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Mindfulness, Bliss, and Beyond: A Meditator's Handbook by [Brahm, Jack Kornfield]

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Ajahn Brahm

Mindfulness, Bliss, and Beyond: A Meditator's Handbook Kindle Edition

by Brahm (Author), Jack Kornfield (Foreword) Format: Kindle Edition

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Meditation: it's not just a way to relax, or to deal with life's problems. Done correctly, it can be a way to radically encounter bliss and to begin - and sustain - real transformation in ourselves.

In Mindfulness, Bliss, and Beyond, self-described meditation junkie Ajahn Brahm shares his knowledge and experience of the jhanas - a core part of the Buddha's original meditation teaching. Never before has this material been approached in such an empowering way, by a teacher of such authority and popularity.

Full of surprises, delightfully goofy humor, and entertaining stories that inspire, instruct, and illuminate, Mindfulness, Bliss, and Beyond will encourage those new to meditation, and give a shot in the arm to more experienced practitioners as well.

Print length

308 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Wisdom Publications
Publication date

August 10, 2006
File size

1573 KB
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jack Kornfield, PhD, is one of the best known, most respected meditation teachers in the world. A psychologist and founder of two of the largest Buddhist centers and communities in America, he is one of the key teachers to introduce mindfulness to the West. His books, which include A Path with Heart; After the Ecstasy, the Laundry; and The Wise Heart, are classics, selling well over a million copies, and translated into twenty-one languages. Jack has taught at major universities and centers worldwide, including Harvard, Stanford, UCLA, and Berkeley; he teaches regular classes to four hundred at Spirit Rock in Marin County and to large crowds nationwide at retreats, conferences, and events. To learn more, please visit: JackKornfield.com or SpiritRock.org.

From Publishers Weekly

Most Buddhist writers are not often lighthearted or zesty, but the British-born monk Ajahn Brahm is a delightful exception. Even though meditators are taught to not expect anything, since that represents an attachment, meditation should bring you joy and bliss, according to Brahm. The bliss states of meditation (jhanas) are little-taught, so this book is an addition with value in a crowded niche. Trained in the Thai forest tradition by the Buddhist master Ajahn Chah, Brahm is a clear communicator of the ineffable. He is able to write about a variety of mental states and visualizations with precision and discrimination, drawing on his own experience. He is step-by-step systematic, which helps demystify what happens in meditation. Also useful is the specificity with which he describes the kinds of problems meditators encounter and what to do to resolve them. Meditation is difficult to teach on the page, but Brahm, who began life as an academic at Cambridge, fulfills his calling as teacher. He projects both energetic conviction and calm equanimity. The promise of bliss he describes in this excellent manual is elusive, but remains a compelling goal. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Review

"This book is the kind of work that comes around once in a lifetime. I cannot recommend it more highly than that, and encourage anyone with a serious interest in the meditative disciplines taught by the Buddha to buy this book - now!", BuddhaSpace

"This clear and accessible book describes meditative absorption states (jhana) and how to attain them. An excellent road map to the the development of jhana, which, as the title suggests, is beyond bliss.", Inquiring Mind

"Most Buddhist writers are not often lighthearted or zesty, but the British-born Ajahn Brahm is a delightful exception. Brahm is a clear communicator of the ineffable and projects both energetic conviction and calm equanimity. The promise of bliss he describes in this excellent manual is elusive, but remains a compelling goal.", Publishers Weekly

"Like a broom through cobwebs, Ajahn Brahm here sweeps away the mysteries surrounding the jhanas. Mindfulness, Bliss, and Beyond is salted with the illustrative, often witty life stories that Brahm is well known for, and he uses readily understandable language to explain what some teachers shy from. Finding this book is like finding an operator's manual for one's practice. Raising the bar for those serious about their practice, he scolds those who would 'dumb-down' nibbana and challenges us to reach for the ultimate happiness. Mindfulness, Bliss, and Beyond is a bold book, sure to be controversial." -- John Roberts, Buddhist Council of the Northwest

"From the first word (meditation) to the last (Parinibbana), Mindfulness, Bliss, and Beyond is riveting, rollicking, and uncompromisingly "real". Ajahn Brahm's voice is utterly fresh. But watch out! In the greatest tradition of our beloved roshis and bhikkhus, it is also compelling and commanding. Readers seeking a sure guide to 'the bliss better than sex' will find it in this wonderful book." -- Glenn Wallis, translator of The Dhammapada: Verses on the Way

"Ajahn Brahm is the Seinfeld of Buddhism." -- Sumi Loundon, editor of Blue Jean Buddha

"Ajahn Brahm is originally from London, and his working-class humor and cockney turns of phrase can be charming. Readers will see why so many people are drawn to hear him.", Shambhala Sun

"Ajahn Brahm has not only provided great leadership for the Buddhist community, but has dedicated much of his time to helping the wider community with a strong sense of compassion, understanding and humour." -- Vice-Chancellor Professor Lance Twomey, Curtin University

"One can never be bored by Ajahn Brahm. Newcomers to Buddhism are always fascinated by how he easily he is able to explain difficult concepts in ordinary language the mind can grasp.", Eastern Horizon --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From the Author

Ajahn Brahmavamso Mahathera (known to most as Ajahn Brahm), born Peter Betts in London in 1951, is a Theravada Buddhist monk. Ajahn Brahm grew up in London and earned a degree in Theoretical Physics from Cambridge University. Disillusioned with the world of academe, he trained as a monk in the jungles of Thailand under Ajahn Chah. A monk for over thirty years, Ajahn Brahm is a revered spiritual guide and the abbot of Bodhinyana Monastery, in Serpentine, Western Australia-one of the largest monasteries in the southern hemisphere. He is also the Spiritual Director of the Buddhist Society of Western Australia, and spiritual adviser and inspiration for Buddhist centers throughout Asia and Australia. His winning combination of wit and wisdom makes his books bestsellers in many languages, and on his teaching tours Brahm regularly draws multinational audiences of thousands.

Jack Kornfield co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, in 1975 and later the Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. He holds a PhD in clinical psychology. His books include After the Ecstasy, the Laundry and the national bestseller A Path with Heart. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B003XKN6C8
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wisdom Publications; Annotated edition (August 10, 2006)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 10, 2006
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1573 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 308 pages
Lending ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #439,460 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #64 in Theravada Buddhism (Kindle Store)
- #152 in Theravada Buddhism (Books)
- #232 in Buddhist Rituals & Practice (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
266 ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

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seeker

The Best Buddhist Teacher I Know Of

Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2018

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Ajahn Brahm is by far my favorite Buddhist teacher. I have read all the others that are staples of your spiritual bookstore shelf--Chodron, Kornfield, Salzberg, Hanh, Surya Das, etc.. They are all useful teachers, but they lack Brahm's sense of humor, simplicity, and, quite frankly, what I take to be his empowerment. Brahm, a former British physicist and a plain spoken fellow, is, I believe, a genuine spiritual adept and an advahoot--to use the Hindi term for one who has given up everything for enlightenment. This means he has the spiritual power (the shakti, to again use a term from Hindi tradition) to accelerate your meditative progress simply by his presence and that presence adheres in his words, teachings, and techniques. If you practice his meditation teachings, you will quickly find yourself having blissful and unusual experiences--experiences that were absent or hard to come by when I practiced the meditation techniques given by other Buddhist teachers in the West. Because of this, he appears to be somewhat controversial in the Western Buddhist community. He is not nearly as warmly embraced by the folks I mentioned above as one might expect given the efficacy of his techniques. Yes, Kornfield writes an introduction to this book, but he offers some doubts or hesitancy concerning Brahm's teachings regarding Jhanas. I am not an advanced student so I am not qualified to enter into this debate, but I only know that Brahm's techniques work for me and Kornfield's tend to leave me cold. So if you're looking for Buddhist techniques that feel warm and juicy, instead of distant and intellectual, check out Master Brahm. He'll clear your head and warm your heart!

40 people found this helpful

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Jason

I'd lose my practice whenever I'd find no joy in it

Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2015

Verified Purchase

I've been studying Ajahn Brahm's YouTube videos on meditation for about a month. They've brought me peace of mind and bliss in my day-to-day life. So I decided to grab a copy of this handbook. It contains everything from his video taped meditation retreats laid out in an organized and in-depth way. The handbook goes beyond the videos. The methods are the same and they don't conflict with each other.

Let me first step back and say that Ajahn Brahm's teachings on meditation are the only ones that have ever worked for me. I learned meditation at a Zen center in Atlanta in 2002 and have practiced that style of Zen meditation on and off. I'd lose my practice whenever I'd find no joy in it. I felt more frustrated and the "concentration" I developed made me more on edge. It wasn't until I recently started learning from Ajahn Brahm that I realized I was doing it all wrong.

Of course Buddhists over the past 1000+ years can't seem to agree on anything, and Thich Naht Hanh's teachings on meditation conflict with Ajahn Brahms, for example, but I can tell you that I have experienced deep joy from Ajahn Brahm's interpretation of the Buddha's meditation methods. Therefore I'm sticking with it.

Thanks to Ajahn Brahm's methods, I'm meditating throughout the day whenever I can find spare time simply because I now love to meditate. Meditation never feels like a chore. I do it now because I want to.

43 people found this helpful

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Remi Goodheart

The clearest roadmap to enlightenment I've encountered.

Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2017

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The clearest roadmap to enlightenment I've encountered. Through following its instructions seriously for a time, I was able to achieve the first jhana. I haven't progressed beyond that stage due to my own lack of focus in the last few years, not because of this book's instruction. I have no personal experience to back up its claims about the remaining jhanas. But my intuition tells me that this book is correct. One feels, in reading it and following its very practical advice, like an arrow speeding toward the target.

15 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Without a background in Buddhism, you may not get what it promises

Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2018

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The way Ajahn Brahm writes about the Middle Way in his book may lead to the misconception that it is all about a philosophy of compromise between things, like asceticism and sense indulgence. This is not the case - the Middle Way is the Eightfold Path. I would not recommend Ajahn Brahm's book without a background in Buddhism first. It overlooks the fundamental point of understanding suffering. Without this understanding, focusing on the breath isn't going to lead anyone to enlightenment.

8 people found this helpful

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Ulf Wolf

A book (a manual, a friend) that invites and encourages practice

Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2015

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Over the years as a practicing Buddhist I have read my share of books and manuals on meditation, especially those dealing with or touching upon Ānāpānasati and Jhāna. Initially I read these many books to learn from experienced meditators what to do and then, after I had accumulated quite a store of them, I re-read them to reconcile their different and sometimes conflicting messages.

Is Jhāna attainable these days, in this noisy, me-me-me world of ours? Some books hold that this is no longer possible (maybe one in a million, if that, can truly attain these deep absorptions, they say); other books skirt the issue altogether; while Ajahn Brahm courageously holds that: “Yes, it is possible.” And not only possible, but attainable by anyone, given the right intention, a virtuous life, and perseverance.

This book is a meditation manual, and now, looking over my book shelf of its many siblings and cousins, I clearly see that if I could only bring one of them with me to that clichéd desert island, this would be the one.

Ajahn Brahm is an intelligent man, and he reasons very clearly. His analysis of the applicable Pali Canon references and his reconciliation of apparently conflicting passages deserve applause.

His approach to Samādhi and Jhāna is logical and practical, and—above all—both understandable and doable. Setting out from the basics of meditation, navigating through the handling of hindrances, then treating mindfulness and the beautiful breath with both clarity and contagious enthusiasm, he leads you all the way from your initial sitting down and letting go of past and future, to—down the path a ways—enlightenment and Nibbāna.

This is a book (a manual, a friend) that invites and encourages practice, and as such (despite Jack Kornfield’s somewhat guarded introduction and recommendation) is what, in my view, the world desperately needs today.

In two words: Highly Recommended.

29 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Em

Not a general guide; for experienced meditators

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 6, 2020

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This seems like a pretty good book, but it’s turned out to be too advanced for me. I’ve been meditating for a few years (though with very little discipline), but I’m not at a high enough level to really make use of this book. This text focuses primarily on the jhanas, and by its own description in the early chapters, it really sort of picks up in the later stages of meditation, before entering these deep states. So, it advises that you’ll need to be well-practiced in silent present moment awareness, and able to remain fully and entirely with your breath for many hundreds of breaths, unable to notice sounds around you or even to feel sensations of physical pain in your body, and *then* you get this book and learn how to enter bliss states. For myself, that is a long way off! As a lay person I have been practicing for years, but this book is beyond me: this is my only quibble with it. It’s a fine text and well-written, and I knew it covered the jhanas, but from the descriptions on the website, I was expecting it to be more of a general handbook on meditation, accessible to anyone who wasn’t a total beginner. But if you’re at the point where you can sustain pure focus for a long time and generally already have out-of-body experiences when you meditate, and you want to push onward into bliss states, then this may be perfect for you :o)

6 people found this helpful

Tom Scattergood

Essential for any meditator

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 15, 2019

Verified Purchase

Cannot fault this book. It has instruction for meditation in stages so you know where your going and whether your on the right track. Massive sadu's to Ajahn Brahm for this gift of a book.

The thing that makes this book really special is it gives you a feeling that it is all possible; jhanas, insight, nibbana, the lot! I believe AJ Brahm must be highly accomplished himself to be able to describe and instruct on these ancient, sometimes seemingly impossible states so clearly.
May all beings be happy and peaceful.

5 people found this helpful

Star

Great Meditation book.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 21, 2019

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This is a great book for anyone that wants to take their meditation a little further.

2 people found this helpful

Gemma

Great

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 7, 2020

Verified Purchase

Great product - no issues

One person found this helpful

Pete

Lovely book.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 7, 2014

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For those wishing to further their meditation practice. It does back track, to remind you of a few basic principals. It has a real charm that shines from the author, Ajahn Brahm who really knows what he is doing from so many years of experience. He relates well to the none Buddhist reader in a way that helps you progress with ease.

4 people found this helpful

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Ajahn Brahm
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