Diamond Mind: Psychology of Meditation

by Rob Nairn

The author takes us on a journey into our own minds. With clarity and humour he guides us to understand how we ourselves generate the clouds of anxiety, desire and anger that obscure our happiness. We learn to recognise these obscurations, how they came about and how to release and dissolve them. The innate wisdom and brilliance of the mind then naturally manifest. The title contains guidelines and practices for meditators.

Genres: Buddhism, Meditation, Philosophy, Spirituality, Nonfiction

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Nairn's first contact with Buddhism was with a Theravadin monk in the 1960s, and he trained in this tradition for around ten years. From 1989 to 1993 he took part in a four-year isolation retreat at the Kagyu Samyé Ling Monastery and Tibetan Centre in Scotland.

Currently Nairn is the African representative for Akong Rinpoche and is responsible for eleven Buddhist centres in South Africa and three other African countries.

As he was instructed by the 14th Dalai Lama to teach meditation and Buddhism in 1964 and also instructed by the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa to teach insight meditation in 1979, Nairn spends much of his time teaching and running retreats in Southern Africa as well as the United Kingdom, Ireland, Iceland, the United States, Italy, The Netherlands and Germany.

Reviews

[Phaedon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this is the best book on meditation I've read, and I have read a few. I will add a small proviso though. I think this was the right meditation book at the right time. I don't know if I would have appreciated it quite as much as a completely new meditator. I also can't possibly guess if this would be a useful book for someone with decades of experience under their belts. For me, a couple of years into a daily meditation practice, this was exactly the book that I needed to read.

Rob Nairn's writing is simple and straightforward. There is nothing ornate. There isn't an excess of anecdote, allegory and metaphor. Sure, he throws in a couple of stories about the Buddha, but for the most part, this is clear simple instruction.

I feel like Diamond Mind frames the actual work of meditation in a clearer way than anything I've come across before. He doesn't just tell you to sit and focus on your breath. He tells you what you should be trying (or not trying) to do with your mind while you're sitting and focusing on your breath. He also explains why he thinks you should do these things.

I also really appreciate the inclusion of a number of exercises that are very practical and easy enough to execute. I have already found value in some of them, and I plan to re-read the book more slowly, taking the time to try each of the exercises over several meditation sessions.

[David Walley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book tries to give the insight into the inner workings of the mind as one attempts to meditate towards enlightenment. It has a number of interesting experiments that I have never seen written down before and has allowed me a different path to follow for a while with my meditation. Of course whether anything comes of this remains to be seen but that is so true of the practice of meditation anyway. It is not the arrival but the journey that matters.

[Roger M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise practical guidance at a level that respects your intelligence. The author is very well informed and a very good communicator of ideas.

[Stanley Biggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short. Simple. Easy to read. Maybe the best and simplest little guide book on meditation I’ve ever read. Straight to the point. No other book is needed.

[Delany · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books out there for those who want to start and sustain a meditation practice; it is among the top 3 or 4 that I recommend for beginners. I first read it about 12 years ago and just recently picked it up out of my bookshelves to re-read. I was again struck by how well the writer understands the practice of meditation (and the pitfalls and barriers). The author comes from a Tibetan (Vajrayana) perspective, but this manual is broadly applicable to those from other schools of thought or branches of Buddhism, as well as those of a firmly secular orientation.

Note: as usual, I highly recommend that the reader actually do the exercises within each chapter. It's like sports/fitness -- reading about it does one no good at all. Only by practicing it does one attain any benefit.

[Viv · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am currently reading this book and learning about the pitfalls of trying to meditate. In short, I shouldn't be trying! Rob Nairn resigned as professor of criminology at the University of Cape Town in 1980 to follow his spiritual path which led to the writing of this book. He has training in psychology which has helped him understand the tricks the mind will play in order to obscure our own happiness. A lighthearted and gentle book, well worth reading.

[torque · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having tried to begin meditating several times without much success for the last couple of years, I stumbled upon this book, which is giving to someone like me who just can't seem to get it right, some hope and motivation. The author explains things, which to me are abstract or a little "out there" in similar books, in a rational and straightforward way.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my third read of this little book, and it gets better each time. Great for beginners as well as seasoned practitioners (especially if you're partial to shorter books), Nairn writes with great clarity and specificity about what meditation is really all about and how to do it. Read it in a night, just sit, and don't believe everything you think!

[Richard Kinsella · Rating 4 out of 5]

An introduction to meditation and mindfulness.
An odyssey that could provide the key to enlightenment and the mystery of our inner self.
A useful tool to help cope with life's volatile moods.