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audrey_nester's review against another edition
4.0
Although it took me almost 3 months to read this, I was intrigued the whole way through. Mediation is something that I've started doing more recently and this book gave me the inside look on how someone went through their mediation journey and there ups and downs they experienced. I originally picked up this book thinking that it was about anxiety and never looked up what the book was about but I was surprised, happily, that the book covers mediation. It feels like I read this book at the right time where I was thinking about really trying to stick to mediation and it made me restart something I've always let fall away after a few days.
candority's review against another edition
2.0
This is the first "self-help" type book that I have ever read, as I have never had the desire to read them and still don't. However, I read this as part of a readathon I'm doing, in which I was matched with a reading buddy and provided with a list of their favourite books of 2018 to read.
As a Canadian, I have never heard of or seen Dan Harris, an American news anchor, before picking up this book, and perhaps I would have enjoyed his story more if I could put a face/personality to the words. I also had limited interest in his discovery and exploration of meditation. While I appreciate that he was a skeptic of self-help and meditation at first, but I found his personal anecdotes a bit boring.
As a Canadian, I have never heard of or seen Dan Harris, an American news anchor, before picking up this book, and perhaps I would have enjoyed his story more if I could put a face/personality to the words. I also had limited interest in his discovery and exploration of meditation. While I appreciate that he was a skeptic of self-help and meditation at first, but I found his personal anecdotes a bit boring.
scrabblerz's review against another edition
4.0
I listened to this on Audible, and ultimately thoroughly enjoyed it. At various points along the way, I would have given this fewer stars, but it kept bringing me back in, and as a whole, in hindsight, I might even go to a 4.5. The author himself reading the memoir added something that I think would have been lost on me had I read it on my own (a plus even when his voice grated on me a tad, usually when he was being snarky).
Harris's memoir is hilarious, engaging, and blunt. He looks with a skeptic's eye at the practice of meditation ("a radical internal jiujitsu move that was supposed to allow you to face the asshole in your head and peacefully disarm him...") and takes the reader/listener on his personal roller coaster ride of ups and downs: embracing, rejecting, re-engaging, refining, and ultimately whole-heartedly endorsing meditation as a super-power. He's funny, cocky, vulnerable, and honest. The tales of his career in TV journalism make for a very interesting look inside that industry. I laughed out loud several times and found myself nodding in agreement and shaking my head in disbelief as he told his tale; I'm glad my version had the epilogue. I'm going to try to not be an annoying evangelist for meditation and the precepts of Buddhism, any more-so than I may already be, but I really think this memoir of one person's skeptical journey could ignite something in so many friends' and loved ones' lives, to their benefit and the benefit of all those around them. I want to find ways to share it!
I was delighted a few chapters in to learn that Dan Harris is a fellow Mule (Colby '93). Although our years on Mayflower Hill did not overlap at all (being an '88 myself), his descriptions of life in Maine had me waxing nostalgic and grateful (again) for the priceless experiences I had through Colby and the dividends they continue to pay in my life. He puts the blame for his allergy to anything remotely "woo-woo" or "hippy-dippy" squarely at the door of the privileged, patchouli-scented, hacky-sack playing souls from suburban Massachusetts and Connecticut he encountered in his Colby years. While that subset of the student body never had quite the negative connotations for me as they did for Harris, I do have an amusing anecdote about having to step over a rather unkempt and fragrant young man laying supine across my freshman dorm room door, mesmerizing himself with the bracelet he was weaving utilizing fingers AND toes; the Grateful Dead were playing in Augusta that weekend, the network of Deadheads held promise of free digs to crash at Colby, but I had Prof. Moseley's 8 a.m. Intro to Macroeconomics class to get to, excuse-me-please-and-thank-you-very-much!
I loved the passage below so much, I replayed it until I could transcribe it accurately. I knew we were fellow travelers, Colby connection not yet made, when he described his initial engagement with the Buddha this way:
I continue to be intrigued. Meditation is my super-power.
Harris's memoir is hilarious, engaging, and blunt. He looks with a skeptic's eye at the practice of meditation ("a radical internal jiujitsu move that was supposed to allow you to face the asshole in your head and peacefully disarm him...") and takes the reader/listener on his personal roller coaster ride of ups and downs: embracing, rejecting, re-engaging, refining, and ultimately whole-heartedly endorsing meditation as a super-power. He's funny, cocky, vulnerable, and honest. The tales of his career in TV journalism make for a very interesting look inside that industry. I laughed out loud several times and found myself nodding in agreement and shaking my head in disbelief as he told his tale; I'm glad my version had the epilogue. I'm going to try to not be an annoying evangelist for meditation and the precepts of Buddhism, any more-so than I may already be, but I really think this memoir of one person's skeptical journey could ignite something in so many friends' and loved ones' lives, to their benefit and the benefit of all those around them. I want to find ways to share it!
I was delighted a few chapters in to learn that Dan Harris is a fellow Mule (Colby '93). Although our years on Mayflower Hill did not overlap at all (being an '88 myself), his descriptions of life in Maine had me waxing nostalgic and grateful (again) for the priceless experiences I had through Colby and the dividends they continue to pay in my life. He puts the blame for his allergy to anything remotely "woo-woo" or "hippy-dippy" squarely at the door of the privileged, patchouli-scented, hacky-sack playing souls from suburban Massachusetts and Connecticut he encountered in his Colby years. While that subset of the student body never had quite the negative connotations for me as they did for Harris, I do have an amusing anecdote about having to step over a rather unkempt and fragrant young man laying supine across my freshman dorm room door, mesmerizing himself with the bracelet he was weaving utilizing fingers AND toes; the Grateful Dead were playing in Augusta that weekend, the network of Deadheads held promise of free digs to crash at Colby, but I had Prof. Moseley's 8 a.m. Intro to Macroeconomics class to get to, excuse-me-please-and-thank-you-very-much!
I loved the passage below so much, I replayed it until I could transcribe it accurately. I knew we were fellow travelers, Colby connection not yet made, when he described his initial engagement with the Buddha this way:
Notwithstanding my confusion, the more I learned about the twenty-five-hundred-year-old historical figure known to me previously as a lawn ornament, the more intrigued I grew.
I continue to be intrigued. Meditation is my super-power.
rolltidecarey's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed learning about Dan Harris and what made him take up meditation. I am very interested in learning more about it and reading his follow-up book that recently came out.
jdgcreates's review against another edition
2.0
Not enamored of this on audio and I already believe in meditation so paid for the app instead!
jordibal's review against another edition
3.0
La clave está en «a true story». Es la historia de un periodista que tuvo un ataque de pánico y partió de pseudociencias locas hasta encontrar la meditación budista para, básicamente, no comerse la cabeza tontamente. Si eres consciente de que te va a contar batallitas que te dan igual porque no ves la tele americana, está bastante bien y cubre gran parte de lo que me ha explicado mi psicóloga.
Hay una cosa que me ha parecido horrible, eso sí. El tío va a cubrir la historia de un chaval alto que tuvo que ir de pie en un vuelo de media distancia porque no cabía en el asiento y va y suelta el chascarrillo: «ese problema no lo he tenido yo nunca». ¡Y tiene un par de capítulos dedicado a la empatía el tío! Oiga, yo en Vueling tengo que empotrarme las rodillas a la altura del pecho.
Una cita: «No tiene sentido estar infeliz por cosas que no puedes cambiar, ni estarlo por cosas que sí puedes». Si non confectus non reficiat: no falla.
Hay una cosa que me ha parecido horrible, eso sí. El tío va a cubrir la historia de un chaval alto que tuvo que ir de pie en un vuelo de media distancia porque no cabía en el asiento y va y suelta el chascarrillo: «ese problema no lo he tenido yo nunca». ¡Y tiene un par de capítulos dedicado a la empatía el tío! Oiga, yo en Vueling tengo que empotrarme las rodillas a la altura del pecho.
Una cita: «No tiene sentido estar infeliz por cosas que no puedes cambiar, ni estarlo por cosas que sí puedes». Si non confectus non reficiat: no falla.
brenticus's review against another edition
4.0
This is, fundamentally, a memoir documenting the problems Harris has had in his life and career and how meditation and buddhist principles have helped him deal with them. At no point does he make himself out to be any sort of expert, or even to have anything but the barest level of competence as a meditator. But he tried it, and he talked with a bunch of people more experienced with him, and he talked to a whole bunch of spiritual leaders, and in the end he's turned out to be a better person even if he's only taken the first couple of steps on his spiritual journey.
I quite enjoy Harris' skepticism at every point of this book. He goes on his first retreat practically on a whim expecting it to be awful, but he learns a lot. He expects his teachers to be a bunch of head-in-the-cloud yuppies with no idea how to deal with the real world, but he gets little but actionable, practical advice. Hell, he spends a while talking about how weird people were for being so enamoured by the Dalai Lama, then he falls for him himself. Harris spends most of the book struggling with how to fit his life and his developing worldview together, and every time he thinks he's figured out what the core problem is he gets a bit of advice from a mentor that immediately reconciles the whole thing. It's kind of remarkable how he hasn't just gone all-in on buddhism considering how many of his inner demons have been calmed by a bit of mindful advice.
This book doesn't really try to sell you on meditation or mindfulness or anything, but considering how relatable most of Harris' problems are the benefits to everyone's everyday lives is evident anyways. It's about his personal journey, and his journey illustrates how most people's paths would be a bit clearer if they could sit with their thoughts for half an hour a day. It's written fantastically, always demonstrating why a viewpoint is better rather than trying to convince you.
Personally, I've been trying to maintain a meditation practice for quite a while now, so the book was little more than a good reminder that it's a good thing to do. His initial resistance to loving-kindness (metta) meditation was honestly a bit funny because I also went through the initial "this sounds stupid" phase before trying it and crying embarrassingly. Still, it was a great listen; good enough I might actually pick up a dead tree copy to keep on the shelf. Highly recommend.
I quite enjoy Harris' skepticism at every point of this book. He goes on his first retreat practically on a whim expecting it to be awful, but he learns a lot. He expects his teachers to be a bunch of head-in-the-cloud yuppies with no idea how to deal with the real world, but he gets little but actionable, practical advice. Hell, he spends a while talking about how weird people were for being so enamoured by the Dalai Lama, then he falls for him himself. Harris spends most of the book struggling with how to fit his life and his developing worldview together, and every time he thinks he's figured out what the core problem is he gets a bit of advice from a mentor that immediately reconciles the whole thing. It's kind of remarkable how he hasn't just gone all-in on buddhism considering how many of his inner demons have been calmed by a bit of mindful advice.
This book doesn't really try to sell you on meditation or mindfulness or anything, but considering how relatable most of Harris' problems are the benefits to everyone's everyday lives is evident anyways. It's about his personal journey, and his journey illustrates how most people's paths would be a bit clearer if they could sit with their thoughts for half an hour a day. It's written fantastically, always demonstrating why a viewpoint is better rather than trying to convince you.
Personally, I've been trying to maintain a meditation practice for quite a while now, so the book was little more than a good reminder that it's a good thing to do. His initial resistance to loving-kindness (metta) meditation was honestly a bit funny because I also went through the initial "this sounds stupid" phase before trying it and crying embarrassingly. Still, it was a great listen; good enough I might actually pick up a dead tree copy to keep on the shelf. Highly recommend.
charleshb's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent! Great combination of memoir, self help and meditation manual.
bionicjulia's review against another edition
3.0
Picked this up on a whim as it was on sale. I had no idea who Dan Harris was, as I don't watch American news. This book is, I would say, mostly auto-biographical and is written from the point of view of Harris as he somewhat reluctantly discovers meditation and learns more and more about it, despite being extremely sceptical.
This book is for people who hold a cynical view of meditation and who perhaps want to be convinced otherwise. This book is not for people who already buy into the benefits of meditation, but want to go in-depth into the science and practice of it.
This book is for people who hold a cynical view of meditation and who perhaps want to be convinced otherwise. This book is not for people who already buy into the benefits of meditation, but want to go in-depth into the science and practice of it.