cover image YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT: Bringing Meditation to Life

YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT: Bringing Meditation to Life

Rick Lewis, . . Hohm, $14.95 (168pp) ISBN 978-1-890772-23-9

Lewis hails from the maverick-guru school of meditation. He was a resident of the Oregon community begun by Indian spiritual teacher Osho Rajneesh; he occasionally cites the work of controversial human potential movement pioneer Werner Erhard; and his teacher Lee Lozowick has forged his own syncretic spiritual path to enlightenment, in the style of enlightenment teacher Andrew Cohen. Yet much of what Lewis, a writer and entertainer, says about the everyday practice of meditation is useful, uncontroversial wisdom: sit up straight on your cushion, eat right and don't sleep around. Practice, practice, practice will not make perfect, but it will lead the way to greater clarity for the disciplined meditator. Lewis certainly works hard at integrating meditation into the context of non-monastic, average Western lives and making his presentation unintimidating. Yet his humor can fall flat; for example, his "mind as salesman" routine would not work in comedy clubs. Pop culture references run the risk of going stale quickly, and some metaphors are overwrought (e.g., "candy of consolation filled with the lead shot of suffering"). There are also a few anecdotes about the greatness of his guru that don't survive translation for those who weren't there. Ultimately, Lewis is trying too hard to explain it all, and the result is an overarching and under-explained metaphysic of mind. (Oct.)