A meditator's handbook. How to unite knots

by Bill Crecelius

Bill Crecelius has written a straightforward, practical guide for those who seek to establish themselves in Vipassana meditation. He is an experienced Vipassana Teacher who was one of Goenkaji s earliest Western students. Drawing on his own long experience in the practice, A Meditator s Handbook is full of encouragement, homely examples and vivid illustrations. It contains a wealth of sound friendly advice. It is recommended for any Vipassana meditator, and especially for those who have just started practicing.

Excerpt from the book:

I have learned how to keep my practice together and make it grow. I would like to share this with you. First as a single man living in an area with no other meditators, then living in an area with many other Vipassana meditator friends and finally as a married man with a Dhamma partner, I adapted my life to one of living in the Dhamma.

The path of the monk is high and lofty. It is said that the path for the monk is clear and smooth and easy to walk on. It is high above the muck and mire. There are no stones, pebbles, sharp rocks or thorns. Unfortunately for us poor householders this is not the case. Our lives are bound up in worldly responsibilities, jobs, family ties, and mortgage payments. Unlike the monks, our path is full of worldly impediments and distractions. It is for this reason that I think A Meditator s Handbook might help Vipassana students on their walk along this path of purification.

Genres: Philosophy, Meditation, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Self Help

93 pages, ebook

Published September 25, 2015

Reviews

[Arunothia Marappan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very useful guide for improving daily sittings of Vipassana meditation.

[Chetan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful handbook, I wish I had heard about after my first 10-day course half a decade ago. Reading this can help a meditator maintain their practice when their back to normal life.

[Miguel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for anyone who has taken a course in Vipassana meditation by S.N. Goenka. In concise and straightforward style, Crecelius lays down the main challenges you will face as a meditator and shares tactics to overcome them. I read this book after serving ten days for the first time and can attest to the usefulness of both, my meditation habit has strengthened in a way I didn't believe possible before.

I could relate to most, if not all, of the challenges mentioned by the author, a Vipassana teacher himself, and I know from my meditator friends that these were their challenges too. Therefore, I strongly recommend this book, it's an excellent companion to other Dhamma books.

You can obtain a free pdf copy through pariyatti.org or buy the paperback/epub versions there.

[Dmitrii · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good summary. No new information compared to the Vipassana course. It also does not provide any answers to questions if those are to arise, so if the one is struggling with some questions, the book will not help with that. It does the other thing, though. It's very brief, easy and fast to read (can be done in 1 day), and it just reiterates some of key concepts introduced at the Vipassana course.

[EmReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I simply skimmed the essential parts of this book on the day the Vipassana course ended. Restlessly I walked in the dining area and finished the book.
The book contains some important suggestions of which I tried to follow some. Doing the meditation on the day of return journey was hard - still I did and fell asleep. Hahaa

[Nathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like poorly written books, it makes me think that anyone could be a writer, and I like that idea. This book is at least incredibly short, probably takes an hour to read, so that's good. And the content is no doubt good for many people out there, just not for me.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most comprehensive, simple, straightforward guidebook for any Vipassana meditators. I have to re-read it at times when I struggle with my practice. Everything you ever need to keep your practice going is in there.

[Yujin Han · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short, easy guide that provides practical advice to establishing a consistent practice and reiterates the main framework and core tenants of vipassana.

[Daniel · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is for vipassana begginers from United States, waste of time, nothing new, just repeating after mr. Goenka...

[Josh Clement · Rating 4 out of 5]

Should be a free website

[Hema Thorat · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's interesting book ..helped me to have a strong determination to continue my Vipassana meditation.

[Sergi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good tips for a student who has just finished a 10-day course and wants to get established in Dhamma.
A student with a bit more experience (for example, who has served and sat a few courses) will not find many new things here to help him progress further along the way.
Overall, a good read.

[Asmita Saini · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book since it is simple and straightforward.The book gives some practical advice on how to ensure continuity of the meditative practice.Purely experience based advice from an experienced vipassana meditator.Short and sweet.

[Robert Viau · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute must read after attending ones first Goenka course (or any if you've already done your first). It's such a short book though, I think I may read it after my 10-day every year.