Rating: 
Summary: Complicated Book
Review: For those of you who are lazy to mow your lawn, this book is not for you. It's thick and too complicated. I personally find the exercises between each chapters obnoxious. Go get Open Heart... by Dalai Lama, it's much easier read, very inspiring, and good glimpse into Eastern Buddhism.
Rating:
Summary: Complicated Book
Review: For those of you who are lazy to mow your lawn, this book is not for you. It's thick and too complicated. I personally find the exercises between each chapters obnoxious. Go get Open Heart... by Dalai Lama, it's much easier read, very inspiring, and good glimpse into Eastern Buddhism.
Rating: 
Summary: This is one of my personal "bibles"
Review: Hi, I was browsing for something else and thought I would pop in here to say A Path With Heart has been a personal bible to me these past three years. Kornfield writes with grace, kindness and clarity. An excellent guide not only to breathing /mindfulness meditation practice, but to the wider experiences of having a spiritual practice of any kind.
Rating:
Summary: A "Path" worth travelling.
Review: I arrived at this 1993 book after reading Jack Kornfield's more recent book, AFTER THE ECSTASY, THE LAUNDRY (2000). I enthusiastically recommend both books.We must be a lamp unto ourselves, the Buddha said. We must find our own true way. This is really the point of Kornfield's book. As a former Buddhist monk, a psychologist, and a seasoned meditation teacher, Kornfield has the qualifications to help us on our journey through life. "What matters is simple," he writes. "We must make certain that our path is connected with our heart" (p. 11). To live a genuine spiritual life in this confusing world, and a society all too often "addicted to alcohol, drugs, gambling, food, sexuality, unhealthy relationships, or the speed and busyness of work" (p.23), we must bring our full attention to life. "To open deeply, as a genuine spiritual life requires," Kornfield says, "we need tremendous courage and strength, a kind of warrior spirit . . . We need a warrior's heart that lets us face our lives directly, our pains and limitations, our joys and possibilities" (p. 8). Although written from a Buddhist perspective, this book will appeal to anyone interested in living an authentic life. It is filled with insightful passages. In Chapter Two, Kornfield encourages his reader to stop the war with oneself and make peace. He teaches his reader in Chapter Seven to name one's demons, e.g., greed, fear, doubt, judgment, confusion, anger, boredom, sleepiness, and restlessness, in order to gain power over them. "A genuine spiritual path does not avoid difficulties or mistakes," Kornfield observes in Chapter Six, entitled "Turning Straw into Gold," "but leads us to the art of making mistakes wakefully" (p. 72). (Facing the difficulties of one's spiritual life becomes the theme of Kornfield's current book, AFTER THE ECSTASY, THE LAUNDRY.) Learn to be a lamp unto yourself, he writes in Chapter Eleven, "our liberation and happiness arise from our own deep knowing" (p. 159). In Chapter Twenty--one of my favorite passages in this book--Kornfield writes: "Everything we do in life is a chance to awaken" (p. 291). He asks: "Can we bring the Buddha into the voting booth where we live; can we act as the Buddha, writing letters to our congressmen and congresswomen; can we share in feeding the hungry; can we walk like the Buddha to demonstrate for peace or justice or care for our environment? The greatest gift we can bring to the challenges of these areas is our wisdom and greatness of heart" (p. 293). If you liked AFTER THE ECSTASY, you will like this book. Read it. It will become a well-travelled "Path" on your bookshelf. G. Merritt
Rating: 
Summary: A Path that is Not Only Dangerous, But Full of Potholes!
Review: I downloaded a very long article written by a Bhikku. He is very outranged by Kornfield and others of his ilk. He states that Buddhism causes the ceasing of ALL suffering. And that Kornfield's mixing psychotherapy in the form of Jungian and Reichian therapy is rapidly turning American Buddhism into diluted root beer. I would like to give a quote from this book. Then maybe you can decide. Page 245. "Problems such as early abuse, addiction, and difficulties of love and sexuality require the close, concious, and ongoing support of a skillful healer to resolve." Well, my good friend Ed in San Antonio and I have had very little luck with therapists in an accumulation of over 60 years with a multitude of therapists. Jack's pure love of psychotherapy and fame seemed to have rocked his brain. Does he know what he is doing? Nhat Hanh suggests in one of his books that what he calls "The Five Wonderful Precepts" can cure childhood wounds. If Jack thinks that we should sit at a CoDA metting with a Teddy Bear named "Fluffy" on our laps while we cry out what our Mommy and Daddy have done to us, then okay. Page 221. "We can reflect on how needs were met in our family, how limits were set, how insecurity was treated. Until then, we will repeat them in our spiitual life. Twelve Step meetings offer participants to hear the personal stories of other members. This honest telling of our family story can be a powerful process in our sorting out health from dependence, respect from fear, and finding a wise and true compassion." Well, Jack, I've been to 120 12-step CoDA meetings. I've lead groups. And I've spilled my guts for ten minutes which is supposedly healthy. Everybody seems to be involved in the John Bradshaw view of blaming your parents and your past. This is dharma? I would read the books of Nhat Hanh and stay away from this filth. It will do you no good.
Rating:
Summary: Honest. Truthful. Full of Heart.
Review: I follow a pathway of self-teaching, formerly with a teacher, and now on my own. Kornfield's book was of immense importance to me in making my decision to stay or leave a particular metaphysical church group following disclosure of the married teacher/minister's affair with a fellow student. He succinctly and with HEART put into words my emotional reaction, gut feelings and intellectual musings of the situation, resulting in my growth as a human being. I decided to leave the group because it was unable to maintain what I believed to be a minimal standard for behavior, and Kornfield was able to assist me in deciding what my boundaries would be. I have read the entire book many times since I first found it years ago and it remains fresh and applicable to whatever I might question. A PATH WITH HEART IS A MUST FOR ANY SPIRITUAL SEEKER.
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Summary: The best tool for a beginner
Review: I have been looking for a change in my life for some time now. This is the only book I have read that makes me really understand the spirituality of Buddhism. It definately has worked miracles in my life.
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Summary: Changed my Life!!!
Review: I have been reading books on Buddhism and related topics for over a year. This book changed my life again by opening me to many things that I had been ignoring. It especially helped me see how hard and critical I have been toward myself and has taught me to bring compassion to myself and except and love all aspects of life even the unpleasantries.
Rating:
Summary: One of the greatest contemporary spritual guidebooks!
Review: I have studied with numerous meditation teachers in the Christian, Zen, Theravadin, and Hindu traditions and have read practically EVERY Buddhist Meditation book published over the years. As a contemporary guide to a sustained meditation practice this title is unsurpassed. It provides an overview of meditation techniques, gives simple instructions, and explores the pitfalls of practice common to all traditions. But further, it provides wise guidance in integrating spiritual practice into our daily lives ... which should be the ultimate aim in any spiritual path!
Rating:
Summary: Personal and Universal
Review: I read this book when it was first published and recognized immediately that Jack Kornfield's path was also 'my path'. It inspired a deepening of my spiritual practice and a truly happier and more peaceful life. I re-read it whenever I need a boost. This book is very personal, and also universal. Jack uses stories from his own experience to illuminate the path of a more general spiritual journey, and to entertain us.
It's a must for anyone seeking guidance for a spiritual journey or inspiration to begin one. A Path With Heart speaks to the heart, the mind, the body and the soul. It is accessible, it is not religious, it is not heavy duty philosophy. Read it.
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