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Summary: Hope in a World Filled with Strife
Review: Clayton's book works on at least two levels: as an overview of the basic components and cultural attitudes pertaining to meditation, and as amazing revelation of mystical vision and awareness. I am not aware of any non-fiction writer since Castaneda who has so flatly indicated that there are other ways of perceiving reality than generally meets the eye. But unlike Castaneda (in his earlier books, at least), Clayton rejects the use of drugs to access these realms, offering instead relatively simple tools and techniques to begin to experience them for oneself. How successful one would be in charting these territories after simply reading a book remains to be seen, but surely the popularity of yoga and movies like The Matrix demonstrate a continuing hunger for something more than conventional materialism offers. Clayton also promotes the role of the group in charting and mastering these realms, both for the members of the group and, she suggests, for us all. Ambitious stuff! Whether this will hold water remains to be seen, but unlike the practically mythic Castaneda, she seems to an integrated and accessible member of society. If there's any truth to Clayton's words and we indeed each have access to the realms described in this book, then the implications are profound. My heart longs for this to be true, and I hope more work will be forthcoming from Ms. Clayton.
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Summary: A roadmap to greater awareness
Review: Transformative meditation by Gayle Clayton provides a wonderful overview and guide to meditation practice and the evolution of consciousness. Written in an easily digestible style, Clayton weaves threads of knowledge from many different traditions into a cohesive and comprehensive meditation system. She also provides multiple exercises and examples to illuminate the path towards enlightenment and describes universal markers that appear along the way. More than purely academic, meditation groups and solitary practitioners alike will greatly benefit from her insights and reference system. I highly recommend this book for anyone who meditates or is a seeker of knowledge and wisdom.
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Summary: Something new in the meditation field
Review: Transformative Meditation is the first book I have read that specifically addresses group dynamics. Author Gayle Clayton gives specific guidelines for setting up and maintaining a meditation group. Not only that, she draws road maps that can assist a new group in charting their way. The book also included a summary of different meditation methods for beginners who may need a description of various methods before choosing to spend a lot of time on one method that may not suit them. Another subject detailed in this book is the use of meditative energy that is generated specifically by a group. Having experienced this energy but unable to explain or navigate the phenomenon by myself, I was excited to have someone explore and clarify that aspect of meditation.
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