The Art Of Living: Vipassana Meditation: As Taught by S. N. Goenka [Paperback]

 

 

Create your own review

Outside of the author, I bet I have read and reread The Art of Living more than anyone else on the planet. Here's why:

Before learning the meditation technique taught by the Indian-Burmese meditation master S. N. Goenka, I'd practiced in other traditions for more than 15 years and completed many long meditation retreats. I only attended a Goenka course because the 10-day retreat was offered for free and I'm a frugal sort of guy. But half way through the first course, I was wowed by this meditation method: my body and mind spontaneously dissolved into pure energy, my heart opened, and I felt more peaceful and happier than I had in a long time. Here was truly a better way to meditate! Soon after leaving that course, I was determined to figure out why it works so well, and spent most of the next three years writing and researching a book, which was Tuttle published as Beyond the Breath: Extraordinary Mindfulness Through Whole-Body Vipassana Meditation (more on it at the end).

So back to The Art of Living; to talk about the book, you really need to talk about Goenkaa's -10day course. But first note that it's a little misleading to call it a "Goenka course" since Goenka didn't invent this type of meditation. He learned it in Burma, where it is believed that over the millennia Burmese monks and meditation teachers have preserved the exact method the Buddha himself used.

Spread almost solely through word of mouth, Goenka's courses have spread across the globe. According to the independent Buddhist magazine Buddhadharma, each year an estimated 100,000 people take a Goenka course. This means he has probably taught more people Buddhist meditation than anyone in history--including the Buddha himself! (Admittedly, this comparison is a bit silly since the Buddha wasn't able to offer retreats via audio and videotape.)

It's worth noting, that although a layman, Mr. Goenka, who is independently wealthy, has never made any money from teaching Buddhism. As already noted, his famous ten-day meditation courses are offered for free. After finishing a course, students may give a donation (to the nonprofit foundation that takes care of the expenses of running a meditation center), but contributions are totally voluntary and there is never any pressure to give.

Goenkaji, as his students call him, has a beautiful voice, a delightful accent, a grandfatherly warmth, and a terrific sense of humor. These qualities work well to balance his passion and seriousness of purpose. During a course, he gives a clear and accessible framework for understanding Buddhism and how to do this type of meditation. Through collaboration with the assistant teacher Bill Hart, The Art of Living faithfully presents Goenka's teachings from his 10-day course--minus the meditation instructions and, naturally, the sound of his lyrical voice.

The book's strength's are those of Mr. Goenka's: clarity and accessibility. Most of his explanations are illustrated with a traditional Buddhist parable or with a story from his extensive teaching experiences. The book's weakness is that Mr. Goenka's charisma is diminished in print. Like any great teacher or storyteller, the book can't recreate his uncanny sense of timing and his animated voices. Perhaps this weakness isn't apparent to those who read the book before taking a course (I took a course before reading the book). Calling this a "weakness," though, is not to dis' The Art of Living, which is a valuable resource in its own right. It is helpful to have Mr. Goenka's presentation written down and the book includes some Q & A not presented during a course (Mr. Goenka, who was born in 1924, and is now in poor health has retired from active teaching).

The Art of Living is generally read by two types: someone who has recently finished a ten-day Goenka retreat or by someone considering taking a course. For the first group or 'old students', the book is a great refresher and offers details you may have missed on the video or audio tape. For the total newcomer, the book will give you a sense of what to expect at a course, but it may diminish the impact of his words when you hear them "live." Since I took my first course before reading the book and had a powerful experience, that's what I'd recommend. But if you haven't decided to definitely take a course, then by all means read the book first. The important thing is to get yourself to a course (yes, I know 10-days is a long time-except if you try to remember what you did over the last week and a half and it seems to have gone by in a flash).

Now here comes the especially immodest (though, honest'promise!) part, since I'm recommending the book I wrote: Beyond the Breath (Tuttle Publishing). While the book stands on it's own, in many ways it complements The Art of Living. To help explain why this meditation method works so well, Beyond the Breath is much more apt to refer to scientific research than a traditional parable. For instance, Beyond the Breath explains why Goenka and the Buddha's advice to live a moral life makes so much sense based on what we now know about evolutionary psychology; it also explains an essential aspect of Buddhist practice on an easily understood biochemical basis. So while The Art of Living offers wonderful stories and great homespun analogies that make good common sense, Beyond the Breath, will be especially helpful for those who want to know WHY this method (and Buddhist practice in general) works so well. Such insight isn't just an intellectual exercise; greater understanding leads to greater confidence in actually doing the practice. I'm confident anyone who's taken or considering a Goenka course, or just interested in meditation or Buddhism will find it valuable.

But whether or not you read either book, again, I encourage you to take a course. To check out more about Goenka's courses: www[dot]dhamma[dot]org.

The author says you should learn meditation only at a Vipassana Center so why buy this book? My understanding was that if we take swimming as an analogy, learning swimming by reading a book might not be a great idea for one who is not familiar with it; and this I felt was what the author meant by emphasizing that its not a Learn To Do It Yourself book.

However the book does give an idea that swimming is a very real possiblity. That it is possible for a man to learn to stay afloat, even in a churning sea with waves throwing him up or pushing him down all the time.

The course itself helped me begin to understand and accept who I really am, not who I appear to be. The book is also useful as a reference guide after taking the course, one that can be reread occasionally to always find some or the other new point every time.

Placing the book under Buddhism is slightly misleading I think; the book and the technique is about Dharma, the foundation of any religion. If we compare it to computer software, Dharma is like the 1s and 0s; while any religion is like a device driver or application software built over the fundamental concepts. I happen to be a Hindu, and can attest that I'm still a Hindu, though I feel I'm a better Hindu then what I used to be. At the same time, Im able to more honestly make an attempt to see the point of view of other religions. In other words, my religion no longer divides me from the rest of humanity.

Cheers,

Sanjay Mysoremutt

What a wonderful little book!

This little volume of 157 pages is absolutely full of wisdom from the teachings of S.N. Goenka, who teaches the ancient art of Vipassana, a specific meditation technique as taught by the Buddha 2500 yrs old. This book is full of insight, quoted sutras, personal stories, plus specific guidance of the practice, and much more. If you are interested in meditation, this book is a perfect little guide, along with the audio or video S.N. Goenka's Discourse Summaries off the Pariyatti website.

Obviously taking the free 10-day vipassana meditation course is highly advisable, but if you can't make it because of other obligations this is will at least get you started until you can take a course.

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 17 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

 

5.0 out of 5 stars The textbook for Mr. Goenka's world-famous Vipassana courses
"The Art of Living" is a first-rate introduction to Vipassana meditation. Prepared by William Hart and based on the lectures and writings of S. N. Read more

Published on Dec 11 2006 by Bruce

2.0 out of 5 stars Buy Only If You Dont Know Anything About Vipassana..........
this Book Contains Only Information About Vipassana & Other Things.....Nothing Else.I Bought This Book For Some Meditations & Exercises But I Am Highly Dissapointed. Read more

Published on May 7 2004 by Tauros

5.0 out of 5 stars Most Essential Method Providing Pos Results [if applied]
S.N. Goenka was a businessman who suffered from migraine headaches. He turned to meditation as taught by the Buddhist community in Burma. Read more

Published on Mar 3 2004 by Erika Borsos

5.0 out of 5 stars Meditation
If you are looking for a comprehensive introduction to meditation then this is the book for you. I lead a meditation group in support of the International Campaign for Tibet and... Read more

Published on May 12 2001 by Tony Rivers

4.0 out of 5 stars A bit light
The book is a bit light, intended for as an introductory text with a few of the basic ideas. The idea is to get you to go to your first ten day retreat, as the next step. Read more

Published on Sep 25 2000 by Hermit

5.0 out of 5 stars A great introduction to the subject
Am on to my second reading of this book and "almost" ready to sign up for the ten day course. Read more

Published on May 29 2000 by Iain T White

4.0 out of 5 stars Not really about meditation per se, but very good.
If you're looking for a book on "how to meditate" you should look elsewhere. This book is not about Vipassana meditation technique, it's more about the philosophy that... Read more

Published on Oct 31 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars Read just this short book then just sit.
There is a tendency to read too much and sit (practice) too little. This clear and concise book provides all you need to get on the path. Read more

Published on Nov 14 1998 by ekobpc@aol.com

2.0 out of 5 stars disappointing
I found this book to be content-poor. There are better introductions to Buddhism, and certainly better books for the inexperienced practitioner. Read more

Published on Sep 2 1998

5.0 out of 5 stars A great beginner's guide to meditation.
The book outlines a simple but profound program for meditation. What is refreshing about Mr. Goenka is the fact that he is not interested in converts or donations or forming a... Read more

Published on April 6 1998

Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

› See all 17 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

Search Listmania!