The Meditation Process

Book description — long

This is a study of concentration meditation practices for intermediate and beginning meditators. As soon as the eyes close, the meditator is faced with a flurry of thoughts and a multitude of obstacles. The beginning meditator will find many solutions to common problems with sitting posture, breathing, dealing with thoughts and relaxation.

For intermediate meditators, the meditation process removes colorations covering the mind; uncontrolled thoughts, unfinished business, concepts, and attachments. When the aim of meditation is transforming the mind, it becomes a more serious business requiring much skill and patience. The foundation for serious meditation is the ancient practice of concentration: cultivating one-pointed attention on a meditation object, the process common to Raja Yoga and Buddhist Shamatha. Based on 40 years of wide experience, study (280 citations), and gathering pointers from many adepts, this is practical study on handling distractions, nostril balance, understanding brain hemisphere functions, establishing one-pointed mind, turning mind inward, deep relaxation, non-attachment and lifestyle, using mantras, and awareness.

It's helpful to have a map describing the stages of meditation; to know where you are going, how you are getting there, and when you are going off course. This is an experiential book; a close look at what meditator actually does during sitting with minimal attention given to philosophy. It is not a religious or even a spiritual book, but provides concise, straightforward help on the how-to-do without burying the essential points in a muddle of words.

The 66 photos, taken over a 15–year period in India and Nepal where the contemplative lifestyle is visible, help to make it a personal reality for the reader.

The need for this book:

Many skills in the art and science of meditation need to be developed into a process of quieting and purifying the mind, but trial and error is too slow. It is usually a long process, measured in decades, which doesn't give the meditator time to waste. Whether the aim is transformation of mind, a search for truth, enlightenment, or because of its many other benefits, this book gives access to the best help I have found.

Interest in meditation is growing rapidly. In 2017, 14% of Americans said they have practiced meditation in the past year, up from 4% in 2012*. The nature of most current meditation tends to be 10–20 minutes of calming and centering attention, a helpful beginner's practice for getting a handle on daily mind. The beginner is usually given a simple set of instructions. But as soon as the eyes close, the meditator is faced with a flurry of thoughts and a multitude of obstacles, and the search for help begins. Pointers can be found here and there but most of the literature repeats the beginners instructions or is written by and for those who are quite advanced. In between the beginners and the adepts are the vast majority of intermediates who need thorough and practical advice.

Advanced practice begins when the student is ready. When Patanjali begins teaching the Yoga Sutra, he assumes the student comes prepared with one-pointed mind. “Now we shall begin” —Yoga Sutra 1:1. Likewise, in Buddhist practice, attaining the “calm abiding” of Shamatha is important, if not essential before Vipashyana, Insight, and the higher practices begin.

*National Health Interview survey, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis/index.htm