The Findhorn Book of Meditation (The Findhorn Book of... Ser)

Rating:
Summary: Another Enjoyable Instructive Book by Darren Main
Review: I've been a Darren Main fan since reading his second book, "Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic." I've now read all three of his books and eagerly look forward to his books on yoga and spirituality. Reading this book is like listening to an old friend. This book is both instructive and informative and takes a deceptively complex topic and logically lays out the way for someone to successfully meditate, by avoiding all the common pitfalls that he or she may encounter while meditating. I would have given this book a higher rating, but I felt that it only skimmed different forms of meditation (Jewish repetitive prayer, Buddhist chanting, "mind blanking" are three that come to mind) at best, rather than investigating them more deeply, and explaining why they work for different people. I also have mixed feelings about the author providing as much personal information as he does. On the one hand, by humanizing the material, it can help the reader relate to the subject matter, but on the other hand by being so autobiographical, it shifts the focus of the book, which detract from the subject matter. This is still a very good book, loaded with good information on how to establish a positive meditative practice, and as mentioned, very readable.

Rating:
Summary: Another Enjoyable Instructive Book by Darren Main
Review: I've been a Darren Main fan since reading his second book, "Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic." I've now read all three of his books and eagerly look forward to his books on yoga and spirituality. Reading this book is like listening to an old friend. This book is both instructive and informative and takes a deceptively complex topic and logically lays out the way for someone to successfully meditate, by avoiding all the common pitfalls that he or she may encounter while meditating. I would have given this book a higher rating, but I felt that it only skimmed different forms of meditation (Jewish repetitive prayer, Buddhist chanting, "mind blanking" are three that come to mind) at best, rather than investigating them more deeply, and explaining why they work for different people. I also have mixed feelings about the author providing as much personal information as he does. On the one hand, by humanizing the material, it can help the reader relate to the subject matter, but on the other hand by being so autobiographical, it shifts the focus of the book, which detract from the subject matter. This is still a very good book, loaded with good information on how to establish a positive meditative practice, and as mentioned, very readable.

Rating:
Summary: Findhorn Book of Meditation
Review: Perhaps the best book on meditation I have ever read. It is written with honesty and humility. This book unlike many other books on meditation does not expect you to be perfect or criticize you for not making the grade. Instead it teaches how to overcome the pitfalls with humour, integrity and simple tips and lessons. A must for any meditator whether beginner or adept, highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome!
Review: This book was simple to read, and so inspiring. I have been struggleing to meditate for years without much sucess. Darren's writing style and easy-to-follow instructions have inspired me. I have been sitting every moringing for two weeks now.

Rating:
Summary: Good Starting Point
Review: This is a good "primer" for meditation, rather than a really intense guide. Still, I would recommend it for someone who is curious about meditation and wants a non-intimidating way to get started.

Darren does speak in very conversational language which makes this (and his other books) very easy to read and learn from.

My favorite book of his is "Yoga and The Path Of The Urban Mystic". Also written in a very conversational style, it is a pretty deep book which gets into the spiritual parts of yoga and how to try to "live your yoga" both on and off the mat (it is not a posture book but rather the "internal part of yoga").

His other book "Spiritual Journeys Along The Yellow Brick Road" is also quite excellent as well. He uses the "Wizard Of Oz" story as a metaphor for the spiritual journey, it's very well written and enjoyable to read as well as insightful.

As for this meditation book, if you are new to meditation it's probably a pretty good place to start. If you've been meditating for a while, you may not get any "technical" info, but he still has some interesting personal insights from his own life and those of his students which I found enjoyable.

I would also highly recommend Jack Kornfield's audio/Video "Meditation For Beginners" (from "Sounds True"), he covers all the basics of meditation and guides you thru the practice. I find this format is much easier to work with than learning from a book. Of course a book such as the one reviewed above can certainly answer many questions and give insights that are valuable.