There are scores of books available on the subject of mindfulness meditation.  So many, in fact, that it creates a problem:  Too much choice.

If you’re interested in learning about this topic, where do you begin?  First, let’s define what mindfulness is.

Mindfulness is being aware.

From a pure definition perspective, that’s it.

Say you’re practicing your meditation style of choice. It could be Zen.  It could be Vipassana.  Maybe it’s a variation of yoga.  No matter what style you’re practicing, mindfulness, when applied to that style is simply the act of consciously monitoring what you’re thinking and doing.

When in seated meditation, if your chosen task is to hold a certain point of focus in mind, mindfulness is checking in to observe your thoughts.  Seeing if you’re maintaining that point of focus.

Of all the meditation styles I’ve studied over the years, each of them has included some form of mindfulness.

So, how do you begin to learn mindfulness meditation?

I think there are two particularly positive directions that one could take

• You could choose a specific style of meditation to learn, and use that as a tool to develop mindfulness
• You could learn a style of meditation which many consider the cornerstone of mindfulness training

My preference is the second bullet.

So, what is that?  What is the root of mindfulness?  Aka, the Great Grand-daddy of being present in the moment?

Zen.

There are a few varieties of Zen (Soto and Rinzai, for instance).  The purest form of Zen practice is known by different terms, but is really just simply “awareness”.  In this approach, you don’t select a specific area of focus.  Instead, you just sit in zazen (seated meditation posture), and practice being aware.  It’s not easy.  In my opinion, though, it’s the fastest, most thorough way to learn mindfulness.

The first book I ever read on meditation was about Zen.

I think this is the best place to start because it’s so basic.  It also contains some core beliefs which help prepare the way for more advanced methods of meditation.

A few of these are:

• Being present
• Being aware
• Accepting things as they are

And now the question at hand.  Can you learn mindfulness meditation from a book?

Well, to an extent, I think yes.  An ambitious student can learn the basic building blocks, and the tools from a book.  This is the first step, and in the beginning, the most important.

The Three Pillars of Zen by Roshi Philip Kapleau was the first book I ever read on meditation.

Out of all the books I’ve read on the topic it seems to be the best, most practical foundation text available.

When I first picked it up, I was in the Barnes and Noble by the Northtown Mall in Blaine, Minnesota.  I was searching for something in the meditation field, but I wasn’t sure what.  I was probably in tenth grade at the time, and had been in karate for three years at that point.  I was looking into mediation to enhance my martial arts.

At that time I remember always being negatively preoccupied with what others thought of me.  Karate had helped with this, but only partially.

For roughly a year or so, I started meditating based off of techniques I had learned in this book.  I took about ten minutes every morning, sat on my makeshift zafu (a pillow, in my case), and zabuton (I was using a blanket for this), and set the kitchen timer.  After about a year’s time, those self-conscious concerns started fading away, and were soon a distant memory.

What were some of the initial effects I experienced with meditation?  It’s funny, the first thing I remember was walking down the hall at school, and feeling fully confident for the very first time.  Also, I felt like I had much more time to respond in all types of interactions – A little like that scene in the Matrix.   The biggest benefit I noticed was the ability to bounce back from adversity, and to take bad news in stride.

To this day, I’m always better when I meditate.

And the cool thing about meditation is it’s so subtle.  You do it, and it’s gentle, and it seems like it’s not having any effect.  But then, you may be in situations right after you practiced, where you find that your new response is so much better than it would typically be otherwise.

That said, everyone’s experience is different.  This is just what I have noticed in my life when I consistently meditate.

So why is this book, in particular so great?  For me, the main reasons are:

• It includes some pertinent overview-type selections from Dogen (a famous Buddhist priest and scholar)
• There are a series of lectures which go over some basic experiences had by Zen students
• The introductory tone taken by the author is very helpful.
• While being introductory, it’s also very dense, comprehensive, and packed with good information

Overall, the book is incredibly thorough, and I would highly recommend it.  I just started reading it again myself, in fact.

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