The Art of Mandala Meditation
934228
This is a lovely, lovely book. The mandalas are exquisitely beautiful. The book is very practical as it gives you specific mandalas, meditations and crystals to use for specific pain and illnesses.
964561
Meditation has a modern day connotation of Buddhism and some New Age practitioners. In contrast, in Perfect Lies by Jennifer Crow the case is made that mediation is a Biblical practice. Referencing verses and historical anecdotes, Case argues the mediation is key for building a stronger prayer life.

In many ways, Crow's meditative prayer is similar to Buddhist mediation. Both rely on digging deeper into one's thoughts by "leaning in" to emotions, whether good or bad. Focusing on the emotion of the moment and then re-patterning negative thoughts can strengthen one's spirit.

What differs radically between Buddhism and what Crow is advocating is the presence of Jesus. Where a Buddhist works to control thoughts on a strictly personal internal level, Crow argues that through prayer one can re-imagine thoughts and feelings using Jesus as a guide and mentor.

Trust me, Crow explains it in her book A LOT better than I'm doing here!

Suffice it to say, at first I was a bit leery of this whole idea precisely because of the Eastern meditative philosophies. However upon studying what Crow presents, I'm now a big fan of the idea. Meditation and prayer thought restructuring does seem to have a place in Christianity.

Disclosure: I was given a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review however I was under no obligation to provide a positive review.
4037146
Zen is a very interesting aspect of the Buddhist tradition. It feels like a very pragmatic and simplistic way to meet life's challenges. As someone persuaded towards meditation by the abundance of scientific research, who now practices regularly, I've come to appreciate the unique approaches to discovering insight and wisdom
1019815
Nice combo of intricate and easy going mandalas. I appreciate the good quality of imaging. So many of these book are drawn freehand which I have to say is less attractive to me personally. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to color for relaxation and entertainment.
4847739
Nine Designs for Inner Peace is a wonderful introduction to Yantra drawing, painting, chanting and meditation. Everything is clearly described with instructions that are easy to follow for even a non-artist.

Part 1 of the book explains the why and how of creation of Yantra art and meditation. The nine Yantra designs each have their own chapter in the mid section of the section. Color plates through out the book clarify the instructions on drafting and painting each design. And for those who don't feel up to the challenge of starting the designs from scratch, line art templates are provided in the appendix.

Part 2 delves into the background of Yantra practice. History and personal practice are both touched upon briefly.  There is also a chapter on where and how to bring the Yantra colors into your daily life, such as the best day to wear red and where to hang the finished art in your home for best effect.

As an artist, I am very visual and think mostly in pictures and colors. Meditation has always been a bit of a struggle for me. Until this book came along. What was once a mystery has moved into the realm of possibility. Creating and coloring a Yantra design for a specific meditation has been a spiritual awakening. Daily meditation is no longer a chore but an anticipated retreat from the cares of daily life.

My only complaint is the discrepancy between the written word and the color plates in some of the color descriptions. Perhaps as an artist, I am being too fussy, but I found it confusing when the suggested color materials didn't always match up with the sample pictured. In the long run, I suppose it doesn't matter. The practice of drawing and painting with the prescribed chants more than makes up for such slight errors in color matching.

If traditional meditation has always left you with a feeling of frustration this book may open up new avenues for quality time with your Higher Beings.

reviewed by the author/illustrator of&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Watchers/dp/0979683459/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Watchers</a>,<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Aidan-s-First-Full-Moon-Circle/dp/0979683440/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Aidan's First Full Moon Circle</a>, and&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Ordinary-Girl-A-Magical-Child-An/dp/0979683432/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Ordinary Girl - A Magical Child, An</a>
2383217
Tried out the new Leela Wii disc from Deepak Chopra. A very nice introduction to meditation and mandalas. Definitely not a fast action adventure, but it's not suppose to be. A unique gift for a newbie, or seasoned meditator.
1139210
It is one of the best few books I have ever read on Tantra. Osho's explanation is amazing and it provides great insight. This book is not an exact translation or commentary of Vijnana Bhairava Tantra. Osho has taken out the core dharanas and developed the meditation techniques. Osho also added his own techniques of Dynamic/ Active meditation to suit the 21st century human being. These meditation techniques are modern and current for today's world. Osho is a great Tantric as well as a Yogi.
3402683
The form of meditation discussed in this work is generally known these days as 'mindfulness' meditation, or in other circles (e.g., the Goenka crowd) as 'vipassana' (often translated 'Insight' meditation). Analayo has written a wonderful treatise on this ancient form of Buddhist (or perhaps pre-Buddhist, as you'll see) form of practice. But to avoid disappointment, you must know what this book is and is not.

It is not really a practice manual in any strict sense, although of course many practical insights can be gleaned from its pages. It is not something most people will ever finish reading through, although it is very worth reading. It is not written for the casual reader of popular books on Buddhism, though I feel it is essential for anyone who wants a deep understanding of early Buddhist meditation and philosophy.

What this book is (in my estimation): a highly detailed, densely academic discussion of meditation as viewed by the earliest Buddhist practitioners (the sources cited are almost exclusively from the Pali canon) and/or the Buddha himself, to the extent that you consider the Pali sutras an accurate rendition of his teachings. Certainly there are modern meditation teachers' thoughts thrown in as well, and even citations of relatively recent neuroscientific work on meditation, but by and large this seems to be Buddhist meditation from the orthodox perspective.

There is nothing wrong with that at all, and I found it a very eye-opening read, if a rather long haul. The discussions are quite dense and the distinctions made, subtle; what I ended up doing was reading 10-15 pages of this book each morning after meditating and with a cup of tea. There is a lot going on in this book and it's well worth reading it slowly and digesting each chapter or section before moving on. There is an immense amount worth highlighting, as well, and coming back to later.

I'm conducting research on meditation and the brain for my Masters at the moment, and it was invaluable to me to have a detailed, scholarly, rational discussion of meditation, along with very precise definitions of many Pali terms - and Analayo's book provided just that.

One final note: ignore the occasional negative review here that suggests that such 'academic' discussions of meditation and enlightenment are counterproductive if your goal is the actual experience itself. The history of Buddhism is rife with scholar-saints, and Buddhism itself has been an intensely academic, scholarly religion since its very inception (as witnessed, e.g., by the memorization of the entire Pali cannon by the sangha!). There is no (necessary) conflict here between scholarly study and contemplative practice, and in fact I have always found the two reinforce one another very strongly.
4124484
Buddhist technique considered by many a philosophy for others a religion can tell and as reflected in this work, their execution dates already many years ago and it has served as a training of the mind to achieve peace and spirituality of our being, for those curious invite you to give a browsed to this book is that is a new experience that could be very interesting
396996
This book, p. xxi: "represents the advanced doctrine and practice as understood and realized by the Kagyupa Order of Tibetan Buddhism."  It is a translation of the 16th century "Moonlight: An Excellent Elucidation of the Meditational Stages of the Ultimate Great Seal" abbreviated as Moonlight of Mahamudra (source text for Thrangu Rinpoche's commentary, "Essentials of Mahamudra").  "This extraordinary treatise provides not only a wealth of knowledge but also methods for realizing enlightenment."  The translator provides an extensive Introduction including a brief synopsis of the book.  The author, Tashi Namgyal (1512-87) was a member of the Takpo Kagyu meditational order or lineage.  This book includes tons of quotes from Sutras, Tantras, & Masters, noting conflicting opinions & with explanations thereof, presenting an -"exhaustive elucidation of the metaphysics and the meditation of Mahamudra."  His (p. 413) "excellent treatise" and "elegant literary composition" does just that; it explains The 9 Stages of Tranquility (frontispiece)-(I obtained this diagram in Lhasa) & explores existence, dependent arising, relation to Madhyamaka philosophy, types of meditation, Sakya Pandita's criticisms,, condensed & elaborate explanations of Mahamudra (MM) meditation, relation of karma to MM (p. 287), "elevating the mind to the path," the 12 levels of the 4 MM Yogas in the greatest detail I've seen including their relation to Tantric grounds/paths/(bhumis), post-absorption, & non-conceptualization.  He calls his approach "The Mahamudra of Ultimate Certainty."

More specifically, Namgyal explains the nature of intrinsic reality such that (p. xlviii): "The deities and mandalas are not external entities but a kind of psychological geograph of our mind" & (p. 218): "Alas, the 6 levels of sentient beings are Emanations of deluded minds" and describes the interrelationship of Mahamudra & Vajrayana/Tantric methods: while Gampopa (Milarepa's #1 disciple & 1st Karmapa's master), p. 112: "considers Mahamudra to be a separate path and independent of the sutras and tantras" & p. 123: "did not make the esoteric empowerment a prerequisite for receiving the Mahamudra teachings," (p. 124): "Lately the followers of this meditative order adapted Mahamudra to the practice of Tantric mysticism...Since these Mahamudra meditations incorporated Tantric elements, practitioners are required at the outset to receive ...initiation."

He provides the best description I've seen (p. 350) of the 3 groups of meditators (and their realizations): great (instantaneous), average (evanescent), and ordinary (gradual) and states that (pp. 123 & 144): "A great medicine for gradual seekers Becomes a poison for instantaneous seekers.  A great medicine for instantaneous illumination Becomes a poison for gradual illumination."

He provides excellent descriptions of techniques: (p. 280): Mindfulness "is done in the same way an experienced cowherd watches his cattle.  Without rounding them up or following every animal, he keeps them all under his observation, letting them graze freely, even though some may wander,"(pp. 334-5): the 5 practices of self-transformation to sublimate adverse conditions: "To behave--like a wounded deer" (shun companions); "a lion" (not fear internal/external obstacles); "the wind blowing through space" (let thoughts flow freely/openly without any attachment); "space" (unfocussed meditation without any support); "a crazy person" (without objective direction, attachment to anything, or value judgments), and (p. 335): bringing dualistic thoughts to the illuminating path, and even mentions ch [chd].
3345064
Richard Shankman's book is excellent for beginners as well as established meditators.  The chapters cover beginning meditation instructions through mindfulness, concentration and insight.  His writing is concise, accessible and very practical.  I highly recommend this book.
2601770
Great book with excercises and musical meditation guides.  A nice self-contained set which would be great for having a small group of your favorite friends who swear they are not artistic and are just too busy to do "art".  Not only are others in the our group more calm and centered - they are more confident outside the mandala circle as well.  If you don't have time to meditate every day and you don't have the artist gene - try this -
4860128
To be honest, after reading and flipping the pages, I still don't know the difference between a Zentangle and a Mandala. :-(
It's a little bit obscure and this book hasn't helped me to discover the truth behind these doodles used for meditation.
They both look alike, when in a spheric form. They use abstract drawings in repetitive strokes. They help you both to focus and increase your creativity.

Probably not the point, because the book is essentially composed of pictures of tangles. But it would have been great to have a little more explanation about it

Of course, the photos are cool and brought some calm when you turn the pages. It has even given me some desire to draw. Since these tangles look a lot like the ones, I'm spontaneously doing while I'm on the phone or in a meeting where I'm bored! :-))

So I guess, this book will be perfect, if you are into this kind of repetitive patterns to help you empty your mind after a long day while using a pen or a sharpie.

However, I would have loved some more words to accompany the pictures.

Lucie
newbooksonmyselves.blogspot.fr
930078
This is a very lovely book with lots of useful information on Vajrayana and Mahamudra.  Its style matches its title.  The author is famous as a great Tibetan Buddhist master and the book supports this view.  He is gentle in his writing and gets one's attention by whispering.  I've heard of this technique before--when people are actually together in person.  It can really work, oddly enough.  I like this book better than his other works that I've read: "The Dharma" and "Luminous Mind."  It's well worth your time and effort to read.  I took a few quotes from it as well (possibly from an earlier edition):

"In seeing that all appearance (not only one's mind and emotions) is luminous, unimpeded suchness, one recognizes that all internal appearance, which is also arising from the mind, is only mental projection." p. 14

"Dynamic, empty, and unobstructed luminosity...empty, clear, and unimpeded nature of the mind itself... p. 22

"It is possible that one can practice while still actively involved in the world.  Such a combination of spiritual practice and worldly activity allows the aspirant to use his or her faculties in a very skillful way." p. 164
1375784
Mandalas For Meditation Day And Night Edition by Papeterie Bleu! Wow! What can I say! I am in love with this book. About double the size of their other coloring books, it is a bargain. Many beautiful mandalas to choose from. Each design is portrayed on a white and black background, hence the name, day & night edition. It's so much fun to color the same design on the different backgrounds and see the contrast in color and dimensions. This book would be a great addition to the collection of any age group. Some are more complex than others. Each one provides a great relaxing coloring session. I received this book as part of a preferred reviewer program for testing and a possible unbiased opinion!
2608232
Without a shadow of doubt, The Royal Seal of Mahamudra, is a major addition to Mahamudra masterpieces to become available in English [ 2015 ]
Written by the Khamtrul Rinpoche III, this manual is one of the most detailed and comprehensive presentations of Mahamudra teachings in existence. It offers profound insight into Mahamudra practice and the nature of mind. Remarkable at the beginning, in the middle and at the end, every single word of the text provides straightforward guidance, practice advices and subtle instructions in an as deep as practical approach.
This guidance manual for the practice of Mahamudra offers detailed instructions for meditation practice from the beginning level to the culmination of the path. Widely regarded as one of the clearest and most comprehensive presentations of the practice of coemergence, or Mahamudra, it presents a step-by-step guide to spiritual exercises that bring the meditator to clear realization of the primordially pure, fully perfect, nondual nature of the mind.
In my opinion, I do not hesitate to place this book in the same category as the IX Karmapa "The Ocean of definitive meaning" [ in the Elizabeth Callahan translation ] and Dakpo Tashi Namgyal "Mahamudra: The Moonlight -- Quintessence of Mind and Meditation". This means as a gem among the gems.
681902
This book isn't the light feel-good fare offered by many books on meditation today.  It dives pretty deep into one of the teachings of the Buddha and how the practice of Insight Meditation can bring the teaching, and our daily experience, to life.  Early in my practice I just couldn't see the point in this ridiculous technique of just noticing more and more detail about, say the breath, or sensation, or, as this book suggests, the process of seeing.  Thatcher explains not only the practice of "Just Seeing" but why it's WORTH practicing.  It clearly explains how noticing the process of how images arise, are colored by the mind's reactions, and give rise to thoughts, feelings, and actions, can free us.  And how this practice of turning our attention from the objects we see to the process of seeing and, eventually, to that which notices the process itself, can ultimately point us back to what we really are, the awareness in which this all unfolds.