Running Buddha: Je Balans Vinden Met Hardlopen (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
Unlike most running books, this is not a technical manual on how to run. Written by Sakyong Mipham, leader of Shambhala tradition, this book is a rumination of running, meditation, and the Shambhala world view. The tone is casual and approachable. Heavily utilizing animal metaphors and personal anecdotes, this book is a kind and gentle encouragement for both running and meditation in a particularly way. Here, running is to gain health and clarity of mind, not a performance in terms of time and distance; meditation is not about reaching spirituality but as a form of secular enlightenment. According to wikipedia: "Shambhalian practices focus on using mindfulness/awareness meditation as a means of connecting with one's basic sanity and using that insight as inspiration for one's encounter with the world. The Shambhala of Chögyam Trungpa is essentially a secular approach to meditation, with roots in Buddhism as well as in other traditions, but accessible to individuals of any, or no religion."Major insights:(1) Running: be attentive to bodily and mind experience in running. Remove modern habits of using headsets or other distractive tools to cope with boredom. Instead, trying to focus on the experience to connect body and mind fully with the aim of making running a joyful and sustainable habit of body. (2) Meditation: should be a separate and daily training activity for the mind. First stage is to focus on the breath by "placement" of the mind, then progress to vipahsyana mediation by focusing on a content such as "love" and "kindness" as mental anchor. The early stage is similar to Mindful Meditation, and the latter stage is very similar to the Centering Prayer of the Christian mystic tradition. But the author made it clear that the goal is to achieve mental clarity and sanity, not aimed to achieve certain spiritual goal.In the self-help book on health and fitness, this book stands out favorably on the note of combining running and meditation. In some ways, it is similar to Chi Running in the methods, but with a heavier slant toward the Shambhala tradition. I started studying Eastern religions last april and started running in September. Had an injury in November and it was hard to walk. This book gives a very simple and meaningful overview on meditation and how to have compassion toward's one's body to become a good runner. I was more interested in the Tibetan stages if tiger, lion, garuda and dragon with this book. I love how it incorporates a mindset with running. When I ran 13 miles, i had a contemplation mindset. The tips on conditioning, however, are a bit lacking in this book. Go to runners world forums for those. He ran a marathon in 3:05! I mean how did he get his body ready. There is a lot about how it is hard to run in India and other countries where they ration electric. I wouldn't use a threadmill if others needed the power.
What do You think about Running Buddha: Je Balans Vinden Met Hardlopen (2012)?
Not what I thought...but still giving me much to think about as I'm heaving my fat ass up the hills.
—123
Fantastic Read, wouldn't mind picking it up for a second read months later...
—Brittney
Very interesting mixing meditation with running
—tucle8
