This was published in 1994 and so rather than feeling revolutionary, the concepts seem well known. I guess that means it has become a classic and that its influence is huge, spawning many more books and literature on the subject.

It is still a useful book for those wanting to learn how to calm their minds and live in the present moment. The chapters are short and are often followed by an exercise so it is not a quick read.

For me, one of the largest take-away from this book is that meditation should be practiced daily. It is sometimes used as a crises management technique, but it is most effective when one has become familiar and adept at the practice.

Meditation as presented in this book is secular, although it also can be and has been modified into whatever religious practice you choose – ie Christian or Buddhist meditation. ( )

This is secular mindfulness psychology. (It’s definitely not a book about “Buddhism”. I mean, six degrees of separation, right. Meditation is LIKE Buddhism and Buddhism is LIKE Asia and Asia is KINDA vegetarian and vegetarians write cook books so it’s LIKE a cook book so it’s LIKE Anthony Bourdain so it’s ALMOST a travel show!!! 😂).

I apologize. 🥸

I’ll have to be a little bit more with hype copy this time, because although he’s not anti-profound, he’s not terribly cryptic or anything, and it would probably cheapen the book and mislead you about what’s in it, to personalize the book’s experience in me, as much as I usually do….

But anyway, I didn’t really get the whole secular mindfulness part the first time I read through this book—in my defense, it’s only *explicitly* said at the end. (He’s not anti-spiritual or trying to negate it, but merely skeptical—in the calm, good sense of the word—of the human organism’s vast capacity for grandiosity and self-deception. You know.) But really I didn’t get it because: (i) I was crossing off another thing on my check list for perfection; it was just activity, (Ten Step Plan to be perfect: first, meditate for at least….). And (ii), I don’t know, I just assumed that he wasn’t basically secular. I liked him, so I assumed he was like me.

Anyway, as Jon is someone neither religious nor spiritual, there’s of course comparatively little of what I might casually call esotericism, you know. He actually spends a lot of time on technique, maybe the middle third of the book, which kinda fits nicely with the goal of being simple and concrete. Of course, (because—why bother? Right?), there is also material on motivation and application, as well as some personal stories from his life and quotes from some of the historical figures who have inspired Jon, like a couple of American philosophers (mostly Thoreau), along with some poets (many of them Middle Eastern), as well as a few Asian thinkers like Gandhi, (who was certainly a very practical person). There are also scientists (more than just one), and the odd literary novelist or two.

Some people will think it’s not relatable because it’s not “TV” enough; some people will assume it’s hype; some people will get miffed that he’s not, I don’t know, what should he be? An Orthodox Jew? A faux Buddhist? A [insert sect here] Christian?

And some people will love it, and imagine that they actually understand and practice, when they don’t, and everybody notices that things aren’t quite right them, except for that one themself.

And some will get it or whatever, and grow for thirty, sixty, or almost a hundred years. That’s life.

This is a good book, but not excellent. In some ways, I think that if he had stopped at the book title, it would have been enough.

The first section is excellent, and I like the exercises. Thereafter, Jon Kabat-Zinn becomes a bit repetitive, but it is a book you can still read and learn from.

Ignore what he writes about the Indian word, 'samadhi'. Samadhi is not just one-pointedness, it is the highest form of (let us say) concentration, mindfulness, and oneness. It may be one step away from 'nirvana'.

When you lie in samadhi, you are lying in a tomb, before cremation or burial. This is another aspect of samadhi.
When you attain samadhi, you may die, or be so evolved that you are dead to the world. ( )

Hard to scan. It's a different type of book. I like the how-to parts, but not so much the "religion" or way of thinking behind it. I know, Dr. Kabat-Zinn, that makes me somewhat of a harder case.

And I disagree with his final chapter. There is a God, He exists and He loves us. There's a scripture that says, " Be Still, and know that I am God." Meditation is a tool that we can use to connect with Him, to be still, and detach ourselves from the stresses of the world. ( )

Excellent introduction to mindfulness as a secular, health and wellness practice. ( )