The Meditative Mind: The Varieties of Meditative Experience

Description

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.

Review

This book was a quick and easy read. Given Goleman has an academic background, I enjoyed that the book took that tone. The second part of the book which dives into the various meditation practices using published source material provided a quick introduction into each practice. If you're not interested in learning about the various practices, part three does a nice job summarizing them and essentially getting to the point that in one way or another, for the most part, they're all saying the same thing. The focus of the various practices is on concentration, mindfulness, and insight using meditation as a vehicle. The ultimate goal is using the insights from meditation to effect short and long-term changes in your daily life that get you closer to what is considered ideal.