However, during retreats and longer periods of meditation I experienced the pain that is so common with traditional positions. At one point I realized that this pain was unnecessary and did not help my practice. So, I switched to a chair. For those who experience little or no pain during prolonged sitting and those who find the pain tolerable, or even helpful, then they should opt for a traditional position. Everyone else should opt for a chair. During his discussion of pain caused by the traditional postures Bhante G does not even mention the obvious solution, i.e. sit in a chair. This is like describing in detail how to deal with the pain in your head and neglecting to mention that you could just stop banging your head against the wall. It is assumed that if you are serious about meditation you will adopt a traditional posture, which is nonsense, particularly for beginners. Being more explicit about your options regarding posture would improve this section significantly. In Chapter 9 Bhante G provides advice regarding "set up" exercises prior to beginning a meditation session. The first (I am about to tread the very same path that has been walked by the Buddha and his great and holy disciples...) should be enough to intimidate any novice. It is a wonderful set for serious meditation, I just am not sure that it belongs in a manual for beginners. Secondly, the recitation on Loving Kindness is particularly beautiful, as anyone who has experienced it can attest. The problem is its length, almost five (admittedly short) pages on my iPad. This recitation can constitute an entire meditation session in itself. Lay practitioners must schedule meditation session(s) into their very busy days and adding this recitation may require them to substantially shorten the time for meditation proper. It would have been helpful if Bhante G had offered an alternate form of this recitation that was shorter and less time consuming. Finally, and this is a purely philosophical note, Bhate G repeatedly reminds us that Buddhism sees an extremely close, even intimate relationship between our mind and our body. At one point I believe he goes further and refers to this relationship as one of unity. This second statement is more consistent with our current understanding based on recent develments neuroscience and philosophy of mind. These disciplines are converging and a concensus (though certainly not unanimous agreement) is developing regarding the basic model of materialistic monism. Our mind and our brain are not two distinct entities, they are one. Our experience and our consciousness are not caused by or intimately related to our brain. Our experiences and our consciousness are brain states. This is a difficult concept to get your head around, but so are quantum mechanics and the general theory of relativity. As Buddhism grows in the west it is important that it has intellectual credibility. To achieve this, its language be adapted to that of modern science and philosophy. This will entail an emphasis on the unity of mind and body and the abandonment of language that suggests that the are different entities. In this respect, some of Bhante G's language could use a tune-up. All of these criticisms should be placed in the basic context that I established at the beginning of this review, i.e. this is a really great book, a classic, that will be treasured for decades. As an introduction to mindfulness and insight meditation this may be the best book ever written.

“We are simply not paying enough attention to notice that we are not paying attention.” I have a meticulous system for taking notes when I read, but it didn’t work with Mindfulness in Plain English. Underlining 90% of the book doesn’t help highlight the most important lessons. This is the best book on mindfulness and meditation that I’ve read to date. I read this book as a meditation refresher several years after I started meditating. I expected to take away a few tips on how to breathe better, how to deal with feeling sleepy and how to cope with pain and numb legs. I didn’t expect all the profound insight on the true meaning of mindfulness. This book tells you what meditation is and what it isn’t. If you have an allergy to the word meditation, this is probably the book to start with because as the title indicates, it’s in plain English. There’s very little of the type of lingo that tends to turn a lot of people away from meditation. The book discusses things like loving kindness in a way that is approachable and understandable. It gives concrete tips on how to deal with some of the challenges you face not only during meditation, but in life. I had so many ah-ha moments that I actually started saying “ah-ha” while reading it. Even though this book is centered on a Buddhist meditation practice called Vipassana, or insight, meditation, the book felt secular to me. You can get a lot out of it regardless of your religious or non-religious affiliation. Even if you never plan to meditate, this book is still worth reading. If you’ve ever had anxiety or depression, if you ever get nervous or antsy, if you have difficulties concentrating, if you get distracted easily, read this book. If you’ve ever felt jealous, resentful, or just a little out of control, read this book. If you have regrets about the past or feel uncertain about the future, read this book. If you think you’re too busy to read, read this book. Both a great orientation for those who are new to meditation and mindfulness and a refresher for seasoned meditators. It's a book I'll read again and again. Highly recommended. 10/10. "We view impermanent things as permanent, though everything is changing all around us. The process of change is constant and eternal."

If you want to learn how to meditate, I would recommend this book. The author tackles many aspects of the practice, and thoroughly discusses the problems one might face while attempting to meditate. He also does well to include scientific lingo in discussing how the brain perceives information. This is helpful for beginners because it will dispel any thought they have regarding the metaphysical nature of spirituality and will reveal to them that our nervous system is the beacon from which all things are experieced. There is one thing I would like to advise people new to the subject of Eastern practices. You may get the impression from this and many similar books that life is meaningless, bleak, and that the only way to be happy is to lose any amibition you have to accomplish anything. This is not the case, and you will only see this when you've immersed yourself with this practice and developed a higher level of mental ability. Once you're there, you will be able to accomplish whatever you want because you are no longer afraid of failing. You won't get upset when you strum the wrong string; on the contrary, you will embrace the mistakes and realize that they are all part of the learning experience of life. I used to be very driven when I was younger, but when I started getting involved in Eastern spirituality, I lost most of my fire because I realized that my life would ultimately end. It's one thing to think about it, but when you realize it deeply, it shakes you to the core. I no longer strived to reach the heights of the world because I didn't feel there was a point. However, slowly but surely, the drive that once characterized my personality returned with avengence, and I have become more ambitious than I have ever been. I am in the constant process of improving myself through reading (non-fiction, vocabulary building, writing style, self improvement), meditating, lifting heavy weights, stretching, and I've taken up guitar playing. I want to become the best at it, but I am doing it for myself. I am no longer driven by an obsessive need to be seen as the best by others, the need that subtly haunted me during my basketball days. My main advice to you is to be patient with this practice. There may be a hopeless transition period where you are breaking down the barriers of sludge that have cut you off from who you were always supposed to be, but once they are down, it will be more than worthwhile.

This is truly a classic, a nuts-and-bolts guide to meditation, and probably the most comprehensive one ever written in terms of advice for dealing with distractions. I have meditated and taught meditation for many years, and realized as I was reading this 20th anniversary edition that I had read it before, about 15 years ago, and found it tremendously helpful at the time, but couldn't fully appreciate everything it had to offer. Reading it now, after more years meditating and teaching, I was truly awe struck at points. He characterizes so many distractions, and methods for dealing with them, in amazing detail. I especially appreciated his descriptions of 'thinking' vs. 'sinking' mind, and his concrete suggestions for dealing with both. I also appreciated his descriptions of the difference between mindfulness and concentration, and the balance that needs to be struck between both, and what happens when they are out of balance. He covers more basic distractions as well, in terms of physical pain, and feeling bored, etc. The brilliance of this book is that it could only have been written by someone like himself that has taught meditation for so many years, and to so many different people, because it seems virtually every possible hurdle is addressed. I think it's worth noting that this is written within the context of the Vipassana Buddhist tradition, so the type of meditation taught is rooted in focus on the breath, and on mindfulness or 'insight' meditation. He does frame this instruction within a Buddhist context, and outlines the Vipassana path to awakening. However, because so much of this book is general advice on meditating, and suggestions for dealing with distractions, this book will be of value even to people who practice or teach other forms of meditation, or are coming to meditation with stress-reduction or other aims besides spiritual. I myself teach chakra/kundalini based meditation, but didn't find this diminished my appreciation for the book - most of the meditation advice would apply to almost any path. Many of the additions/edits to this 20th anniversary edition are meant to clarify the Vipassana context, so that helps with this as well.

An amazing life-changing and wise book about watching your breath and Insight Meditation. No jargon. Simple English. Solid gold and kind advice. Even though I've been "involved with" different kinds of yoga for decades this book had so many brand new insights and ideas that sometimes I'd read a single sentence and then close the book and think about it the whole day. Thanks to this book (and also Larry Rosenberg's "Breath by Breath" which is another must read) I started to meditate regularly again. There are passages in this book that you cannot just keep on reading. You have to stop, chew it for a while and digest it before moving on. Has tons of practical tips for meditators like what to do when your legs start to hurt or go asleep. I must mention that I also loved the way the author introduced a bird's eye view of different concentration techniques that other traditions practice all over the world, from Christian prayers to Zen sitting. The author's authoritative summary in a nutshell made many disparate facts that I carried for all these years in my head settle down to a single coherent picture for which I'm grateful. After all is said and done, it's all about concentration and the state of mindfulness that is made possible by such intense concentration. This volume must be in every meditator's bookshelf. Also recommended: Breath by Breath: The Liberating Practice of Insight Meditation (Shambhala Classics)

I had the pleasure of attending a meditation retreat last year and Bhante Gunaratana was the featured teacher. It was a profound experience, and Bhante Gunaratana was very skilled at guiding the participants through mindful reathing and mindful walking. He is a true gem in the world of spirituality, and anyone interested in meditation or the dharma should seek him out. "Mindfulness in plain English" is a literary accomplishment. From the very first page Bhanta Gunaratana does a wonderful job of engaging the reader in what can easily become a very complicated topic. However, the topic never does become complicated. In fact, the explanations remain simple, concrete, and very direct. It is obvious that Bhante Gunaratana is only interested in the reader understanding the basic ideas of meditation. Follow the breath, return to the breath, again, again, and again. Keep doing so. The rewards are self-evident. This is Bhante Gunaratana's main instruction. It works so well because for the beginning meditator the struggle is against one's own body. Following the breath is very difficult at first, and is always at least somewhat of a challenge after learning the skill. This book is only about these things, in plain English. I find no faults in this book. Bhante Gunaratana even avoids buddhism by and large, which must be difficult as he is a buddhist monk who has studied, pursued, and taught the dharma for the majority of his life. So, if you are not inclined towards buddhism, this book is still an indespensible guide for meditation in general.

Very good for personal growth

Should be a mandatory read in highschool it helps understand and guide you though your journey of starting meditation

Great book

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Henepola Gunaratana writes with such a fantastic understanding of the human mind, and the way we coast through our lives. It's true that some of the content is difficult to understand, but this is not due to Henepola's writing style, but more to do with the fact that these themes are difficult to convey with words, and are better experienced, as opposed to being told about them in anecdotes. The world is a harsh and violent place, but thankfully this book outlines that you don't have to contribute to that pain. Causing more suffering in this world is always a choice, and once you see the cycle of suffering, you're naturally going to drop those habits. If you want what the book offers, then it genuinely can change your life for the better.

We’re reading this book in my meditation class. It’s a very helpful handy book for beginner meditators.