Mindfulness in Plain English - by Henepola Gunaratana.

[Flipasso]

A very good how-to book.
It has many answers to questions one will have along the way.
It focusses many times along the text the important things one needs to remind when practicing.
It is cittanupassana, this means it focusses on the mental states.

TIB if you prefer put it on the web resources.

* The Irreverent Buddhist puts it in both and cross-references them - having read HHelix78's post below

http://www.vipassana.com/meditation/mindfulness_in_plain_english.php

[Matthew]

it says it's a book ... and I see no link ...

* The Irreverent Buddhist walks away scratching his head

[Juan]

i was wondering the same thing...

[HHelix78]

It's a paper book readily available at the booksellers and it is also available online at

http://www.vipassana.com/meditation/mindfulness_in_plain_english.php

It is the book that got me started in meditation.

His other book covers the Four Noble Truths. "Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness: Walking the Buddha's Path." 

[mettajoey]

It's a paper book readily available at the booksellers and it is also available online at

http://www.vipassana.com/meditation/mindfulness_in_plain_english.php

It is the book that got me started in meditation.

His other book covers the Four Noble Truths. "Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness: Walking the Buddha's Path." 

Thanks for the link Helix.
And welcome to the forum!

[Matthew]

It's a paper book readily available at the booksellers and it is also available online at

http://www.vipassana.com/meditation/mindfulness_in_plain_english.php

It is the book that got me started in meditation.

His other book covers the Four Noble Truths. "Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness: Walking the Buddha's Path." 

HHelix

Welcome! and thanks for the clarification ... it would best be placed in both categories and cross linked.

In the Dhamma,

Matthew

[Flipasso]

Sorry for my distraction.
I was so excited posting about the book that I forgot about the book.
There is also the pdf version, good for printing http://www.urbandharma.org/pdf/mindfulness_in_plain_english.pdf

peace@you.all

[Jimmy Coconuts]

That book is in the library at my meditation center.  It's on my mental list of books to read but between book club books and reading through the Long and Middle Length discourses, I haven't gotten to it yet.

My father recently read it but I have yet to ask him what he thought.

[Matthew]

Jimmy,

I have always found great inspiration and understanding to be gained from the middle length discourses, especially once I got used to the seemingly repetitive nature of much of the logical argument therein - and saw how, as the written version of an oral tradition, it was a necessary part of the remembering and passing on of the stories and came to be so.

How are you finding them?

In the Dhamma,

Matthew

[Jimmy Coconuts]

I am actually currently working my way through the long discourses.  I was giving an Amazon gift certificate from a client I work for and had used it to be a copy. 

I've read, maybe, ten discourses from the Middle Length collection and found them all be great.  If anything, reading the discourses gets me thinking more about practice, which isn't really practicing but you get my drift.

How do you approach sections in the suttas that are repeating lists?  Portions where, essentially, the list stays the same but the first item is different.  Do you just read the first line and then skip over the list you've already read or do you stay more in the style of the oral tradition and repeat the entire list every time?

[Fritz-the-Cat]

Jimmy,

I'm currently working my way through both the Long and Middle Length Discourses.  I've found that the authors' uses of elipsis worked out well to get me through the repetitive nature of the discourses.  When there isn't an elipsis and I think I've read a portion before, I'll go back and re-read to find a subtley placed "non" or "un" or something similar that changes the whole paragraph. 

Granted, some of the discourses seem either over my head or just too far out in left field for me to fully comprehend but I'm reading them anyway.  Being a Virgo, what irks me is the fact that there doesn't seem to be any organization at all of the discourses.  They seem to be just thrown together in any fashion so I'm finding it hard to read through since one doesn't lead into the next. 

I'm guessing the random nature of the discourses is that way on purpose.  So a monk or lay person (householder?) could read each discourse separately and then meditate and contemplate the meaning behind it.  It is very hard to train my mind to do that though so it is definitely a challenge reading them.

Blessings!
Fred

[not me]

No other book on meditation has directed my practice as effectively. I've read it three times (so far), and twice given it as a gift to interested loved ones.

[MeditationMan]

I just read the Amazon page for this book, and it sounds very interesting.  Over 130 people have rated it on Amazon, which says alot about the popularity of this work. 

I'm fairly new to meditation.  Is this a read that you guys would recommend I read as a novice to the practice?

[Matthew]

Meditationmnan,

Yes if you must read a book.

Meditation is simple. There are instructions on this site that can start you off today instead of spending a week reading a book and having a head full of even more ideas when you finally sit.

Warmly,

Matthew

[Morning Dew]

I totally agree with TIB on this. The more i read the tougher it is to sit in meditation.
Even yesterday i listened over the video one buddhist monk explaining the ego and it sure was mind blowingly eye opening but that day i couldnt meditate at all. This is the first time in several month i skiped sitting. The mind was totaly going crazy that day.
Today it calmed again.

Less ideas and more calm awareness will bring you a long way

[ivana]

Hi everybody
I am just reading from the same author Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness. http://www.amazon.com/Eight-Mindful-Steps-Happiness-Walking/dp/0861711769
I started but I recognize that I need read the book.
Take care
Ivana

[mrpaine]

No other book on meditation has directed my practice as effectively. I've read it three times (so far), and twice given it as a gift to interested loved ones.

I am rereading this book for the second time- it is a keeper. 'Mindfullness in Plain English' is simple; ideal for any spiritual being looking to get a foot on the path of awareness. Simply put, I plan to hold on to this book forever, and continuously find myself going back and referencing it.

I cannot say enough about this book. Go out and get it. The hard copy.