Abiding in Mindfulness, Volume 1: The Body

No one that I know of illuminates the heart of Vipassana Buddhism as clearly and thoroughly as Joseph Goldstein. This series of talks, and there are many (see vol. II and vol. III), are at once thorough and engaging. This series is not for the beginner, unless the beginner is uncommonly persistent in her (his) intention to awaken. He opens the gate.

Joseph Goldstein's Abiding in Mindfulness: The Body has created an excellent compilation of the Dhamma. I highly recommend this CD collection to anyone who is seriouly contenplating on learning the fundamentals necessary for overcoming the hindrances and how to meditate mindfully. I really look forward to more products from Joseph. Joseph, "Please keep making more Dhamma books and CDs."

There's a significant amnt of depth to the material. I've listened to each CD numerous times and every time something new resonates. Thank you!

Joseph Goldstein's clarity of mind and warmth of heart make this set of c/d's the finest home teaching for Theravadan Buddhists.

I can't praise this collection of talks (all 3 volumes together) given over a period of years at "The Forest Retreat", highly enough.It is definitely for more advanced students, but if the beginner has the (what I see as) appropriate outlook that it will take years of study, practice and contemplation and reading/listening to lots of books/teachings repeatedly to really begin to understand and integrate what Buddhism has to offer, then the beginner could benefit from listening to them over and over, over a period of years. By then they will maybe be more advanced beginners!Joseph Goldstein has given us the gift of a practical down to earth, thoughtful and detailed commentary on the Buddha's foundational sutra on the four foundations of mindfulness, closely following the scholarly commentary on this sutra by Analayo, "Satipatthana: The Direct Path To Realization".I have had this Analayo book for four years and never could read more than a small portion of it, as it was too dry and scholarly for me. I read the translation of the Buddha's sutra, but couldn't usefully unpack it on my own. Now, after listening to Goldstein's talks a few times I find myself referring to Analayo's book (one small piece at a time) and I now find it is a very rich source of contemplation and it helps me to make use of these methods in my daily life in a way I really appreciate.In other words, Goldstein's talks made Analayo's commentary on the Buddha's sutra more accessible to me, and hence the Buddha's sutra is now more accessible to me.This has deepened my practice and brought it into my daily life in a way I am delighted with. I fully expect to continue to gain more benefit from this sutra for years to come. There is enough material here for a lifetime of practice. (This is not to say that I won't also be reading, practicing and listening to multiple other teachings as well.)Thank you Joseph Goldstein.

Speaking as a layperson who is studying the dharma from a secular perspective, I found these talks contain much to help further my understanding.

I truly appreciated this audio CD with the wealth of practice hints it provided. However, unless one is familiar with the basics of Insight (Vipassana) meditation, this selection could be disappointing. It does not provided basic instructions for meditation techniques such as posture, mindfulness of breathing, etc. If you have had some meditation experience in the Insight practice, you will appreciate the AHA! moments you'll have when listening to these lectures and connecting your own meditation experiences with Goldstein's explanations. This a collection I will use as referance for a long time!

Buddhism bliss.

I purchased Joseph Goldstein's programme of Mindfulness in the body in an attempt to make sense of the Buddhist teachings on this subject. I found Joseph to be the teacher I was looking for; gentle of speech, down to earth in attitude and highly knowledgeable of the teachings. His shares his experience with humility and encouragement and I am so grateful for this. I have since purchased all three volumes in this programme and have not been disappointed.

Excellent