Dear Wildmind Subscriber,

As the holiday season approaches, we're delighted to bring you more news from Wildmind.

But the first thing we want to let you know is that as a holiday season gift, we're lowering the price of our introductory course from $75 to $40! Why not take advantage of this for our last class of 2002, starting on Monday, November 25?

And since this is the season of giving, why not give the gift of meditation by purchasing a course for a friend or family member? (I'm sure you know someone you think could be a bit calmer!) Doing this is really simple: when you make your online purchase, simply fill out your own details in the "bill to" part of the form, and put your friend's details in the "ship to" part.

Below, we bring you details of our acclaimed online courses, new material that's been posted on the site since our last newsletter, news on a forthcoming Wildmind book (we're very excited about that!), a featured book we think everyone should be reading, and our quote of the month feature with commentary.

1. Personal attention: In your online journal you'll have an ongoing practice discussion with Bodhipaksa, who will give you encouragement and personal feedback based on 20 years' experience.
2. Depth: As you reflect in your journal, get feedback, and gain insights from learning new practices, you'll take your meditation practice to a new level of effectiveness.
3. Quality: Access to outstanding written and audiovisual materials online.
4. Support: You'll benefit from the discipline of a structured four-week course.
5. Convenience: Log on when you want, fitting classes into your schedule when it's convenient.
6. Flexibility: Download audio files that will guide you through meditation at any time.
7. Availability: Courses start every month -- check website for dates.

Our online courses

We now offer four online courses as well as our popular Life Member Program. For more information, click on any of the photographs or links and you'll be taken to our online store, where more details are available. Our next online courses start on Monday, November 25!

Lifelong access to all of our course materials, but without personal feedback and guidance. Suitable for self-directed students.

"The Path of Mindfulness and Love"

Our introduction to meditation, teaching the fundamental principles of mindfulness and lovingkindness, and helping you as you set up a regular practice.

"Change Your Mind"

A level two course, introducing advanced techniques for combating negative mental states and for cultivating calmness, energy, contentment, and concentration.

Introducing the practice of insight meditation, which helps us to appreciate the interdependent nature of the reality we live in.

An alternative level two course, introducing the cultivation of lovingkindness, compassion, empathetic joy, and emotional balance.

We hope you enjoy the following new resources that we've posted on the site.

• Should you listen to music?
• Dealing with noise
• Keeping a meditation journal
• Being "in the moment"
• Guiding, not controlling
• Meditation for the very busy*
• Standing back from your practice

*was previously on the site but got "lost"

Wildmind as a book!

The material on the Wildmind website (plus some stuff you haven't seen) is coming out as a book. Windhorse Publications in the UK is publishing "Wildmind: A Step-by-Step Guide to Meditation" in the new year. We'll bring you further details as they become available.

Bodhipaksa's literary agent is busy finding a publisher for the US edition.

Book of the month

Breath by Breath, by Larry Rosenberg

Rosenberg's book, taken from talks given at the Cambridge Insight Meditation Center in Massachusetts, is a masterful exploration of a traditional Buddhist text on the Mindfulness of Breathing practice.

Rosenberg is not only profound, but witty. His book is full of meaningful and sometimes very humorous anecdotes from his years of practice and teaching.

With extraordinary lucidity he plumbs the depths of this simple practice, showing us that "To contemplate breathing is to contemplate life itself."

If you're interested in buying this book from Amazon.com, click on the cover or title above.

Quote of the month

"Great things are not done just by impulse, but are a series of small things put together"

Vincent van Gogh

One of the things I've noticed in people who get on well with meditation and who establish a regular and creative practice, is that they notice and value small changes in their experience. Unfortunately, not everyone does this. Sometimes people think just don't notice the changes at all, or if they notice them they're dismissive because the changes seem quite minor.

Why does this happen? First, sometimes we're just not very observant. Change is happening -- we're a little calmer or a little more emotionally positive -- but we don't really notice it. Secondly, we might be expecting more change than actually takes place, and so we think that the changes that have taken place are unimportant.

This is a big mistake! All great changes are composed of innumerable small changes. If we reject the small changes we therefore miss out on the great changes as well. While the impatient meditator is always chasing after a practice that works more quickly, and never makes any real progress, the patient and steady meditator, step by step, makes of his or her life something wonderful.

We all need to train ourselves to notice and value small changes in our experience so that we can attain great things.

Bodhipaksa