A Path with Heart – A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life
A Path with Heart A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life
Beloved Western Buddhist master Kornfield makes known his personal, practical wisdom, garnered from 25 years of practicing and teaching the path of awakening, as he guides self-searchers to a simplicity of perception that brings alive spiritual practice, peace, and truth in their daily lives.
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars Excellent book
I found this book to be very helpful in approaching Buddhism generally and Buddhist meditation specifically. I learned a lot about what to expect out of any Buddhist practice as well as pitfalls. So why not 5 stars? Well, as an atheist I find certain things a little difficult to accept: rebirth and karma as an example.
2 Stars So Many Words
For some reason psychotherapy and Buddhism mixed together seem to create joyless writers. This is no exception.
Here is a lawyer joke. Lawyer tells his client, "I can write a 10 page opinion for 2 thousand dollars or a 2 page opinion for 10 thousand dollars. Which do you want?" We have the 10 page version.
Beware of authors who use their own quotes to begin each chapter. We are not talking modest. Why in the world would I want to read a quote as the kickoff of each chapter taken from the chapter itself? Perhaps the next edition will come underlined by the author.
There are many other books that cover the same ground with more wit, more depth and fewer words. Seek them out.
1 Star I doubt it will survive as a 'Classic'.
While it is very 'pragmatic', I think this will be it's downfall. All the mystery is replaced with how 'meditation' will be such an aid in making one righteous. EMPTINESS and NO-SELF (rather wondrous buddhist teachings) are treated, in my opinion, to a very one-sided interpretation. Only those taken with 'sitting' will find this book inspiring.
Here's a sample:
'As our development of self grows and our heart becomes less entangled, we begin to discover a deeper truth about self. We do not have to improve ourselves; we just have to let go or what blocks our heart.' (pg. 209)
This sounds rather too psychological for me. If its psychology we're advocating (very pragmatic) then lets call a spade a spade. Aren't we merely using 'meditation' to work on ourselves? Oh, and all those 'paradoxical' buddhist terms really are nothing more then the way Easterners talk about what we call psychology, only they use 'meditation' instead of a couch! It's ok if one feels that way, however, that may obscure things that don't fit that profile. The real danger here.
"Wishing to get out of birth and death, wishing to attain release, you try to become unified; but one does not attain unification after becoming homogenized. If you try to make yourself unified, you will certainly not attain unification." Chan Master Foyan (1067-1120)
4 Stars Velvet Glove
Kornfield's book is so soft-touch that it's very easy to miss just how hardcore and no-nonsense a practice he describes and advocates, and just how pragmatic it is.
1 Star Just more New Age "fluff"
Jack Kornfield's "A Path with HEART" is just another book of New Age "fluff".
Like all New Age publications, it just rambles on, with no clear foundational assumptions, and no clear objective.
So why would I even bother reviewing it?
It was recommended to me by a Christian colleague. A couple of months later, I discovered that my Christian colleage exemplified far more New Age doctrine, than Christian doctrine. In other words, he wasn't following Jesus Christ.
This is not entirely unusual in modern American, where Christians, often as not, are entirely confused as to what it is specifically, that they follow. In this sense, they will recommend New Age authors like Kornfield, as though they were just as authoritative in spiritual and earthly matters, as the Fathers of the Church.
Such books postulate, as does Jack Kornfield, the existence of an identity termed
SPIRITUAL LIFE. After bandying such terminology about however, the thoughtful reader will realize that such terms have no specific meaning. In fact, the sale and publication of New Age books altogether, means precisely that terminology always be vague, generalized, and inexact.
This is in strong contrast with Christian doctrine, which is at least precise in regard to the essential Christian propositions for:
(1) Originial Sin
and
(2) The necessity of Redemption by Jesus Christ
Moreover, New Age publications like Kornfields, present propositions for vague SPIRITUAL LIFE as an eclectic hodge-podge, or pastiche, in which the reason of man plays a large role, in negotiating the roller-coaster of alternative doctrines from several religions, in the hopes of developing, vaguely, a more advanced theology, which advances the individual above ever hurdle in life.
It does not work, and in fact, represents a kind of DEAD ZONE, wherein nobody ever stands for anything, and worse, nobody ever actually does anything, other than wander about in life, arguably, being nothing more than POLITE with everyone.
_________________________________________
I will offer a plain and simple example of a common New Age tactic. On page 23 of Kornfield's book, the author makes one of the many claims which are typical of NEW AGE authors.
"Contemporary society fosters our mental tendency to deny or suppress our awareness of reality."—-sentence 1, paragraph 2, page 23, Chapter Two, "A Path with HEART" by Jack Kornfield
So, what's the big deal. Why is such a sentence problematic?
Because it basically, does not mean anything. None of the identities are factually identifiable, and no factual evidence exists, or is presented to support the obscure premise.
Does such an IDENTITY as CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY EXIST? Does it do the things the author claims it does?
Also, look at what the author invites the reader to do. He invites you to assume an objective existence for the identity referred to as REALITY.
So, does CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY a REALITY?
Well, about as much as the U. S. Government regulates the Weather coming out of the North Pole; but try to rationally engage a NEW AGE author concerning such a proposition.
No mechanism or methodology, operated by a CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY can factually be identified; but you see, this is the very BREAD & BUTTER of NEW AGE authors. They only operate in the pretense of appearing to write factual things. They virtually never get caught writing something which CAN or CANNOT be factually substantiated.
Beyond this, are the large masses of people for whom NEW AGE publications seem to represent not merely an alternative philosophy, religion, or spirituality. The represent the leadership for an entirely alternative REALITY, and arguably, one that can never be identified in fact.
_______________________________________________
KORNFIELD continues:
"We relegate our poor to ghettos."—–sentence 5, paragraph 3, page 23, Chapter Two, "A Path with HEART" by Jack Kornfield
In this paragraph, KORNFIELD lists any number of RELEGATIONS, based upon some vague proposition for:
(1) Collective guilt
(2) An identity statement regarding an unknown, referred to as WE.
WE do this. WE do that.
What is so odd about such generalizations is that they more or less presuppose that WE are in control of everything. Therefore, it is rational to conclude that you and I are possibly, GOD, and moreover, WE are responsible for every social scenario involving PEOPLE.
KORNFIELD does not identify actually people; but rather identifies them as social stereotypes. He mentions:
(1) OLD PEOPLE
(2) MENTAL PATIENTS
(3) OUR POOR
KORNFIELD goes on to write, WE…this, and WE….that.
I don't know how any human being can possibly maintain rational comprehension, wallowing around in such generalities; but it should be recalled, NEW AGE authors do not rely upon comprehension of anything in the SPECIFIC. All NEW AGE writing depends heavily upon GENERALITY, after GENERALITY, after GENERALITY.
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