Rating: 
Summary: Incomparable! One of a kind
Review: During the past ten years I have acquired and read (or suffered through) just about every book on meditation in print. Would that I had read this one first. Although this is the definitive text on the practice of mindfulness for the novice, even the seasoned practitioner will find much of value in its pages. The discussion on the nature of distraction is without equal in the literature. On the other hand, Ven. Gunaratana's book is not a "how to" book for the meditation technician. One who is unwilling to change one's view of the world will find no encouragement here. All in all, one would have to go to the Mahasatipatthana Sutta to improve on this book. Master it, and there will no need to read any other. It will teach you how to stand, and then to walk, trusting the wisdom inherent in your own feet. After that, you are on your own. "Mindfulness in Plain English" is quite simply the finest book on meditation in the English language.
Rating:
Summary: The Best I've Read
Review: Having meditated for over 30 years and having digested many books and teachings, I must say that the venerable monk has really done a great job! This book is for the novice and for the long term practictioner. I was delightfully humbled and learned as much as I have ever learned about meditation. HOwever, please don't read this quickly.......digest it, read a few pages every day or so, and practice! You will find a wonderful combination of great fun and serious self-work.
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Summary: The Best Trick in the Book
Review: Here's a little gem from this book for experienced meditators.Having trouble staying "on the method" in your meditation? When you realize that you are "off" the method, ask yourself what length of time you were "off". Then return to the method. Pretty soon, you will know how long you were "off", because even as you are "off", your mind is tracking the "off" time in anticipation of your inquiry. This works! The above explanation of WHY it works is my own, but the result is very encouraging if you feel that you are 'not making progress'.
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Summary: Meditation for skeptics...
Review: I am a rationalist. I am not a mystic. I do not believe in chakras, yogic flying, psychic visions or tantric orgasm. I have a western scientific mind, and a very short patience for BS. I loved this book. Mindfulness in Plain English is a meditation manual that's been brutally stripped of superstitious hokus pokus. It's focused, straight-forward, practical, yet profound. It says what it means and it means what it says. And if you practice, really practice, you'll find the techniques it describes can honestly change your entire outlook on life in a frighteningly short period of time. If you're a skeptic, and you're interested in meditation as a psychological exercise rather than a mystical mystery, you'll do well with this book. If you need your chakras petted, look at any of its 10,000,000 lesser competitors in your local flaky pseudo-eastern bookshop.
Rating:
Summary: Finally a book w/o all the hokey spiritual B.S.
Review: I found this book a wonderful breath of fresh air for those of us who would like to learn how to meditate. I've read a few books and tried a tape... I nearly gave up because I had gotten tired of all the hokey spiritual attempts by their authors. This book reads cleanly and clearly. He explains things thouroughly but not so thouroughly that you fall asleep or give up. Meditation is not easy, it takes time and much effort. He attacks most of the questions that biggining meditators ask. He goes through positions, exercises, modes of thinking, etc. He explains that meditation can be a tool to become more mindful of your existance on this planet. To pay attention to the present and train your mind to overcome the emotional tides that can cloud your vision. No hokey, no false promises.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: I found this book to give just what the title promises: step-by-step instructions in insight meditation in plain English. I recommend it very highly.
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully simple and direct. Without equal!
Review: I have a large library of meditative texts and scriptures and have meditated off and on for many years. This book is the first I have encountered that so thoroughly and simply explored it's subject that it truely is a beginner's manual, a 'How-To'. And yet it serves as a great review for more experienced practitioners. This book was the beginning of a wonderful relationship with the author, who is the most knowledgable yet warm and most approachable teacher I have ever met, in any tradition.
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Summary: The best you'll find on mindfulness meditation.
Review: I love this book. It is straightforward, thorough, and easy to read. I don't know who Gunaratana is, but he does a great job with this book. Even the layout of the book is clean and simple and pleasant. If you are interested in vipassana or mindfulness meditation, or even zazen, this book is worth reading. It tells you how to do this kind of meditation, and what to do with the problems that come up. It is a practical handbook and it's also fun to read. I'm the author of the book, Self-Help Stuff That Works, and I can tell you with some authority that the techniques Gunaratana describes in this book work, and they are worth applying, even if you don't sit still. You can do your work with mindfulness. You can talk to your child with mindfulness. Anything can be a meditation. Mindfulness in Plain English will show you how. I recommend this book.
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Summary: Perfect gift for mindful and plain speaking favorite
Review: I needed a birthday present for the totally adorable Cass N and this was among the torrent of weird stuff that makes up my favorite gal's Wish List. She having always been mindful of *us* when she ruled over us as QA suprema - and there being few who speak in plainer english - I spotted this as a natural choice. Before wrapping, I gave it the once over to see what sort of New Agey stuff Cass is into these days - and lo! I found it speaking rather eloquently to my own situation. So I guess I better order another one for my own soul. God bless those Wish Lists.
Rating:
Summary: Clear, Simple, but Deep
Review: I read Mindfulness in Plain English years ago in the middle '90's, but it's still at the top of my list for anyone serious about meditating. From the beginning until the end, his writing is clear and relevant to the types of problems that come up in one's practice. He distinguishes Vipassana from other approaches to meditation, and is particularly helpful in the way that he guides one through the problems and distractions that come up. One can feel the inspiration behind the teaching. What a gift this book is! May all beings be happy.
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