IMS Book Club

Living This Life Fully
Stories and Teachings of Munindra
By Mirka Knaster

“Whatever you are doing should be done mindfully, dynamically, with totality and completeness. Then it becomes meditation. It is not thinking, but experiencing from moment to moment, living from moment to moment, without clinging, without condemning, without judging.”—Munindra

Anagarika Munindra (1915–2003) was a Bengali Buddhist master and scholar who became one of the most important Vipassana meditation teachers of the twentieth century. Unassuming, genuine, and always encouraging, Munindra embodied the Buddhist teachings, exemplifying mindfulness in everything he did. Living This Life Fully is the first book about Munindra, and it features never-before-published excerpts of his teachings, stories and remembrances from Western students, a biography, and rare photographs.

“Knaster skillfully weaves teachings and personal stories. This is a wonderful introduction to a teacher whose students are now household names: Sharon Salzberg, Daniel Goleman, Jack Kornfield.  This deeply felt, loving portrait of a modern Buddhist master will also inspire those on their own journeys.”—Tricycle

“A kaleidoscopic view of one of the most influential figures in the spread of Buddhism in the West. Anagarika Munindra was one of a kind — wise, delightful, intriguing — and a fully human being.”—Daniel Goleman

Mirka Knaster is an independent scholar and freelance writer and editor who applies a cross-cultural perspective to her work, whether on women, healing arts, or spiritual traditions. She holds an MA in Latin American studies and a PhD in Asian and comparative studies. Knaster’s writings on loving-kindness meditation, the body and spirituality, interreligious dialogue, and ethical speech as a spiritual practice appear in magazines, anthologies, and encyclopedias, and at Beliefnet.com.

Tuesday, February 3, 7-8:15 PM ET

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