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| The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology | 
 enlarge | Creator: Jack Kornfield
Publisher: Sounds True, Incorporated
Category: Book
List Price: $39.95
Buy New: $21.94
You Save: $18.01 (45%)
New (34) Used (10) from $19.98
Avg. Customer Rating:  20 reviews
Sales Rank: 56161
Format: Abridged
Media: Audio CD
Edition: Abridged
Number Of Items: 6
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 5.2 x 5.1 x 1.1
ISBN: 1591796156
Dewey Decimal Number: 294.3422
EAN: 9781591796152
ASIN: 1591796156
Publication Date: April 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: still in plastic 1st class shipping (SHIP SAME OR NEXT BUSINESS DAY AFTER ORDER 6 DAYS A WEEK BUBBLE MAILER AND TRACKING)
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| Customer Reviews:
Terrific book June 15, 2008
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
This book is beautifully written and organized. It's an open, intelligent, and thoughtful integration between Buddhist wisdom and modern psychology. Actually, Jack explains some of the healthier aspects Buddhist thought. While not denying the existence of mental illness, his focus is more on mental health and how we can cultivate it as meditators. I particularly enjoy Jack's honesty about special experiences in meditation while keeping both feet on the ground of compassion and wisdom. As a meditator, I have sometimes been thrown by the smoke-and-mirrors vagueness around special experiences; I like knowing where they are on the map and how they relate (or don't) to the development of wisdom and compassion. This conveys that they are "no big deal" far more than the smoke and mirrors! I also like knowing that other people struggle with their "stuff" in meditation, and that keeping at it could lead to some freedom. I've heard teachers say that, but Jack's stories make it seem much more relevant and possible. I want to commend Jack for writing a book that is so interesting and enjoyable and that really makes sense to me! I hope it will be useful to others, as well.
Wise Heart June 16, 2008
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
I am interested in and practice meditation. I am not a Buddhist, but find that the teachings of Buddhism are a practical way to live in our very complicated world, full of beauty and suffering. Jack Kornfield's book presents the teachings in a simple manner, making it easy to understand some of the more complicated ideas of Buddhist thought. I listened to the book on audiobook, as I absorb information well this way. I heartily recommend The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology to anyone who has any suffering in this life and is interested in finding a practical, meaningful guide.
 Not His Best Book October 9, 2008
7 out of 10 found this review helpful
I was disappointed and irked by The Wise Heart. My low rating comes from three sources: (1) Format (2) Content and (3) Peeves. My critical comments and poor rating come with hesitation because I have a a sincere appreciation of Jack Kornfield's work. I hope this book will be re-written.
(1) Format. I have been fortunate to attend many Monday nights of Jack's dharma talks at Spirit Rock, and his powers as a presenter are unmatched. Unfortunately, the formula in this book fails to deliver the sub- title's promise "A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology." The sections start with several quotes, next a vague notion ("So does mindfulness open us to that which is unseen in our experience" p. 97) followed by an intense story with a happy ending ("With mindfulness Peter found relief" p. 98) and ending up with a sweeping generality ("Since 1980 nearly a thousand scientific papers have documented the effectiveness of mindfulness, often studying Western trainings that are based on a Buddhist approach." p. 99). The therapy stories are too numerous, I come away from this book completely befuddled.
(2) Content. The notion of inner radiance or beauty as each human's intrinsic nature isn't an idea that is accepted by many followers of Theraveda or Zen Buddhism. I am finding that once you read the original texts not Western commentary, the Buddha is circumspect about settling any metaphysical debates, in Nikaya's translation of the Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha in the Aggivacchagotta Sutta on p. 590 for example, the Buddha refuses to settle a long sting of metaphysical debates in his discussion with the wanderer Vacchagotta. The 26 principles throughout the book are internally contradictory, and not universally accepted by Buddhists.
(3) Peeves. Authors that provide "early praise" for this book on the back cover have most of their books listed in the Related Documents section. Perhaps it isn't quid pro quo, but I find it really irritating to have the extraordinary claim that "Two thousand years before Freud and Jung's probed the unconscious, Buddhist psychology taught about the unconscious foundation of human behavior" on pg. 151 without providing the title and translating author of the book containing the Fifty Verses on the Nature of Unconscious in the in the Related Documents section. This book has hundreds of quotes, and there are no footnotes to check how the quotes mold the content. You can't check whether the quotes are taken out of context, or if the quote comes from a early inaccurate translation. Also, there are well intentioned but sloppy stereotypes, for example, the dubious stereotype "This is evident in the healthy, caring bond between parents and children in Buddhist countries." p. 187. Or, what I find most irritating of all, what I can only describe as sophistry via oxymoron baiting: this is the use of objective terms to modify subjective experiences to further the current self-help fad promoting Buddhism as a scientific not religious activity. So, we have the "technology of visualization" p. 277 "science of mind" p.xi, and "particle-like aspect of consciousness" p.39.
GOOD PRESENTATION June 22, 2008
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
This book is well-written, clear and mostly complete and very helpful for a person who is a Buddhist practitioner as well as a teacher in Vipassana meditation. Especially teaching in the West requires a right blend of traditional Buddhist psychology with the western psyche and ethos. This book specially helps to comprehend the subject clearly and in presenting the subject to the western audience
Kornfield has done a great service July 19, 2008
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
If you have some knowledge of Buddhism and want to deepen it this is a great book. It took me a long time to read because there are so many places I wanted to stop and think about the meaning of what he said. What I really loved was the stories about people he worked with and how they had to deal with the everyday problems in their lives. It will make me a better person if I can just adopt a small percentage of his wisdom
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