Book for a beginner

[pvr]

Hi,

i hav just started my meditation practice. i can't find out a beginner level meditation book. i am using the MBSR book- Full catastrophe living by Jon Kabat-Zinn, although it seems good, but it's purely sceintifical in nature, and im more oriented towards the Buddha's teachings. From what I have found, using this forum and other internet searches, the following books are recommended for beginners-

1. Mindfulness in Plain English
2. A Path with Heart- Jack Kornfield
3. Beyond the breath- Marshall Glickman
4. A gradual awakening- Stephen Levine
5. Mindfulness, Bliss and Beyond
6. In the Buddha's words- Bhikkhu Bodhi

please suggest a book from the above (or ur own choice), which has teachings of the Buddha. I will be going for a Vipassana retreat- Goenka, as I am from India, and the only establishd retreat centre here is the Goenka one. i hav read a couple of negative comments about them, so am a bit afraid, can anybody tel me how is it?

thanks- PVR

[Delma54]

Hi pvr
If you are going to a Goenka retreat then read: Beyond the breath- Marshall Glickman, before you go there and you will know all about that Method of meditation.
The courses are tough in the beginning but joyful at the end. if you wish to learn about mind processes, meditation practising and purposeof it. This is a good start point.
Enjoy the Journey

[pvr]

hi Delma54,

thanks for the suggestion. yeah, i also found out that "Beyond the breath" is based on S.N. Goenka's retreat. am really looking forward to it--thanks a lot.

[Alexander]

i hav read a couple of negative comments about them, so am a bit afraid, can anybody tel me how is it?

thanks- PVR

I've been on two Goenka retreats. It can be very intense but highly rewarding. Try to surrender to it as much as possible and don't get bogged down in parts which you may not agree with or find strange or distracting.