Pay Attention, for Goodness' Sake: Practicing the Perfections of the Heart--The Buddhist Path of Kindness

by Sylvia Boorstein

Book Overview

According to the Buddha, the path of kindness is the path of happiness. Now Sylvia Boorstein, nationally bestselling author of It's Easier Than You Think, has taken the 2500-year-old practice of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345448103
• ISBN13: 9780345448101
• Release Date: August 2002
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 284 Pages
• Weight: 0.94 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.7" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Lovely Book on the Paramitas

If you know nothing about Buddhism or Mindfulness practice, this might not be the best place to start. I would recommend reading Boorstein's "It's Easier Than You Think: The Buddhist Way to Happiness" first. It is basically a primer on the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, and it would probably be good to read it first. However, if you have even a cursory knowledge of the basics and want to explore them further, this is a wonderful book to read. I finished it, and then immediately read through it again to soak it up some more. It outlines the Ten Paramitas, or heart perfections. These are the qualities that the Buddha perfected in his prior incarnations, before reaching enlightenment. Boorstein lays them out in a straightforward manner, even sharing a chart she created illustrating the flow from each Paramita to it's ultimate result. For example, one section shows how the practice of Generosity leads to contentment through the realizations that meditation on generosity can provide. The chapters are laid out easily, as well. Each Paramita is explained, a meditation exercise for that Paramita is given, backed up by stories, and bookended with an everyday practice that the reader can incorporate into their daily lives to bring them closer to perfecting that Paramita. Anyone interested in furthering their Mindfulness practice should definitely give this a read. Boorstein's books, in general, are extremely accessible to Westerners, and provide a calm, warm, welcoming read.

A How-to Book with Heart

This is a well written instructional book on Vipassana meditation. It might best be utilized by someone who is not entirely unfamiliar with the practice; there are more readily accessible how-to books available. But the value of this particular one lies, in my opinion, in the global perspective of having a regular meditation practice.

Sylvia keeps it simple.

Just to say, read and heed the title and you'll be more than half way there. A wonderful addition to my library and a tome to calm and direct ones self in these times and always.

Beautiful

This is a beautiful book. It tells the truth about who we are and what we can do about it. Ms. Boorstein's book is a jewel. This isn't fluff but good rational information on improving 'Mindfulness.' Anyone who follows Buddhism in any form will find valuable contemporary instruction. Good read.

Written by a true buddha

This is the first book I've ever read by Sylvia Boorstein, but I doubt it will be the last. In Pay Attention, Boorstein teaches us about the ten Paramitas, or the pefections of the heart. She uses parables and stories from her own life to teach us what the paramitas are about as well as how they are beneficial to us if we put them into practice. She's very open, honest, and kind and writes the book as if you're sitting right there next to her and she's having a conversation with you. She doesn't make anything confusing or get too wordy like many Buddhist authors of today do.. she just tells us what we need to know and offers a few short stories to help get the point across. I personally found this book to be one of the best additions to my spiritual library in quite a while. If you're looking for a good book on Buddhism, spirituality, or just something to lift you up and make you feel better as well as the people around you feel better, I would definitely recommend this book.