Zen Meditation in Plain English

by John Daishin Buksbazen

Paperback, 2002

Status

Available

Call number

294.3

Genres

Religion & Spirituality

General Nonfiction

All Topics

Nonfiction

Collection

Buddhism, Eastern Philosophy

Publication

Wisdom Publications (2002), Edition: 1, 128 pages

Description

An excellent, practical introduction to Zen meditation. Written in a warm and easily accessible style, this book appeals to anyone with an interest in meditation, Zen, or, as is often the case today, a combination of the two. The book emphasizes the importance of receiving good instruction and of finding groups to practice with, yet it lays out the necessary steps to practice Zen meditation on your own. The book includes easily followed exercises to help the reader along. For anyone looking to uncover a clear and insightful path into the philosophy and practice of Zen meditation, this book represents the culmination of that search.

User reviews

LibraryThing member wrmjr66

This book does what it sets out to do: explain Zen meditation in an easy to read manner. However, only the short middle section focuses on the promise made by the title. The first section is a brief history of Buddha and Buddhism (which seems to be de riguer in books on Buddhism), and the final

section is an essay on the importance of having a teacher when moving beyond basic meditation. So while the "meat" of the book is only pamphlet-length, it's still worth reading for the clarity of exposition.

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LibraryThing member MyopicBookworm

The book contains exactly what the title says. The opening outline recounts the standard legend of origins of Zen, taking us from Buddha to Maezumi Roshi in 6 pages. There is then a direct explanation of zazen in about 40 pages. Refreshingly free of arcane philosophical riddles and baffling

quotations from obscure medieval masters (though sprinkled with bon mots from Maezumi Roshi), this section of the book suggests why you might want to explore zazen, and then simply tells you how to sit and breathe. The third section - less than 20 pages - discusses some of the features and advantages of practice in some sort of community rather than in isolation. There is then a brief FAQ, a guide to helpful physical exercises, and some suggestions for further reading. All in all, an ideal little handbook for someone who would like to try Zen but doesn't have immediate access to instruction.

MB 12-vi-2013

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