This book is informative and in depth regarding the Shoshone nation of Wind River. I have now a deep respect for the honored Chief Washakie of their tribe. I wish I could have elected him President of the United States.

I recommend reading Geneva's Hope, a historical romance including reference to the Shoshone nation. It is make believe but gives insights into the nation. The romance novel Geneva's Hope is set in the late 1870's. The tribal nation is the Shoshone and the location is Ely, Nevada.

I also recommend Smitten (historical romance) by Payton Lee

This book is like a bible to anyone interested in this particular area. Olga Soffer knows the material well. The book is easy to work through and provides numerous raw data tables making it simple to get straight to the facts.

The book has many drawings and black & white photos throughout. Each of the 29 sites studied has a comprehensive report that details the history of the sites excavation; stratigraphy; artifacts recovered; site plan (if available); and details of the site today.

Mindfulness is not an easy concept to explain in words yet H. Gunaratana does a nice job of doing just that. First and foremost, this book is a beginner's guide to the practice of Vipassana (or Insight) meditation. Having it's roots in the Gutama Buddha's life over 2500 years ago, Vipassana meditation is a skill that takes only a short while to learn but a lifetime of dedication to master.

The introduction gives a brief look at the roots of the practice and tells the reader that meditation is intrinsically experiential so the best way to get started is to just sit and try it. In the following chapters, Gunaratana helps the reader to understand exactly what meditation is and what it isn't. From there he goes into more detailed instructions as to what your mind and body should be doing while you meditate. This is accompanied with useful tips on dealing with problems that may arise in your practice, including the 5 major hindrances that nearly all meditators face. The book wraps up with a more in depth look at exactly what "mindfulness" is and how to "take it from the cushion" and integrate it into our daily lives.

I found this book very easy to read and understand and feel it would be an excellent guide for people just getting into Buddhism and meditation. Already being the owner of a collection of books on Buddhism, this book didn't offer any new revelations but I was extrememly pleased with the sections on mindfulness and have already used some of the author's suggestions on integrating it into daily life. The main reason I did not give the book 5 stars is because it offers much more for the new reader than it does for one with more experience.

If you buy this book and still feel like you could use more detailed instructions on meditation, I recommend you also purchase "Change Your Mind: A Practical Guide to Buddhist Meditation" by Paramananda (ISBN: 0904766810).

Somehow I feel that a long review would be unfaithful to the spirit of this great book. Not since I discovered Alan Watts some ten years ago have I read such clear words in the context of buddhism. You will find great introductions to meditation in your local bookstore, from which I recommend the books of Chogyam Trungpa, his student Pema Chödrön, the American Surya Das, and last but not least Sogyal Rinpoche (all from the Tibetan tradition). But "Mindfulness in Plain English" (from the Theravada tradition) stands on a class of its own. If you are a rookie practitioner like me and you do not have the good fortune of having a qualified teacher around, I believe this little manual alone, and discipline, can take you a long way. And you will not exhaust it in one reading. The language is deceptively simple and the book contains some very nuanced discussions (e.g. the distinction between "mindfulness" and "concentration" should be required reading to philosophers of the mind; by the way, when will the Searles and the Dennetts ever discover the buddhist insights about consciousness?) This review is long enough: read the book and meditate everyday. You will be better and so will the world.

Sometimes when I pick up titles on meditation, yoga, or other practices associated with Eastern philosophy, mysticism or relgion, I am overcome with the author's inability to say what they mean in language that is useful to the rest of us. My relief was enormous, therefore, when a friend gave me this book by Venerable Henepola Gunaratana! This book is exactly what the title implies...easy to read and understand because it is not written in mystic hokum, rather it is written in plain english. The result is a manual for the beginning student of meditation that is sufficient to get you well on your way to benefitting from the practice of Insight Meditation.

In "Mindfulness" you will gain an understanding of what mindfullness is, how to cultivate it both during sitting practice and the rest of the time, tips on how to sit and how to overcome some of the most common distractions (including your feet going to sleep and your back hurting), and what to look for and what to avoid. I have not been practicing meditation for long, and this book was of enormous value in helping me identify the things I was doing that served as barriers to effective insight meditation, as well as giving me ideas on how to enhance the effectiveness of my meditation.

This is an extremely practical book for the western practitioner. It draws heavily upon the Buddhist paradigm, but the techniques for effective meditation cross all sect boundaries, and the beginning practitioner of any faith will find this book of enormous benefit. I would strongly encourage the reader to suppliment this book with "The Miracle of Mindfulness" by Thich Nhat Hahn. The two together are a delightfully easy to read but complete and well rounded introduction to the practices of Insight Meditation. If you want to know how but don't want to hire a Yogi to translate, this book is the place to start.

Zen has a built in feature that makes it a little difficult to fathom at first. Those who have been practicing a while have developed enough insight that they see things a different way and therefore communicate in a different way. This communication is defined by a lilting, flowery and (in my view) often opaque use of language. The rest of us have a hard time figuring out just what the heck they're talking about. Unfortunately, in order for we "have-nots" to get it, we need some useful instruction from the "haves". This communication gap, if you will, can interfere with the learning process.

The title of this book implies an effort to bridge the gap and Buksbazen does a laudable job of delivering the goods. Don't expect an intellectual tour de force. That's not what it's about. Rather, this book is merely a short, simple, plainly-stated guide to getting started with "just sitting". The book is divided into three sections. The first provides a brief history of the Zen movement in Buddhism. The second, the heart of the book, provides some practical advice for the most basic form of Zen meditation, breath counting. The final section gives you some practical advice on continuing your practice within the "meditative community", an essential facet of meditative practice.

I especially appreciated the author's assurance that Zen is not as inaccessible as it might seem to us beginners. Don't worry, he says in effect, just start practicing and as you get better at settling your mind, you will begin to understand more and more. It will take some time and effort, but it will come. If you're looking for a book on different forms of meditation or a discourse on Zen practice, look elsewhere. But if you're looking for an easy "Getting Started:" manual, you might want to give this book a try.

I was encouraged to "just sit" when I started practicing Zen meditation, but John Daishun Buksbazen's meditation manual offers much easier intructions to Zen practice. In his Foreward to Buksbazen's how-to guide, Peter Matthiessen notes that "this gentle book . . . is a wonderful introduction to Zen Buddhism, and also an invitation to a new life" (p. 13). Buksbazen is a Zen Buddhist priest and a psychoanalyst. Meditation offers us "a way of getting deeply in touch with the true Self," he observes; "not just the narrow self; that much can be accomplished through psychotherapy or a number of other disciplines. But sitting deals with the 'big-S'-Self, that most basic level of reality that has nothing to do with culture, social status, intellect, or even personality. It deals with who you really are beyond all specifics of time and place. And who you really are, ultimately, is the universe itself" (p. 35).

Organized into three parts, "Buddhas," "Sitting," and "Community," and then followed by a section of "Frequently Asked Questions," Buksbazen's 123-page book offers its reader an excellent introduction to taming our minds and discovering who we are through the practice of Zen meditation.

G. Merritt

This book does an admirable job of explaining the fundamentals of Zen meditation. There are many, many good books out now that include some discussion of meditation technique, but usually that's as a part of a larger discussion of Buddhism and Buddhist thought, and the mechanics of meditation often get inadequate attention. With this book, the reader will get a solid introduction to meditation, sufficient to get actual practice off to a good start. I would not be surprised if it becomes a classic in the field. Very well done.

After searching for years for information from a western perspective on eastern chants and mantra, I've finally found it. Thomas Ashley-Farrand's new book, Healing Mantras: Using Sound Affirmations for Personal Power, Creativity, and Healing bridges a huge gap for anyone interested in exploring the spiritual power of sound. His ability to portray somewhat arcane knowledge about this ancient practice is wonderful - and he backs it all up with real-life experiences of westerners who have benefited from such work. It has broadened my own practice considerably and best of all: it works! After committing to a 40-day practice as advised in the book, I've been able to completely revamp an ailing career into a wonderful new one, find a way to live on my favorite tropical island, and eliminate many money woes that had plagued me for years. Namaste, Mr. Ashley-Farrand, namaste!

Imagine a language made of simple sounds. And these sounds embody what they describe. This is the ancient language of sound called "Sanskrit." When these sounds are assembled into formulas called Mantra or "divine speech" they will, in the words of a Sufi master, actually "knead the flesh of the body with sound." These ancient formulas of divine sounds have been "held in trust and in secret for ages," according to the author, in India and Tibet. With "Healing Mantras," Thomas Ashley-Farrand has created a breakthrough for the West with a work that illustrates, with great clarity, both the symbolic significance and the practical benefits of chanting mantra. Students of the esoteric arts as well as those new to the subject will find this book entertaining, illuminating and, above all, accessible. In fifteen well-organized chapters Ashley-Farrand demonstrates how mantras comprise "our spiritual physiology," how they work and gives specific instructions as to their use in creating abundance and self-empowerment, or mastering health and love. Though there is great scholarship in the book, this is no dry tome, but a manual for the use of ancient and powerful tools. Throughout the book are personal stories which succinctly illustrate how the practice of mantra has benefited the author as well as those he has instructed in its use. Readers will be lured by the practical simplicity of this book to utter the divine speech themselves. And the consistent use of this sound energy may well prove to be transformative, giving those with the intent, the power to change their lives.

No review here. Sorry. Nothing but praise. This book is changing my life so fast that I feel like I'm in a dream! I've used the Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Buddhist chant for years to transform my life internally and externally, but its brought up so much karma I knew I had to find a new and gentler path. Now, mystical happenings abound in a more directed way, and it's only been a few weeks! These mantras give one the power to work on specific problems related to everything from finance and relationships to physical and mental affliction. The results I've had have been tremendous!! Incredibly well-written, and easy to read, no doubt due to the Saraswati chant by the author. The mantras in this book if done as a "Sadhana" advised by Mr. Ashley-Farrand (40 days straight)I'm sure can change one's life dramatically as if one were taking medecine. They'll be making a dent in many people's negative karma soon, ultimately changing the course of the world. As far as I'm concerned, this book will make a priceless gift to loved ones. God bless!!

This book is a very good way to introduce your self to the Buddhist princelpes and concepts. Steve Hagen (ordained Buddhsit preist) goes into depth with the 4 Noble Truths which is one of the strongest Buddhist principles. He also describes many Buddhist concepts and elabroates on them. He stays on one basic topic for a while in order to help the reader really absorb the concept. I would not say that this book is an easy read, as you really need to focus on what he is saying, and may even want to read some of the chapters twice or even tree times before moving on. However for the person who is really interested in Buddhism, this book will proove to be of great value!! As I read this book, I gained much insight and moments of enlightenment. This book is definately for the person who is interested in spiritual growth and the study of Buddhism. I recently lent it to a friend, and I am looking forward to getting it back, as I get alot out of re-reading much of the text.

I purchased this book in an effort to seek a better understanding of Buddhism without feeling like an idiot because of a lack of spiritual training. It was the best book I could have chosen. Coming from a Catholic background I was a bit hesitant about reading this book; however, I found that it's simplicity enlightens the reader and gives a better understanding of the principles of Buddhism. It was a gentle approach that let the reader become aware of the basic values and teachings of Buddhism. A very quick and spiritually rewarding read.

Being one who has been jaded by the dogmatic practices of the Christian religion, I could appreciate Mr. Hagen's no-nonsense look at Buddhism (or, shall i say, the Buddha-Dharma). Hagen's introduction to Buddhism is through the Four Noble Truths, the very basis of the Buddha's teaching. Using concrete examples of the meaning behind many of these concepts, Mr. Hagen is able to allow the reader to embark on awakening. While there are many more concepts behind Buddhism that are discussed in this book, it encouraged me to use it only as a raft to help cross the stream (and thus experience the teachings for myself). An excellent read if you are new to Buddhism and are looking to transform your pain and suffering into love and joy.

This is an adult version of the Arabian Nights tales that most kids grow up with. By adult I do not mean that it contains a lot of sexual material, however there is some, so this book is probably not appropriate for children. Stories like "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" and "Aladdin and the Magic Lamp" are included in here, along with some more obscure stories like "The Hunchback's Tale". If you're interested in learning about stories from the middle east, this is the book for you.

I read an abridged version as a youngster many, many years ago, before I discovered and became passionate about Sir Richard F. Burton and his exploits, and have continued to reread the book throughout my life. Because I move around so much, and always give the book to good friends as a present, I find myself having to buy it again and again. Of course I don't mind at all! The tales always take me back to that first time I read them, and bring me forward as I read them into my own life. It's like a story within the story. I am looking forward to giving this book to my children as a present. It will be fantastic! I'll introduce them to Burton and let the book's magic capture their imaginations, just like it did me.

I have been searching for an Arabian Nights book for months. The only books I found were rewrites for children. Then I came across this masterpiece. While it was alittle hard to read at first (because of the old english used), I was soon drawn into the enchanting stories held within. This has all the classic "Nights" tales that we grew up with (Alladin, Ali Babba, Sinbad) plus many, many more! They will undoubtably grab you and draw you in. I highly recommend this to anyone! You won't be dissapointed!