Intermittently thought-provoking

I learned a lot from this course, although parts of it are more valuable than others. The best sections are those which give advice on meditation practice and how to overcome the difficulties that challenge the beginner. The lecturer has lots of useful, practical ideas that are very helpful. I found the later sections where he spends a great deal of time moralizing in a rather banal way to be less interesting, although here and there I found nuggets of thought-provoking ideas about how mindfulness can help us live our lives better - the chapter on accepting mortality is particularly good.

The lecturer speaks WAY too slowly and has a slightly condescending tone, as if he is explaining the subject to a small kitten. However, I found that if I played him at 2x speed he sounded like a normal human being and was perfectly listenable.

469 people found this helpful

Very good lectures on mindfulness!

I found Dr. Muesse did good work researching and explaining mindfulness. Each lecture was well presented with good use of vocals to keep the listener's attention.

I found the best part to be the first lecture of this series. The example given is unquestionably THE best example I've ever read or heard of the differences between an untrained (or distracted) mind, and a mind which routinely goes through mindfulness meditation and exercises. I can't say enough good about the first chapter. The following lectures buildup from there, I found myself hooked right from the start.

Also, of particular note is the acknowledgement that this course is Dr. Muesse's interpretation on the subject matter. I could see the great lengths the author went through to present the subject material in as an objective way as possible. For me this is a huge difference between one-sided self help books, and academic learning.

I would recommend this to people curious about what meditation is, and what in particular mindfulness meditation is. Then it's effect on a person's outlook and quality of life.


All in all this is one of the best introduction coarse on mindfulness I have had the opportunity to listen/read. Recommended!

288 people found this helpful

It sounds like a cliché, but it changed my life.

I bought this lecture series for help with learning to meditate. I did not find it too helpful on that front as I am a complete beginner and the lecturer did not take the sort of hand-holding approach to meditation that I feel I need.

BUT, the lectures that dealt with topics related to meditation and not meditation itself were amazing. I think they've helped me unlock the key mysteries about myself and my interactions with others and things that I've been struggling with for a great many years. I'm very, very glad I bought and listened to these lectures.

230 people found this helpful

Good recorce if you ignore the Narrator's bias

It was a practice in Mindfulness to regain concentration every time the speaker diverged from actually teaching into repetative moralistic preaching. I reject many of the authors views on sexuality and purity of though. In fact I find that attempting to achieve perfect thought and the idea of injecting morality actively work against the kind of flow and inner tranquility one can achieve through basic Mindfulness.

I really wanted to give this a 4 out of 5. Glad for some of the better parts for sure. The 3/5 is just honest from my perspective. The tangents just added up to where they reduced actual value.

I could honestly give this a higher score had the title been "Mindfulness from a heavily Christian Perspective" - at least then I'd have known what to expect.

194 people found this helpful

Best Course on Meditation

What made the experience of listening to Practicing Mindfulness: An Introduction to Meditation the most enjoyable?

This course is not a simple listening experience but can be practice simultaneously.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Practicing Mindfulness: An Introduction to Meditation?

The whole course is rooted in one concept "Awareness" and all worldly problems could be overcome through it. This is also a fundamental principle of "Whole to Part". If one is "Aware" all the time then one is also aware of transience nature of everything, physical or non physical.

Which character – as performed by Professor Mark W. Muesse – was your favorite?

Buddha

What insight do you think you’ll apply from Practicing Mindfulness: An Introduction to Meditation?

Practice awareness through various exercises mentioned in the course.

Any additional comments?

This is the best Audible I have come across. I have listened to many other on similar subject but this particular one is invaluable due to following:- It encourages you to do simple exercises.- Insights mentioned are non religious but universal truth.- short stories (gathas) generate clarity.- simplicity.I wish there would be a concise form of these 24 lectures.

94 people found this helpful

Be well and happy!

This was an excellent introductory course on meditation. The lectures covered the basics, like principles of Buddhism and connecting to the breath during meditation. It also explained some more challenging topics such as compassionate meditation and meditation on grief and death. These lectures have taught me how to bring mindfulness into my day-to-day life. I'm looking forward to practicing the concepts further!

The professor was an excellent speaker. The pace was a little bit slow, but I think that is appropriate for this topic. The 30 minute lectures are the perfect length for listening without getting bored.

81 people found this helpful

Stop Going on Autopilot, Listen to This

I listen to a lot of audiobooks, usually in the background. This book gives you techniques to keep you mentally present whatever you're doing. It demystifies meditation and sophisticated techniques, giving it to you in easy-to-use guidelines.

80 people found this helpful

This course changed my life!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. It is lengthy, but well worth the time invested.

Any additional comments?

This lecture has changed my life! It has taught me to practice paying more attention to those around me, how to practice compassion for others and myself, and how to exercise peacefulness.

80 people found this helpful

more theory than practice

I picked this up hoping it'd involve a bit of a guided approach to beginning to incorporate mindfulness into the day to day, but instead got a very good and thorough history of the practice- it's one of the great courses, which are always high quality and interesting, but certainly more theoretical than it is a how-to.

76 people found this helpful

Seems neat but decolves into a prejudicial sermon

Seems neat but the professor can’t help but referencing his own views on religion. It’s riddled with preferential references to Christianity. It could be neat if that was disclosed ahead of time but when it starts disparaging theism and atheism explicitly it gets hard to ignore.

53 people found this helpful