“What happened to the twenty years between the time I was eighteen and twenty-five and the one year between thirty and sixty?” Geoff Hoyle, Actor
Once in a while a literary jewel crosses your path that, although not earth-shaking, contains material that is thought-provoking. So much so, it stirs turmoil from within, causing reflections that question the scope of the completeness of your life. Not Quite Nirvana is such a book. You may wonder about the rapidity of the years gone by and pose a challenge by asking yourself what you have accomplished and what has been ignored. Many of us have been very successful in our lives: extraordinary professions; lovely homes; endearing families. But, can it earnestly be said that we have found the peace and spiritual nourishment that changes life from being comfortable to remarkable?
The Buddhist concept of mindfulness is the prevailing focus in this book. Ms. Neumann says, “Mindfulness is a deep awareness of both the singularity and transience of the present moment.” She professes the importance of being involved with what surrounds us in a solitary state. It is reiterated that meditation, peacefulness and a deep connection with spaciousness can provide a powerful, joyous transformation that soothes and calms one’s soul. She delves into suffering, death, depression, anger and shares insights that will cause the reader to reevaluate priorities. The importance of listening is underscored because so often we pay no attention to what is being said, due to the fact that we become desperately impatient to inject our own thoughts. These revelations may inspire a search for paths that have not, heretofore, been explored. It could force you to make more conscious choices, thereby enabling one to forgo regrettable decisions in the future. The possibilities are, seemingly, endless.
In a recent television commercial, Shaquille O’Neal quotes his mother (at the moment of his birth), as having said, “WOW!” We can assume the reference, but you may be saying wow for an entirely different reason after completing this book. Putting one’s life in perspective is, and should be, a never-ending process. This book encourages an exploration for nirvana that will challenge us to make time to stop and smell those roses.