Getting To Where You Are: The Life Of Meditation by Steven Harrison is a compelling examination of the practice of meditation - including its benefits, what it can and cannot help with, and expressions of daily spirituality through the machinations of life itself. A thought-provoking series of essays carrying a transcendental message about what it means to be in touch with oneself and the quest to better understand both the physical and the spiritual realms, Getting To Where You Are is enthusiastically recommended reading for students of spirituality who seek to employ meditation as a means of acquiring all that this ancient practice has to offer them in our modern times. From Amazon.com
This is my first time in reading this author's work. I purchased the book with the idea that it might have to say something from the perspective of one who has practiced (yes, practiced) meditation for some time. Instead I got a very confusing, disjointed, and - borrowing from another reviewer - clumsily written piece. The problem is he's taking on a huge topic and throwing generalizations around as if his words encompass the whole. While there may be bits of truth, there is as much to say that totally contradicts his points. And in doing so he behaves exactly as the spirituality industry he seems to have a gripe about. He writes, "Without humility, the use of meditative techniques will not bring about anything than the accumulation of more information." This is precisely my problem with this book: it lacks humility. It lacks precision and regard. Instead, it generalizes and is often inaccurate. And in doing so it became for me a noisy gong page after page. An example: "There is nothing to practice, but practicing nothing is something we all can do. If we are not asleep, we are awake. If we are awake, we must be aware. If you can read this, you are certainly awake. The nap is over, and this annoying thing called awareness is occurring." Or, "Those who find this sublime world of wonder and caught there usually end up as spiritual teachers. They teach us how to find our way to Wonderland." I read this over and over and am bewildered by it's shoot-from-the-hip take on the process. To me, it was not written with much awareness. This happens many times in this book as it misrepresents its choice of words, its "symbols,"
time and time again. Perhaps it is because in my experience I have met so many devoted people who are not looking for "Wonderland" but just simply want to bring peace and kindess to what's in their life. There are so many better books than this; too many to name.
From Amazon.com
|
