Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness: Walking the Buddha's Path (Meditation in Plain English)

I don't know why I waited so long to read this book in my library. I bought it 2 years ago and on my shelf it's sat while I studied other aspects of Buddhism. My meditation practice has floundered over the course of those two years as I've attempted to understand how to make progress meditation without actually making much of an effort towards understanding and implementing steps 1-6 of the Buddha's noble eightfold path. My assumption was, having spent most of the past 16 years practicing yoga, that meditation technique was more important if one's daily life was relatively ethical and upright. And that any failure on the path could be attributed to how one practices the techniques of meditation. Basically I had a very technical-dominant view of the Buddhist path. This book has helped to correct many of my inaccurate assumptions. It's also seemed that when I was stuck and I went back to this book in order to understand how to apply one of the noble eightfold steps that not only was the information pertinent and insightful, but the specific examples the author uses relating to daily life are the exact examples I'm experiencing. The effect is that it feels as if the author is writing directly to me, even while including the general audience. It's somewhat uncanny. Though I've read other books on the noble eightfold path, this one is becoming, in essence, my Buddhist bible. It has everything I need and nothing more. And the author's own description of what it's like as each grouping of the 10 fetters related to the 4 stages of awakening are vanquished is both salient and inspiring.

I have been a practicing Buddhist since October 5th 2005 and have a bunch of books on Buddhism and this is by far the most favorite of mine for teaching the Buddha's eight fold path. This book for me supersedes sutras, Zen mind training books, and many of the Thich Nhat Hanh books that I really like because this book really lays out the plan in real life terms not just some ideals of how we should act. I keep asking people at my Sangha to review it and Zen teachers can be very head strong and set in their Zen ways and without this book I would have never really gotten on "THE PATH". It wasn't an easy read for me at first because I decided that I wasn't going to skip around and I wasn't going to glaze over the pages when I didn't understand. Every time I "failed" a chapter I started rereading again, until I "got it" then moved on to the next so it took me about 6 weeks to read. 4 -5 weeks to get through the first 2 parts of the eight fold path and then I blazed through the rest of the book in only a few days like a California wildfire. You will know a good Buddhist book when you want to read it again every few years. This is one of those books. This book is tied at number one with the Shambala Pocket Classic version of the Dhammapada which I also love because you can read the whole book in an hour and it fits in any shirt or pants pocket. I know of no other text on this planet that packs so much wisdom into such a tiny package. This book and the Dhammapada together are really all one needs to launch and create a home based Buddhist practice even without a priest around to guide you. Of course please seek out a real ORDAINED Buddhist priest from some tradition either near you or online because they will help you grow exponentially once you have gotten your Buddhist practice going. Contact the San Francisco Zen Center (or any legitimate Zen Center near you) if you need to find Buddhist guidance as they are part of one of the most famous and reputable Soto Zen organizations in the world and have many affiliate centers throughout the United States and Japan. I am a member of the Houston Zen Center and you can find us online too.

I loved this book, it became more of a guide to me. I can open it to any page and get a different/deeper meaning than I read the first time. The examples/stories helped me because they showed real people in real life having similar situations that everyone has, it just makes it click better.

Brilliant book

Guidelines on how to become happy. Very entertaining. A lot of logic and evidence that we sometimes miss. I read it every day together with Midndfulness in Plain English from the same author. It does alter my way to see things and my attitude has benefitted from it. I feel kind of being on the right way.

If you are looking to increase your happiness and end your suffering, read this book several times! You would not regret my recommendation. Enjoy your new life.

苦しみの消滅へと導く実践の八正道を、平易に述べてあります。 八正道という用語を知らなくても、その内容を理解できるように書いてあります。 ブッダは相手に合わせた喩えを用いて説教しましたが、 本書では、現代生活に合わせた的確で分かり易い喩えが随所にあり、理解を助けてくれます。 たとえば、自分の命を守る準備をしてから、救出活動を行う消防士を喩えとして、 他者への慈悲には、まず Compassion for ourselves が必要だと述べています。 内容は以下の Eight Mindful Steps (八正道）から成ります。 Skillful Understanding, 正見 Skillful Thinking, 正思惟 Skillful Speech, 正語 Skillful Action, 正業 Skillful Livelihood, 正命 Skillful Effort, 正精進 Skillful Mindfulness, 正念 Skillful Concentration 正定 現代の日本人には、漢語表現より英語で読んだほうが、 直感的にかつ正確に、本書が指し示す道を理解できるのではないでしょうか。 著者は、Look beyond the words of this book. と、 言葉ではなく、言葉が指し示す道を見るようにと述べています。

Ven Bhante Henepola Gunaratne thank you. I have read several books on Buddhism, this book is one of the best I have read. The author describes simply and concisely the Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path in a way that is easy to understand and which speaks to your heart. I found the personal examples of dealing with situations that require us to reflect deeply e.g right speech, very helpful. This book not only offers a practical guide to walking the Buddha's path but the author shows us the way through his own example of loving-friendliness when he connects with the reader.