Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Overview
“Enlightenment does exist,” internationally renowned author and meditation master 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 — after the ecstasy — we are faced with the day-to-day task of translating that freedom into our imperfect lives. We are faced with the laundry.
Drawing on the experiences and insights of leaders and practitioners within the Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, and Sufi traditions, this book offers a uniquely intimate and honest understanding of how the modern spiritual journey unfolds — and how we can prepare our hearts for awakening.
Through moving personal stories and traditional tales, we learn how the enlightened heart navigates the real world of family relationships, emotional pain, earning a living, sickness, loss, and death.
Filled with “the laughter of the wise,” alive with compassion, After the Ecstasy, the Laundry is a gift to anyone who is seeking peace, wholeness, and inner happiness. It is sure to take its place next to A Path with Heart as a spiritual classic for our time.
Editorials
Tricycle Magazine
One of America's most beloved and respected spiritual teachers, Jack Kornfield tells us in After the Esctasy, the Laundry that enlightenment is real and does actually happen to people, but it is not the end of the road. After enlightenment, life goes on, and you must continue to struggle and learn and grow as a person. Using numerous quotes from teachers of all traditions, including Judaism, Sufism, and Christianity, Kornfield paints a picture of the spiritual life as both extraordinary and mundane. He tells us to try out a variety of teachers and traditions to see what works for us. No matter how enlightened you may get, he says, you remain human, with all that that implies.Library Journal
Kornfield, a founding teacher of the Insight Meditation Society, is one of the seminal figures in the introduction and development of Theravada Buddhist practice in the West. At first glance, this book may appear indistinguishable from the flood of recent titles offering a Buddhist perspective on the integration of daily life with spiritual practice. What sets it apart, however, is Kornfield's clear and engaging style and his ability to be uncompromising in presenting a perspective on all aspects of the spiritual path. Few books in recent memory, for example, deal practically with the rather unspectacular but necessary nature of day-to-day practice following an experience of spiritual opening. Also, Kornfield, who draws on interviews with nearly 100 practitioners and teachers from a wide variety of Eastern and Western traditions, is unusually successful at presenting a consistent picture of the unity of the spiritual endeavor. This is particularly welcome, as practice in the West can often seem confusing and fragmented. Clearly aimed at readers with some experience of spiritual practice, this makes a nice companion to Kornfield's previous A Path with Heart (LJ 6/93). Recommended for all collections.--Mark Woodhouse, Elmira Coll., NY Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\Derk Richardson
After the Ecstasy benefits from the gentle and straightforward tone, conveying complex ideas and emotionally charges encounters ine asitly comprehended everyday language...Kornfield's own writing...often rises to the level of poetry itself...After the Ecstasyis a generously gist-giving hall of mirrors.—Yoga Journal