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Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation
Thousands of years prove it, and Western science backs it: Meditation sharpens focus. Meditation lowers blood pressure, relieves chronic pain, reduces stress. Meditation helps us experience greater calm. Meditation connects us to our inner-most feelings and challenges our habits of self-judgment. Meditation helps protect the brain against aging and improves our capacity for learning new things. Meditation opens the door to real and accessible happiness.
There is no better person to show a beginner how to harness the power of meditation than Sharon Salzberg, one of the world’s foremost meditation teachers and spiritual authors. Cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society, author of Lovingkindness, Faith, and other books, Ms. Salzberg distills 30 years of teaching meditation into a 28-day program that will change lives. It is not about Buddhism, it’s not esoteric—it is closer to an exercise, like running or riding a bike. From the basics of posture, breathing, and the daily schedule to the finer points of calming the mind, distraction, dealing with specific problem areas (pain in the legs? falling asleep?) to the larger issues of compassion and awareness, Real Happiness is a complete guide. It explains how meditation works; why a daily meditation practice results in more resiliency, creativity, peace, clarity, and balance; and gives twelve meditation practices, including mindfulness meditation and walking meditation. An extensive selection of her students’ FAQs cover the most frequent concerns of beginners who meditate—“Is meditation selfish?” “How do I know if I’m doing it right?” “Can I use meditation to manage weight?”
There is no better person to show a beginner how to harness the power of meditation than Sharon Salzberg, one of the world’s foremost meditation teachers and spiritual authors. Cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society, author of Lovingkindness, Faith, and other books, Ms. Salzberg distills 30 years of teaching meditation into a 28-day program that will change lives. It is not about Buddhism, it’s not esoteric—it is closer to an exercise, like running or riding a bike. From the basics of posture, breathing, and the daily schedule to the finer points of calming the mind, distraction, dealing with specific problem areas (pain in the legs? falling asleep?) to the larger issues of compassion and awareness, Real Happiness is a complete guide. It explains how meditation works; why a daily meditation practice results in more resiliency, creativity, peace, clarity, and balance; and gives twelve meditation practices, including mindfulness meditation and walking meditation. An extensive selection of her students’ FAQs cover the most frequent concerns of beginners who meditate—“Is meditation selfish?” “How do I know if I’m doing it right?” “Can I use meditation to manage weight?”
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
About the author
Sharon Salzberg
89 books1,324 followersOne of America’s leading spiritual teachers and authors, Sharon Salzberg is cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) in Barre, Massachusetts. She has played a crucial role in bringing Asian meditation practices to the West. The ancient Buddhist practices of vipassana (mindfulness) and metta (lovingkindness) are the foundations of her work.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 441 reviews
August 1, 2013
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interesting in learning about meditation. It's a quick and easy read. At first I hated the title of the book, because it sounds so self-helpish, but by the end of the book, I understand why it's called Real Happiness. Here is a passage:
"Real happiness depends on what we do with our attention. When we train our attention through meditation, we connect to ourselves, to our own true experience, and then we connect to others. The simple act of being completely attentive and present to another person is an act of love, and it fosters unshakeable well-being. It is happiness that isn't bound to a particular situation, happiness that can withstand change."
The practice of meditation contributes to such a profound shift in how you look at and cope with the world and your problems. Just thinking about meditation gives me comfort now, knowing that there is a way to stay calm and centered and present in the face of constant change. This has helped me cope with a very difficult year.
"Real happiness depends on what we do with our attention. When we train our attention through meditation, we connect to ourselves, to our own true experience, and then we connect to others. The simple act of being completely attentive and present to another person is an act of love, and it fosters unshakeable well-being. It is happiness that isn't bound to a particular situation, happiness that can withstand change."
The practice of meditation contributes to such a profound shift in how you look at and cope with the world and your problems. Just thinking about meditation gives me comfort now, knowing that there is a way to stay calm and centered and present in the face of constant change. This has helped me cope with a very difficult year.
August 18, 2019
Have you ever tried meditating and thought you weren’t good at it? Are you sporadic with your meditation practice because you just don’t have the time to do it? Have you ever wondered what is physically happening to your brain, your body while you meditate? Sharon Salzberg addresses these questions in her book Real Happiness.
Salzberg starts by explaining what meditation is and what it isn’t. She then goes into the benefits and the science of meditation, which for me was probably my favorite chapter. Learning that the brain physically changes when you participate in mindful meditation was fascinating to me.
From here the book is broken down into a four-week program with each week focusing on a different type of meditation. Each week is beautifully laid out; starting with an introduction and then going into the practice preview. I loved this because it’s nice to know ahead of time what the meditation session will be like. You don’t want to be thinking about the "how" when you should be focused on the meditation itself. Once you get a look at what’s to come, Salzberg introduces you to several different types of meditations for that week’s area of focus. She highlights or italicizes important concepts to remember, and provides tips and gentle reminders along the way. She ends each section with FAQs, reflections, and takeaways.
I really enjoyed and learned a lot from this book. I loved Salzberg’s writing style and her organization. This book was just so well done . . . highly recommend!
Salzberg starts by explaining what meditation is and what it isn’t. She then goes into the benefits and the science of meditation, which for me was probably my favorite chapter. Learning that the brain physically changes when you participate in mindful meditation was fascinating to me.
From here the book is broken down into a four-week program with each week focusing on a different type of meditation. Each week is beautifully laid out; starting with an introduction and then going into the practice preview. I loved this because it’s nice to know ahead of time what the meditation session will be like. You don’t want to be thinking about the "how" when you should be focused on the meditation itself. Once you get a look at what’s to come, Salzberg introduces you to several different types of meditations for that week’s area of focus. She highlights or italicizes important concepts to remember, and provides tips and gentle reminders along the way. She ends each section with FAQs, reflections, and takeaways.
I really enjoyed and learned a lot from this book. I loved Salzberg’s writing style and her organization. This book was just so well done . . . highly recommend!
October 2, 2013
I rate this book highly for its ability to make meditation accessible to the beginner, while adding additional depth and meaning to the experienced. Since reading Tolle's books, I have been tring to be more present and fully take in moments. Salzberg has helped me gain this presence through meditation, along with focus, peace, and lovingkindness. In a world of continuous distractions, turmoil, selfishness, nonpresence, and unkindness, I am grateful for a well written book that gives the tools to help combat all of these on a personal level. I like her writing style, her loving and forgiving attitude, and her ability to make meditation easy and available for all. I am going to take a few deep breaths to celebrate.
December 25, 2018
I love Sharon Salzberg. I find her comforting, reassuring, and helpful in my meditation practice. Even if you don't meditate, I think being in the presence of someone so loving and accepting is healing.
If you do practice, Salzberg has many helpful ideas on ways to make your practice more satisfying. She offers ideas to deal with the often uncomfortable--physical and emotional--aspect of meditating. I find her writing like a companion who leads the way, more experienced but friendly and non-judgmental.
A lovely work.
If you do practice, Salzberg has many helpful ideas on ways to make your practice more satisfying. She offers ideas to deal with the often uncomfortable--physical and emotional--aspect of meditating. I find her writing like a companion who leads the way, more experienced but friendly and non-judgmental.
A lovely work.
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July 30, 2021Một cuốn sách phù hợp cho những bạn muốn tập thiền và chưa biết gì về việc hành thiền như mình.
Không mang nặng những triết lý sâu xa về chánh niệm, về tiềm thức..., sách đưa ra những lý thuyết rất cơ bản, những bài tập về thiền để ai cũng có thể thiền được và đưa thiền vào cuộc sống hàng ngày.
Với 4 tuần là 4 kiểu thiền khác nhau. Tuần 1 tập trung vào hơi thở. Tuần 2 làm quen với "thiền hành" và đưa thiền vào cuộc sống nhằm mục đích giúp chúng ta buông bỏ đi những gánh nặng. Tuần 3 là "thiền cảm xúc" thiên về việc giải quyết những suy nghĩ, những dòng chảy cảm xúc tiêu cực. Cuối cùng tuần 4 sẽ luyện tập "thiền tâm từ", nuôi dưỡng lòng trắc ẩn và hướng đến hạnh phúc thực sự. Người đọc có thể đọc một lèo và thực hành đan xen hoặc mỗi tuần đọc một phần và thực hành tuần tự, từ cơ bản đến nâng cao hơn.
Ngoài ra, tác giả cũng giải đáp các câu hỏi phổ biến của những người mới tập để giúp chúng ta bắt tay vào thực hành dễ dàng hơn. Nhờ quyển sách này, từ một người không biết gì và có những suy đoán không chính xác lắm về thiền, mình đã có một góc nhìn khác, một sự hiểu biết hơn về Meditation và khơi gợi một hứng thú để mình tập thiền hơn.
Không mang nặng những triết lý sâu xa về chánh niệm, về tiềm thức..., sách đưa ra những lý thuyết rất cơ bản, những bài tập về thiền để ai cũng có thể thiền được và đưa thiền vào cuộc sống hàng ngày.
Với 4 tuần là 4 kiểu thiền khác nhau. Tuần 1 tập trung vào hơi thở. Tuần 2 làm quen với "thiền hành" và đưa thiền vào cuộc sống nhằm mục đích giúp chúng ta buông bỏ đi những gánh nặng. Tuần 3 là "thiền cảm xúc" thiên về việc giải quyết những suy nghĩ, những dòng chảy cảm xúc tiêu cực. Cuối cùng tuần 4 sẽ luyện tập "thiền tâm từ", nuôi dưỡng lòng trắc ẩn và hướng đến hạnh phúc thực sự. Người đọc có thể đọc một lèo và thực hành đan xen hoặc mỗi tuần đọc một phần và thực hành tuần tự, từ cơ bản đến nâng cao hơn.
Ngoài ra, tác giả cũng giải đáp các câu hỏi phổ biến của những người mới tập để giúp chúng ta bắt tay vào thực hành dễ dàng hơn. Nhờ quyển sách này, từ một người không biết gì và có những suy đoán không chính xác lắm về thiền, mình đã có một góc nhìn khác, một sự hiểu biết hơn về Meditation và khơi gợi một hứng thú để mình tập thiền hơn.
July 28, 2011
This book was well done and accessible, but honestly, if I've got some free time on my hands, I'm always going to choose reading over meditating. This is probably a compulsion that could be cured through meditation. Anyway, I'm hoping that some of this sticks with me.
May 23, 2017
This practical guidebook has inspired me to begin the habit of meditating at least 20 minutes/day. I can feel the positive difference emotionally, spiritually, physically.
Quotes:
"This act of beginning again is the essential art of the meditation practice...If you have to let go of distractions and begin again thousands of time, fine. That's not a roadblock to the practice - that IS the practice. That's life: starting over, one breath at a time." (p. 49-50)
"Effort needn't be struggling or straining - it can be relaxed perseverance." (p. 58)
"Only when we are attentive in each moment do we find satisfaction in our lives." (p. 60)
"In the poem 'Escapist - Never,' Robert Frost writes,
'His life is a pursuit of a pursuit forever.
It is the future that creates his present.
All is an interminable chain of longing.'" (p. 60)
"We can be with two, three, maybe four breaths before our attention starts to wander to the past, to the future, to judgment, to analysis, to fantasy. The question is: What happens in the moment when you recognize that your mind has wandered? Can you gently let go and return your attention to the present moment, to feeling your breath? The real key to being with your breath is being able to begin again." (p. 63)
"As several teachers of mindfulness have said, 'Thoughts aren't facts.' And thoughts aren't acts. They're just thoughts, part of the passing mental landscape. Thoughts moving through your mind are like clouds moving across the sky. They are not the sky, and the sky remains unchanged by them. The way to be with them is just to watch them go by." (p. 65)
"I learned a valuable lesson from one of my earliest teachers in India. I went to him in great distress because I'd had jealous thoughts during meditation. 'Why are you so upset about the thought that came up in your mind?' he said. 'Did you invite it?'" (p. 66)
"'Nothing endures but change,' said the Greek philosopher Heraclitus." (p. 82)
"Mindfulness restores that balance; we catch our habitual reactions of clinging, condemning, and zoning out, and let them go." (p. 84)
"It trains us to be with a painful experience in the moment, without adding imagined distress and difficulty. If we look closely at it, the pain is bound to change, and that's as true of a headache as it is of a heartache: the discomfort oscillates; there are beats of rest between moments of unpleasantness. When we discover firsthand that pain isn't static, that it's a living, changing system, it doesn't seem as solid or insurmountable as it did at first." (p. 99)
"For most of us, mindfulness is fleeting. We manage it for a moment, and then we're gone again for a long period of time, preoccupied with the past, the future, our worries; we see the world through the goggles of long-held assumptions. What we're doing in practice is working to shift the ratio, so that we can gather and focus our attention more frequently. Mindfulness isn't difficult; we just need to remember to do it." (p. 104)
"Thich Nhat Hanh says, 'I like to define mindfulness as the energy that helps us to be there 100%; the energy of our true presence.'" (p. 106)
"The four steps in dealing with an emotion mindfully - recognition, acceptance, investigation, and nonidentification (...RAIN) - can also be applied to our thoughts. We tend to identify with our thoughts in a way we don't identify with our bodies. ... We say to ourselves, 'I am a sad person.' But if we bang our funny bone, we don't usually say to ourselves, 'I am a sore elbow.' Most of the time, we think we are our thoughts. ...The point of mindfulness is to get in touch with that witnessing capacity." (p. 110-111)
"Even during the relatively brief duration of our meditation session, we can see that our thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations, no matter how powerful, arrive, depart, and alter kaleidoscopically. Accepting (if only for a moment) the fact of impermanence and continual change is acknowledging a big truth in a small way. Learning to feel comfortable with our thoughts and feelings as they change is the first step to being more comfortable with life as it is, not as we wish it would be. Mindfulness helps us make friends with the idea that nothing is permanent - not joy, not sorrow, not tedium." (p. 142)
Lovingkindness Meditation for caregivers:
"May I find the inner resources to be able to give to others and receive myself.
May I remain peaceful, and let go of expectations.
May I offer love, knowing I can't control the course of life, suffering, or death.
I care about your pain, yet cannot control it.
I wish you happiness and peace, and know I cannot make your choices for you.
May I see my limits compassionately, just as I view the limitations of others.
May I see you as I wish to be seen, as big as life itself, so much more than your need or your pain." (p. 160-161)
"Compassion is truthful: It's acknowledging with equanimity that this is what's going on. ...It might mean acknowledging that yes, this person is getting in his own way; he's not handling his troubles very skillfully. But compassion ultimately involves seeing difficult states like fear, greed, and jealousy not as bad and wrong and terrible but as states of suffering. The more we do that, the more compassion will spontaneously arise within us." (p. 170)
"It's really about drawing on wisdom that we all possess and saying, 'Okay, everything changes. I'm going to move on.'" (p. 174)
"A sense of equanimity comes in - a kind of underlying peace and spacious stillness of mind that allows us not to be overcome or upset when something doesn't work out as we would like." (p. 175)
"Remember that everyone wants to be happy." (p. 178)
"The process is one of continually trying to greet our experience, whatever it is, with mindfulness, lovingkindness, and compassion; it helps us realize that everything changes constantly and to be okay with that. The effort we make in meditation is a willingness to be open, to come close to what we have avoided, to be patient with ourselves and others, and to let go of our preconceptions, our projections, and our tendency not to live fully. Meditation practice helps us relinquish old, painful habits...It also ignites a very potent and alive energy in us. With a strong foundation in how to practice meditation, we can begin to live in a way that enables us to respect ourselves, to be calm rather than anxious, and to offer caring attention to others instead of being held back by notions of separation." (p. 182)
"'Just put your body there. Your mind will do different things all of the time, but you just put your body there. Because that's the expression of commitment, and the rest will follow from that.'" (p. 187)
"Real happiness depends on what we do with our attention. When we train our attention through meditation, we connect to ourselves, to our own true experience, and then we connect to others. The simple act of being completely attentive and present to another person is an act of love, and it fosters unshakeable well-being. It is happiness that isn't bound to a particular situation, happiness that can withstand change.
Through the regular practice of meditation we discover the real happiness of simplicity, of connection, of presence. We cultivate the ability to disengage from unthinking and habitual struggles. We take delight in integrity, and we feel at home in our bodies, our minds, our lives." (p. 198)
"As Thich Nhat Hanh once said, 'Happiness is available...please help yourself.'" (p. 199)
Quotes:
"This act of beginning again is the essential art of the meditation practice...If you have to let go of distractions and begin again thousands of time, fine. That's not a roadblock to the practice - that IS the practice. That's life: starting over, one breath at a time." (p. 49-50)
"Effort needn't be struggling or straining - it can be relaxed perseverance." (p. 58)
"Only when we are attentive in each moment do we find satisfaction in our lives." (p. 60)
"In the poem 'Escapist - Never,' Robert Frost writes,
'His life is a pursuit of a pursuit forever.
It is the future that creates his present.
All is an interminable chain of longing.'" (p. 60)
"We can be with two, three, maybe four breaths before our attention starts to wander to the past, to the future, to judgment, to analysis, to fantasy. The question is: What happens in the moment when you recognize that your mind has wandered? Can you gently let go and return your attention to the present moment, to feeling your breath? The real key to being with your breath is being able to begin again." (p. 63)
"As several teachers of mindfulness have said, 'Thoughts aren't facts.' And thoughts aren't acts. They're just thoughts, part of the passing mental landscape. Thoughts moving through your mind are like clouds moving across the sky. They are not the sky, and the sky remains unchanged by them. The way to be with them is just to watch them go by." (p. 65)
"I learned a valuable lesson from one of my earliest teachers in India. I went to him in great distress because I'd had jealous thoughts during meditation. 'Why are you so upset about the thought that came up in your mind?' he said. 'Did you invite it?'" (p. 66)
"'Nothing endures but change,' said the Greek philosopher Heraclitus." (p. 82)
"Mindfulness restores that balance; we catch our habitual reactions of clinging, condemning, and zoning out, and let them go." (p. 84)
"It trains us to be with a painful experience in the moment, without adding imagined distress and difficulty. If we look closely at it, the pain is bound to change, and that's as true of a headache as it is of a heartache: the discomfort oscillates; there are beats of rest between moments of unpleasantness. When we discover firsthand that pain isn't static, that it's a living, changing system, it doesn't seem as solid or insurmountable as it did at first." (p. 99)
"For most of us, mindfulness is fleeting. We manage it for a moment, and then we're gone again for a long period of time, preoccupied with the past, the future, our worries; we see the world through the goggles of long-held assumptions. What we're doing in practice is working to shift the ratio, so that we can gather and focus our attention more frequently. Mindfulness isn't difficult; we just need to remember to do it." (p. 104)
"Thich Nhat Hanh says, 'I like to define mindfulness as the energy that helps us to be there 100%; the energy of our true presence.'" (p. 106)
"The four steps in dealing with an emotion mindfully - recognition, acceptance, investigation, and nonidentification (...RAIN) - can also be applied to our thoughts. We tend to identify with our thoughts in a way we don't identify with our bodies. ... We say to ourselves, 'I am a sad person.' But if we bang our funny bone, we don't usually say to ourselves, 'I am a sore elbow.' Most of the time, we think we are our thoughts. ...The point of mindfulness is to get in touch with that witnessing capacity." (p. 110-111)
"Even during the relatively brief duration of our meditation session, we can see that our thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations, no matter how powerful, arrive, depart, and alter kaleidoscopically. Accepting (if only for a moment) the fact of impermanence and continual change is acknowledging a big truth in a small way. Learning to feel comfortable with our thoughts and feelings as they change is the first step to being more comfortable with life as it is, not as we wish it would be. Mindfulness helps us make friends with the idea that nothing is permanent - not joy, not sorrow, not tedium." (p. 142)
Lovingkindness Meditation for caregivers:
"May I find the inner resources to be able to give to others and receive myself.
May I remain peaceful, and let go of expectations.
May I offer love, knowing I can't control the course of life, suffering, or death.
I care about your pain, yet cannot control it.
I wish you happiness and peace, and know I cannot make your choices for you.
May I see my limits compassionately, just as I view the limitations of others.
May I see you as I wish to be seen, as big as life itself, so much more than your need or your pain." (p. 160-161)
"Compassion is truthful: It's acknowledging with equanimity that this is what's going on. ...It might mean acknowledging that yes, this person is getting in his own way; he's not handling his troubles very skillfully. But compassion ultimately involves seeing difficult states like fear, greed, and jealousy not as bad and wrong and terrible but as states of suffering. The more we do that, the more compassion will spontaneously arise within us." (p. 170)
"It's really about drawing on wisdom that we all possess and saying, 'Okay, everything changes. I'm going to move on.'" (p. 174)
"A sense of equanimity comes in - a kind of underlying peace and spacious stillness of mind that allows us not to be overcome or upset when something doesn't work out as we would like." (p. 175)
"Remember that everyone wants to be happy." (p. 178)
"The process is one of continually trying to greet our experience, whatever it is, with mindfulness, lovingkindness, and compassion; it helps us realize that everything changes constantly and to be okay with that. The effort we make in meditation is a willingness to be open, to come close to what we have avoided, to be patient with ourselves and others, and to let go of our preconceptions, our projections, and our tendency not to live fully. Meditation practice helps us relinquish old, painful habits...It also ignites a very potent and alive energy in us. With a strong foundation in how to practice meditation, we can begin to live in a way that enables us to respect ourselves, to be calm rather than anxious, and to offer caring attention to others instead of being held back by notions of separation." (p. 182)
"'Just put your body there. Your mind will do different things all of the time, but you just put your body there. Because that's the expression of commitment, and the rest will follow from that.'" (p. 187)
"Real happiness depends on what we do with our attention. When we train our attention through meditation, we connect to ourselves, to our own true experience, and then we connect to others. The simple act of being completely attentive and present to another person is an act of love, and it fosters unshakeable well-being. It is happiness that isn't bound to a particular situation, happiness that can withstand change.
Through the regular practice of meditation we discover the real happiness of simplicity, of connection, of presence. We cultivate the ability to disengage from unthinking and habitual struggles. We take delight in integrity, and we feel at home in our bodies, our minds, our lives." (p. 198)
"As Thich Nhat Hanh once said, 'Happiness is available...please help yourself.'" (p. 199)
November 2, 2020
Puiki knyga tiems kas pastaruoju metu yra pasimetęs ir savęs ieško, kas jau seniai norėjo išmokti medituoti, bet trūko žinių bei suvokimo kaip visą tai reikia daryti - nuo ko pradėti, ko tikėtis. Skaitant knygą, jaučiamas artumas ir gera aura, autorė labai paprastai ir suprantamai pateikia informaciją.
November 16, 2017
Ignoren el título cursi que decidieron ponerle al libro.
Es ideal para quienes estén interesados en adentrarse en la práctica de la meditación, se van a sacar las dudas y descubrirán sus beneficios, lo recomiendo totalmente.
Es ideal para quienes estén interesados en adentrarse en la práctica de la meditación, se van a sacar las dudas y descubrirán sus beneficios, lo recomiendo totalmente.
February 26, 2016
Insight meditation, the particular tradition of meditation practice that Salzberg enjoins, takes a decidedly non-theistic approach to meditation, with the primary purposes being to live more fully in each present moment with full awareness, and gaining the skills to recognize, accept, and investigate the phenomena that arise in our bodies and minds. Through non-judgmental awareness, we are better better able to live mindfully. We are freed from the tyranny of conditioned, reflexive responses when we become aware of them and have come to better understand the nature of those responses. Insight meditation also promotes the understanding that we need not identify with the passing thoughts and emotions that pass into our lives so impermanently.
"They're just thoughts, part of the passing mental landscape. Thoughts moving through your mind are like clouds passing through the sky. They are not the sky and the sky remains unchanged by them."
Salzberg sequences her four weeks of "insight meditation" lessons much like Gil Fronsdal organizes his introductory lessons for the San Francisco-based Insight Meditation Center: meditations on the breath prepare a foundation, to which are added meditations on the body, and meditations to deal skillfully with emotions and thoughts. She adds Lovingkindness meditation, which, for me is a profoundly helpful practice.
As a teacher, Salzberg radiates patience and encouragement. She shares a quote or analogy or a brief anecdote here and there, but only as necessary to elucidate a point; this is not one of those meditation books that recount story after story after story about John the pediatrician from Newark, or Sally, an accountant from Pensacola. As an author, Salzberg's prose is serviceable and stays grounded in contemporary life--not everything is a flower or a cup of tea or a smile, as in Thich Nhat Hhan's writing. It's a style that calls zero attention to itself, but also fails to elicit any of those literary goose-bumps other writers manage to deliver from time to time in their prose.
A worthwhile read, but when I need to be refreshed on this material, I think I'll find Gil Fronsdal's 6 very short, introductory handouts to be just as helpful and much more concise. They're downloadable from: http://www.insightmeditationcenter.or...
I'm curious how other people respond to an Insight Meditation approach. For me, It's a little like getting the health benefits of yoga at the gym while absolutely losing out on the fuller dimension of yoga as a spiritual practice. On the other hand, Insight Meditation doesn't require practitioners to espouse any dogma or reconstruct a new world view. Some may like that, but I think I enjoy a spiritual practice from within a more comprehensive spiritual framework--even if I don't commit myself to an exclusionary and permanent adoption of that particular world-view. It's like reading a book or watching a play in which we must willingly suspend our disbelief if we are to make the kind of investment that pays off in the end.
Any thoughts out there on the relative benefits of different traditions of meditation?
"They're just thoughts, part of the passing mental landscape. Thoughts moving through your mind are like clouds passing through the sky. They are not the sky and the sky remains unchanged by them."
Salzberg sequences her four weeks of "insight meditation" lessons much like Gil Fronsdal organizes his introductory lessons for the San Francisco-based Insight Meditation Center: meditations on the breath prepare a foundation, to which are added meditations on the body, and meditations to deal skillfully with emotions and thoughts. She adds Lovingkindness meditation, which, for me is a profoundly helpful practice.
As a teacher, Salzberg radiates patience and encouragement. She shares a quote or analogy or a brief anecdote here and there, but only as necessary to elucidate a point; this is not one of those meditation books that recount story after story after story about John the pediatrician from Newark, or Sally, an accountant from Pensacola. As an author, Salzberg's prose is serviceable and stays grounded in contemporary life--not everything is a flower or a cup of tea or a smile, as in Thich Nhat Hhan's writing. It's a style that calls zero attention to itself, but also fails to elicit any of those literary goose-bumps other writers manage to deliver from time to time in their prose.
A worthwhile read, but when I need to be refreshed on this material, I think I'll find Gil Fronsdal's 6 very short, introductory handouts to be just as helpful and much more concise. They're downloadable from: http://www.insightmeditationcenter.or...
I'm curious how other people respond to an Insight Meditation approach. For me, It's a little like getting the health benefits of yoga at the gym while absolutely losing out on the fuller dimension of yoga as a spiritual practice. On the other hand, Insight Meditation doesn't require practitioners to espouse any dogma or reconstruct a new world view. Some may like that, but I think I enjoy a spiritual practice from within a more comprehensive spiritual framework--even if I don't commit myself to an exclusionary and permanent adoption of that particular world-view. It's like reading a book or watching a play in which we must willingly suspend our disbelief if we are to make the kind of investment that pays off in the end.
Any thoughts out there on the relative benefits of different traditions of meditation?
April 4, 2018
A nice book for beginning mindfulness meditation. The author has summarized her years of experience in Buddhist meditation in a 4 week course. For those who do not have access to professional help learning mindfulness meditation, this book is definitely recommended. This book also deals with the practical side of meditation and mindfulness, not the spiritual one. So, for deeper understanding of those, I would recommend "Wherever You Go, There You Are" or "Miracle of Mindfulness". But still along with those books, a step by step guide is also necessary for beginners. Which this book does best.
October 14, 2017
I struggled to rate this book, it's very repetitive many times the author uses the exact same text 3 times which began to wear on my nerves. Not the kind of thing that you want to happen when you're reading a book designed to increase your happiness, so I planned on rating this 2 stars, but the final quarter of the book on loving kindness was so good that I bumped it up to 3 stars. The audio extras also make the book deserving of a three star rating.
January 14, 2015
I've been meditating off and on for about 15 years. This book is a must for beginners, mid-timers and old timers at mediation. It reminded me why I practice, explained how to kick start a sluggish practice, and provided "new" approaches (for me).
May 16, 2024
Audiobook 05:56 Read by the author
Helpful guide to building a meditation practice within a month
Helpful guide to building a meditation practice within a month
September 27, 2024
nieko nieko
February 4, 2018
I've tried meditation many times- many books and discussions on the method. They never worked until I read Sharon Salzberg's. She points to all the challenges to meditation- most I can recognize- and explains how to overcome them. She really understands why we want to meditate, and the problems we have in getting there. It was like having a discussion with her.
August 18, 2017
Been wanting to get back on the wagon with a more formal mediation program after several years hiatus. When this came through our library, I thought it might be the nudge I was looking for. It might come off as a wee bit disjointed for complete newbies wound up about doing something "wrong" (hint: you really can't), but it suited my purposes.
It's a very low key introduction that covers just about anything that might come up, from how to deal with that stiff knee that becomes a militant tyrant about minute three of a 20-minute sit to how to handle the realization that you're clinging to some extremely nasty emotional baggage that you didn't even realize you were clutching. No Lululemon garments, organic zafu, or Nepalese cave required.
The print version apparently comes with a CD. Kudos to the author/publisher for putting links to download the files in the e-book.
It's a very low key introduction that covers just about anything that might come up, from how to deal with that stiff knee that becomes a militant tyrant about minute three of a 20-minute sit to how to handle the realization that you're clinging to some extremely nasty emotional baggage that you didn't even realize you were clutching. No Lululemon garments, organic zafu, or Nepalese cave required.
The print version apparently comes with a CD. Kudos to the author/publisher for putting links to download the files in the e-book.
February 6, 2017
A tremendously useful primer on meditation, structured into a four-week course. I read this, rather, over the course of a year, but anticipate that I will revisit it from time to time. The utility of having a full litany of meditation practices--with the intent of generating awareness about how one relates to situations, rather than the situations themselves--lies in the ability to craft a meditation practice that mimics life overall: dynamic, arising and falling away, calling for different resources in different situations. Of particular use, so far, has been re-approaching boredom: after a year or so of off and on practice, I often find myself feeling delighted to be bored? What a wild luxury to have a lull in which a habitually busy mind can rest. Definitely recommend Salzberg's book to both novice and veteran meditators.
May 25, 2012
I found out about this book while reading someone's blog. Absolutely loved it! I think it's a must-have for any meditation student. I have to admit I was a little disappointed (confused?) in the beginning because I was expecting 28 daily readings or assignments or something. The FAQs and takeaways each week were my favorite parts of this book. The accompanying CD was great. I was especially grateful for the guidance for the walking meditation.
This is the type of book I will come back to again and again. I talked about this book so much that one of my friends (who has never meditated) went out and bought a copy.
This is the type of book I will come back to again and again. I talked about this book so much that one of my friends (who has never meditated) went out and bought a copy.
February 15, 2013
"Real Happiness depends on what we do with our attention."
"The act of beginning again is the essential act of the meditation practice."
"If you have to let go of distractions and begin again thousands of times, fine. That's not a roadblock to the practice - that is the practice. That's life: starting over, one breathe at a time."
Sharon Salzberg has a way of teaching, as if taking a walk in nature with a dear friend, side by side; very gentle, compassionate, clear, simple.
In this book she leads you step by step through a simple program of meditation.
28 days, a cd with 4 guided meditations.
"The act of beginning again is the essential act of the meditation practice."
"If you have to let go of distractions and begin again thousands of times, fine. That's not a roadblock to the practice - that is the practice. That's life: starting over, one breathe at a time."
Sharon Salzberg has a way of teaching, as if taking a walk in nature with a dear friend, side by side; very gentle, compassionate, clear, simple.
In this book she leads you step by step through a simple program of meditation.
28 days, a cd with 4 guided meditations.
April 21, 2013
I found Sharon Salzberg's "Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation" book very easy to understand and apply. I purchased the book because I wanted to learn more about meditation and begin a meditation practice. The book is set up to read in a weekly format as you build on your knowledge and apply the approaches in your practice. The book includes a companion CD that you can listen to for guided meditations. Sharon shares examples throughout the book with personal anecdotes to make meditation accessible for everyone. Whether you have been practicing meditation for a long time or you are a beginner, you will learn something from Sharon's book to enhance or begin your practice.
November 19, 2014
A great guide for someone beginning meditation. There is some repetition which, if left out, would have shortened it. Overall, a great guide and a keeper. CD included is an extra bonus.
August 15, 2018
Very important book for mental cleanliness.
September 24, 2013
http://www.sharonsalzberg.com/books-a... ¡FIVE-STARS=LOVED_IT!
TRULY:_One-of-A-KIND_BOOK.... A WHOLE + REAL MEDITATION COURSE... ALL IN 1 SIMPLE, YET PROFOUND BOOK or AUDIO-BOOK
Nor can I convey with precision, style and grace the way she does, in a way that leaves nothing out, and adds nothing superfluous. As I said, if you haven't tried, or unless you're a "natural born writer" accomplishing what she has is something that literally NO ONE Else Could Do!
TRULY:_One-of-A-KIND_BOOK.... A WHOLE + REAL MEDITATION COURSE... ALL IN 1 SIMPLE, YET PROFOUND BOOK or AUDIO-BOOK
I first read when a friend 'gifted' the book to me, sometime before the year 2000, in its 1st Edition. I had already been meditation daily for a few years, primarily alternating meditation practices: one day of "Mindfulness of Breathing" (in four stages), then, the next-day practice the "Metta Bhavanana" (or "Cultivation of Universal Loving-Kindness" in five stages). My meditation practice was quite 'solid' and if it had not been a gift, I probably would not have ever read this very well-written book, which presents with pristine clarity, profound simplicity (anyone that has tried to write concisely and precisely, completely covering, as simple as possible, but not too simple, that is "genius! Doing so with meditation, and all the meditation "mythes," misunderstandings, and preconceptions are more abundant, thus exponentially more difficult than an unknown topic, or "Tabula Rosa/Blank Slate." Any doubts about the challenge of precise and concise, just read my attempt to summarize...) which is tasty, digestible and satisfying, whether this is your first attempt at meditating (for which I would recommend for any beginner, or a samādhi-yogi, who's interested in this style of meditation that blends Mindfulness, Loving-Kindness, and the traditional "vipassanā sweep."
The book flows, as it is designed, written in this piece-by-piece style, for which the content is outlined, presented and intended to be processed, read (or listened to the Audio Version, read by the Author, which I personally prefer in this kind of book), and its meant to be put into practice, stage-by-stage, but-by-bit, cumulating additional techniques and emphases from one week, to the next, it is ideally set-up to follow as one would a traditional meditation class: (which typically meet once per week, the technique(s) and a is explained, practiced in-class, then it is asked/suggested that each individual then practices that week's "homework" each day; "typically" suggesting 15-45 minutes per day, starting the first week ≈ 15-30 mins, increasing incrementally each week) although everyone is different, and teachings styles vary, and often depend upon the particular method. I believe Ms Salzberg suggest trying 40 minutes each day from the start, which I personally think is a perfect length for anyone establishing a significant daily practice. This course is outlined into four x 1 week sections (which is very, very achievable, for slow readers, and/or busy people, but only if you really want the dramatically excellent befits...which if you follow as directed: practicing 40 minted per day, every day, for four weeks, I personally guarantee that you'll feel markedly "enhanced" in innumerable ways! (Better that any exercise, or medication... plus unlike medications which human physiology attempts to adapt biochemistry, to maintain homeostasis, and thus decreases efficacy with time; the exact opposite occurs with meditation. If you have chronic pain, anxiety, depression instead of building tolerance to medication, time and accumulation augments meditation!).
I have taught many meditation courses, and this style of progressive, cumulative learning is without question, the most affective. (Although it is not necessary to complete this book in the 4 x One Week time-frame layout, there is no reason not to have a solid meditation practice, 28 days from the day you start) I regularly listen to the audio version, specific parts, random sections, and sometimes the full text, from intro to ending, at one time.) The audio version version probably helps, but the writing is from a first-person to second-person, instructional narrative style. It gives a real sense of intimacy.
*Later on, I mention how some of Sharon Salzberg's cohorts are prolific publishers, which no criticism just my own speculation. First-off, I love having tons of Jack Kornfield books and talks! Jack has helped me to navigate like after "No-Self. No words can explain the connection. Joseph Goldstein's publications, such as: "On Dhamma: Abiding In Mindfulness" is one example of where to go for textual (and audio) Dhamma study with immense depth, breadth weight, penetrating wisdom and understanding (profound in sheer volume alone!) Sharon Salzberg could write and publish as much as she wants. Her experiential wisdom, compassion, true literary talent and boundless practical experience is second to none. Her other Published works of writing are Meditation-based, along with Interactive and Correspondence courses offered through IMS (The Courses are Co-Authored by Joseph Goldstein, and are really geared toward teaching Mindfulness/Mettā/Vipassanā, interactive Journaling, online Chat Groups, 1-on-1 Mediation Advising (not necessarily with Sharon or Joseph, but IMS Staff) with the stated emphasis on Maintaining Your Meditation Practice, once established! And is available vie the Web for those of us not fortunate enough to live near Barre or Marin This speaks volumes of her primary purpose, and passion. It makes sense that she, unlike many others of similar background and experience, identifies herself as a "Meditation Teacher," not a Buddhist Teacher, or Buddhist Meditation Teacher, JUST a Meditation Teacher. She's been mastering her craft...the Art & Science of Teaching Meditation, all over the World, online, 1-on-1, from Prisoners, to Neurosurgeons, and doing it non-stop for ~~ 40 years, and she does it ALL in this one, relatively short book (It's plenty Full, but it's concise and precise, and if she wanted to make money off of book sales, she could. She hopefully will publish more, and she's "frequently" doing events on things like "Good Reads" and her Blog, Twitter, etc. She does write essays, Blogs, articles, etc and is very approachable, as far as I can tell. This is her heart and soul; she does it so well, she doesn't need 8 variation of the same book, she got it right over 15 years ago, and the updates have been very substantial, but the essence doesn't come and go with each season.
FYI: One reason I love her, and relate to Sharon (We're on a first name basis, at least right now:) She did Not have an easy life, she was not a "happy camper" as a college kid or before (and she started college at 16...obviously intelligent, and also probably in a hurry to get settled! I would be too if I had lived in four different arrangements before going to college at 16 (Family Deaths, family mental illness, family displaced from home-to-home, abandonment, fear, anxiety, anger, resentment...she was suffering, and she tried the Peace Corps, she finished and while in the East, she took-up Meditation... and has not stopped!
I can't recommend this book HIGHLY enough!
Nor can I convey with precision, style and grace the way she does, in a way that leaves nothing out, and adds nothing superfluous. As I said, if you haven't tried, or unless you're a "natural born writer" accomplishing what she has is something that literally NO ONE Else Could Do!
When I first read "Real Happiness" almost 15 years ago, I loved it from the first go at it. (Despite having some false preconceptions, I immediately put aspects of the teaching into my Mindfulness and Loving-Kindness practice, and the impact was immediately noticeable!) I had a few close friends whom practiced meditation within the context of "Vipassnā Movement" and was only familiar with S.N. Goenka from a rather skewed, superficial perspective. I was living, studying, practicing "Ecumenical Buddhism" in an 'intentional community' (a semi-monastic, full-time, live-in, all-year around, single-sex, communal, Ordination setting, which is difficult to explain with simplicity, which I half-jokingly described to someone trying to understand the conditions as a "Buddhist Seminary," and for whatever reasons this seemingly over simplification has proven to more helpful than 'overly-simplified'). Although I was, on some levels, very open-minded to various approaches to the "Buddhism," my lack of true open-mindedness, teachability, 'Beginer-Minds' interpreted the influence of, or even simple openness to, "Secular Meditation" as somehow 'subordinate' to the "Ecumenical* Buddhist Path" which I was (and am, but now I I do vipassanā and experience vipassanā, although I started the "Vipassanā Style" after the Vipassanā arose) "exclusively committed" in retrospect, the fruits of longer-term Meditation, Buddha-Dharma/Dhamma practice, and specifically the Holistic Wisdom, "Transcendental Insight," emotional maturity, Neuroplasticity, and expansion in depth and breadth of understanding, guidance, inspiration and innovation gleaned from different Teachers, in different manners, whom fall under this broad category of "Teachers of the Vipassnā Movement" their impact on myself and countless others, both Buddhist and non-Buddhist, Secular Humanists and Non-Spiritual/Religious individuals, has/is tremendous, and truly life-changing! Furthermore, for a collection of specific individual Teachers whom teach various styles of Meditation, which fit, either entirely or largely, within the "Modern Vipassanā Style" the monumental impact which this "first generation of American Vipassanā Teachers," such as Sharon Salzberg, Jack kornfield and Joseph Goldstein (Tara Brach & Shinzen Young) have each deeply impacted my practice,and thus my life, and those I come into contact with, physically, and beyond. Each in different ways, some more than others, but in many ways, we have a collection of Meditation Teachers, which to me, "The Manhattan Project" had nothing on, when it comes to Physicists ,as we do in this group of living Masters. 100 years from now people will look back and try to imagine what it was like to living, meditating, practicing Buddhism in the US when ALL of these Master Teachers were All around and teaching and writing at the same time... If I'm wrong, get back to me 100 years, and I'll give you your money back (present value, not adjusted for inflation) for them ALL!
The Jack Kornfield( which is more than all the rest put together...and my personally I'm grateful for that, Jack is a very dear teacher), Goldstein (Now his books aren't as plentiful as Jack's, but he makes up for it in density! Wow! I din't know which The Dhamma, Abiding in Mindfulness, I am on section 3, party 3, and each "part is just about 1 book, so I'm doing his Dhamma Series, and I assume since there's 4 abodes of Mindfulness, I'm on Part 3 Sec 3, which is like an encyclopedia....BUT BRILLIANT, Funny, PROFOUND!, Shinzen Young, my new HERO! (Not as well known currently, but read "The Science of Enlightenment" and you'll understand...if you're a Buddhist that loves meditating and gaining Insight), Salzberg (Honestly, she could probably write as much as she wanted to, but does what she does so amazingly, she doesn't need 10 book s to convey her Teaching, the rest is in the hand, or mind/heart of the partitioner), Levine (Both Levine's, although Noah and I are ~ the same age, and have a lot of history in common, he's done amazing things, and his Podcast "Against The Stream" is Excellent, as is the book, Dharma Punx, OYE! "5th Precept Hardliners! I LOVE IT!), Brach (Although Jack is also a Clinical Psychologist, and combines meditation and Dharma with Western Psychology, although he became a Psychologist after having spent several years in the Thai Forest Tradition, under Ajahn Chah, Dr Brach I don't as much about, but her voice is lovely and soothing, and her Radical Acceptance is STELLAR, and her guided Meditation Audios are excellent and unique. If I hadn't done my Psychoanalysis, and gone through all the childhood stuff, which is essential (as Jack Kornfield discusses/deals with a lot (especially in "A Path With Heart" he talks about it biographically, but in his later talks from retreats, special guided meditations, etc he actually incorporates it in the meditations. In "Living Without Fear" by Thich Nhat Hanh, he discusses this at great length,It would seem the more familiar with the Western Mind/Paradigm, etc, the better, whaler, fuller teaching approach that the Cultural Buddhist take, such as Thich Nhat Hanh, and Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, the young Tibetan Tulku, (Damn, I know Noah Levine and I are the same age ,but Yongey is far younger!) who was trained by "the last great generation of Tibetan Lamsas raised and educated in Tibet" in "The Joy of Living" he examines the Psychological necessities of many Western Buddhist, which many of the older, Cultural Buddhist, (not for lack of wanting to, or compassion,...listen to Jack Kornfield's "Transmissions" about all his Time with HH XIV Dalai Lama, the man sobs when he hears about what many Americans do...but admits he can't comprehend it)...you can great Insight, but still not have the emotional Maturity, I know that's what happened with me....I am Psychoanalysis fan. a year or two of 5 days/week, if you're ALL-IN, is SO complementary to Meditation, and Tara Brach really seems to get this, and incorporate both in her approach. etc )
Many of whom are intimately connected, beginning with Jack Kornfield and Joseph Goldstein, although they were already acquainted, their friendship and influential Teachings during the formative time of The Naropa Institute [now Naropa University] which soon led to the most influential institutions of both Buddhism and Secular Meditation, staring with the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) (Co-Founed in 1976 by Sharon Salzberg, Jack Kornfield Joseph Goldstein and Jacqueline Schwartz in Barre, Massachusetts) and later IMS sister-center Spirit Rock in Marin, California. Although by no means limited to these two 'cornerstones' of Meditation in the the US, many of the "who's who" in American Buddhism and/or Meditation have their roots in the primary birthplace of Western Vipassnā, in Southern/Southeast-Asian Teachers and the modern-day growth of Meditation and the "Vipassana- Method," such as Ledi Sayadaw, U Ba Khin, Mahasi Sayadaw, Sayadaw U Pandita. Ajahn Chan, Goenka, Dipa Ma, Munindra, etc, along with Western-Born Theravada monastics: Ajahn Sumedho, Bhikkhu Bodhi, Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu/Ajaan Geoff, Ajahn Amaro, and American Teachers whom aside from being influential in establishing Centers in the US; Jack Kornfield, Sharon Salzberg, Joseph Goldstein, Tara Brach and Shinzen Young are without question, hugely influential through their Writings and audio recordings of Dharma and Instructional Talks from Retreats and such (and now more video recordings), along with Jon Kabat-Zinn, Gil Fronsdal, Ruth Dension, Noah Levine, and too many more than I can think to mention. There is such depth and breath, with profound weight of experience and wisdom in this book, as each of these IMS, Spirit Rock and Kabat-Zinn have brought to Meditation in the West, and the Psychological and Neuroscientific empirical evidence showing what 40 years ago, this group of of AMAZING PEOPLE, (and probably all old hippies, since Kornfield, Salzberg and Goldstein were all three just out of Peace Corps, but still unsatisfied, and how the living examples they met in S/E-Asia of "Living Peacefulness & Serenity" which they each, independently crossed paths with in Burma, India, and Thailand, inspired them, and has kept their inspiration GROWING & FLOWING 40 years later, and one thing I know, is that they have only Improved with Time (Practice and Wisdom.)
[The "modern "Vipassanā Style" is Intentionally differentiated from the vernal term: "Vipassanā," and probably more often mistaken for each other than understood as separate applications of the Pāli & Sanskrit word: "Vipassanā" (māha-vipassanā, "Transcendental Insight, a specific point of the Buddhist Path which marks "Stream-Entry," "Breaking the first three Fetters" advancement from the māha-snagha to the Arya/Arya Sangha, the community of Noble Disciples, which all Buddhist strive for, and most styles or names, such as "Mindfulness of Breathing, are samatha and vipassanā meditation techniques)from the historical Buddhist Dharma/Dhamma, which refers to "Transcendental Insight" aspect of Samatha-Vipassanā Meditation (Samatha meaning 'calming and focusing), which beyond the scope of what is supposed to be a book review. I will just say that although meditations are designed to be Samatha and some Vipassanā, the vast majority are BOTH, and although some Buddhist feel that one can practice a Vipassanā style of meditation without developing the foundation of Samādhi and Mindfulness, I only know of one, which is very much the minority amongst Buddhist Practitioners, although at times it appears to be the majority of misunderstanding with those unfamiliar with the actual practices. It would similar to calling a style of meditation "Nirvāna Meditation" and believe that this meditation is for those who want Enlightenment, but don't need to develop any foundation of samādhi or dhyāna/jhāna (or vipassanā) that this only produces Nirvāna without any building of foundation in calming and focusing concentration, absorption, or Insight, just goes straight to Liberation, extinguishes all karma-vipāka, stlls the mind, ceases any unskillful action of body, speech or mind, but without any preliminary ethical or meditative training:)
*Ecumenical Buddhism" (differentiated from "Eclectic" in identifying/relating the unity, "oneness" within the various Schools, and unification of the one Buddhadharma, while "eclecticism" paradigm stems from a standpoint of drawing various aspects from separate, different forms of "Buddhism." Thus the fundamental paradigm of "eclectic" views the different Schools as separate divisions of Buddhism, while Ecumenical paradigm views them as having variable emphases of One Buddhadharma. Furthermore the founder of the Triratna Buddhist order & Community, although Ordained in first within the Theravada Tradition, spent 25 years in the Indian Sub-Contient, during the time that Tibet was invaded, and thus spent many years studying under various teaching lineages, and the Buddhist movement he later started (in the UK, in the 1960s has Theravadin, Mahayana/Vajrayana Tibetan and Chan/Zen Teachers, and even more so, seeks to identify and affirm the unification of principles and the 'thread' (a little "sutta, sutra, tantra pun, if you know the history of the terms "sutta, sutras & tantras") shared by all Schools of Buddhism (namely the story of the Buddha and his path to, and then teaching of, Bodhi, or Awakening. As well as the fundamental act of Going for Refuge to the Triple Gems; the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha)
Sabbe sattā sukhi hontu Sabbe sattā sukhi hontu . Sabbe sattā sukhi hontu
Sabbe sattā sukhi hontu Sabbe sattā sukhi hontu . Sabbe sattā sukhi hontu
Sabbe sattā sukhi hontu. Sabbe sattā sukhi hontu . Sabbe sattā sukhi hontu
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May 5, 2019I’ve been practicing meditation for several months using many of the tools from this book, and I don’t think it’s too hyperbolic to say it’s changed my life for the better. I suspect I‘be always dealt with some form of ADD, though I’ve never tried to get formally diagnosed. Meditation has helped my ability to concentrate, and I feel more able to be present when I need to be.
I think it’s human nature to let our emotions take us for a ride wherever they want to go, but meditation allows you to be an fully present observer of what’s going on in mind, which to me has been an amazing paradigm shift.
I could go on about the virtues of practicing mindfulness but I’d recommend reading this book. I didn’t particularly like the title because it sounds very self-helpy, but I would give the content of the book 5 stars. The main drawback is that a book probably isn’t the best medium for this content. Much of the book consists of guided meditations, which means you would need to read through the meditation and then try to remember what you read as you try it on your own. It works much better when someone is speaking and guiding you through your meditation. The book does point you to a few downloads of guided meditations which is great, but I’d recommend going to the authors website, sharonsalzberg.com where there are many more.
I’ve tried guided meditations before and usually the guide ends up annoying me with their of cheesiness and the birds chirping sound effects come off as superficial and dumb, but Sharon sounds like a normal person as she’s guiding you, and there aren’t any sound effects. I believe everyone can benefit from practicing the principles taught in this book.
I think it’s human nature to let our emotions take us for a ride wherever they want to go, but meditation allows you to be an fully present observer of what’s going on in mind, which to me has been an amazing paradigm shift.
I could go on about the virtues of practicing mindfulness but I’d recommend reading this book. I didn’t particularly like the title because it sounds very self-helpy, but I would give the content of the book 5 stars. The main drawback is that a book probably isn’t the best medium for this content. Much of the book consists of guided meditations, which means you would need to read through the meditation and then try to remember what you read as you try it on your own. It works much better when someone is speaking and guiding you through your meditation. The book does point you to a few downloads of guided meditations which is great, but I’d recommend going to the authors website, sharonsalzberg.com where there are many more.
I’ve tried guided meditations before and usually the guide ends up annoying me with their of cheesiness and the birds chirping sound effects come off as superficial and dumb, but Sharon sounds like a normal person as she’s guiding you, and there aren’t any sound effects. I believe everyone can benefit from practicing the principles taught in this book.
February 28, 2021
I really enjoyed Sharon Salzberg's "Lovingkindness" which is the best introduction I know to Metta Mediation. I have read several introductions to mediation by now but non explained mindfulness and mediation as overall succinct and focused as Salzberg's "Real Happiness". I read it in one week, rather than making it a 28-day programme.
While I do think it is the most precise introduction to meditation which I have so far encountered, there are shorter introductions but this introduction explains all the core concepts and practices most precisely and in enough detail with fairly little surplus detail. It also steers clear of all super-natural, esoteric or religious aspects of meditation practice, by and large. I think, however, overall, I enjoyed this book mostly because it clarified concepts and practices for me rather than introducing me to new ideas. Two of my main takeaways were if you want to build a good meditation habit, just sit down (even if you don't meditate or if it doesn't go well) and the other being "we don't practise meditation to get good at meditation but to get good at life".
What I found hard to determine is whether I would recommend this book to a novice. If one is looking for clear instructions of why and how to build a meditation practice and/or habit, this is probably the book to go for out of the ones I've read. This is a question which I'd ask myself particularly against the background of whether it would have convinced me to start meditation - probably not; "Ten Percent Happier" by Dan Harris or "Waking Up" by Sam Harris do that job better. However, Salzberg's book does a better job then at explaining how and why, once you are convinced and perhaps already committed. I think if I look back to about half a year ago when I started daily mindfulness meditation and was using guided meditations delivered via an app, I would have found this book tremendously useful to clarify whether I am "doing this right" or where to go next, etc. In those circumstances, I'd say Salzberg's "Real Happiness" is the best book to read.
What I also found good was that I read a couple of books recently which tell you all about "lots of research" and then does not tell you the exact source. While Salzberg uses no footnotes or similar markings in the text, the book contains endnotes which reveal the exact sources.
I feel like I should have given five stars to this book. However, purely subjectively with me having read other books on the topic and having read other books by the author, I did not feel that it was my favourite book on mediation for me personally. For me personally, it was more of a revision than a means of taking my practice or understanding to the next level. However, as a revision there's probably no better book, I would say.
While I do think it is the most precise introduction to meditation which I have so far encountered, there are shorter introductions but this introduction explains all the core concepts and practices most precisely and in enough detail with fairly little surplus detail. It also steers clear of all super-natural, esoteric or religious aspects of meditation practice, by and large. I think, however, overall, I enjoyed this book mostly because it clarified concepts and practices for me rather than introducing me to new ideas. Two of my main takeaways were if you want to build a good meditation habit, just sit down (even if you don't meditate or if it doesn't go well) and the other being "we don't practise meditation to get good at meditation but to get good at life".
What I found hard to determine is whether I would recommend this book to a novice. If one is looking for clear instructions of why and how to build a meditation practice and/or habit, this is probably the book to go for out of the ones I've read. This is a question which I'd ask myself particularly against the background of whether it would have convinced me to start meditation - probably not; "Ten Percent Happier" by Dan Harris or "Waking Up" by Sam Harris do that job better. However, Salzberg's book does a better job then at explaining how and why, once you are convinced and perhaps already committed. I think if I look back to about half a year ago when I started daily mindfulness meditation and was using guided meditations delivered via an app, I would have found this book tremendously useful to clarify whether I am "doing this right" or where to go next, etc. In those circumstances, I'd say Salzberg's "Real Happiness" is the best book to read.
What I also found good was that I read a couple of books recently which tell you all about "lots of research" and then does not tell you the exact source. While Salzberg uses no footnotes or similar markings in the text, the book contains endnotes which reveal the exact sources.
I feel like I should have given five stars to this book. However, purely subjectively with me having read other books on the topic and having read other books by the author, I did not feel that it was my favourite book on mediation for me personally. For me personally, it was more of a revision than a means of taking my practice or understanding to the next level. However, as a revision there's probably no better book, I would say.
June 21, 2022
As much as I wanted to like Real Happiness more, I found it difficult to get through. As a longtime meditator, I’m not the target audience. I was hoping to find some tips for teaching my own meditation classes, but Salzberg’s approach and exercises are very different from mine. I found her wording repetitive and the book didn’t really hold my interest.
However, Real Happiness could be very useful for a beginning meditator looking for a 4-week program with lots of Q&A that might or might not apply to their situation. I especially like that Salzberg includes free online audio files for her meditations.
And even though I’ve only rated 3 stars (“liked it”), the following quotes are worth contemplating:
“It’s better to do nothing than to waste your time.” –unattributed Insight Meditator
“Meditation is never one thing.” –S. Salzberg
“Meditation allows us to stop looking for happiness in the wrong places.” –S. Salzberg
I’m going to try reading Salzberg’s 1995 book Lovingkindness with a book club next month. I’m not usually keen on lovingkindness meditations—they feel unnatural to me—but perhaps I’ll learn something. If I like it, I’ll post a review.
However, Real Happiness could be very useful for a beginning meditator looking for a 4-week program with lots of Q&A that might or might not apply to their situation. I especially like that Salzberg includes free online audio files for her meditations.
And even though I’ve only rated 3 stars (“liked it”), the following quotes are worth contemplating:
“It’s better to do nothing than to waste your time.” –unattributed Insight Meditator
“Meditation is never one thing.” –S. Salzberg
“Meditation allows us to stop looking for happiness in the wrong places.” –S. Salzberg
I’m going to try reading Salzberg’s 1995 book Lovingkindness with a book club next month. I’m not usually keen on lovingkindness meditations—they feel unnatural to me—but perhaps I’ll learn something. If I like it, I’ll post a review.
November 30, 2017
I have a hard time learning things that you do (as opposed to things that you know) from books, because having to stop and try it breaks up the flow, and it's a personal problem. I mention it because this book breaks things down simply enough that I had learned quite a bit from it before stopping to try anything.
There is a CD that you can listen to for guidance through various meditations, and that is a helpful addition, but I think the written information is clear enough that you could make it work.
One of the most helpful aspects is a persistent acknowledgment of how attempts will go imperfectly, and yet how attempts still help. This should spare a lot of frustration and giving up.
There is a CD that you can listen to for guidance through various meditations, and that is a helpful addition, but I think the written information is clear enough that you could make it work.
One of the most helpful aspects is a persistent acknowledgment of how attempts will go imperfectly, and yet how attempts still help. This should spare a lot of frustration and giving up.
May 12, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it was my favourite self-help book and I have read quite a few.
The reason it's different to other self help books is because it doesn't try to convince you that if you read this book and do these things your life will be drastically different. Rather it explains how life is full of highs and lows which is something we can never change and the power of meditation helps us to be more accepting of the circumstances in our life.
I am definitely going to try some of the mediations regularly. I would also recommend this book for anyone that has experienced anxiety.
The reason it's different to other self help books is because it doesn't try to convince you that if you read this book and do these things your life will be drastically different. Rather it explains how life is full of highs and lows which is something we can never change and the power of meditation helps us to be more accepting of the circumstances in our life.
I am definitely going to try some of the mediations regularly. I would also recommend this book for anyone that has experienced anxiety.
July 24, 2018
I didn't finish this, as halfway through I decided that mindfulness -- at least a daily practice of 20+ minutes -- wasn't for me. But if you're serious about starting a daily practice of insight mindfulness meditation, then I would think that this is a wonderful place to start. A very clear and concise primer by one of the people responsible for bringing vipassana meditation to the US.
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