Warren Lee Cohen

I wanted to let you know that what I perhaps most appreciated about reading your book was how much overlap there was in terms of practice and orientation and intention between what you described and what has been my buddhist practice for at least the last few years, if not to some degree before also. What you have laid out seems very non-religious to me and therefore applicable to anyone wanting to learn more about themselves or develop spiritually, though I know it comes from a religious-spiritual tradition that is far from Buddhist.  

The practice of having an awareness discipline combined with a heart-centered practice of bringing compassion to oneself and letting go of any twinge of self-judgement whenever one does not “meet” the “objective” of the discipline, for example drifting off in the middle of a day review, has been the combination that has been very powerful in my vipassana practice. I was never really exposed to this way of working with both discipline and compassion simultaneously prior to vipassana (aka insight meditation). I think some people need more of the discipline part, getting on track you might say, getting grounded, and others need more of the self-compassion. I am certainly one of the latter….

Chris Chappell
January 2007

Thank you so much for sending your book.  It is wonderfully straightforward and accessible.

These exercises have been one core of my own work and I have enjoyed teaching them.

Now this book can be an aid.   Thank you for your work.

Linda Bergh

May 2006