As I work on cataloging online the older books in our holdings, I sometimes raise an eyebrow at how dated some books have become, and send them off to to the thrift shop.

This work stands out and holds up as a jewel of the late 1980s still relevant for today. Goleman starts with an overview of meditation, and explains a view of the two primary purposes of contemplative practices: concentration and insight.

Goleman describes concentration as "the meditators mind is unaffected both by outer distractions, such as nearby sounds, and the turbulence of his own assorted thoughts and feelings. Although the sounds are heard, and his thoughts and feelings are noticed, they do not disturb the meditator." Golemen continues this chapter describing other details and levels of concentration practices. The following chapter addresses insight type meditations as "the clear and single-minded awareness of what actually happens to us and in us, at the successive moments of perception." As in the first chapter he continues to describe various types and levels of insight.

Part two is a brief survey of a wide variety of mystical traditions, a few contemplative or meditative practices from each tradition, and how each practice retaliates both to the classifications of concentration and insight, as well as to the tradition they come from and that traditions related practices. He also touches on spiritual ethics and virtues (precepts, adab, yama and niyama...) in the sections on most of the covered traditions.

After discussing the particulars of many mystical paths and practices, Goleman includes part three on aspects of underlying unity or similarities of contemplative mystical paths, and finishing with part four on the psychology of meditation. Recommended for those new or interested in meditation as well as those further along the meditative path. -- Happy reading, Jennifer K, css library director

Librería 2. Estante 4

The Varieties of Meditative Experience was published by Daniel Goleman in 1977, and repackaged in 1996 as The Meditative Mind: The Varieties of Meditative Experience.

An updated and expanded digital version was published in 2012, adding a new 4th section on The Psychology of Meditation, but removing chapters on Gurdjieff and Krishnamurti.

I’d suggest reading both the initial edition (Varieties) and the updated ebook version of The Meditative Mind.

An excellent compendium either way. ( )