Come and Sit: A Week Inside Meditation Centers

Publishers Weekly

Nelson (The God of Second Chances) offers the quintessential work for anyone who is commencing meditation practice. She notes today's need for meditation that fits all traditions, adapting "ancient teachings to answer the contemporary need for a spirituality that is deep enough to provide inner peace and flexible enough to fit today's non-monastic lifestyle." She has a strong grasp of the historical and spiritual background of the seven traditions she explores: Christianity, Hinduism, Sufism, Buddhism (Zen, Tibetan and Vipassana) and Judaism. She explains in non-threatening layperson's terms the goals of each tradition, what to expect in that tradition's meditation practice and what resources are available to understand more. To this end, she includes a helpful glossary of terms and a list of meditation centers and organizations. But the book is not just a how-to manual; Nelson describes her own personal experiences as she practices in each tradition's meditation centers and interviews students and teachers about how meditation has affected their personal lives. Her encouraging and informative tone helps to make meditation accessible to a general audience. Yet she is wise enough to caution readers that she "found no one... who reported instant enlightenment, no matter how greatly it was desired. Instant gratification is more appropriate for microwave soup than a spiritual journey." Well said. (Feb.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

For this solid introduction to meditation practices in the United States, journalist and meditator Nelson (The God of Second Chances: Stories of Lives Transformed by Faith) visited centers herself. Christian, Buddhist (Zen, Tibetan, and Theravedan), Hindu, Sufi, and Jewish meditation are each given a chapter. Through Nelson's concrete, firsthand accounts of her experiences and anecdotes about other practitioners (told mostly in their own words), readers will learn about meditation's appeal, its effects on life, and how to get started. Each chapter ends with a list of selected resources for further study, including books, contact information for centers and organizations, and Internet sites. Although some helpful historical and theoretical background on each faith is included, this book is really intended for those who are in the process of choosing a path. Recommended for public libraries. Stephen Joseph, Butler Cty. Community Coll., PA Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.