After the ecstasy, the laundry : how the heart grows wise on the spiritual path

by Jack Kornfield

Hardcover, 2000

Publication

Imprint: New York : Bantam Books, c2000. Responsibility: Jack Kornfield. OCLC Number: 43333564. Physical: Text : 1 volume : xxi, 314 pages ; 25 cm. Features: Includes index.

Call number

GT-B-Tv / Kornf

Barcode

BK-04873

ISBN

9780553102901

Original publication date

2000

CSS Library Notes

Description: "Enlightenment does exist," Jack Kornfield assures us. "Unbounded freedom and joy, oneness with the divine...these experiences are more common than you know, and not far away." But even after achieving such realization, we are faced with the day-to-day task of translating that freedom into our imperfect lives. We are faced with the laundry. -- from inside jacket

Table of Contents: Baba Yaga and our sacred longing --
The guardians of the heart: angels of light, ocean of tears --
The fires of initiation --
The heart as mother of the world: the gate of sorrow --
Nothing and everything: the gate of emptiness --
Who are you really, wanderer?: Satori and the gate of oneness --
The gateless gate: the gate of the eternal present --
Beyond Satori: the maps of awakening --
No enlightened retirement --
The dirty-laundry --
The mandala of awakening: what am I leaving out? --
This very body, the buddha --
Awakened emotions and ordinary perfection --
Honoring family karma --
Many brothers and sisters: the gifts of community --
Awakening with all beings --
The laughter of the wise.

Location: COLLECTION: Teachings & Practices -- AREA: Great Traditions -- SECTION: Buddhism - Theravada / Filing name: Kornfield

Topics: In TinyCat -- See "Tags" above for our libraries topic areas. See "Subjects" below for LCSH (Library of Congress Subject Headings) (note you can tour our library via Tags or LCSH, but LCHS are not available for all items in our holdings).

FY2000 /

Physical description

xxi, 314 p.; 25 cm

Description

When does enlightenment come? At the end of the spiritual journey? Or the beginning? On After the Ecstasy, the Laundry, Jack Kornfield - author of the modern classic on American Buddhism, A Path with Heart - brings into focus the truth about satori, the awakened state of consciousness, and enlightenment practices today. "Perfect enlightenment" appears in many texts, Kornfield begins. But how is it viewed among Western teachers and practitioners? To find out, Kornfield talked to more than 100 Zen masters, rabbis, nuns, lamas, monks, and senior meditation students from all walks of life. The result is this extraordinary look at the hard work we all must do - the laundry - no matter how often we experience ecstatic states of consciousness through meditation and other disciplines. Sweeping in scope, and warmly told by one of American Buddhism's most trusted voices, After the Ecstasy, the Laundry is a work of both deep inspiration and daily instruction that cuts through the confusion about what enlightenment really is, who it comes to, and how it continues to inform and guide our spiritual lives. An original audio adaptation of Jack Kornfield's book, After the Ecstasy, the Laundry. Course objectives: Assess how to embrace the joys and sorrows of everyday life after experiencing a transcendent spiritual awakening - Integrate inner knowledge with outer expression and experience - Analyze how to embrace spiritual practice as an invitation to the truth - Plan to embrace our human feelings without judgment - Describe how to recognize the Buddha in each other and create community.… (more)

Language

Original language

English

User reviews

LibraryThing member jen.e.moore
I was hoping for something a little more practical; this was inspiring, but for every "oh, you don't have to travel to India to be enlightened," there were five stories about people traveling to India to be enlightened.
LibraryThing member JamesBlake
A remarkable book, the fruit of many interviews and conversations with a host of spritual teachers and advanced practitioners, Buddhist and non-Buddhist. Jack Kornfield uses these encounters to draw lessons about the reality of living a dedicated spiritual life. He includes an honest and balanced
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discussion of instances of bad behaviour by teachers - the 'dirty laundry'.
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LibraryThing member etsmith
The title alone is worth the price of this book. Kornfield's Buddhism is rooted in the Theravada tradition of Southeast Asia where he lived as a monk in monasteries during a lengthy spiritual training period. On his return to the US, he became one of the great teachers of Buddhism in the West.
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Kornfield tackles the problem of living a spiritual life in the modern world where work, family and life pressures often take precedence. The "ecstasy" is the deep spiritual life that his students desire. The "laundry" represents the mundane demands of daily living. How can the sacred and the profane be reconciled for those of us unable to drop everything to pursue a spiritual life?

As always, Kornfield provides readers with compelling teachings about experiencing life in the present, living with compassion, and developing a satisfying spiritual life. I found the book compelling and reread it several times. Do not look for Buddhist doctrine here. This is more like a practical manual than a religious tract.
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LibraryThing member juniperSun
Live in the moment. Don't expect perfection.
Years after reading this, all I need to do is think of the title to feel more hopeful about my life, calmer and accepting. For a few years I had selected quotes from it hanging on my kitchen wall.
LibraryThing member jenniebooks
Penetrating beautiful teachings
LibraryThing member EHMeeting
Life after awakening

Rating

(100 ratings; 4)
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