A Lamp in the Darkness: Illuminating the Path Through Difficult Times [Hardcover]

With this book and the meditations Jack Kornfield has, indeed illuminated the tortuous path through the hard times that are impacting people across the planet.

Each chapter is a rich balm for the wounds inflicted by the declining economy, the political turmoil, the stressful lifestyles and all the other influences that create fear, negativity and imbalance in our lives. He has kept the chapters short but powerful in content so that, no matter how busy you are, there is time to read a chapter. Each sentence serves a purpose and offers its own rich nugget of wisdom. The meditations are like power vacations - brief but filled with nourishment for the soul. With his keen insight and understanding of the human condition, Kornfield has given us a perfect tool to restore us to emotional and spiritual equilibrium in these challenging times.

The book is small, easy to read and packed with gems of wisdom - it is "superfood for the soul." The CD is masterfully executed and can reach anyone regardless of age or condition. As I was doing the first meditation, my seven year old grandson came in, sat down beside me and joined in. When we finished he was beaming and wants to do it again. How great is that?

I would recommend this book to anyone who, regardless of their belief system, is looking for help dealing with these difficult times.

In April 1993 I lost my mind. All the light in my life had been extinguished and I was left in utter darkness. I suppose I could call that terrifying state of crisis I was in the dark night of my soul. My husband, who I was wildly and passionately in love with, had died suddenly from a massive heart attack which had killed him instantly. I found him dead on our living room floor. Then there was darkness.

It would have been impossible for me to find my way out of that maddening void of grief without a lot of help. And I was blessed to get a tremendous amount of help, including a book that was like a shining beacon for me: Jack Kornfield's A Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life. That book turned my life around and guided me along a path that would lead to the healing of my broken mind and my shattered heart, the spiritual path of meditation.

And now here I am many years later, still meditating, still following a path of devotion and spiritual work. I do practice a different kind of meditation now which is not the Buddhist method that Jack teaches, but nevertheless, meditation has become my way of life and I would like to bless Jack Kornfield for being the first to show me its value, for lighting that lamp in my darkness, and for showing me the way.

So I have a very tender affection for Jack Kornfield and I was absolutely thrilled when I discovered he had written a new book! I was very excited to read A Lamp in the Darkness: Illuminating the Path Through Difficult Times and now that Jack Kornfield has touched me deeply once again, I must sing the praises of this sweet, inspiring book!

A Lamp in the Darkness: Illuminating the Path Through Difficult Times is a precious gem of a book. For those of you who have read Jack Kornfield before, you already know what a splendid storyteller he is as well as an engaging teacher. Meditation is a powerful tool for physical and mental relaxation, as well as for personal and spiritual growth. It is a process of inner transformation and the integration of spiritual work into our daily lives. During these unsettling, chaotic times in our often manic American way of life, meditation is all the more relevant and necessary for finding our equilibrium and maintaining balance. A Lamp in the Darkness: Illuminating the Path Through Difficult Times will help.

Just by picking up this book and reading Jack's wonderful writing my heart was made to soar! Jack is down-to-earth, smart, funny and overflowing with grace. I love his wide range of pertinent anecdotes, stories and quotations! Jack is a PhD in clinical psychology and this book is full of psychological as well as spiritual insights. A Lamp in the Darkness: Illuminating the Path Through Difficult Times is so alive with wisdom and clarity, inspiration and encouragement, tenderness and compassion... the pages pulsate to soothe every nerve.

One of Jack's sidebars really struck me with its powerful relevance and I must share it with you:

"If you can sit quietly after difficult news; if in financial downturns you remain perfectly calm; if you can see your neighbors travel to fantastic places without a twinge of jealousy; if you can happily eat whatever is put on your plate; if you can fall asleep after a day of running around without a drink or a pill; if you can always find contentment just where you are: you are probably a dog."

A Lamp in the Darkness: Illuminating the Path Through Difficult Times is an extraordinary tool for dealing with life's issues in a mindful way. It features eight guided meditations for navigating the challenges of our stressful modern life. Each meditation is recorded on the accompanying audio CD, spoken in Jack's beautiful, calming voice that vibrates with pure healing energy.

This is a marvelous book for beginners as well as the experienced traveler on the path of spiritual living. It is short, simple, organized, and practical. Most of all it is accessible. With A Lamp in the Darkness: Illuminating the Path Through Difficult Times Jack Kornfield will show you how to ignite, or to re-ignite, that lamp within your heart. It will also help you to compassionately encourage others to do the same.

I also recommend A Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life and After the Ecstasy, the Laundry: How the Heart Grows Wise on the Spiritual Path, two more wise and gentle guidebooks by Jack Kornfield for reaching a deeper, more peaceful inner life in this crazy world in which we find ourselves.

This is a book and CD combo by Jack Kornfield, an American Buddhist teacher of vipassana meditation rooted in the Theravada tradition. Mr. Kornfield is also a co-founder of Spirit Rock meditation center, a clinical psychologist, and author of many well-known books including A Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life and After the Ecstasy, the Laundry: How the Heart Grows Wise on the Spiritual Path, two favorites of mine.

A Lamp in the Darkness offers practices and teachings for dealing with the most difficult experiences in our lives - illness, betrayal, the end of relationships, the loss of a loved one, and any other time when we are struggling. Mr. Kornfield invites us to be present with our pain, and in so doing, open to the wisdom that can eventually evolve from it. As he puts it,

"Loss and betrayal tear open the heart. Look through this gate for the wisdom that lies there. What matters now? What would the wise ones do now?"

This is a slim and to-the-point volume, with each chapter focused on a theme, and ending with a written guided meditation (the CD contains the audio versions of these meditations.) Beginning with a chapter on wisdom, other chapter themes include compassion (beginning with self-compassion), forgiveness, healing, equanimity, mindfulness, and finally, moving back into joy. The book is really a process, and takes the reader on a journey. In his final chapter, "The Return of Joy", Mr. Kornfield deftly addresses the challenges we can sometimes face in the final phase of this process, letting go of our pain:

"Sometimes, during periods when your struggles overwhelm you or last for a long time, you can mistake them for your life. You become used to difficulty, you become loyal to your suffering. You don't know who you would be without it. But your difficulties are not the end of the story, they are one part of it - they are part of your path to great love and understanding, a part of the dance of humanity."

Mr. Kornfield exudes warmth and accessibility, and he is a master storyteller, full of anecdotes and tales - from real life and Buddhist scripture - that speak directly to the reader. The included CD is beautiful, with Mr. Kornfield offering guided meditations between 8 and 16 minutes long that correspond to those described in the book, including "The Earth is my Witness", "Shared Compassion", "Buddha in Difficulties", "The Practice of Forgiveness", "The Temple of Healing", and "Equanimity and Peace". He has a soothing voice and offers a healing and centering transmission in these sessions.

Although the book is full of Buddhist quotes and tales, it is really ecumenical, with tales and quotes from other faith traditions as well, and suitable for anyone who is suffering. Established Buddhists will not necessarily find anything new here, but may find it expressed in a new, more accessible way. If you or someone you know is going through an especially difficult time, this book can truly be 'a lamp in the darkness.'