Buddhist Meditation

Change Your Mind: A practical guide to Buddhist meditation

by Paramananda

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"This compassionate and exceptionally well-written book helped me start a daily Buddhist meditation practice, which I've continued now for several months. This book includes a number of great meditation exercises, an introduction to the mindfulness of breathing and to Metta Bhavani (universal loving kindness). It provided great comfort to me during a stressful time in my life, and I often pick it up and re-read passages of it; it has really changed my life, and I am so thankful that I discovered it."

Publisher: Windhorse Publications | More reviews: amazon.com

Taming the Tiger Within

by Thich Nhat Hanh

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"This book was inspiring, yet very short. I found that this title isn't one of Nhat Hanh's better books...but if it's your first time with one of his titles than I would recommend it."

Publisher: Riverhead | More reviews: amazon.com

The Discourse Summaries

by S. N. Goenka

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"The material in this book is not as personal and revealing as in the videos presented in the 10-day Vipassana meditation workshop (I've attended 5 10-day events as of Jan 2007); however, if you are looking to study and get clear on the 8 pathways, the 3 kinds of Panya, etc., this book will give you what you need to outline and organize the ideas logically. This book is NOT as good as being there. The Vipassana experience has given me the tools to assist me in mentally solidifying my walk on the path."

Publisher: Pariyatti Publishing | More reviews: amazon.com

Hurry Up and Meditate

by David Michie

In this entertaining and thought-provoking book, David Michie explains the nuts and bolts of meditation. As a busy professional as well as a long-term meditator, he gives a first-hand account of how to integrate this transformational practice into every day life. Combining leading edge science with timeless wisdom, Hurry Up and Meditate provides all the motivation and tools you need to achieve greater balance, better health and a more panoramic perspective of life.

Publisher: Snow Lion Publications | More reviews: amazon.com

The Seven-Point Mind Training

by B. Alan Wallace

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"Realize they are two very different books! If you are looking for something to benefit your practice then "Buddhism with an Attitude" is the way to go. Although repetitive at times, this itself is helpful, and it is written in a more instructional tone. If you feel your practice has fully matured (lucky you) and you are simply interested in a concise, more academic exposition of the seven point mind training, then "The Seven-Point Mind Training" is the one for you. Also, for being more condensed, the "The Seven-Point Mind Training", will be the book you will want to carry around once you are familiar with Lam Rim practice."

Publisher: Snow Lion Publications | More reviews: amazon.com

The Mindful Leader: Awakening Your Natural Management Skills Through Mindfulness Meditation

by Michael Carroll

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"Reading Michael Carroll's book and attending his weekend retreat earlier this year turned around my attitude at the office, prepared me well for several looming crises at work, and nearly saved my life. His book Mindful Leadership is essential for anyone trying to lead successfully in today's world of information overload, anti-rationalism, and blind decision-making. It is equally helpful for a business leader, public servant, diplomat or aid worker, NGO or community organizer. Rather than give advice on what to do when, he teaches us that mindful leadership means being open and synchronized--which allows us to tap into our own natural goodness and wisdom that is already in our environment and telling us how to lead.

In many respects, Michael's teachings struck familiar chords for me, since I have been meditating and leading mindfully for years. I already knew that dropping our own addiction to rehearsing our emotions as mental dramas and being open to a situation can yield unexpected wisdom, and I also knew that being open to the world can leave us feeling unprepared and deeply exposed (p. 187). It was reassuring to read examples that show awareness and patience to be among the skills of a mindful leader, and to learn to trust in the basic wisdom of our environment and self.

No doubt you (as a leader) are already strong in some areas too, and this book will help you to see how to improve in those areas that may be underdeveloped. Some of his ideas were uncomfortable for me at first--for instance, the idea that it's a waste of energy to fight arrogance and hypocrisy as if they were a static enemy, and that mindful leaders instead paddle with the fluid momentum of organizations by using a synchronized sense of timing, awareness, and realism (p. 174). Once I read that chapter, I realized that Michael presented a more mature approach, and testing it out I found that his teachings were right on the mark. I immediately stopped flailing my arms as a tired boxer, and started working with the world as it is rather than as I thought it should be; this was a change that has helped save my sanity and make me more effective in the midst of serious crises.

Michael's writing style successfully combines unparalleled business experience with the thousand-year-old wisdom of Tibetan Buddhism, without being too strong (or weak) on either. This book reads very much like Chögyam Trungpa's Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior--very down to earth and practical, yet based on deep wisdom from one of humankind's oldest spiritual paths.

If only I could encourage my colleagues to read this book and internalize its teachings, U.S. foreign policy and government leaders would be more effective. Michael and a few other colleagues have already been applying mindful leadership to the field of law with wonderful results, and there is room for application to other fields. Perhaps if I write a longer review for our diplomatic service publications..."

Publisher: Trumpeter | More reviews: amazon.com

Buddhist Offerings: 365 Days

by Olivier Follmi

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In this follow-up to "Buddhist Himalayas", Olivier and Danielle Follmi have once more worked in vivid colour to document the beauty of the majestic Himalayan landscape, while delving yet deeper into the wisdom of the Tibetans. Each of the images presented here is mirrored by a meditation from one of the great masters and thinkers of Tibetan Buddhism, among them His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Kalou Rinpoche, Chogyam Trungpa, Anagarika Govinda and Shabkar. These insights, divided into 52 themes to follow the rhythm of the year, encompass subjects that touch all humanity: from money, health and faith to trust and love. Their wisdom and power offer a means for daily meditation, whatever the reader's beliefs or religious traditions.

Publisher: Thames & Hudson Ltd | More reviews: amazon.com

A Noble Heart

by Pema Chodron

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"After having enjoyed Pema Chodron's wonderful video set "Good Medicine" (6305642842), Her "Noble Heart" set of 6 cassettes was greatly enhanced. I could picture her orchestrating this retreat at her Monastery in Eastern Canada. That is exactly how this tape set is arranged. She provides an enjoyable, enthusiastic lecture with examples, stories, personal experiences, input from her Master Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, etc. For each of the 12 segments (sides of cassettes) she also includes meditations and visualizations as appropriate. Topics include:
1. Bodhichitta Practice--ego, 3 noble principles, etc.
2. cultivating friendliness through meditation--posture, calm abiding (shamatha), working with thoughts, non-grasping mind...
3. developing inner strength/trust--experiencing reality, the 4 limitless ones (loving kindness, compassion, joy, & equanimity, materialism...
4. The Practice of Maitri (loving kindness)--the roots of suffering and happiness, ignorance, etc. Great presentation on Maitri practice!
5. Compassion practice--your "soft spot," ego's weaknesses, addiction and obsession, dualistic thinking, far & near enemies of practice, pity/overwhelm/forgiveness
6. Unlimited joy & equanimity--stages of practice, openness, melting practice, big sky mind, etc.
7. Tonglen (sending & receiving)--shunyata--openness of being, awakening Bodhichitta, stages of tonglen practice, dissolving the armor of self-protection, etc.
8. Meditation & wisdom--post-meditation, purity, categories of meditation, prajna (wisdom/understanding), etc.
9. Generosity, discipline, & patience--categories of them, undoing deep-seated patterns, antidote to aggression, etc.
10. Joyful exertion--the nondual paramitas, contemplation, exertion, nonduality, etc.
11. Shunyata Meditation--groundlessness, nature of mind, opening mind, contemplating equanimity, nongrasping, etc.
12. Bodhichitta to the world--connectedness, limitless compassion, dissolving barriers, the Dharmic habit, Bodhichitta slogans (only touched on here--see her "Start Where You Are" for this).
Overall, it's almost like being there. A wonderful experience. She covers lots of ground in her easygoing, warm, and wise style that balances theory with practice. A gem."

Publisher: Sounds True, Incorporated | More reviews: amazon.com

365 Nirvana Here and Now: Living Every Moment in Enlightenment

by Josh Baran

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"If you are seeking the spiritual understanding that would finally end your search, the open secret is that there is no movement to make that would capture a kept secret. As Wei Wu Wei has said, "What is not kept secret is a secret, and what is kept secret is not a secret at all." Or as the author quotes Yuanwu: "It is right in your face. This moment, the whole thing is handed to you."

That is the thesis of 365 Nirvana Here and Now. The purpose of the book is to reveal the secret through celebration of it in the form of a wide variety of quotations, and through guiding the reader toward its understanding. The result is that this may be read as two books: (1) a very short book consisting of 16 pages of introductory material along with an 11 page dialogue section at the end of the book, entitled "Afterthoughts," and (2) a long book consisting of 365 pages of quotes from a wide variety of sources.

The "very short book" establishes the presence of a spiritual teacher in this reading journey. The book is not merely 365 pages of quotes. The power of the book lies in the presence of a teacher who is asserting his presence thoughout. Because it is not enough to point out the variety of ways the open secret is expressed; the seeker has to be guided toward understanding these writings.

We learn from the "very short book" that the author Josh Baran is a strategic communications consultant in New York City. He has handled public relations for Bill Gates, the Dalai Lama, Byron Katie, Amnesty International and other institutions, individuals and corporations. He began his spiritual search at the age of 14 when he became suddenly preoccupied with the experience of "non-stop mental turmoil." By age 19 he became a full-time seeker, exploring various traditions and teachers, finally choosing to devote himself to Zen Buddhism. Baran became a Zen monk and priest, leaving his community after 8 years, displeased with its extremely authoritarian culture.

Fifteen years of independent exploration followed and culminated in a meeting with Tulku Urgyen, a revered master of Dzogchen. About that meeting, Baran writes, "I saw how much of my life's energies had been focused on looking forward to some imagined future, rather than simply celebrating the all-pervasive present. ... All I needed was to take to heart Tulku Urgyen's words, 'Simply let be in naturalness without technique, without artifice.'" After the meeting, Baran "hungered for the words that were alive with realization and that reflected the timeless view that Tulku Urgyen had pointed out. Slowly, I began gathering writings."

About the collection of writings making-up the bulk of this book, the author/editor says, "See where these words point and then drop them -- completely. What the Buddha, Jesus, or Zen Masters realized has nothing to do with your own understanding. In the end, it is all just story and hearsay."

Toward deepening the reader's understanding, the "very short book" makes two gestures: First, the author guides the reader's attention to an experience of the present moment, which leads to the inquiry, Who am I? This brings an awareness of "presence-aliveness" which Baran says is known as Nirvana, the Now, Enlightenment. This guided movement of attention takes only two pages of text and is effective. However, some might say that while the experience of pure awareness isn't that difficult to have, living from it is another story. Hence the second gesture.

Baran addresses "living from it" in a section of the "very short book" entitled "Afterthoughts," which includes excerpts of conversations he had with friends regarding the book. The dialogue begins with a questioner asking, "So now what? What can I do to live in the now? Josh: Notice how right away we want to move, shift gears, set goals. But I suggest that instead of developing any kind of spiritual plan, you pay careful attention to the thoughts themselves. What is our mind doing when you ask the question, 'What can I do to live in the now?'" In "Afterthoughts," what Tulku Urgyen imparted to Josh Baran, Josh attempts to convey to the reader, plainly and directly.

The "very short book" of 27 pages could be read first and portions of it re-visited now and then while reading the 365 pages of quotations. In that way the reader is always referring back to the guidance of a teacher who could help the reader correctly understand the quotations.

The quotations themselves are from diverse sources. The famous spiritual giants are represented. So are current living nondual teachers. So are people from outside core spirituality. Ordinary people are also represented. At least one quotation was from an "ordinary person" writing to an email list on nonduality. Going through an alphabetical listing of names, here are some examples selected to show the variety: Pearl Bailey, Alan Ball, Jacob Boehme, Truman Capote, Cezanne, Dostoyevsky, Natalie Goldberg, Woody Guthrie, Jack Kerouac, David Loy, Henry Miller, Deena Metzger, Mary Oliver, Anne Sexton, Jason Shulman, Alice Walker. There are approximately 300 authors featured, including scriptural texts and almost all the nondual teachers and Masters with whom readers of this publication are familiar, from Adyashanti to Ken Wilber. Each author is showing, in his or her way, their "love for reality," as Byron Katie might say.

To summarize, 365 Nirvana Here and Now consists of 365 pages of quotations and 27 pages of teaching material through which the author guides the reader toward understanding the quotations. The quotations crisply support the theme. The result is a focused yet mainstream teaching of nonduality.

Jerry Katz
One: Essential Writings on Nonduality"

Publisher: Thorsons | More reviews: amazon.com

Gesture of Balance: A Guide to Self-Healing & Meditation (Nyingma Psychology Series)

by Tarthang Tulku

Average Rating:

""Gesture of Balance"is one of the best books I have ever read on meditation, relaxation and balance. As he describes, we are the meditation--everything becomes part of us as we become open, accepting and allowing. "Gesture of Balance" has been a wonderful companion for me for over 30 years.

This book and author have given me peace of mind and security within my meditation practice and in life itself. This evening I enjoyed reviewing his chapter on how to balance our emotions. My partner will be undergoing surgery soon, so I am sad and fearful for her. She is so brave and has been through so much with this cancer. And, just when we think she is free of this disease, it appears in another system. Thank you Tarhang for your guidance through these tough times.

Amazon press has a special on this book. This could be the best $10.00 you ever invested.

Gerald W. Vest, ACSW/LISW
Professor Emeritus
New Mexico State University
School of Social Work
Las Cruces, NM
"

Publisher: Dharma Publishing | More reviews: amazon.com