A Lamp in the Darkness

August 8, 2011
Kornfield (The Wise Heart) addresses the healing of suffering. A leader of the vipassana movement of American Buddhism and a popular author, Kornfield combines thoughtful commentary, moving anecdotes, and guided meditations and visualizations; the book and accompanying CD audio is described as a program providing “profound tools for doing the work of the soul.” The author writes that each individual has the inner wisdom (“the one who knows”) for healing if difficulties are faced directly: “Even the worst losses become workable over time.” This wise and compassionate book, developed from Kornfield’s talks, aims to help readers develop self-compassion, forgiveness, sacred attention, equanimity, and the ability to live according to their highest intentions. While based on Buddhist principles, it is written for a general audience, serving as a short, unintimidating introduction to a possible path for healing. The book’s strengths include its gentle reminder of the universality of deep suffering and the possibility of recovering joy. This work could have merited a more in-depth treatment; it disappoints only by its shortness. (Accompanying CD audio was not received by PW.)