Zen Training: Methods and Philosophy

The text is written by a laymen who taught high-school English and practiced/studied Zen in Japan. He later taught at several Zendos in Hawaii and in London.There are several benefits of this text. First, the writer's cultural background bridges translation problems and he focuses on accurate translation of the ideas and concepts. Second, the writer is a laymen which may help the more cynical reader be more open to different ideas. Third, he discusses the fine points of meditation technique in a semi-scientific approach that appeals to a western mechanistic paradigm--we aren't caught up in flowery, artsy-fartsy instruction which does have a place but not for many Westerners interested in the actual practice methods. Fourth, I found the author has suggestions for improving that I haven't seen anywhere else. Fifth, the text describes practice that allows the practitioner to improve the technique to adapt to their special needs which I believe is realistic and very much in-line with the original intent of Siddartha--this is to help free the practitioner from the small inaccuracies always found in a mechanistic approach.I recommend this as one of the best methods texts I have ever had the privlege to come across.

This is one of the best books I've read on meditation, be it Zen of other. The author, a Japanese student of Zen, collected a seres of articles published in Hawaii on the topic of Zen Meditation, and published this great book. Starting from the very, very beginning, he will teach you how to breathe, how to sit correctly for meditation, how to count breaths and many techinques needed for correct achieval of Samadhi. He will also discuss spiritual and physical issues of Zen Meditation. In all, a very instructional book on the subject. Great for beginner or advanced meditators.

For me, this book is the best book on zen I've read,because it deals with a topic that is essencial for learning zen, and that is not discussed in detail in most of the other books: how to practice zazen. It explains methods for breathing, diferent postures, what you should experience in zazen, and many other interesting things. I start practicing zazen a while ago under the direction of a zen monk, and I even went to a ten days sesshin (retreat), but I learned to breath in zazen through this book. I greatly recomend this book for anyone who is interested in zen, beginers and who has some knowledge alike.

There are Zen philosophers and Zen practitioners. This book is for the practitioner. After you have grown tired of the philosophical and intellectual musings of other authors, read this book to understand the absolute essentials behind Zen and why it works as no other approach does. Katsuki Sekida explains the three nens, and how the practice of Zazen breaks down our conditioning that keeps us in delusion. He goes on to explain the science of entering samadhi, and the role that posture, breath, and the Tan Tien play. With this understanding, it becomes much easier to bypass the chaos of rising thoughts and emotions, and quickly enter absolute samadhi. This book will help you, in weeks, to gain a depth of Zazen that might otherwise take years. You can take that quite literally; that is not an exaggeration or meant as hyperbole.

There are a lot of books out there on zen; one may wander the aisles of any of the big book chains and see how the word has become a bit overused. However, if I were to suggest one book on zen that should be found on your shelf, this would be it. No fluff and/or preaching here, just solid information and discussion on the fundamentals of zazen.I particularly like the fact that Sekida emphasizes breathing and energy flow from the tanden; for someone who practices Qigong this seems obvious but I think many who practice zazen take years to catch on. The sheer amount of practical advice in this book make it well worth the money and the discussion of three nen make it indispensible. In fact, I think this is a better place to start than many of the more esoteric zen books since really, this is all about the practice, not the theory.Combine this with a book on Qigong, "Mindfulness in Plain English", and perhaps "Zen and the Brain" and then find a master; I don't think you'll ever regret the decision.