If you've always wanted/intended to start your own meditation practice, I would recommend this set. The workbook and CD combine as a tool that will be helpful to beginners and intermediate "meditators" alike. The cards, I found interesting perhaps as a reminder of the lesson subjects in the workbook, but the set would be no less effective without them.

I received this as a birthday gift this year, and let e say it was a great gift indeed. Within this excellent package you will receive an excellent Step Buy Step 124 page Guide, that has to be one of the best-published books on Meditation. The book is excellent for both beginners and advanced. Also in this package one gets two spoken Meditation and breathing exercises cds, as well as a pack of 12 cards, which I laminated and placed them on my refrigerator.

Just to get a quick pick at how excellent this package is, the cards are. The Four Noble Truths. The Six Wholesome and Unwholesome Roots of the Mind. The Noble Eightfold Path. The Five Handrances. The Three Kinds of Sufferings. The Four Brahma Viharas. The Eight Vicissitudes. The Six Sense Doors and Three Feeling Tones. The Four Metta Phrases. The Six Stages of Metta. The Seven Points of Posture, and The Five Precepts. The Set could have done well without the cards, but they are excellent to keep in handy, in a place where you can read them frequently.

The two cds are spoken and very relaxing. You here Sharon Salzburg's calming voice as she guides you through breathing exercises, and meditations.

I have a few books on Meditation, and to be honest, The book in this package, Insight Meditation, has to be my utmost favorite. I love this set, and I recommend it to all that want to relieve stress from their lives, or want to connect with the divine within. Highly Recommended.

What A delight, Clear and concise.I carry it around in my shirt pocket.Do the authors give individual sessions about their book?

"THOUGH OUR MINDS MAY BE COMPLICATED, BEAUTY IS NOT. WE DON'T HAVE TO STRIVE TO MAKE BEAUTY IN OUR LIVES, OR LOOK FAR TO FIND IT. WHEN THE MIND IS STILL, WE CAN SEE A MAGNIFICENCE IN EVEN THE MOST ORDINARY THINGS--THE VIVIDNESS OF A SUNSET, THE WARMTH OF A SMILE, THE SIMPLICITY OF SERVING A CUP OF TEA. WE CAN SEE NEW LIFE AND GROWTH. EACH THING IS DIFFERENT FROM ALL OTHERS, EACH MOMENT IS UNIQUE." [from page 152.]

Here are the chapters: 1) Discovering the Heart of Meditation 2) Meditation Instructions 3) Difficulties and Hindrances 4) Suffering: The Gateway to Compasion 5) Integrating Practice. (Each chapter is amazing but chapter five to me is the best. I have probably 85% of it highlighted!)

This is a life-changing book. It's small enough to carry on your body and profound enough to envelop in your heart. I will cherish this always. My wish for all who read this is on page 170, paragraph one.

Thank you Joseph and Jack!

Very comprehensive, well written, includes all three volumes-Before the Best Interests and Beyond the Best Interests in this one volume.

Joseph Goldstein's latest book is basically a very good synopsis of his personal journey in the Buddha-Dharma and in his own practice. It reiterates many of the themes and principles that he has discussed in previous books and introduces some relatively new ones (e.g., relating to Tibetan Dzogchen, for example). For someone new to Buddhism, this might be a helpful or even an inspiring book. More seasoned students might detect, as I did, a subtle uncurrent of ideological assumptions.

The idea of "One Dharma", as Goldstein presents it, is not entirely coherent.
For one, the suggestion that there is "One Dharma" emerging in the West is at odds with Goldstein's stated assumption that the different traditions of Dharma will continue to exist distinctly, even in the West. If that is so, then there are Many Dharmas. Historically there have been many cultures and many different kinds of people, and for that reason, the historical existence of Many Dharmas has been a good thing. The West is multicultural so one would expect and hope to see Many Dharmas flourishing here.

Nobody can argue convincingly that Buddhism will not evolve and adapt in the West. Likewise, it seems obvious that cross-fertilization of traditions is, to some extent, a sign of Buddhism's adaptability and relevance. However the idea that "One Dharma" is emerging and that "One Dharma" is a leitmotiv of "Western Buddhism" seems naively idealistic.

The idea of "One Vehicle" as taught in the Lotus Sutra is the most obvious doctrinal precedent for Mr. Goldstein's basic idea. In spite of the Lotus Sutra's apocalyptic message, many Dharmas continue to flourish down to the present era. So assuming the Lotus Sutra's principle of "One Vehicle" is coherent, and that Goldstein's "One Dharma" is a reiteration thereof, the real message here is not that there is--or will be-- just "One Dharma" in an historical or doctrinal sense, but rather, that all Buddha-Dharmas have, in the final analysis, a single savor and a single intention.

If this is Goldstein's point, I agree wholeheartedly. Even so, I wonder why he would suggest that "One Dharma" is a special feature of the "emerging Western Buddhism". How is Western Buddhism so special if all Buddha-Dharmas have always been been "One" -- that is to say, grounded in the same basic principles? In this sense, Western Buddhism is nothing special. It is the same old Dharma expressed in a new language, with a new set of metaphors and rationales. It is no more or less "One Dharma" than any previous era of Buddhism.

For these reasons I think the book's title and ostensible message of "One Dharma" emerging in the West are much ado about nothing. Granted, the different traditions are interacting with each other here and yes, it is generally a positive thing for Western Buddhists to supplement their main studies and practices with forays into other traditions and other ways of contemplating the teachings. But for reasons already stated, I think it would have been more honest to title the book "One Thread" -- since there certainly is a single thread of definitive truth running through the various teachings and traditions of Buddha-Dharma.

If "One Dharma" is supposed to be a special feature of the historical evolution of Buddhism in the West -- and not of the Dharma generally -- Goldstein has spoken a bit hastily. It is too soon to say that there is only "One Dharma" in Western Buddhism, unless that "One" is the same as the "One Vehicle" of Asian Buddhism. If "One Dharma" is not just a statement about the unique, holistic intent of all the Buddha's teachings, but an observation of what Western Buddhism is or should become, then some kind of personal ideology, or an assumption about what makes Western Buddhism "special", would seem to have reared its unruly head.

Joseph Goldstein has written an ambitious, short book which attempts to synthesize the wisdom and teachings of various Buddhist traditions and which offers thoughts on the possible future couse of Buddhism in the West. The book is also a practitioner's guide and a manual for those setting out on a Buddhist practice.

Each of the components of this book is difficult and important. Joseph Goldstein has valuable things to teach and suggest to the reader about the many questions raised in the book. But I found that the book had a certain lack of focus from trying to do too many things in too brief a compass.

Specifically, Mr. Goldstein's discussion of meditation practice and of Buddhist moraliity was very well put. It cannot be heard often enough, particularly for those readers new to Buddhism. But the discussion of meditation practice, for me, was not well integrated with the other themes of the book -- an attempt to show what various Buddhist teachings prevalent in the United States have in common and to show how Buddhism may develop in the United States.

The book opens with an eloquent discussion of the growing interest by many people of Buddhism in the United States. It discusses as well the three traditions which probably have received most attention in the West: Theravada, Zen, and Tibetan Buddhism, although Mr. Goldstein is fully aware that there are other traditions as well. With the transmission of the Dharma to the United States, Mr. Goldstein asks what these traditions have in common and how the Westerner is to learn to practice. He offers many stories from his own experience, beginning with his practice in Theravada Buddhism which gradually expanded to an interest in Zen and Tibetan Buddhism. There is an all-to-brief history of Buddhism and its divisions into the Theravada and Mahayana schools. For all the goood things Mr. Goldstein has to say about practice, I would have liked to have heard more about this given the theme of the book.

Mr. Goldstein stresses the pragmatic character of the Buddha's teaching with its encompassing purpose of ending suffering. He rightly emphasizes, I think, that this purpose is common to all Buddhist traditions and he suggests as well that practitioners can draw on one or the other of the traditions given their own spiritual needs and progress. In a brief compass, he also contrasts various traditions as being "top-down" on the one hand, emphasizing the pure, radiant character of the mind, or "bottom-up" on the other hand, as in the Theravada tradition, emphasizing the hold of the passions and the fetters and the need to work to purify the mind. Again, I would have liked a fuller treatment of these themes and perhaps less an emphasis on meditation technique. There are many books available which address the latter.

Mr Goldstein emphasizes, rightly, a famous verse from the Dhamamapada,(verse 183) a compilation of verses from the Theravada canon. The verse is

"Not to do any evil; to cultivate good, to purify one's mind -- this is the Teaching of the Buddhas."

This verse does indeed sum up the Buddha's teaching in all the schools. Much of Mr. Goldstein's book is a commentary on the verse. But I still was left with the feeling that a more detailed presentation was required to understand Buddhism in the United States.

As the book progresses with the treatments of nonclinging, selfnesses, and Nirvana, the differences in the various traditions becomes clear and the book assumes a better focus. There is a good attempt to show in the conclusion of the book how the various traditions of Buddhism are all paths leading to one goal -- the cessation of suffering through the attainment of wisdom. The United States offers the unique possibility of the realization of a "Dharma of Freedom.", Mr Goldstein tells us at the end of the book. It will not be tied to particular schoools or debates but rather will offer the hope of freedom from suffering and from clinging for those who choose to enter the path.

"One Dharma" is one of the few books that woould be better if it were longer. Too much is left out for the reader to see how the traditions of Buddhism, if only on the surface, differ from each other and how the transmission of Buddhism to the United States promises the opportunity of integrating teachings from the different schools.

This is actually one of my favorite books written by Joesph Goldstein. This book is about "blending together" the traditions of the East, and "sprouting forth" this new seed in the West. He pours over such conecpts, well for instance: say we have 3 teachers from 3 traditions saying 3 seemingly contradictory things. We can deduct that one is right, and two are wrong; or that all 3 are wrong. Or we can acknowledge that perhaps all 3 have already gone BEYOND that realm of right and wrong. Basically, every street takes you somewhere- does this mean the roads are contradicting eachother? Not at all, they simply go somewhere. So relax in life.

We in America are in my opinion lucky there is a Joseph-this book is for beginners and adepts alike. And it is of really no significance what tradition or sector of Buddhism you yourself hail from, this book transmigrates those lines. I believe that you will enjoy this book.

This book has two sides:

on one side it is a touching and impressive story of the writer's difficult life (from child abuse to AIDS) and the way meditation helps him.

On the other side it is a meditation/Buddhism guide, starting brilliantly - comparing the Buddha's life story to every person's personal struggle for liberation but then gets repetitive/boring to the point where i simply couldn't read any longer.

Had the writer focused more on his personal struggle this could have been an excellent book as there are many gems hidden in it's pages, too bad they are too far scattered.

Mr. Harrison, a South African gay man with AIDS, has written a book that is a primer for Insight Meditation. Although the theme of the book is how to live with pain and suffering (whether medical or mental or social), anyone with an interest in the teaching of the Buddha and instructions on meditation would find this helpful. At the end of thr book the author goes through the "precepts" of Buddhism, such as non-harming, no stealing, no intoxicants. He lists them and then uses stories to show how they work in the everyday world. Mr Harrison's greatest gift in this book, I feel, is that he shows how those who are in the midst of suffering can turn their attention from themselves to others and open their heart to a compassion that may have otherwise gone undiscovered. He deals with the fear of death and anger as well, giving meditational insgights into each problem. I gave the book 4 stars only because the writing can be a bit plodding and feels sort of dull after a bit.