The Meditative Mind: The Varieties of Meditative Experience

by Daniel Goleman

Overview

From the New York Times Bestselling author, a classic interpretation of all varieties of meditation.

“Goleman’s wide-ranging meditative experience imbues the volume with an authority and authenticity . . . and continues to make his writings some of the liveliest available on meditation.”—Publisher’s Weekly

The Meditative Mind is an essential traveler’s guide to the topography of the spirit for every spiritual seeker.

For the beginning meditator, the book provides a comprehensive, accessible overview of the different kinds of meditation, from Hindu, Buddhist, Sufi, Jewish, and Christian to Transcendental, Tantric, Kundalini, Tibeta Buddhist, Zen, and those developed by Gurdjeff and Krishnamurti, and introduces the reader to the basic elements of their practice.

For the experienced meditator, Goleman explores the distinct levels of consciousness developed as a result of long-term application.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780874778335
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	01/03/1996
Edition description:	Subsequent
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	1,098,911
Product dimensions:	5.43(w) x 8.17(h) x 0.65(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Daniel Goleman is the New York Times bestselling author of the groundbreaking book Emotional Intelligence. A psychologist and science journalist, he reported on brain and behavioral research for The New York Times for many years, and has received several awards for his writing. He is the author of more than a dozen books, including three accounts of meetings he has moderated between the Dalai Lama and scientists, psychotherapists, and social activists. Goleman is a founding member of the board of the Mind and Life Institute, a cofounder of the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, and codirector of the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations.

Table of Contents

The Meditative Mind Foreword
Preface
Introduction
Part One. The Visuddhimagga: A Map for Inner Space
1. Preparation for Meditation
2. The Path of Concentration
3. The Path of Insight
Part Two. Meditation Paths: A Survey
4. Hindu Bhakti
5. Jewish Kabbalah
6. Christian Hesychasm
7. Sufism
8. Transcendental Meditation
9. Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga
10. Indian Tantra and Kundalini Yoga
11. Tibetan Buddhism
12. Zen
13. Gurdjieff's Fourth Way
14. Krishnamurti's Choiceless Awareness
Part Three. Meditation Paths: Their Essential Unity
15. Preparation for Meditation
16. Attention
17. Seeing What You Believe
18. Altered States in Meditation
Part Four. The Psychology of Meditation
19. Abhidhamma: An Eastern Psychology
20. Psychology: East and West
21: Meditation: Research and Practical Applications
Bibliography
Selected Readings
Index

Editorial Reviews

This is an expanded, updated version of Goleman's The Varieties of the Meditative Experience, published in the mid-1970s, and it is a sign of changing times that the bulk of the book, a recounting of the meditative traditions in Eastern and Western religions, seems dated. Yet, Goleman's wide-ranging meditative experience imbues the volume with an authority and authenticity that transcend the details and continue to make his writings some of the liveliest available on meditation. There are new chapters on the multiple ways in which the benefits of meditation are being incorporated into American medicine and psychology. For example, Goleman provides evidence that meditation reduces blood pressure, speeds the body's ability to recover from stress, decreases the pain of angina and arrhythmia, and increases blood flow to the heart. In addition, the National Institutes of Health recommends meditation more highly than prescription drugs as a first-line treatment for mild hypertension. To a casual reader, Goleman's study is too full of arcane words and multilingual jargon about states of enlightenment. But to a serious student of meditation, this book, like its predecessor, is an excellent resource. (April)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Goleman has already demonstrated his flair for popularizing psychological and philosophical insights in Vital Lies, Simple Truths ( LJ 6/1/85). This present book is a bit more esoteric. Expanded from the author's Varieties of the Meditative Experience , now out of print, it supplements his earlier descriptions of assorted meditative states with several new chapters (more than a third of the book) that compare East-West psychologies and discuss meditation's practical effects. Part overview, part commentary, and nicely accessible. EC

Library Journal