Mindfulness in Plain English

by Henepola Gunaratana

224 pages

English language

Published April 16, 1996

ISBN:: 978-0-86171-321-9

(10 reviews)

Mindfulness in Plain English was first published in 1994, is one of the bestselling — and most influential — books in the field of mindfulness. It’s easy to see why.

Author Bhante Gunaratana, a renowned meditation master, takes us step by step through the myths, realities, and benefits of meditation and the practice of mindfulness. The book showcases Bhante’s trademark clarity and wit as he explores the tool of meditation, what it does, and how to make it work.

This book is:

A best-selling introduction to mindfulness
Full of practical advice on developing a meditation practice
Written in approachable, clear language
Containing chapters on loving-kindness and concentration

The reader can gain deeper understanding, inner peace, and clarity through meditation practice with the thoughtful guidance of this classic book. Written for those without any meditation background, but also an essential handbook for established students, Mindfulness in Plain English is a must-have …

Mindfulness in Plain English was first published in 1994, is one of the bestselling — and most influential — books in the field of mindfulness. It’s easy to see why.

This book is:

A best-selling introduction to mindfulness
Full of practical advice on developing a meditation practice
Written in approachable, clear language
Containing chapters on loving-kindness and concentration

This expanded edition includes the complete text of its predecessor along with a new chapter on cultivating loving kindness, an especially important topic in today’s world. For anyone who is new to meditation, this is a great resource for learning how to live a more productive and peaceful life.

“The ‘you’ that goes in one side of the meditation experience is not the same ‘you’ that comes out the other side.” —Bhante Gunaratana in Mindfulness in Plain English

3 editions

nekokat reviewed Mindfulness in Plain English by Henepola Gunaratana

Review of 'Mindfulness in Plain English' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Hmm. This was completely impenetrable when I was first curious about meditation and looking for good, no-nonsense introductory texts. Now that I have a more established meditation practice, I noticed it on my shelf and decided to revisit it.

I still feel that it's incredibly dogmatic and overbearing for a supposedly 101-level text, but now that I have some basis for understanding, I gleaned some interesting insights from it (such as the distinction between concentration and mindfulness). It gets pretty technical in a way that was off-putting for me as a complete newbie (i.e. too much information too quickly) but might be good for someone at an intermediate level, who has already experienced a bit of meditation and had a chance to get a sense for how they want their practice to grow.

If you're getting into meditation for the first time, I would recommend [b:Full Catastrophe Living|5496611|Full Catastrophe Living|Zach …

chadkoh reviewed Mindfulness in Plain English by Henepola Gunaratana

Review of 'Mindfulness in Plain English' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

An entertaining book with many nuggets of wisdom to help you not only understand mindful meditation, but put it in practice and deal with many of the problems that crop up. To quote the book: "In meditation, one is one’s own laboratory." And, you know that not everything in a laboratory goes as planned.