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Verdiep Je Mindfulness (2009)

by Henepola Gunaratana(Favorite Author)

4.11 of 5 Votes: 3

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Gottmer Uitgevers Groep bv

review 1: The jhanas are states of deep relaxation and presence of mind with a detachment from external stimuli. Many people are familiar with Insight Meditation (Vipassana) of Theravada Buddhism, the oldest surviving form ( not the oldest form absolutely ) of Buddhism. However, until recently almost nothing has been written about the Jhanas in English and what was written has been mistaken, as well as confusing. "Beyond Mindfulness In Plain English" is one of about 4 new books about the Jhanas meant to clear up misconceptions and be accessible to a Western audience. The author is the Venerable Henepola Gunaratana, a Sri Lankan Buddhist monk for most of his life who enjoys a reputation as a top Buddhist scholar and who runs the Bhavanna Society Buddhist meditation retreat cent... moreer in West Virginia.The reader will not find sharply defined step by step directions in this book for achieving the Jhanas. This being the second book I've read on the subject in addition to several articles, my opinion is that there isn't any such thing as a recipe for getting into the jhanic states. Achieving such states isn't something someone can do as part of a meditation session isolated from the rest of their life. The first half of this book gives very good advice for where you want to go in your daily psychological life to make the jhanas more likely to happen. That advice is also likely to make you a happier person.As other authors on the subject have written, the Venerable Gunaratana honestly states that meditation retreats are likely essential for achieving the jhanas. No esoteric reason. The jhanas simply require a peaceful environment and a large amount of meditation time that people will likely not be able to sustain in their homes.From the perspective of actually doing meditation, the most important factor for getting closer to the jhanas, according to Bhante Gunaratana, is cultivating mindfulness of the mind. Mindfulness, is having your mind fully in the present moment without drifting off. Additionally, as one advances in meditation Bhante Gunaratana strongly emphasizes mindfulness of what is going on in the mind as being essential for moving closer to and achieving the jhanas.The book matches its title. It is a discussion of these deep states of meditation without deluging the reader in many foreign terms. However, despite the plain language the subject of the jhanas is approached from the perspective of Theravada Buddhist teachings. This book isn't a secular cookbook of precise recipes for achieving particular meditative states.The reader who will get the most out of this book is a person with a solid familiarity of Theravada Buddhist concepts and who has had a strong meditation practice for several years. Other readers will find the Venerable Gunaratana's book "Mindfulness In Plain English" much more useful. That book is an extremely well written introduction to Theravada Buddhist techniques.
review 2: The first half of this book is about the basics of Buddhism and meditation. It outlines the hindrances and fetters and provides some helpful hints to stay focused during meditation. The suggestions are clear, easily applicable, and helped me to isolate and de-escalate my anger in several situations. The second half of the book describes the four stages of jhana--what I understand to be deep meditation. Even though I have never experienced deeper states of meditation, the explanations of jhana provided by Gunaratana are intriguing and once again, fairly easy to comprehend. less

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