Breath Sweeps Mind: A First Guide to Meditation Practice

This collection of short essays drawn from larger works is about Buddhist meditative practice, and as such it stresses what Buddhists call "insight meditation." There is a wide range of authors presented here, from the Buddha himself via excerpts from various sutras, to thirteenth-century Zen Master Dogen, to Tenzin Gyatso (the Fourteenth Dalai Lama), to American teachers like Jack Kornfield and Charlotte Joko Beck. The idea is to teach the beginning student how to meditate and to get that instruction from a variety of sources in the Buddhist world, Tibetan, Zen, Mahayana, and Hinayana. The book is divided into three parts, "What Is Meditation?," "Why Meditate?," and "How to Meditate." In Buddhism one meditates primarily to gain insight into the human condition and to learn how to alleviate the dissatisfaction therein (The Four Noble Truths). Therefore, meditation is a technique that leads to liberation. Also, as Tibetan master Sogyal Rinpoche puts it on page 7: "It is a practice that at once transcends the dogma of religions and is the essence of religions." I think the considerable value of this book lies mainly in Part III, "How to Meditate." What is presented by the various authorities is a meditative practice that stresses a singular focus on the breath. It should be emphasized that, unlike yoga meditation, which I practice, one does not attempt to control the breath in any way in Buddhist meditation. One simply and dispassionately observes its rise and fall, and realizes that the individual is just part of a larger, universal phenomenon. In Buddhist meditation one becomes part of the process and aware of the illusionary nature of the individual ego. However I think it is somewhat disingenuous to leave out the fact that meditation leads to bliss and to that peaceful state of mind that passeth all understanding. Buddhists however seldom point to this aspect of meditation since the goal is to go beyond the thrall of the pair of opposites, "beyond all attachment and aversion to this life" as the Buddha in the Anapanasati Sutta has it. However, Zen Master Man-an lets slip this truth on page 152: (when one meditates) "Body and mind will spontaneously produce great joyfulness." In yoga this is called "bliss" (ananda). It is interesting to note (and insightful) that in neither tradition--indeed in no tradition that I know of save the left-handed path of tantra--is the word "pleasure" used. One can get the pure essence of the Buddhist meditative practice by turning to the above-mentioned Anapanasati Sutta (or "The Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing") on page 144, and read and study the Buddha's words. However it helps to have commentary and guidance from other practitioners, which is why this book contains them. A fine example of this guidance can be found in the chapter "Taming a Wild Elephant" by the Venerable Sri Lankan, Henepola Gunaratana. Here we find an approach more in tune with what is taught in yoga with explana

This book is a nice intoduction to meditation and various thoughts therein. Jean Smith did a good job integrating various materials into a concise smooth-flowing book concerning meditation for beginners. The book covers various topics such as why meditate, how to meditate, and some of the various problems one may encounter. Read this book if you're interested in meditation or even some the thoughts concerning buddhism. A quick, concise book and good read; I reccommend it.

Some of the previous reviews notwithstanding, this book is a GEM! A someone who is new to meditation practice, I have been looking for a book that is both explanatory and encouraging, and this book is exactly that! Drawing from MANY traditions, not just Zen Buddhism, it gives both practical and motivational reasons for taking up some form of meditation, and simply enough, it all starts with the breath! The bibliography and author biographies are easily worth the price of admission! Own this book!

I like the cover, having seen the original statue at S.F. Asian Art Museum. Quite beautiful and striking with an immediate spiritual presence, like the ornate sandstone statue of goddess Prajnaparamita, its opposite in ornamentation, but its complement in spiritual radiance. As for meditation in general, and this book in particular, - Trungpa Rinpoche said at one time - and whether or not he was inebriated at the time is irrelevant imho - 'If you havent started, DONT! If you have started, you better finish.' Remember that in the western psychiatric lexicon, another word for an accomplished meditator is 'victim of Depersonalization Disorder'. Dont think you will 'gain' anything, not even tranquility or self-confidence, it will all be stripped away leaving you naked, raw, and insane, which may be all for the best in God's eye :), but not what you 'wanted'. 'I didnt get nuthin, I had to pay 50$ and pick up the garbage' - Arlo Guthrie. cheers :)

Think meditation might be for you (a way to clear your mind, to relax, etc) but a little wary of just picking a book off the shelf on the topic? Think you would like to shop around for a mediation guru? This is the book for you. The brief "chapters" have been gleaned from other publications and include selections by notable (and very readable) authors such as Jon Kabat-Zinn and poet Gary Snyder. My meditation practice has been greatly helped by this little book.