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Saints and Psychopaths by William Hamilton by Adam Shand

I really enjoyed this book, the stories he tells of what life was like for people earnestly pursuing eastern ideas of spirituality in the USA during the '60s ... are pretty entertaining. Most interesting to me is that Bill Hamilton is cited as a major inspiration by both Daniel Ingram and Kenneth Folk, who I think are some of the more interesting people talking about Buddhism and meditation at the moment.

His stories largely revolve around how to spot the difference between a true spiritual teacher and a psychopath. I must say, I laughed (and then sighed) at several points as I reflected on my time in a yoga community in Thailand.

If you want practical advice on meditation, Daniel Ingram's Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha covers similar territory in vastly more detail. It's a pretty full on book, so it might be overwhelming unless you already have some experience with meditation.

commentary posted on 18 Dec 2012 in #inspiring & #teaching

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