Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #90616 in Books
• Published on: 1996-12
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

Customer Reviews

A manual for serious beginners, and experienced meditators
The book is a translation of a series of talks given by the late Buddhasa Bhikkhu, a renowned Thai meditation master and scholar of Buddhist teaching, famous his individual, and sometimes radical approach, when he died in 1993 he was acknowledged as among the most significant spiritual figures in the 20th century Buddhist world. His funeral reflected his life, no ceremony, no emphasis on him as a personality, but always pointing to the Dhamma, in other words, the ultimate reality of nature, or truth

The talks translated here are informal in tone, but extremely precise in giving instructions for the development of the 16 stages the Buddha proclaimed for breathing mindfulness meditation. This development covers both Samatha (calm) and Vipassana (insight) aspects of the breathing mindfulness practice. The 16 stages of breathing mindfulness culminate in the very highest attainment - enlightment - so even experienced meditators will gain much from careful and repeated readings of this text. Putting the stages into practice, by patient daily practice is the best way for lone meditators to establish mindfulness and eventually clear comprehension - but it is important to return to the text, as by our very nature we are more often than not asleep and miss or mis-interpret subtle but significant elements of the instructions for the practice. The emphasis is on direct experience, but also on following fully and completely the instructions given, if results are to be achieved. The reason for this is simple: the instructions provide a method for establishing the necessary conditions to experience the fruits of the practice. If the conditions are not in place, the results will not arise - cause is not present, so effect will not follow. Those who can should always seek a trusted and experienced meditation teacher if possible, as well as use the valuable material in this manual.

The stepping stone method for training the mind
This book describes in great detail training the mind using breathing as a base following 16 steps as presented by Buddha in the Annapanasati Sutta. The book is an excellent guide for Westerners that are genuinely interested in training the mind following the original 16-step method. It is not a book for somebody in a hurry. One of the important points made in the book is that there is no point in starting on the next step until the previous step is fully mastered. Mastering a step does not mean understanding it but experiencing the result. These steps are like stepping stones to cross a river. You have to take the steps one after the other. The text of the original sutta is presented in the book too. The 16 steps are presented in four logical groups. The first group deals with training the body, the second with understanding and gaining control over feelings, the third deals with understanding and gaining control over the mind, and the fourth presents the fundamental truths in Buddhism like the concept that nothing is permanent (anicca) and that there is no inherent unchanging self (anatta). It is the clearest description of training the mind I have come across. You have to make considerable intellectual and physical effort to understand and practice successfully

Easy to Understand Book on Buddhist Meditation
This book presents the most simplified understanding of Buddhist meditation that has ever been published. It is written by an eminent Buddhist scholar for those of us who had a grate deal of difficulty in grasping the deeper concepts of Buddha's teaching, especially in relation to meditation. It is easy to read and most of the in-depth knowledge in Buddhist teaching is explained in a manner even a novice reader may grasp the concepts of Buddhism without having to refer to a vast collection of other material on Buddhism. My personal view is that it is a must be read book by all those with an interest to learn and practice Buddhist meditation.