Minding Mind: A Course in Basic Meditation

by Thomas Cleary (Translator)

Minding Mind is an extraordinary compendium of instruction manuals dealing primarily with ways of attaining the mode of experience characteristic of the highest form of meditation in the Zen tradition—pure, clear meditation arriving at being-as-is. The seven meditation manuals included here are some of the greatest treasures of the Zen tradition.
·         The Treatise on the Supreme Vehicle is attributed to Hongren (602–675), who is known as the Fifth Patriarch of Chan Buddhism in China. The method taught in this manual is basic and quintessential in theory and practice, setting the stage for the texts that follow.
·         Models for Sitting Meditation was composed by Chan Buddhist Master Cijiao of Changlu in late eleventh-century China. Little is known of Cijiao, except that he was not only a master of the powerful Linji school of Chan Buddhism but also a patriarch of popular Pure Land Buddhism. The combination of Chan and Pure Land Buddhism, especially in the domain of concentration technique, is commonly found in the records of early meditation schools of China, Korea, Japan, Tibet, and Vietnam.
·         Guidelines for Sitting Meditation was written by Foxin Bencai, a younger contemporary of Cijiao. The instructions of Foxin and Cijiao, both quite brief, address problems of deterioration in the quality of meditation practices and prescribe simple remedies to counteract confusion and misalignment in order to foster the proper state of mind.
·         One of the main concerns of Dogen’s teaching activity was to alert people to the shortcomings and dangers of incomplete Zen meditation and partial Zen experience. In A Generally Recommended Mode of Sitting Meditation , one of Dogen’s first written works, reflects this concern and outlines an approach to its resolution.
·         Secrets of Cultivating the Mind was composed by Chinul (1158–1210), founder of the Chogye order of Korean Buddhism. Ordained as a monk at the age of eight, Chinul had no teacher. His first awakening occurred as he read a Chan Buddhist classic when he was twenty-five years old. After that, Chinul went into seclusion in the mountains. Later he perused the whole Buddhist canon and went back into solitude in a mountain fastness. During this period, Chinul experienced another awakening while reading the letters of one of the great Chinese masters. Based on classical teachings, Chinul’s Secrets of Cultivating the Mind is a highly accessible primer of basic Buddhist meditation, defining and contrasting the principles and methods of sudden and gradual enlightenment.
·         An Elementary Talk on Zen is attributed to Man-an, an old adept of a Soto school of Zen who is believed to have lived in the early seventeenth century. Man-an’s work is very accessible and extremely interesting for the range of its content. In particular, it reflects a modern trend toward emphasis on meditation in action, which can be seen in China particularly from the eleventh century, in Korea from the twelfth century, and in Japan from the fourteenth century.

·         Also included in this collection is Absorption in the Treasury of Light , written by Dogen’s main student, Ejo (1198–1282). Born into an ancient noble family, Ejo became a Buddhist monk at the age of eighteen. Reflecting Ejo’s background in the esoteric branch of Tendai Buddhism as well as his classical Zen studies, this work shows how to focus on the so-called Dharmakaya, or Reality Body teaching of Buddhism, underlying a wide variety of symbolic expressions. This type of meditation, using scriptural extracts, poetry, and Zen koans (teaching stories) to register a specific level of consciousness, is called sanzen . There is a great deal of Zen literature deriving from centuries of sanzen, among which Ejo’s Absorption in the Treasury of Light represents a very unusual blend of complexity and simplicity, depth and accessibility.

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

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Dr. Thomas Francis Cleary, Ph.D. (East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University; J.D., Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California, Berkeley), was a prolific translator of Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian, and Muslim classics, with a particular emphasis on popular translations of Mahāyāna works relevant to the Chan, Zen, and Soen systems.

Reviews

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Minding Mind is a great collection of essays in Buddhist meditation from a nice variety of Zen and other schools. While this book leads more toward a Zen flavor, it covers some of the deeper ideas of meditation and work beautifully. I wouldn't recommend it as a first read, especially since some of the essays rely heavily on a deep understanding of Buddhist philosophies. That said, the endnotes provide adequate explanation of the references to other works and traditional Buddhist metaphors.

If you want to learn the basics of meditation, this isn't the book. If you've got the basics down, or even if you feel yourself moderately successful in your zazen practice, this book is a great intermediate teaching. It focuses solely on zazen, the sitting meditation, and the works reflect this focus. If you are accustomed to zazen, this book is the perfect compendium of instruction of renowned Masters in perfecting your sitting practice.

[Luca Andreol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coltivare la mente
🚀 Il #libro in 3 Frasi

1.In questo contesto, 'lottare' significa non provare paura e non farsi coinvolgere, ma stabilire la concentrazione della vera con-
sapevolezza. Se vi tuffate immediatamente e direttamente, tanto il dolore che i pensieri errabondi si trasformeranno in una massa di spirito, in lavoro unificato sulla Via.
2.Con la concentrazione soffocate l'immaginazione disordinata, e con la visione profonda soffocate l'insensibilità.
3.Se sapete nutrire una fede assoluta, i dubbi si arresteranno di colpo permettendo l'apparizione di un desiderio salutare;

🎨 Impressioni
Libro interessante sulla ricerca dell’illuminazione tramite la pratica zen.
👤 Chi dovrebbe leggerlo?
Chi fosse interessato alla cultura zen
☘️ Come il libro mi ha cambiato?
Questo libro non mi ha dato spunti pratici da applicare nella meditazione quotidiana, ma mi ha permesso di capire meglio come andare oltre le percezioni sensoriali di ogni giorno.
✍🏻 Le mie tre frasi preferite

1.  Studiando lo Zen, non dovete rilassarvi neppure un attimo.
Rendendo vigile e attento il vostro spirito vitale mentre espira te ed inspirate, osservando i vostri passi mentre camminate avanti e indietro, comportatevi come se galoppaste da soli, armati soltanto di una spada, contro un esercito di un milione di uomini.

1. Dopo essere emersi dalla concentrazione, applicate qualunque espediente in ogni momento per preservare la forza della con-centrazione, così come ci si prende cura di un bambino. Allora sarà facile perfezionare il potere della concentrazione.

1. Aver cura del popolo mantiene la nazione in pace, risparmiare energia mantiene il corpo sano.

📒 Sommario + Note
Introduzione
Trattato sul veicolo supremo del maestro chan Hongren.
Modelli per la meditazione seduta del maestro chan Cijiao di Changlu
Istruzioni per la meditazione seduta del maestro chan Foxin Bencai
Un modo di sedere in meditazione raccomandato a tutti
del maestro zen Dogen
Segreti della coltivazione della mente del maestro son Chinul . . : .
Assorbimento nel tesoro di luce del maestro zen Ejo : . . . .
Discorso elementare sullo Zen di Man-an
Note
#libri

[Martha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Translated works of various Masters yields the entries difficult to understand. It seems to be a literal translation. An interpretation would have been easier to comprehend as the text would explain itself better with the English translation. Clearly that wasn't the point of the author. He would have had to put in some understanding of the message, the context and any subtext not explained in the sampling of instruction. Though the subtitle says basic meditation, it is not a source for initial meditation instruction.

[Victoria Wilde · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good enough to make me want to read more about meditation. Some of it was a little hard for me to follow, but I especially enjoyed the last section, “An Elementary Talk on Zen” by Man-an. This won’t be my last study of meditation. It has whetted my appetite.

[Gjalt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een boekje waarin verschillende meesters zen beschrijven. Doordat ze dit op verschillende manieren doen, wordt het fenomeen “verlichting” van meerdere kanten bekeken, net als de allegorie “de olifant en de blinden”.

[Ruston Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

barebones, keeping this one in the front for the inevitable slippage

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've only just begun this read although there where a few good points that made an impression on me. In the sitting Zen meditative mode, clear your mind of all thoughts to attempt to think nothing. Not good, nor evil thoughts, but nothing at all. If thoughts somehow manage to enter your mind, try to leave them behind. This way you can focus more on understanding the mind and how it is structured. Understanding and then quieting the mind is a crucial step in attempting to achieve an enlightened state of being, or revealing the Buddhahood within us all. I must read further into this book at a later time to really discuss more what it is about...Although, I do believe it is a good subject for research or for learning something new.

[Kerry · Rating 2 out of 5]

A really old book so pretty hard to understand. Don't really think it's for as much of a beginner as I am.

[LemontreeLime · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent primer!