It took me a while to get through this book. Nonetheless, it had an impact on me, so I recommend it if you relate to the subject matter.
The book is about the quest of the author, Tim Parks, for health and well-being, as unexplained physical ailments (in his case lower abdominal pain) plague him, and he seeks a cure. The author is a well known novelist, so the writing is great, and he's also a sceptic, as the title suggests, so it's not an advertisement for a certain path to health. Rather it's a driven man's circuitous journey from physical pain caused by stress to wellness.
I related to the book on several fronts. First, I've recently suffered from the same ailments as the author describes - it's why I bought the book - and for the same reason: too much tension in mid-life. I also related to the author's choice of Vipassana meditation in the end. In my 20's I had a relatively serious Vipassana (a form of Buddhist meditation) practice. For several years I meditated every day and then as grad school, children, and work eventually overwhelmed me, my practice petered out, and finally went into hibernation when I moved to Missoula in 2003. Ever since, I have tried to pick it back up several times, but it would never take. However, in reading this book, I've gotten my practice back pretty consistent for about month now, which makes me happy, and my own abdominal pains have also gone away.
1 comment:
Hi John; I just stumbled across your blog via a search for Red Mountain hiking routes (I'm camping near there in the Scapegoat) and then clicked on this. I'm also an avid Vipassana practitioner and used to sit with the local group and highly recommend joining them to help keep on track. You can find them here: http://www.vipassanamontana.org/local-meditation-groups.html . I'll be in Missoula in the fall and might see you there. Cheers, Justin Whitaker
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