The Roots of Buddhist Psychology

Rating:
Summary: Emasculated Spirituality
Review: At one point in this tape set, Kornfield warns that the path of peace is not a path of emasculated spirituality. Unfortunately, his whining, artificial, NPR-esque voice has already alerted the listener that in his case, it just might be. . . I was familiar with Kornfield through his book, "A Path With Heart," which is an excellent read. I was expecting this tape set to be similarly 'enlightening.' It is not. The tapes deal sparingly with what Kornfield terms 'Buddhist psychology'; they deal at great length with various New Age concerns and Kornfield's attachments to certain residual 60's fancies. Kornfield occasionally quotes from Buddhist masters; he more frequently quotes from his apparent heros, Nelson Mandela, Gandhi, and the author of "Children's Letters to God." My impression from this tape series is that Kornfield is quite hung up on his pet causes and that he is using the mantle of Buddhism to promote his own beliefs. For California Buddhists, this series may be IT, but for anyone seeking the genuine article, I'd suggest you look elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: Emasculated Spirituality
Review: At one point in this tape set, Kornfield warns that the path of peace is not a path of emasculated spirituality. Unfortunately, his whining, artificial, NPR-esque voice has already alerted the listener that in his case, it just might be. . . I was familiar with Kornfield through his book, "A Path With Heart," which is an excellent read. I was expecting this tape set to be similarly 'enlightening.' It is not. The tapes deal sparingly with what Kornfield terms 'Buddhist psychology'; they deal at great length with various New Age concerns and Kornfield's attachments to certain residual 60's fancies. Kornfield occasionally quotes from Buddhist masters; he more frequently quotes from his apparent heros, Nelson Mandela, Gandhi, and the author of "Children's Letters to God." My impression from this tape series is that Kornfield is quite hung up on his pet causes and that he is using the mantle of Buddhism to promote his own beliefs. For California Buddhists, this series may be IT, but for anyone seeking the genuine article, I'd suggest you look elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: Teacher of Metaphysics
Review: Jack Kornfield is an excellent teacher of metaphysics. He weaves the reader through the teachings of Buddhist Psychology like an artist uncovering an image that cannot be seen apart from an inner vision revealing itself. He illuminates these teachings in practical ways that are easily used in daily life. -- Samuel Oliver, author of, WHAT THE DYING TEACH US: LESSONS ON LIVING.

Rating:
Summary: Buddhist strategies for living in the present
Review: ROOTS OF BUDDHIST PSYCHOLOGY, THE Jack Kornfield

The Buddhasaid many times that just as the great oceans have but one taste, sodo all the true teachings of the dharma: the taste of freedom. Jack Kornfield's The Roots of Buddhist Psychology is an invitation to drink deeply of these teachings, to taste the wisdom that flows from the heart of Buddhism's most useful ideas on the interior life and what brings awakening, freedom, and happiness. Jack Kornfield opens this eternal view of the mind for all listeners on this six-cassette collection.

Among the world's great religions, Buddhism has developed a rich psychology based not on metaphysics, but on the human predicament. Through its strategies, you can discover for yourself how to find true freedom from worldly suffering. Buddhism views the mind as a maze of feelings, perceptions, and emotional states. Unhappiness is rooted in unskillful responses to our world: grasping when things are pleasant; aversion when they are unpleasant; and delusion/confusion when they are neutral. Through awareness training, Kornfield teaches, you can transform these responses into real skills that are the path to awakening and freedom.

Like no other teaching course, The Roots of Buddhist Psychology gives you these immediate strategies for living in the present: 12 profound lectures, each one a gem of intelligent wisdom, on Buddhism's central teachings about the psyche and sacred attention. Here are over nine hours of specific instruction, taught in the classic tradition and enlivened with many parables, worldly stories, and thoughts from artists, philosophers, and writers who have helped us see how to live true, useful lives. Discover for yourself that what you seek is already here.

LEARN MORE ABOUT:

The Six Senses and Six Perceptions that define our mental responses to the world; How separateness creates fear in our lives; The 10,000 joys and 10,000 sorrows of life; Where judgment and blame come from; The hidden connections that link us directly to eternity; Why this moment is all there is in your life; How to transform unskillful fear into qualities that do make you happy; What true abundance is, and where it comes from; A simple teaching to cultivate generosity the natural way; What anger really is; The two great forces of the psyche and how to tame them; What true strength is, and why it has nothing to do with the physical world; Fearlessness: the source of real wisdom; The difference between religion and the divine mystery; The Tibetan art of "dream" yoga; Jung's equation between neurosis and suffering; "The Abodes of the Gods": the Four Divine Qualities within each of us, and their enemies; Meeting your pain with joy, instead of self-pity; and much more.

Jack Kornfield, Ph.D. is a meditation teacher, author, and psychotherapist. After returning in 1972 from Asia, where he lived as a Buddhist monk for five years, Jack Kornfield cofounded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, and obtained a doctorate in clinical psychology. His books include A Path with Heart; Seeking the Heart of Wisdom(with Joseph Goldstein); and Stories of the Spirit, Stories of the Heart(with Christina Feldman). Dr. Kornfield currently lives with his wife and daughter near California's Spirit Rock Center, where he is a guiding teacher.

Rating:
Summary: wonderful, wise and compassionate teacher at his best
Review: Wholeheartedly recommend these tapes by Jack Kornfield. He is a very wise teacher, and these tapes have kept me company through the ups and downs of my own spiritual practice. A wonderful, erudite but grounded collection of teachings.