Book Description
Mattia Pascal endures a life of drudgery in a provincial town. Then, providentially, he discovers that he has been declared dead. Realizing he has a chance to start over, to do it right this time, he moves to a new city, adopts a new name, and a new course of life—only to find that this new existence is as insufferable as the old one. But when he returns to the world he left behind, it's too late: his job is gone, his wife has remarried. Mattia Pascal's fate is to live on as the ghost of the man he was.
An explorer of identity and its mysteries, a connoisseur of black humor, Nobel Prize winner Luigi Pirandello is among the most teasing and profound of modern masters. The Late Mattia Pascal, here rendered into English by the outstanding translator William Weaver, offers an irresistible introduction to this great writer's work
Customer Reviews:
Pirandello is literature. .......2006-04-03
Okay, so that may sound awfully obvious, but my goodness! Of course it's not funny! It's not supposed to be funny! When is Pirandello ever funny? If anything, he may be ironic, but he is never slapstick and certainly wrote nothing to be considered "a lark." The author of the article in Publisher's Weekly ought to be taken out and shot in the most General Dreedle sense of the term. Il Fu Mattia Pascal is anything but a beach read and if you were disappointed in it because it was not cheap entertainment, your disappointment is probably due to the misinformation you received from a review as miscomprehending as that of Publisher's Weekly. Il Fu is an examination of the modern treatment of identity. It is an existential examination of society's abandonment of those who seek to live an "authentic" life. It is a piece of LITERATURE, not a DaVinci Code or a Mary Higgins Clark mystery. These may be enjoyable books, but for a different reason. Read Pirandello with expectation that you will be made to think, to question, and you will not be disappointed.
You can't escape from yourself.......2003-04-10
This book is very sad...it tells the story of a man who can't cope whit life's responsibilities and whit himself. A strange accident causes him to be believed dead, and he thinks he can assume a new identitiy and take on a new life. But he can't escape himself, and his new life shall be as unsatisfying and full of disillusions as the first. The clou of the book is the tragic melancholy of the seance...when he himself is evoked as his own spirit.Existentially spooky!
Great Book!!!.......2002-10-17
I would definetely recommend this novel. I enjoyed it very much. It helped me to come in contact with my innerself, and it made me think of things that i had never given any thought to before.
The brain is the piano and the player the soul.......2002-09-07
Italian author, winner of the Novel Prize in 1934, Luigi Pirandello is better known for his plays, forerunners of the theatre of the absurd. In this novel, the main character Mattia Pascal faces an economic downfall and a marriage without love. He decides to escape from this situation and in a stroke of luck wins a fortune in Monte Carlo. He takes a new identity, gains total freedom, shams death but the ghosts of his past existence, and the discovery of true love will spoil his new life.
The plot is neatly constructed and the dialogues between Mattia Pascal and some of the characters are enlightening, expressing Pirandello's philosophical outlook on life as well as reflecting biographical elements. The author is concerned with the ambiguity of truth and reality, the problem of identity and illusion. For him self-identity only exists in relation to others, as much as man is a social creature, unfortunately bound to social conventions. Man creates his own reality and lives in a world of illusions, always bound one way or the other to the past. The resulting paradox is that illusion may often become more real than reality!
Mattia Pascal is unable to cope with his total freedom which strucks him as being shapeless and aimless. Only the love he feels for Adriana will help him brake away from his suffocating mask. Upon returning to his former town he finds his wife has remarried and he is destined to become the shadow of a dead man.
Pirandello held a pessimistic outlook on life, believeing that his time was one of distress and darkeness (early 20th century), democracy was nothing more than tyranny disguised as freedom, and philosophical speculations nothing more than a product of our imagination.
"When death comes perpetual night will great us after the misty daylight of our illusion, or rather, we will be left to the mercy of Being, which will only have shattered the vain forms of our reasoning."
A funny, deep and astonishing story.......2000-11-16
This novel is about the identity of the individual, and the possibilities and limits of self-reinvention. By failing to transform himself into someone else, Mattia Pascal remains the same person, but radically changed from his experience. Oh, but it's not so complicated. Mattia Pascal is a good-for nothing- junior who, along with his also-spoiled brother, lose the fortune inherited from their father. Besides losing his fortune, Mattia is forced to make a disastrous marriage. And then, along comes a big and most unexpected chance to run away and become someone else. I won't spoil anything. Just read it and you will find an amazing story. Pirandello's writing is easy. The introduction to the real knot of the story is a little long, but it is absolutely necessary to situate the plot, and moreover, it is very funny. Pirandello's style fluctuates between irreverent and outrageous irony, and melancholic reflections on fate, identity and man's place in the world. Far from being boring, it has extremely funny moments of dark humor (check his confrontations with his mother-in-law). So, it is an extremely recommendable book, because it is intelligent humor with a reflection on life. If you really get to love the story, as I did, you'll end up asking to yourself: "Who the hell am I?".
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The Late Mattia Pascal
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000H6YQW0 |
Average customer rating:
- Couldn't get into it
- By-the-numbers romantic suspense, with little plot.
- KEPT ME UP ALL NIGHT
- A Real Page-Turner !!!
- Can she learn to Trust Again?
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Cold Ridge
Carla Neggers
Manufacturer: Mira
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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ASIN: 0778322580 |
Book Description
Carine Winters accepts the job of photographing Sterling Rancourt's historic Boston home knowing she's taking a risk -— she could run into Tyler North, the pararescuer who once saved Rancourt's life and the man who all but left Carine at the altar a year ago.
Then Carine finds a body in Rancourt's house -- and the prime suspect in the murder is Tyler North's best friend.
Tyler is returning from a rescue mission on dangerous Cold Ridge in northern New Hampshire when he hears about the murder. Tyler goes to see his friend Manny, expecting him to ask for help. Instead, Manny urges Tyler to protect Carine, to take her back to Cold Ridge, away from the temptation to meddle in a murder investigation.
What Manny knows is that Carine's at the center of a deadly game. And the only person she can trust is the person she vowed never to trust again: Tyler North. But they're running out of time -- because a killer has followed them to Cold Ridge. . . a killer who has put a murderous plan in motion, with stakes higher than anyone can imagine.
Customer Reviews:
Couldn't get into it.......2006-10-05
Set in Cold Ridge, New Hampshire, Carine Winters is 33, a photographer. Her parents died when she was three and she, her brother and sister were raised by their uncle.
Carine has known Tyler North all her life. Ty's single mom was eccentric and not close with anyone. After her death Ty inherited her land and trust fund. He's an Air Force pararescuer.
When Carine unknowingly interrupts a smuggling operation, Ty helps save her. They fell for each other and planned to marry. A week before the wedding Ty backed out.
Meanwhile, one of the smugglers plans revenge on Carine and just about everybody she knows. One of Ty's pararescuer pals is suspected of murder, the pal's son is threatened, the pal's wife is a crybaby breakdown-waiting-to-happen, Carine's sister's husband is a senator, Uncle Gus has a lazy dog . . . this story was a disjointed, convoluted mess. The characters were not likeable and didn't make sense.
I didn't know it was a sequel; just picked it up and started reading. Maybe reading the first book would have made a difference. I read as much as I could and skimmed the rest.
By-the-numbers romantic suspense, with little plot........2005-04-03
Cold Ridge concerns nature photographer Carine Winters discovering a dead body in the home she's photographing, and the conspiracy she gets caught up in as a result. Well, it's not really much of a conspiracy considering that at least 70% of the novel is Carine and her protector Tyler North analysing the break-up of their relationship (he cancelled their wedding a week before it was due to go ahead) over and over again.
In fact, if the character of Manny Carrera had spilled the beans from the get-go, there wouldn't be a book at all. He had absolutely no reason to remain silent the way he did. All he achieved was nearly getting his family killed. The only reason for his silence is to ensure that the author can find some convulated way of getting her two main characters together (Manny is the one who asks Tyler to protect Carine - for no discernible reason) and whack us over the head with 200 odd pages of their romantic angst. Not exactly compelling.
I read the book quite quickly, wasn't terribly bored with it, and thought the climax was effectively done, but I've found more plot complications in pre-teen thrillers. Since I've given far better books than this just two stars, I'm giving this only one star (though it probably deserves one-and-a-half).
KEPT ME UP ALL NIGHT.......2004-08-05
I love all of Carla Neggers books! They are intelligent and intriguing, suspensful and romancey all at once. Just my cup of tea.
A Real Page-Turner !!!.......2004-04-11
Cold Ridge by Carla Neggers was a real page-turner. I was rather impressed by this writer. This was the first time I had read anything by her and after reading this story, I can tell you it won't be my last !!!
Can she learn to Trust Again?.......2004-03-27
Carine had her heart broken bu Tyler North, and due to a hoffifying turn of events it seems he is the only one who can help her and protect her from a killer. Can Carine trust Tyler enough to let him?
This is a wonderfully written book that kept me up until 3 AM. I coudln't put it down. The characters are interesting, entertaining and very believable. The novel has a plenty of suspense and romance and keeps its biggest secrets until the end. This is a great read.
Book Description
Tom Bridger, who is half Melungeon, thought he had escaped his mountain community's lingering prejudice against the mixed-race group when he left to work for the Richmond, Virginia Police Department. Tom was moving up the detective ranks when a family tragedy brought him back home and moved him into his father's job as a county sheriff's deputy.
Now the bones of a Melungeon woman who disappeared ten years ago have surfaced on a remote mountaintop, and all evidence points to murder. Violence escalates as the victim's poor family and the wealthy white family she married into scramble to protect their secrets from Tom's probing. But as he probes into his father's investigation of the case, he finds his father was not the man he idolized.
The woman Tom is falling in love with, veterinarian Rachel Goddard, is struggling to start over in a place that holds no memories for her. Rachel puts herself in danger when she befriends the dead Melungeon woman's niece, Holly. As a child, the girl witnessed something that could implicate her aunt's killer, but she is too terrified to tell anyone what she knows. While Rachel is determined to keep Holly safe and help her piece together past events, the guilty are equally determined to silence the girl--and Rachel too, if necessary.
Will this murder be Tom's and Rachel's undoing or will it free them to look into the future?
Customer Reviews:
Don't waste your money.......2007-08-28
Poorly written and badly organized, I remain astonished that such amateur efforts can get published. Books like this seem to justify decreasing interest in reading in America. A previous review points out that Parshall "introduces too many characteristics into the book as well as expresses her opinion with more words than needed." Such opinionated drivel in this book further demonstrates Parshall's inability to construct a viable novel as she is too busy trying to portray herself as an expert. But I supposed the bookstore bargain bins need constant fuel from hack writers like Parshall.
Accomplished whodunnut.......2007-04-05
Long-time Washington, D.C.-area resident Sandra Parshall has
written Disturbing the Dead with the same grit and inventiveness
characterizing her debut title, The Heat of the Moon (2006).
Her heroine, veterinarian Dr. Rachel Goddard reappears, now
living in hilly, remote Mason County, Virginia. She's
attempting a fresh start there after a thug's vicious assault in
The Heat of the Moon. But Rachel's transition to Mason County
isn't an easy one.
Reader fascination with local color and regional writing adds to
Disturbing the Dead's appeal. Parshall's work will satisfy the
fans of Dana Stabenow, Nevada Barr, and Karin Slaughter who
excel in using outdoor themes and rural settings. Parshall's
quaint dialogue ("That bunch would skin a flea for its hide.")
crackles with authenticity. Her characters are also complex and
original to transcend the clichéd versions of provincial
townsfolk.
This time Rachel shares twin billing with Captain Tom Bridger.
His deputies have recovered mysterious bones on a wintry
mountain. They speculate the bones belong to Pauline McClure, a
lady missing for a decade. She'd married into the affluent
McClure family, and most of her in-laws still castigate Pauline
as a gold-digger.
Jim Bridger, Tom's late dad, was the lead investigator. Tom
vows pick up where his dad left off and ferret out the truth.
To complicate matters, Tom is half-Melungeon, the
dark-complexioned locals thought descendent from Portuguese
settlers and Indian natives. Many whites feel a prejudice
against Melungeons and some treat Tom as a pariah. As a tough,
relentless professional investigator, Tom follows the clues and
stokes the plot twists.
At first, Troy Shackleford, a handyman and drug pimp, is the
primary suspect. Fearing Troy's violent nature, his plucky
daughter Holly goes to work for Rachel. Tom tracks down
Pauline's daughter Mary Lee Scott who lives in McLean, Virginia,
Rachel's former home. Rachel and Tom believe the cause of
Holly's recurring nightmares holds the key in solving her mother
Pauline's murder. The mystery deepens when additional gruesome
evidence turns up on the same mountain.
Parshall uses a visceral prose style, deft pacing, and intricate
plotting. She deals in enough clues and red herrings to keep
readers guessing whodunit. Rachel and Tom in Disturbing the
Dead is a successful teaming, calling to mind S.J. Rozan's
popular detective business partners Bill Smith and Lydia Chin.
Rachel Returns.......2007-03-29
I loved Sandra Parshall's debut mystery (The Heat of the Moon), with its high suspense and leap-off-the-page characters. I loved Parshall's follow-up, Disturbing the Dead, even more.
This time around, Rachel Goddard's moved her veterinary practice to the mountains of southwestern Virginia, hoping to escape the violence she left behind. Fat chance. When Rachel befriends the niece of a woman whose decades-old skull is found on a remote mountaintop, she's up to her feisty neck in a decades-old murder investigation and sidestepping the advances of Tom Bridger, the sheriff's deputy in charge of the case.
Tom's a Melungeon -- and a special feature of this book is a look inside that community, a racially mixed people of Appalachia who are "tri-racial isolates" -- a mixture of white, Native American, and black.
Disturbing the Dead has a complex plot, fascinating characters, plus lots of suspense and lots of heart.
Leave the dead lie.......2007-03-20
Reviewed by William Phenn for Reader Views (11/06)
Sandra Parshall makes her home with her journalist husband in South Carolina. She has written fiction since childhood, and expanded into her favorite genre of mystery/suspense in the past few years. "Disturbing the Dead" is the sequel to her debut novel, "The Heat of the Moon."
This author has an excellent story to tell, but introduces too many characteristics into the book as well as expresses her opinion with more words than needed. A few times while reading, one must reference back to a chapter several before to refresh their self to a character introduced then. Overall, the story is told with a surprise ending. What begins as a murder investigation turns into not only one, but two family secrets. At times this story reminds one of the Hatfields and McCoys. The suspense is continued throughout the book not only with who committed the crime, but what secrets almost all of the individuals are hiding from others or themselves. Not only is the murderer a surprise, but also the relationship among the other characters. There are many contrasts in this read between good and evil, rich and poor as well as cultural and geographic differences. Also, one will learn what a Melungeion is, and discover the difference in those who wish to acknowledge their heritage as well as those that desire to hide it.
Because of the nature of the book being a murder mystery, this book would be best suited for a young adult or adult reader. The scenes are not graphic, yet the main character is a young girl which would make this unsuitable for a young reader. Women would find this book in their favor with the love that develops between a police officer and a veterinarian. Ms. Parshall provides the reader with many surprises throughout the book. My recommendation would be to shorten the length of this book by deleting what appears to be fill in words. The story could very easily be repeated in a future book with the main characters continuing with their work and lives.
"Disturbing the Dead" has a good story line. At times, the reader might lose interest, and then a surprise in the plot brings your attention back. With the suspense of a murder mystery mixed with a love story and new friendship, the reader will find themselves immersed in the secrets left untold. You will discover the truth as well.
excellent mystery .......2007-03-10
Ten Years ago, Pauline McClure, a rich and desperate Melungeon widow, vanished from her country estate and hasn't been heard from or seen since. She was a child of poverty and racism but the wealthy McClures accepted her because she gave them an heir.
In the present on top of the mountains a skeleton is found and dug up. Near the first burial site another skeleton is discovered. The dental records of one of the skulls match Pauline's; police Captain Tom Bridget is out to find the killer.
His father was obsessed with the case because it was his first that he failed to solve. When he goes to question Pauline's mother, Mrs. Turner, he runs into her grand-daughter Holly. Holly's mother left the family though she supposedly sends money from time to time. When Tom mentions to veterinarian Rachael Goddard how great Holly is with animals, the vet hires her on the spot even though her grandmother tries to guilt her into staying and her father, Mr. Shackelford, the local drug supplier, uses threats to make her return to her grandmother. Both Holly and Rachel refuse to be intimidated but someone really wants Holly out of the way because she is shot at, the office is torched and her family tries to physically get away from Rachel. Tom is determined to protect Rachel but when another skull is found and he begins to hear rumors about his father's relationship to Pauline, he finds his objectivity is not what it should be.
Sandra Parshall is a wonderful storyteller who creates a small rural backwater town where race and class divisions still exist and people of mixed blood are subjected to prejudice. Her characterizations are fantastic especially Tom, who is half Melungeon heartwarming and sensitive willing to give Rachel all the time she needs to figure out what she wants even as he investigates a mystery that creeps closer to home.
Harriet Klausner
Book Description
This up-to-date electronic book on CD-ROM presents U.S. government material relating to the disputed theoretical process known as "cold fusion" which involves low energy nuclear reactions. This process was first described by Pons and Fleishmann; subsequent experiments by other researchers are the subject of these government documents. There is a complete reproduction of the 2004 report to the U.S. Department of Energy on future research prospects on low energy nuclear reactions.
Documents on this CD-ROM are reproduced using Adobe Acrobat PDF software - allowing direct viewing on Windows and Macintosh systems.
Our news and educational CD-ROM and DVD-ROM discs are privately compiled collections of official public domain U.S. government files and documents - they are not produced by the federal government. They are designed to provide a convenient user-friendly reference work, utilizing the benefits of the Adobe Acrobat format to uniformly present thousands of pages that can be rapidly reviewed, searched by finding specific words, or printed without untold hours of tedious research and downloading. Vast archives of important public domain government information that might otherwise remain inaccessible are available for instant review no matter where you are. This book-on-a-disc format makes a great reference work and educational tool. There is no other reference that is as fast, convenient, comprehensive, thoroughly researched, and portable - everything you need to know, from the federal sources you trust.
Customer Reviews:
Not published by US Gov't and mostly worhtless compilation.......2006-10-12
The title description indicates that the CDROM is published by the U.S. Government. It is true that the detailed description provides a clarification. Consequently, the title description could be misleading to potential customers who do not read the detailed description.
The CDROM contains 25 PDF files. Nearly all of the files are readily available on the Internet. A listing of the 25 files, and their original Web locations, where known, are shown here
[...]
Half of the files have nothing or almost nothing to do with "cold fusion." Many others are 10 to 17 years old. Nearly all the files, with the exception of the Navy reports and the 2004 official Department of Energy documents are virtually meaningless and worthless, and appear to be chosen and selected thoughtlessly.
Product Description
Multiple books shipped as one item for your convenience. Save on Shipping/Handling charges.
Average customer rating:
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Cold Ridge
Carla Neggers
Manufacturer: MIRA Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OWTWAI |
Average customer rating:
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Cold Ridge
Manufacturer: Mira Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0739436872 |
Average customer rating:
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The Harbor
Manufacturer: Mira Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0739431390 |
Product Description
5 massmarket paperback Titles By Carla Neggers - Dark Sky - Cold Ridge - Rapids - Night's Landing - Stonebrook Cottage
Product Description
**** ($3.99 USA POSTAGE FOR ALL 6 BOOKS, WHICH WILL BE MAILED AT THE MEDIA - BOOK RATE WHICH IS SLOW SURFACE MAIL AND FREQUENTLY HAS A SLOW DELIVERY TIME BY THE USA POST OFFICE).
Average customer rating:
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Carla Neggers Collection, A Set of 14 Romantic Suspense Novels (Night Scents, Kiss the Moon, The Waterfall, Carriage House, The Cabin, Stonebrook Cottage, Cold Ridge, The Harbor, On Fire, Night's Landing, The Rapids, Dark Sky, Breakwater, Cut and Run)
Carla Neggers
Manufacturer: Mira
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000RFQV3I |
Average customer rating:
- Weirdness is the Topic
- boring...boring...boring
- Pretty good first collection: 3.5 stars
- Fascinating and slanted collection of short stories
- Overdue collection by Canada's best SF short-fiction writer
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Gravity Wells: Speculative Fiction Stories
James Alan Gardner
Manufacturer: Eos
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Anthologies
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| Science Fiction & Fantasy
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ASIN: 0060087706
Release Date: 2005-05-10 |
Book Description
Award-winning author James Alan Gardner evokes a sense of wonder that is synonymous with great speculative fiction. Now, in his first short-story collection, he brings together the numerous tales that have made his reputation, ranging from the everyday experience to the cosmic, from peanut butter sandwiches to space drives. There are stories of wonder, imagination, humanity, and the unknown and tales that remind us of the importance of possibility.
Some of the stories in this collection have won the Aurora Award and the grand prize in the prestigious Writers of the Future contest and been nominated for both the Hugo and Nebula Awards, while others are completely new and undiscovered.
Customer Reviews:
Weirdness is the Topic.......2006-07-09
This is a conglomeration of short science fictions, fantasies, and myths. Mr. Gardner is very creative and purely imaginative in concocting bizarre situations in his tales. The main characters' ages and backgrounds vary. Each is equipped with enough strangeness to lure the reader into reading the next story. There is also a preface written by the author explaining his reasons behind writing some of his creations. All in all the narration from start to finish is so interesting that it invokes one's mind to question each story subject and the characters' behavior.
boring...boring...boring.......2005-09-04
the stories are not what you called good nor imaginative. do not waste your money.
Pretty good first collection: 3.5 stars.......2005-08-22
I enjoyed most of these stories, but Gardner didn't seem to have quite enough first-rate stories to fill a book. "Sense of Wonder" (1999), a Bisson-style short-short, was my favorite. Quite a few dusty workshopped-to-death pieces -- though all were previously bought by someone. Amazing Stories, for many of the weaker ones. Caveat lector. YMMV, of course, and anyway I'm lukewarm about Gardner.
Happy reading--
Pete Tillman
Fascinating and slanted collection of short stories.......2005-06-07
A young girl tells her brother that everything is falling into place and that the universe will arrive where it's going--next week. An art critic visits a planet which somehow had no children. An author tries to write something meaningful about Kent State, from a science fiction perspective. A vampire tries to deal with ethics. A rock star discovers remains of a long-ago war. A slave seller goes bankrupt. A grim reaper tries to beat the game. The tarot speak. A fog threatens magic-wielding explorers. A love scene in a virtual world. A high priest deals with forbidden love. A strange organism visits the solar system. Are there snakes in the human bloodstream? And two boys discuss girls, sentient Dyson spheres, and basketball.
Author James Alan Gardner brings a fairy-tale style of story-telling to a series of interesting and sometimes fascinating topics. For me, the first story, 'Muffin Explains Teleology to the World at Large,' was especially strong, reminding me of the very best Ray Bradbury. But there were plenty of other treasures here as well. 'The Last Day of the War, With Parrots,' managed several twists and a great combination of action and character. 'The Young Person's Guide to the Organism,' the longest of the stories, combined first contact with a look at mankind's nature.
Gardner's uniformly strong writing, together with his often intriguing and always slanted way of approaching topics, makes GRAVITY WELLS an important read. If you're a fan of SF short stories, you'll definitely want to pick up Gardner's collection.
Overdue collection by Canada's best SF short-fiction writer.......2005-05-27
There's no doubt who is the best Canadian writer of short science fiction: it's long been James Alan Gardner: Hugo finalist, Nebula finalist, Aurora winner, and Writers of the Future Grand Prize Winner. This collection was announced some time ago, and at last it's finally here -- and well worth the wait. All of Gardner's stories are excellent, but the standout in this volume is probably "Three Hearings on the Existence of Snakes in the Human Bloodstream," which just totally kicks butt. Gardner is a brilliant stylist, a sly social commentator, and extremely witty in a clever, mordant Douglas Adams or Monty Python sort of way. Truly a wonderful collection; stands beside Ted Chiang's STORIES OF YOUR LIFE as one of the best single-author collections of the last decade.
Book Description
Burmese meditation master Sayadaw U Pandita shows us that freedom is as immediate as breathing, as fundamental as a footstep. In this book he describes the path of the Buddha and calls all of us to that heroic journey of liberation. Enlivened by numerous case histories and anecdotes, In This Very Life is a matchless guide to the inner territory of meditation as described by the Buddha.
Customer Reviews:
an excellent book.......2007-05-08
A clear, step by step guide to Vipassana meditation and the development of insight. Based on the Burmese meditation tradition, written in a clear, easy-to-read style without jargon. Useful for beginners and experienced meditators alike.
Highly recommended for the serious student and practitioner!.......2005-08-13
I am truly grateful that the Sayadaw has published this book. As much as I love the Western Theravada Buddhist writers, this book took me deeper into the Dharma. Yes, it gets a little ponderous at times with precise and analytical explanations of various states of enlightenment, but he then uses analogies to simply or clarify many of the more difficult concepts. So, his discussion of enlightenment becomes a roadmap that you can both understand and look forward to. I also enjoyed his wry sense of humor, which is really needed because of the depth he goes into his explanations and instructions. And, though he really stresses virtue and purity (more than many other writers) it is done non-judgmentally so you can see the tremendous mental and spiritual benefit derived from "cleaning up your act and your thinking". His compassionate heart and love of the dharma jump off the pages right into your heart and mind. He emphasizes as you gain in spiritual maturity and move along the path of enlightenment you will bring more good into this life and bring happiness and liberation to others. I am not sure, though, that it is the best introductory book to Theravada Buddhism and meditation for folks with little or no experience with Buddhism and/or samadhi oriented meditation. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. May you be blessed with wisdom and happiness.
Concur with earlier poster.......2005-04-15
As an earlier poster has said, it seems that one chapter of this book is enough to keep you for a few months. Practice from the book and you'll be seeing the peace that may foreshadow nibbana within the first week. Describes the methods of practice with precision and is quick and to the point. Both beginning and experienced meditators will be able to get something out of this book right away. Beginning students will become acquainted with the practice of vipassana meditation both in its spirit and detail, and experienced practitioners will find their practice renewed and with greater discipline, peace, and well-being than before. My only piece of advise: once you are established in this concentrated meditation with peace and happiness as the result, especially while walking, do not let it go, for it is difficult to regain. As the book suggests, keep meditating throughout the day, noting and being aware and observant of all sensations and movements, e.g. in washing your clothes, brushing your teeth, going out, or returning home. And don't get stuck on levels where things seem "better," as the book warns, this is an impediment to further development. Settle for nothing less than liberation.
A Book that Relates to the Modern Reader.......2004-03-10
In Rangoon, Burma there is a lovely monastery where Sayadaw U Pandita resides as the head abbot ( Panditarama Monastery and Meditation Center ). He is both a clear and lovingly compassionate teacher who has the ability of appealing to a wide range of audiences. This book is basically a meditation instruction booklet, derived from talks he'd given in Massachusetts over a three month period of retreat.
Sayadaw is an absolute master of mind techniques, giving advice on how to "assail" sensory pleasure, suffering, desire, laziness, fright, selfishness, a sense of gaining, doubt (the unhealthy variety!), among many others. This book speaks volumes to a modern society participating on a global scale in conflict with it's message of equanimity; in fact, he devotes an entire chapter to just that subject. Commenting that equanimity is simply not picking and choosing, not apathy as many will lead you to believe. Seng Ts'an, the 3rd Zen Patriarch said in his famous poem, "The Great Way is not difficult. It just precludes picking and choosing." This message is echoed in here. It's not a matter of indecisiveness, but rather EVEN mindedness. Only when we can look at a situation with no personal slant or bias, can we truly be sure we are clearly perceiving this world. For anyone who believes 100% clear perception is impossible, I say, "Find me the tree with no roots."
Sayadaw's teachings here are profound and pertinent to our "global trade" style world, where hungry ghosts abound us with an overabundance of incessant desire and neediness. It's one of those books that's a must have for all Buddhists, regardless of lineages or tradition. For it drives home the Buddha and all Patriarchs message: No preference, no preference. Enjoy!
Life-changing and sensible.......2003-08-02
"In this very life" radically changed my life. Its greatest strength is that it demystifies the process of awakening. When it is presented by Sayadaw U Pandita, the process of awakening is like a mathematical proof: one step follows inevitably from the previous ones. This is one of the very few books in any genre that makes complete sense to me.
It's taken me over a year to read partly because it's so dense, but also because parts of it only made sense after I had been meditating and struggling for a while.
I had been practicing meditation seriously for about a year when some friends recommended it to me. Before I read it, I had only vague notions of what I was doing. I knew that I wanted to be totally committed to understanding reality--that this was the only worthwhile thing in life. But wanting this, knowing how to do it, and doing it are three separate things. This book tells you how to do it.
This book also answers the questions: What can humans achieve? We all know that life can be lived in an all-too-human way. Is there any way to live that overcomes our heritage of craving, anger, and ignorance? According to this book there is. There is a way to live free of fear, stress, suffering, and all the things that drive us to behave ignobly. There is a more civilized and peaceful way to live.
The first chapter starts at the very beginning for the complete beginner: what to do when you sit, and how to provide yourself with conditions favorable for making progress. The beginning meditator could read the first chapter and follow its instructions for months before needing to read the second one. For me, the first chapter was very helpful in clearing up things that I was unsure about in the meditation process.
Once you have the basics down, the book goes into more refinements of creating favorable conditons for yourself to make more progress and the things you need to overcome. If you've been meditating, you can know from experience that these are indeed things you need to overcome.
The fourth chapter is perhaps the most important. The basic message is "keep going." Keep applying mindfulness to everything no matter what. And Sayadaw U Pandita explains how to apply this mindfulness: take mental aim at the object, and get the mind to in some sense rub up against it. To do this, moment by moment for your entire life takes courage since the mind inevitably rebels and wants to lose itself in a fantasy, and because pain can arise in different ways. So much of what is written here inspires this courage.
The fifth and sixth chapter describe in detail the progress of insight and where it all leads. When I was reading these chapters I realized that with heroic effort, a kind of ultimate knowing is something that is attainable by almost anyone. This was very heartening to me and gave me hope--that with enough hard work I could achieve this in this very life.
The fourth, fifth and sixth chapter are conveniently summarized at the end of the book, and there are study aids, glossary and index in the back as well.
It is the ultimate self-improvement book. Along the way, one becomes morally and mentally healthy, mentally concentrated, self-disciplined, joyful, happy, content and peaceful.
I think that any meditator would want to be taught by an person who has been awakened. It's clear that Sayadaw U Pandita has been, and has also helped numerous people to experience this as well. By reading this book, he can become your teacher. The greatest veneration you could give to him would be to read it, understand it, apply these instructions in your own life, and awaken yourself.
Books:
- The Madonna of Excelsior: A Novel
- The Mauritius Command: Library Edition (Aubrey-Maturin)
- The Oldest Orphan: L'Aine Des Orphelins
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- The Parish Papers: Three Complete Novels in One
- The Persistence of Memory: A Novel
- The Pinball Compendium, 1930s-1960s
- The Secret Life of Saeed: The Pessoptimist (Interlink World Fiction Series)
- The Shadow of Doctor Syn
- The Shark Mutiny
Books Index
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