What do you think?
Rate this book
Five Ways to Know Yourself
183 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2011
9 people are currently reading
186 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 18, 2014
Shinzen's meditation manual is one of a kind. It incorporates the techniques of many traditions while avoiding any kind of unscientific woo. Very precisely written, it requires careful reading and unbiased application. Shinzen's YouTube channels, expandcontract and ShinzenInterviews, are an almost essential supplement.
I've had very different experiences with the methods in this book as a beginner and as an intermediate. As a complete beginner, I applied them successfully but was undersold on just how transformative meditation can be, so I didn't practice much at all. As an early intermediate, having read Ingram's MCTB, I was frustrated with what I perceived as Shinzen's dumbing-down of Masahi noting. A few years later, I tried Shinzen's methods again and found their simplicity incredibly freeing and effective. Shinzen has spent decades teaching, incorporating feedback, and coming up with this system, which teaches you exactly how to focus on sensory experience one particular way at a time. All of these ways cut to the core of meditation and avoid any unnecessary mental dissonance.
I've had very different experiences with the methods in this book as a beginner and as an intermediate. As a complete beginner, I applied them successfully but was undersold on just how transformative meditation can be, so I didn't practice much at all. As an early intermediate, having read Ingram's MCTB, I was frustrated with what I perceived as Shinzen's dumbing-down of Masahi noting. A few years later, I tried Shinzen's methods again and found their simplicity incredibly freeing and effective. Shinzen has spent decades teaching, incorporating feedback, and coming up with this system, which teaches you exactly how to focus on sensory experience one particular way at a time. All of these ways cut to the core of meditation and avoid any unnecessary mental dissonance.
January 25, 2019
This article / ebook presents the most comprehensive break-down of various mindfulness techniques that I have seen so far.
It should be pointed out that his book is not recommended for beginners in meditation, it's definitely not written as an introduction to mindfulness. However, if you have a few hundred hours of meditation experience, it could serve as valuable way of structuring the different perspectives and techniques, and inspire to try out new techniques.
The book presents Shinzen Young's Basic Mindfulness system, which has since 2016 been replaced by his ULTRA system. Despite the fact that Shinzen does not seem to further develop the Basic Mindfulness system, the book still presents a very valuable structure for meditation techniques.
It should be pointed out that his book is not recommended for beginners in meditation, it's definitely not written as an introduction to mindfulness. However, if you have a few hundred hours of meditation experience, it could serve as valuable way of structuring the different perspectives and techniques, and inspire to try out new techniques.
The book presents Shinzen Young's Basic Mindfulness system, which has since 2016 been replaced by his ULTRA system. Despite the fact that Shinzen does not seem to further develop the Basic Mindfulness system, the book still presents a very valuable structure for meditation techniques.
September 1, 2020
A look into Shnizen's brilliant mind formulating a systematic view of mindfulness and life.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews