by Katsuki Sekida (1975)
First published in 1975, Zen Training has become a classic of Zen literature. It was one of the first books to demystify religion without debunking it, to explain hitherto esoteric practices in lucid, everyday terms. It offers concrete guidelines for practicing zazen, seated meditation. Posture, breathing, the function of the abdominal muscles, muscle tone, and the mechanisms of wakefulness and attention are clearly and scientifically explained, so that one learns what actually happens in doing zazen, why it leads to certain psychological experiences, and what their significance is. There is also a chapter on koans that goes far to clarify what for many has seemed one of the most frustrating and baffling aspects of Zen. Again, the reader is told how actually to deal with koans and how they operate as catalysts of enlightenment. The author also draws many significant parallels between Zen and Western philosophy and psychology, comparing traditional Zen concepts with the theories of being and cognition of such thinkers as Heidegger and Husserl. Zen Training marked a turning point in Zen literature in its critical reevaluation of the enlightenment experience called kensho, which the author believes has often been emphasized at the expense of other important aspects of Zen training. The aim of zazen is seen not as the achievement of such experiences as satori or kensho but as the attainment of absolute samadhi, that condition of utters stillness in which thought is cut off, the mind is empty, yet one is in a state of extreme wakefulness and awareness. Absolute samadhi is considered the precondition of any kensho experience of lasting value, and indeed as "the foundation of all Zen activities." This book also goes beyond the earlier stages of Zen training to describe the more advanced stages: what happens after kensho, and above all, how one lives as well as trains in Zen.
Arinna Weisman and Jean Smith
An introduction to Vipassana Buddhism shares the fundamentals of meditation practice, the basic teachings of the Buddha, descriptions and excerpts from Buddhist text, and answers to frequently asked questions about the religion.
Harold Klemp
This book by Sri Harold Klemp, the Spiritual Leader of Eckankar, gives over 100 creative techniques to contact the Light and Sound of God. The Light and Sound is also known as the Holy Spirit, the Eck or the Word. A Spiritual Exercise can be as simple as singing the word Hu (pronounced 'hue') in a long drawn out way. Christians can use Jesus, Halleluyah and other words. Hindus use Aum (Om), Ram and Hu Muslims and Sufis use Aleef Lahm Meem, Haa Meem and Hu Practising the Spiritual Exercices of Eck brings a feeling of warmth, love and protection, and opens one to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Noson Gurary
One of the pillars of chasidic thought is the idea that people can comprehend God better through their actions - specifically, by performing mitzvos (sacred deeds) - than by meditation. This concept is the basis for the beliefs and observances of Chasidism, founded by the Ba'al Shem Tov in the eighteenth century. Rabbi Noson Gurary discusses Chasidism in a straightforward and authentic manner, without diluting the profound teachings of this unique tradition.
Daniel Goleman, Richard J. Davidson
"En los últimos veinte años, la meditación y la atención plena se han convertido en una especie de solución para todo, tanto para bajar de peso como para mejorar las relaciones personales o para lograr mayor eficiencia. Pero, ¿qué hay de realidad en esto? ¿De qué manera se distorsionan datos para vender métodos de entrenamiento mental? ¿Qué pueden ofrecernos verdaderamente las técnicas de meditación? ¿Cómo obtener el mayor beneficio para nuestra mente, nuestro cerebro y nuestro cuerpo?. En este libro se describen las investigaciones más avanzadas sobre el tema, que aplicadas a desarrollar una variedad más amplia de prácticas permitirán lograr los mejores resultados. No obstante, para alcanzar ese altísimo nivel de transformación positiva no bastan pequeñas dosis diarias de meditación. Es necesaria una dedicación prolongada, que incluye ingredientes fundamentales -como la guía experta de un maestro y una actitud de menor apego al "yo"- que las versiones de entrenamiento mental más difundidas pasan por alto. Con el objetivo de erradicar las falsas ideas y la neuromitología, Daniel Goleman y Richard Davidson nos muestran que -más allá de los estados placenteros que los ejercicios mentales provocan- el auténtico resultado beneficioso de estas prácticas reside en que de ellas pueden surgir rasgos perdurables de la personalidad. Y nos invitan a imaginar qué sucedería si, transformando nuestra mente, mejoraran no solo nuestra salud y nuestro bienestar, sino también los de nuestra comunidad y los del mundo entero."--