Finding the Still Point: A Beginner's Guide to Zen Meditation

by John Daido Loori

Through Zen meditation it is possible to find stillness of mind, even amidst our everyday activities—and this practical book-and-CD set reveals how. John Daido Loori, one of America's leading Zen teachers, offers everything needed to begin a meditation practice. He covers the basics of where to sit (on a cushion, bench, or chair), how to posture the body (complete with instructional photographs), and how to practice Zen meditation to discover the freedom of a peaceful mind.

Book with audio CD.

Genres: Buddhism, Meditation, Nonfiction, Zen, Spirituality, Self Help, Religion

112 pages, Hardcover

First published September 4, 2007

About the author

John Daido Loori was a Zen Buddhist rōshi who served as the abbot of Zen Mountain Monastery. He was the founder of the Mountains and Rivers Order of Zen Buddhism and CEO of Dharma Communications.

Reviews

[David]

At first, I was loving this book! It started out doing a great job of describing that 'still point' and getting down to practicality on the whys and hows of it!

Sometimes Zen Meditation can be confusing, or even frustratingly contradictory when people write about it... this book was not- at least not untill the last few pages. Dangit.

By the end, it had devolved into the usual poorly translated babble. UGH. At one point, it uses an example of a master shouting, "Asshole! Where is the picking and choosing!" when a student asked a question of where was the picking and choosing... and then AFTER he rambles on in the usual contradictory fashion, explains that really the word in that language was more "oaf" or "uneducated bumpkin" but he was just shocking the student into seeing things from a different perspective.

I'm so sorry, but it isn't the same. You shout that at a modern, american student and you might get less zen and more punched in the face.

The good news, is that the book is very short and to the point- if you can ignore the last few pages, or find a way to understand the AUTHOR's point of view. ugh.

One day, I will find the best book EVAR, on meditation. This wasn't that book. :P

[David Wu]

"To study the Buddha Way is to study the self,
To study the self is to forget the self,
To forget the self is to be enlightened by the ten thousand things"

- Dogen

[Chris]

A nice brief introduction to Zen sitting meditation. Includes a dharma section that felt uneven. Each of these books has its own focus and strengths and weaknesses. Lovely nature photographs.

[Marc Mannheimer]

Nice introduction to Zen practice. Enjoyed the explanation of how to read or listen to a dharma talk....watch the mind, suspend disbelief for the time being. Clear and clarifying instructions.

[Rachel]

I really enjoyed how straight and to the point this book was in defining terms and explaining how to meditate. I appreciate that the author explains the process and how to improve more and more over time. Most of it was easy to understand and apply. The second half of the book got a little confusing to me at times. The jump from the straighforward to the more philosophical was a bit difficult to follow with little transition. This book does come with a CD, which helps a great deal in understanding the process.

[Jack]

A brief introduction to guided and unguided (self or solitary) meditation. Free of clutter and flowery talk, it gets down to the business of how to meditate properly. Not only is the book an excellent and easy read without a lot of hyperbole and metaphysical mysticism mumbo-jumbo, but it comes with a CD that will help guide you as well. Another to add to my spiritual reference library!

[Bookwrmjr66]

This is a very short and simple introduction to meditation. I'm not sure it's great for beginners, as he uses some fairly esoteric terms to those who are uninitiated into Buddhism. Still, you can easily read it in a setting, and it might have some useful tips for anyone interested in meditation.

[Jeff Song]

Here is the definitive "how to" guide for meditation. Loori's perspective is Zen, but it doesn't matter for this.
There are many books on how to meditate, but this is the clearest, and most concise method book I've seen. I love this book.

[Steve Woods]

Short, sweet and to the point. No mumbo jumbo no airy platitudes here, just a stright forward how t guide for the beginner with a cd to help along the way. One of the clearest instructional materials I have read and a useful and interesting dharma talk to end it off. A great little starter

[Michelle]

I found this easy to follow and the illustrations were good, too. I think I need to take notes as this little book must go back to the library!

[Kate]

Good general overview. I did not listent to the accompanying CD, so no opinion on that.

[Tea]

The photographs are splendidly calming, and the content just brings you to the still point.

[Charissa]

Nice little guide to meditation. Now to work in the time to do it...

[Sofia]

Very helpful little book for beginners.

[Erica]

A nice little book on meditation. So excited to get into this!

[Douglas Christensen]

Short and concise. A breeze to read but thoroughly enjoyable.

[Holly]

Pretty good, didn't get to the guided meditations on CD.

[Carrie Hammond]

A great book for beginners of Zen. It can help start to explain things and offers books to continue reading.

[Leslie]

nice, concise description of how-to sit zen meditation. simple to read. His instructions make meditation accessible to all. Also has a short concluding chapter on buddhist teaching. Perfect for beginners as well as those who have meditated for a while but need a reminder of nothing

[Phil Calandra]

"Finding the Still Point A Beginners Guide To Zen Meditation" is a concise overview of the philosophy and practice of Zen Meditation. It lays down the basic groundwork to those wishing to start a practice. I would strongly recommend it.

[Stridero]

Reading the second half containing the Dharma Discourse was incredibly enlightening.

[Shevaun Ruby]

The beginning of the book was especially helpful, as it outlined how to properly sit zazen in a clear and informative way. A pretty good book for me, as a beginner.

[Andrew Jones]

Very helpful to learn how to meditate the proper way. It is still nice to have a teacher. The conclusion is a little hard to follow if you have been practicing Christianity for a long time.

[LemontreeLime]

Good down to earth and short. Bang.

[Maurya]

3.5 for me

What I like about this is that it is straight to the point. Quite a short book. Really liked part 1. Part 2, meh.

[Maughn Gregory]

I spent a memorable weekend at the Zen Mountain Monastary some years ago and attended a Dharma talk by Master Loori. This slim volume is a wonderful introduction to his tradition.

[Bear Smith]

Precisely what it set out to be - a brief primer on Zen. I still found it to contain excellent perspective on Zen, even after years of study. Truly an invaluable book.

[Joshua]

Well, I guess it's worth a shot.

I came upon this at Manhattan Public Library and figured I might as well check it out and read it. Maybe I'll get something out of the meditation style it suggests. Maybe it'll be more profitable if instead of counting I repeat the mantra "en archei en ho logos kai ho logos en pros ton theon kai theos en ho logos" (yeah, I'm all smug now because I know a few Greek words).

(Thu 05 May 2022 11:39:27 PM CDT)

[Linda]

very simple and easy to understand if you want to get started with meditation. Short read too!

[Will Robinson]

Re-Read Often