Mindfulness, Bliss, and Beyond: A Meditator's Handbook

I've read quite a few books on meditation, this one made the biggest difference in my daily practice.

First, a big Thank-You to Ajahn Brahm for writing this book. My meditation bookshelf now holds several volumes on the practice, but none comes even close to the clarity of "Mindfulness, Bliss and Beyond". This book gave me some insights to the questions I had formed through my daily mediation practice. It also answered questions I didn't even know I had, prior to reading the book. Brahms utterly practical treatment of the stages of meditation lays out a path that the novice can follow. For example, all of my other books on the subject treat mindfulness of the breath as stepping stone #1 on the path of developing mindfulness. Only after reading Brahm's book did I realize that I've tried to start my practice with step #4! How about the foundation work of present moment mindfulness? The book is also wittingly funny at times and contains some of the funny and enjoyable similes from "Who ordered this truckload of dung?". By the way, if you want to read a true delight, buy that book too! You'll love it. I don't know about the Jhanas, and I am of course not sure if that is the only way to enlightenment. That's beside the point for me. Realistically, I'm not looking for enlightenment, just peace. On this endeavor, Ajahn Brahm's "Mindfulness Bliss and Beyond" is a clear-cut, logical and extremely useful map. This book has untold value to the novice meditator. It demystifies the process and explains all the pitfalls. I'll keep on re-reading it for a long time. In the spirit of Brahm's book, let me give you a simile of mine. If all other meditation books are like the user manual for a new car you've just bought, then "Mindfulness Bliss and Beyond" is the Service Bible that's used by the dealer's certified mechanics. Strongly recommended!

This book has jolted me out of complacency with my meditation practice. I don't think it's really for beginners but if you've been meditating seriously and want to go deeper, this is an excellent guide. Ajahn Brahm is adamant about the importance of jhana to experience insight and he gives a step-by-step explanation of how to get there and what to expect along the way. Although I certainly haven't gotten there yet, the effort itself has helped my focus. This book has a straight-forward explanation of many of the Buddha's teachings (such as nibbana)in contrast with what is popularly understood.

I'll confess right now, I know Ajahn Brahm and have for almost 15 years. I know that it took the better part of 10 years to write this book. I've been meditating and studying Buddhism for 18 years. "Mindfulness, Bliss, and Beyond" is simply the best book on meditation that I have ever come across. Ajahn Brahm has written on a number of levels that enables him to give to both the beginning and experienced meditator...this isn't easy to do and Ajahn is the first I've seen who has been able to do this at all well, most writers will write for either the experienced or inexperienced meditator, Ajahn is the first to be able to write for both. "Mindfulness, Bliss, and Beyond" is essentially Ajahn, it is warm, funny and profound. It is also designed to snare you into the world of meditation. Read it, love it, use it.

For over thirty years, Ajahn Brahmavamso has been a monk in the Thai "forest tradition," a branch of Theravada Buddhism known for its strict adherence to both the spirit and the letter of the Buddha's teachings. Tibetan Buddhism is exotic and Zen is aesthetically pleasing, but for the meditation that led the Buddha himself to enlightenment, we must look to the Theravadans. Now one of the best-known faces of Buddhism in the world (although just becoming known in the States), Ajahn Brahm is one of the most admired meditation teachers in the world, and this book shares EVERYTHING. You can take this book to your hut in the woods (or spare bedroom in your house) and work its plan to ultimate bliss. I was lucky enough to meet Ajahn Brahm last year in Chicago at Transitions Book Place, when he was visiting in support of his book of teaching stories, Who Ordered This Truckload of Dung? (An excerpt from the interview with him appears below.) As wonderful and inspiring as his first book is, Mindfulness, Bliss, and Beyond is what we've all been waiting for, an encapsulation of the meditation wisdom Ajahn Brahm has cultivated since 1973. If you're interested at all in what happiness comes from meditation, PLEASE do yourself a favor and read this book. It is everything I had hoped it would be -- and let me tell you, that was a tall order after meeting the writer himself! Q. People call you "the Elvis of Buddhism," "the Seinfeld of Buddhism." They want to make you into a celebrity. Do you ever have difficulty reconciling that with being a monk--and not just a monk, but a forest monk, which is very different from living as a famous person? A. You know, I think one of the first times when it really hit me is I was giving a talk in Singapore. There was a huge crowd of five thousand, cheering as if they were watching a basketball match or something. Huge crowd. In the front where I was sitting, I was just by myself on this huge stage. As I walked in, I thought, now what am I doing? But then I thought of my teacher, Ajahn Chah. I thought he would be very happy that I was spreading Dhamma to so many. So you never think of yourself; you think of your teachings. You think of what you're doing, rather than who's doing it. So you actually depersonalize everything. Q. That's how you avoid the cult of personality? A. [You get] where you can actually play the role without being the role, so you get up there and you can really connect with your audience. You can enjoy the interaction between yourself and five thousand [other people]. That way you are not shortchanging the Dhamma. Too often, people -- because they're concerned about their ego -- don't actually put themselves forward enough to be able to present the Dhamma in a beautiful way. Whatever you believe in, you just give it everything you've got, you go for broke. If you're going to talk to ten people, it might as well be ten thousand. It's the same as how I'm talking to you now. You just connect and just gi