Know Where You're Going: A Complete Buddhist Guide to Meditation, Faith, and Everyday Transcendence

by Ayya Khema

Experience a complete meditation course with one of the West’s most renowned Buddhist teachers.

Know Where You're Going provides a full course of instruction in Buddhist meditation and reflection, and contains a wealth of exercises and advice to help the reader grow. As we put these teachings into practice over time, we learn to see things as they really are and discover transcendence right here in our everyday lives.

Ayya Khema shows us how to live a wholehearted spiritual life, even amid our day to day concerns and responsibilities. Her teachings unfold simply, free of jargon, and are ideal for the contemporary world. Grounding the practice of more advanced meditations in a deeply cultivated sense of mindfulness, love, and altruism, Khema shows us, step by step, how to access to liberation and freedom.

Know Where You're Going  was previously published under the title  When the Iron Eagle Flies.

Genres: Buddhism, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Religion, Meditation

234 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 9, 2014

Reviews

[Dilushani Jayalath · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a book that should be reviewed but a book that should be praised. This is a really good book for beginners to start on meditation. The manner in which honorable Ayya Khema points out the factors is very easy to comprehend. The core precepts needed for novice lay person going into meditation is explained in detail in simple terms, both in English and Pali. The truth of Buddhism without any hesitation to glaze over facts are conferred here.

As a practicing Theravada Buddhist myself, this book gives a good start for beginners but for those who have delved deeper into meditation techniques may find this book slightly simple in facts.

[Dean Paradiso · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good recording of talks and Q&A given over a week long (or multiple day) retreat in the 90s. Some of the topics included are an overall view of the Theravada / classical Buddhism framework, the Fourth Noble Truths and Dependent Origination. Each day contained some practical meditation exercises and some questions and answers from the audience. Some things I liked were giving a high level overview of how the mediations related to the Buddha's teachings, and being specific in the meditation instructions and Q&A. Some things to note however- the approaches taken tend to be more commentarial (ie Visudhimagga, Burmese approach), than suttas based. As such, some emphasis is given to concentration and absorption throughout the exercises, and there seems to be more of an emphasis on sitting, rather than carrying around contemplations or integration throughout the day. I was also not so clear on the difference that AK explained between worldly dependent origination and how that differs from transcendental dependent origination. Another difference is AK's use of the term 'corelessness' and using terms like emptiness, which aren't very standard when looking at the early Buddhist vocab or the suttas. I found it interested that it was advised during meditation to take one's attention away from painful sensations or arisings and substitute metta or pleasant feeling instead. This may be helpful with beginners, but could become an issue later on if one is attempting to go beyond pleasant feelings as well. AK does seem to indicate this in some sort of progression, but that's not covered in this book. There is also a fair amount covered in this book about absorption states of mind, and what may be termed by some as 'heavenly jhanas'. There is some debate about whether the Buddha actually taught absorption states, and jhanas which appear to be pleasant abidings and 'heavenly' type jhanas, similar to the Brahmaviharas. I won't go into detail about this debate, however, AK's view is largely on the side of aiming to develop these absoption states and types of jhana, and which require long periods of intense sitting and concentration.
Overall, a helpful book, but keep in mind some context when considering the approach here.

[Phil Calandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Know Where You're Going..." is an excellent book in terms of explaining the central tenets of Buddhism in everyday and practical terms and how, more importantly, it can be useful to your life. The author's explanations of the various meditative absorptions are somewhat nebulous partially because the are experiential and are beyond intellectual interpretation. However, all in all, the author provides a useful interpretation of the practical and spiritual aspects of Buddhism. I would highly recommend this book.

[Marco Pesce · Rating 2 out of 5]

too long. every chapter is a repetition of the same thing. got it.

[David Wu · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Meditatioing on breath is how one practices the first foundation of mindfulness, mindfulness of the body (kayanupassana). Such mindfulness should also extend to everything we do outside the meditation room, which is something we will often forget, but at least we should direct our attention toward that goal. It is pleasant to sit and try to become calm by watching the breath, but if we do not reinforce our practice with mindfulness outside the meditation sessions, it will not have the desired results. We cannot split our mind in two, one part for meditation and one for other activities. We have one mind and we have to train it as a whole, which extends to whatever we do: getting up, walking, opening or closing the door, any kind of work, always being fully attentive to the bodily action. Mindfulness of the body extends to having a shower, going to the toilet, getting up in the morning, taking off and putting on clothes. One of the bodily actions most conducive to mindfulness of the body is eating, because the eating process invokes many physical actions. " - pg.9

"At the time of the Buddha meditation was well established in India. The Buddha's contribution, however, was his realization that concentration was not sufficient; then, as now, it was a widespread belief that the eight meditative absorptions, when perfected, were all that can be achieved on the spiritual path, and were equivalent to becoming one wih atman, the all-pervading essence. The Buddha himself practiced and perfected these meditation states, while staying with his two teachers, for six years. He struck out on his own then, because he realized he had not yet come to the end of the path, but he could find no other teacher to instruct him in insight." - 115

[Dana Larose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this may well be my favourite book on Buddhism that I've yet read. It primary lays out the progression of how your meditation practice will probably proceed, what to expect along the way, etc. There were a couple of key notions that I think I'd been missing, particularly when it comes to jhana.

I think I will sooner or later order a paperback version so I can mark it up with sticky notes and a highlighter.

Probably not an introductory book, especially if you are seeking more broad, factual info about Buddhism.

I am pretty excited about rereading this in a few months.

[Ulf Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ayya Khema, that quite unlikely German Buddhist nun, does have a wonderful way with words, and she is one of the most honest and through-and-through Theravadin Buddhists I have come across.

She speaks with passion, authority, experience, and love. She leads, guides, convinces, almost blesses.

Obtain this book. Read it. It might just change your life.