The Heart of Buddhist Meditation

“The book that started it all—the book that, with great clarity and ardor, introduced Vipassana and mindfulness to the West… . . . timeless—and universal.” —Jon Kabat Zinn, author of Mindfulness for Beginners and Full Catastrophe Living

A classic text on the essence of Buddhist meditation, The Heart of Buddhist Meditation is an excellent, in-depth description of mindfulness practice and its benefits. It includes a concise explanation of clear comprehension, which is the kind of mindfulness you use in the course of your daily life. It also presents an easily understandable explanation of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness.

Although the Buddha lived over 2500 years ago, his teachings on meditation are among the most effective methods for healing the pain of grief, finding inner peace, and overcoming the sense of dislocation caused by living in the 21st century. Mindfulness is a method not only for committed Buddhists. It is for everyone interested in mastering the mind.

From the introduction to this new edition from noted author and teacher Sylvia Boorstein:

The Heart of Buddhist Meditation was the first serious, didactic Dharma book I read. It was the early 1980s. My teacher, Jack Kornfield, suggested it as the beginning formal training of my becoming a Mindfulness teacher. I have that original copy and I am touched by how many underlined passages, how many exclamation points in margins, how many addendums of my own written in tiny scrawl appear in its fading pages.

“An invaluable, classic meditation guide . . .sure to benefit many.” —Sharon Salzberg, CoFounder of The Insight Meditation Society and author of LovingKindness and Real Happiness