Minding Mind: A Course in Basic Meditation

Some types of meditation are aimed at promoting a sense of confidence and well-being in everyday life, while other types focus on producing altered states of consciousness, transcending the world, or developing skills for serving other people. The instructions in this book focus on the highest type of all, "pure, clear meditation": a state of true objectivity that enables the practitioner to use all the other types of meditation freely and consciously, without becoming fixated or obsessed.

Minding Mind is based on traditional texts by renowned teachers from various Buddhist schools of China, Japan, and Korea, covering a broad range of topics, including:

   •  The practice of basic meditation
   •  Techniques for improving concentration
   •  How to correct problems that arise during meditation
   •  Differences between methods of sudden and gradual enlightenment
   •  The practice of koan meditation
   •  Meditation in action

Because of the growing popularity of meditative practices in many spiritual traditions, this anthology of Buddhist meditation manuals is timely. Collected here are texts that discuss a variety of techniques of meditation, the distinctions between sudden and gradual enlightenment, the value of Zen koan meditation, and the power of meditation in action. Cleary's translations are clear and lively. Recommended for most public libraries.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.