Zen Meditation in Plain English

by John Daishin Buksbazen, Peter Matthiessen

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.

Genres: Buddhism, Zen, Meditation, Spirituality, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Religion

128 pages, Paperback

First published April 25, 2002

Reviews

[Thangible]

Mình đọc cuốn này chắc hơn 2 năm rồi (chắc được nửa cuốn thôi)

Bản tiếng anh: "Zen Meditation in Plain English". Dịch sang tiếng việt là "Thiền định thông qua ngôn ngữ giản dị".
Ơ, bên kia là plain english chứ có phải là plain language đâu. Bởi vậy, sách dịch như hạch. Càng đọc các nơ rôn thần kinh từ từ đứt ra từng đoạn, các phản ứng cộng hóa trị trong phân tử máu diễn ra liên tục khiến cho mình xuýt ngất xỉu mấy lần.

Tốt nhất là dẹp đi. Và đúng là mình đã dẹp thiệt. Mình đăng ký một khóa 10 ngày Vipassana ở Củ Chi. Vậy là đẹp và hợp lý hơn hẳn. 10 ngày được ăn ngủ điều độ miễn phí, vừa được dạy hành thiền, vừa được dạy triết phật. Thế nên bạn nào có ý định mua cuốn này (ý mình nói là bản tiếng việt nhá) thì vứt luôn đi, lên dhamma mà đăng ký khóa thiền ( có ở HCM, Hà Nội,...) hoặc là phapdangthientue (Đồng Nai, Lâm Đồng,...).

[Will Lennon]

I get that this is supposed to be a practical guide, but I could have used a liiiitle theory. Anyway, a useful meditation manual. Can't wait to never find time to apply anything I learned and spend the rest of my life in a stressed-out fugue.

[Bradley Brincka]

Straightforward little summary of the practice of zen meditation—mostly practical advice on how to sit and regulate breathing. The practice of zazen within the Zen tradition—just sitting—is a seemingly banal but fascinating concept. The idea is to engage in the most routine human [in]activity in an intentional way. How often do moderns deliberately sit or perform routine labor without external distraction or daydreaming? Worth contemplating if only to observe how busy a scattershot one’s mind typically is.

[Bassaidai88]

This is a bare bones introduction to Zen and meditation. It provides rudimentary instruction on how to 'sit'. It would be useful for the person who knows absolutely nothing about Zen or meditation but would like a practical source to begin their journey. The numerous quotes from Maezumi Roshi are very good. It was just "OK" for me; to others it may be on point. Otherwise I would recommend anything by Alan Watts for more in depth and informative explanations about Zen.

[Sam Ruddick]

that was helpful.

[Bryan Jenks]

A good, short, and practical read on the specifics and details of Zazen and as the title states, it’s in plain English. A great introduction for those who enjoy or require plain ordered details on how to approach the practice before exploring other material that is less specific

[Nicole]

Rudimentary, bare bone introduction to practice of zen meditation; focused more on logistics than mindfulness practices.

[Lynn]

Beginner’s guide to Zen meditation written, as advertised, in plain English. I learned that while you can meditate on your own, you need a teacher learn the dharma. I like the FAQ at the end.

[Hermine Van Dijck]

Bijzonder interessant.

[Brian]

I picked this book up hoping it would be a good introduction to meditation. People are always curious, so it's good to have a direction to point them in. This book is not it. It spends far too much time discussing posture, the writing style is pretentious and kind of infantile at the same time. Only one small chapter of the book actually talks about the specifics of meditation, and mostly it admonishes students to find a teacher (which is important).

So far, Mindfulness in Plain English is the best introductory meditation text I've found - it's pretty good.

[Donna]

A short easily read book given to me by my boss before I had some serious surgery. It is a great "how to" book in plain language without getting into the philosophical/religious aspects of Zen. Having read it, I could probably get there some day but my efforts at this point result in about 3 seconds worth of mind emptying before the thoughts start flying again. It may be a practice worth working on.

[Chris Cook]

Forgettable. The best intro to meditation is to read "Mindfulness in Plain English" then work through the Mindfulness lectures from Great Courses. I found zen style meditation too difficult because I had trouble just accepting all the noise in the mind. The method in "Mindfulness in Plain English" teaches you how to work with the noise. Of course, this is my experience and everyone is different.

[Shane]

A good simple introduction to meditation as practiced by many Zen adherents. Very briefly touches on the Buddhist roots and then goes through precise instructions for meditating/sitting in the various traditional poses as well as using a common chair. Finally has a chapter on community and why you probably might want to get involved in one.
Does exactly what it claims to do.

[Diana]

I thought this book gave a readable explanation of meditation and how to get started. There are a variety a sitting positions with pros and cons. This is a Zen slant to meditation. There are many other ways to meditate. This describes one of the many ways from a Zen persecutive that is readable.

[Scott]

I really enjoyed this and would recommend it to anyone interested in the practice of zen. written for beginners like me

[Zweegas]

Maybe this is not the best book on the topic, but it is the book that I read that taught me about meditation which has mostly been a good thing.

[Luisa]

This is a good basic guide to help someone get started with zen meditation.

[Mazen Alloujami]

Very good introduction to Zen meditation. I recommend it for those who are interested in practicing zen.

[Rob Pacheco]

Good guide to practical zen meditation without much "woo-woo" spirituality hokum.

[Steve]

Rules, rules, rules....

[Ami]

A decent intro book, with concrete instructions, and it was interesting to see how Zen tradition is different from Vipassana.

[Benjamin Obler]

Has a very helpful section on posture in the sitting poses.

[Greg Soden]

Clear, fast, practically-oriented. Recommended for beginning meditation practice.

[Tim Weakley]

Loved it! Exactly what it says it is. The bonus of stretching exercises at the back is wonderful.

[Scott G.]

Great introductory book/guide on meditation for beginners. Quick read that's easy to understand, follow, practice, and incorporate into daily life.

[Víctor]

Good introduction to zen meditation and all the process of sitting. Clear and brief, is a perfect walk through the process of sitting.

[Chris Joseph]

One of the more simple explanations and easy to grasp explanations of zen meditation. Lots of good quotes as well.

[Daniel]

Good technical instructions to Zen Meditation. No philosophy.

[Tim Buck]

A very good primer and introduction to the practice of seated meditation.

[E Taylor]

stress reliever!!!!..lol