Customer Reviews
Getting off the mark " Beginners Meditation" - By: Nicholas Hill, 06 Jan 2009 
Purchasedin 2007 - My year long review into the Insight Meditation kit.
Having always wanted for some deep reason to learn meditation I felt I needed the guidance from someone or something. The something was the Insight Meditation Kit. I found the advantages of CD tuition easier to help build concentration & to know where to focus my efforts into the practice. Unknown to me at the time was the close link between meditation & Buddhism. The book & cards includedin the kit give you information on meditation & Buddhism. This has helped me to realize the true potential of meditation & to the benefits of following the teachings of the Buddha Shakyamuni. The kit dose not preach Buddhism so don't think you have to avoid it if you already follow a faith. It merely gives you the opportunity to have the understanding to make a choice for yourself to be a better person through meditation & living a moral life. A year on, I can say that with the inspiration from the Insight Meditation Kit & my own efforts I have had definite improvementsin my life. I cannot say what it has done for me it can do for you, but it will help give a greater view on the choices available to oneself when you become mindful through meditation.
Just what I needed - By: Book Worm, 19 Mar 2008 I had tried learning to meditate through books alone & struggled badly. I found the CD that comes with this book an excellent way to get into meditation - the tone of voice used is so soothing.
The book adds so much more background & helpful information to assist & guide meditation.
I would not hesitatein recommending this to anyone interestedin starting meditation.
A lifesaver. - By: , 09 Mar 2006 About six months ago I was under significant stress due to work & postgraduate course pressures. I wasn’t coping & life was really getting to me. So after reading a magazine article on meditation I decided to give it a go & purchased the Insight Meditation Kit.
Through the use of the kit & dedicated practice I have managed to gain control of my emotions. Though the work/course pressure is now off I still find meditation invaluable. I can now cope with many difficult situations without becoming flustered or stressed & feel generally more relaxed.
“Insight Meditiation” is the only meditation course I have tried so I can’t compare it with others but I would highly recommend it.
Excellent guide to meditation! - By: , 24 Feb 2006 I have found this pack to be a complete life saver over the last year. I have read through the whole book at least twice & read selected chapters over & over where they are particularly relevant and/or helpful. The CD has some excellent meditation sessions contained on it & the extras providedin this kit were such helpful reminders of the key points. When I feel I need to just sit & chill for half an hour, this is the first thing I turn to... & if things start to get on top of me, I recall some of the pearls of wisdom & things start to calm down & return to their proper perspective. I've not only recommended the pack to numerous other people, I have also bought it as a present. I would highly recommend it to anyone!
Two Words - Life Changing - By: , 05 Sep 2005 I have been involvedin the art of meditation for some 26 years now & I have studied many different approaches to this ancient art such as those made famous by Gwing Zhu, Xiang Lou & even the surprisingly accurate yet simple beliefs of the Western shaman Gary Daniels.
It is hard to believe that there could be,in this day & age, another book so delightfully straight-forwardin its approach yet at the same time, delving into the complexities that many modern day texts on meditation tend to steer away from. It is this complete & utter dedication to the cause that Goldstein & Salzberg (both relatively unheard of before 'Insight...' apart from their work with Ethiopian childrenin Africain the 80's) show throughout, that will excel this book into the A-Grade list of Modern day meditation texts.
Though some more advanced readers may find the style of writing somewhat patronising, as if the authors were aloof from the subject (though I can assure you having met both authorsin Africa that this was certainly not their intention), it quickly becomes clear that they have an astute knowledge of their subject matter, so much so one could say, that they might even rival the late great Xylon Xuo Ping BBHS (Blessed Be His Soul).
One does not necessarily gain all that another may doin reading this book, indeed my second cousin thought the book was a tad nefarious - which is reflectedin the comments made by Foo Jit Suin Chapter 4 of his self titled debut text - although I must stress that there is so much more to be gained (in the metaphysical sense at least) than the average reader may at first believe.
In conclusion, I would not directly recommend this book to those who are not prepared to unlearn what society has had them learn, especially without knowing your previous meditation history - for example those more akin to the teachings of To Shi Bah would be more at ease with, say, William Bailey's more conservative writingsin 'Emotions & Emoticons: The truth behind Meditation' than they would be with 'Insight...'. If you are, on the other hand, eager to go beyond the common belief structure & push the boundaries of spiritual enlightenment - this is the title for you.
