First book I ever read of his and a great introduction to the big ideas of Buddhism is The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching. Feels like he's speaking directly to you. https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Buddhas-Teaching-Transforming-Liberation/dp/0767903692
That's the trick though isn't it? Meditation isn't concentration on nothing. It is simply being present in the current moment, and not letting your mind wander forward into the future(anxiety) or dwell on the past(depression). As thoughts wander by, acknowledge that you them and let them go. Do not dwell.
Something that helps me, specifically with the breathing, is focusing on one body part for each breath, and how it feels to inhale upwards, and exhale downwards. For example, I meditate on my back, so I breath in my upper chest, and out my shoulderblades. Then I breath in my abs, and out my lower back. In my forehead, out the back of my skull. Really feel the breath move your body.
In m humble opinion, anyone interested in meditation should read Buddha's Brain by Rick Hanson. It's a fascinating look in to how your brain actually reacts to meditation, how inhaling and exhaling release different neurochemicals, and looks into the science of buddhist meditation.
So to recap, you were miserable --> moved 2,000 miles --> still miserable.
The problem is with you. Someone suggested counselling and that's a great idea.
See if this book resonates with you...
https://www.amazon.com/Wherever-You-There-Are-Mindfulness/dp/1401307787
It's an interesting thing... who to trust.
This is on reason I talk about high school book reports... forget if the book is "true" or not... the book report, the account of and discussion about a book... that can clearly be true on it's own.
So I say book reports are the place to start.
The all-over-the-place quality of Green's translation of Zhaozhou seems like a winner to me.
https://www.amazon.com/Recorded-Sayings-Zen-Master-Joshu/dp/157062870X
Look what falls out of that:
You can trust your own book report if it can stand up to public scrutiny... as in... you'll know your book report's strengths and weaknesses, and by fixing the weaknesses, you'll have a position you can speak about coherently.
You can trust the other book reports on that book that you've read and discussed.
You have a reasonable basis for community via the people who have read and book reported that book.
If you buy this, then I have some other things to sell you:
And if you'll go that far, then the last step is:
It is impossible to be isolated. Once you put a hand out to take a hand, whether the hand of an author or the hand of a reporter, you are in a community.
Community is then a perspective. It's not something you have or don't have, it's something you acknowledge that was there all along.
Hello I recommend The Heart of Buddha’s Teaching
It goes over the basic principles of Buddhism with fairly easy to read text 8/10 for beginners (this was my first Buddhist book) any other recommendations?
Well, your question doesn't exhibit any cognizance of the main claims of the article.
Here's a literal quote that shows you that the article's claims come from Buddhist sources:
>“There was a monk in the Tang Dynasty of China who was practicing sitting meditation very hard, day and night. He thought he was practicing harder than anyone else, and he was very proud of this. He sat like a rock day and night, but his suffering was not transformed.
One day a teacher asked him, “Why are you sitting so hard?” and the monk replied, “To become a Buddha!” The teacher picked up a tile and began polishing it, and the monk asked, “Teacher, what are you doing?” His master replied, “I am making a mirror.” The monk asked, “How can you make a tile into a mirror?” and his teacher replied, “How can you become a Buddha by sitting?” (<em>The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching</em>, 99–100).
The point of the story is as simple as it is counter-intuitive: inaction advances you on the path of happiness as much as action.
You can practice mindfulness meditation. The more you practice it, the better you will get at noticing the moments as they pass, and eventually not even "noticing" them so much as living in them fully. It takes time to get there, but the basic techniques are simple enough for anyone to learn. There are lots of guides out there to get started — this is a good one.
I agree, it is hard.
The strategy I suggest is a simple one: stick with one text for as long as you can't keep up with it, and let everything else float by.
Green's Zhaozhou, for example: https://www.amazon.com/Recorded-Sayings-Zen-Master-Joshu/dp/157062870X
I think anybody could easily stick with that for a year or two and get a solid academic grounding that would make next steps like Pang, Mazu, or Wumen much less challenging when/if those steps were taken.
Whereas if you start with BCR, BoS, or GG, I don't know that it would be as academically easy to get your arms around it.
If I were going to teach Zen 101 to non-Zen, non-academic students, I would just use that text. It would be easy to pair any part of it with another text to illustrate, but Zhaozhou's text would be all that was required for 101.
Green is the translator. It's on Amazon. It's a clearer translation than Hoffman I think. https://www.amazon.com/Recorded-Sayings-Zen-Master-Joshu/dp/157062870X/
I haven't read it. I clicked the link, and in the intro he clearly mixes in Buddhism without realizing he is doing it... so I wouldn't call it a Zen text, but a text with a bunch of stuff in it and maybe some out of context Zen quotes.
Check out “Wherever you go, there you are”
It’s such an easy read and it explains the ideas behind mindfulness so well. Before I read this book I had a perception that mindfulness/meditation was just kind of a random new-agey fad thing. After reading this book and practicing the concepts it’s been pretty amazing for my overall mental health.
It’s funny, there’s actually a chapter in the book that talks about how you shouldn’t be going around telling people you are practicing mindfulness because it eliminates the point yet here I am 😂 had to shout it out tho
https://www.amazon.com/Wherever-You-There-Are-Mindfulness/dp/1401307787
/u/hikanron since you were looking too
Terebess has the Blyth it's either 2 or 3 of Zen and Zen classics.
Green's translation is an essential text.
https://www.amazon.com/Recorded-Sayings-Zen-Master-Joshu/dp/157062870X
I have found it from Google books and amazon.
I got one of my favorites in an audio book and decided I loved audiobooks. I felt the listening vs reading allowed my mind a little more space for contemplation of what was being said. Then when something really exploded in my mind. I could allow myself to contemplate while they are still talking, which may or may reenforce the point, then I’ll rewind a couple minutes or so and listen to the fireworks again (often while dancing around my kitchen in that joy of realization after things click together.)
I don’t have this one (yet) but I was referring to “Mindfulness in Plain English” by Bhante Gunaratana.
https://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-English-Bhante-Henepola-Gunaratana/dp/0861719069
I’ll add this to the list. Thank you for sharing.
It does become easier, but it takes a lot of practice. In the meantime, don't be hard on yourself when you find yourself engaging with your thoughts. Just gently bring your focus back. Good luck! If you'd like to read more on this subject, my favorite book about it is Opening The Hand of Thought.
This is what i was going to suggest so i will second this
Edit: amazon link
This does help. Thank you for that and for taking the time to explain ❤️
I guess I should really get back to finishing this book. The miracle of mindfulness. Seems to line up with a lot of what you described
The first chapter talks about how you can't enjoy a peach if you're just mindlessly eating it without taking the time to enjoy and appreciate each bite. Have to be present at all times.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0807012394/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_dVHFFbH1BG8JS
One of the main points in mediation I am told is to not solicit other people to join meditating. But I feel like you might benefit from it. So I’ll recommend this book that’s helped me
Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life https://www.amazon.com/dp/1401307787/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_wGBdFb7PTC3J4
I know I'm a little late to the party but The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh is a good introduction for Westerners. He's a Buddhist monk who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King Jr.
My personal advice is to keep it simple. You don't need a bunch of complicated different ways of meditating or things to meditate on. At the beginning, meditating is mostly focusing on your breath, staying present as much as possible, and forgiving yourself if/when it doesn't come easy.
It's not "fast" because it's called a practice for a reason. You just have to want to do it. If you don't, you need to probably find a therapist to get through this aversion to doing ANYTHING you don't want to do.
I ordered this book here for the next set of Koans:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/157062870X/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
However, this appears to be another translation of it. Are your familiar? Is the Hoffman translation better?
Forgive me, I am new to this group, and to reddit. This seems to be an argument about whether or not meditation is taught in the Zen tradition... is that correct? From what I have seen, meditation is central to Zen Buddhism and to other forms of Buddhism. Have people here read this modern classic? http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Mind-Beginners-Shunryu-Suzuki/dp/1590308492/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1428069291&sr=1-1 Let's assume Master I Huai was speaking poetically. 'Drink tea' is a metaphor for, 'take in energy and sustenance in a calm way.' 'Take care' means 'concentrate your mind.' And 'rest' means, 'after intensely focusing your mind, open your consciousness to a passive state that can embrace all / nothingness / emptiness.' I hope this interpretation is helpful. :)
Check out a zen center or temple if there's one near you, for a crash course in meditation.
It's easier to use an object to meditate on, like the breath and counting the breaths. Objectless meditation comes after the mind has settled, and that's when the insights come. "Opening the Hand of Thought," by Kosho Uchiyama, is a good read for some basics. https://www.amazon.com/Opening-Hand-Thought-Foundations-Buddhist/dp/0861713575/ref=sr_1_2?qid=1667859389&refinements=p_27%3AKosho+Uchiyama+Roshi&s=books&sr=1-2
I'm going to parrot what someone else said further up: if you reel really desperate and emotionally unstable I'd advise not tripping right now. Tripping can definitely help you take an objective look at yourself and work some things out, but you need to go into it from a relatively stable mindset. Doing them while you're already feeling really off balance would probably just add fuel to a fire.
Have you tried practicing meditation at all? I'm not Buddhist but I really enjoyed Thicht Nhat Hanh's The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching. Some of it gets a little into theology but I read it more as a philosophy of tools to deal with suffering in life. Different strokes for different folks, but I find reading stuff like that really does help me get a handle on what's going on in my life.
I've never heard of anyone switching from being trans to cis. There are lots of people who deal with it differently, though. Many transition, but that's not a requirement. Being in the closet your whole life can be hard, but you could just keep it as your own secret if you really want to. I tried that for a while and, I'm not out to many people, but I am a lot less concerned about who knows or cares and I just kinda dress and act the way I want. Whatever you do, you're going to have to find some way to accept yourself and make your next moves from there.
Mindfulness in Plain English. This is without question the most thoughtful and informed book I have encountered on the subject.
Beware “karma farmer” type authors who steal quotes here and there and pretend to be informed and well read. The majority of authors on this subject are not. This guy is the real deal. And he presents multiple points of view. I bought it for a dharma class that assigned just a few chapters. It’s so good that I read the whole hardcopy. And then bought and listened to the audible book. It’s authentic, amazing, and I just can’t say enough about it.
Do you know Jon Kabat Zinn? His books can be really great at easing you into Meditation, helping to ivercome what you identify as Missing willpower, and I think they are available in Spotify as audiobooks even. I highly recommend you to try to Listen to them in your 15-minute-breaks for example this one https://www.amazon.ca/Wherever-You-There-Are-Mindfulness/dp/1401307787
Listening to audiobooks night also be easier than trying to get into Meditation from 0 to 100
"Mindfulness In Plain English" by Venrable Henepola Gunaratana.
You're in a good spot. Zen is taking off in Brazil. Contact the Temple to ask about retreats and/or Weekend stay-overs. Most important is your initial meditation training. See if they are online at all.
You should read a book or two for inspiration. Opening The Hand of Thought is my go-to beginning book.
> I dont know where to start working on my life. Should I relocate first and then start answering questions?
No, start with the questions today. This may/may not include where you want to live. But I think real questions are a lot deeper than that.
A lot of people think moving to a new location will help them escape their inner turmoil, but as Jon Kabat-Zinn says "{Wherever you go, there you are](https://www.amazon.com/Wherever-You-There-Are-Mindfulness/dp/1401307787)". You'll never escape that turmoil until you take a good look at yourself.
I went through this in my early 40's and it lead me to a meditation practice, which was incredibly helpful. It may help you or may not, but regardless, you need to ask the hard questions and there are many ways to do this - therapy, counseling, meditation, self-help, etc.
Just to let you know, we ALL start where you are starting, more or less.
That's the point of training :)
As you develop your meditation, your reactivity will reduce and give you more space. It's particularly useful for quieting anger. This is literally the way in which you ease your anger.
You could give Ajahn Sona's instructions on anapanasati (mindfulness of breathing) a try. (The whole playlist is worth your time.)
Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante G is also a great book to begin your practice with.
The very broad reading list that tries to appeal to everybody is at www.reddit.com/r/zen/wiki/getstarted
You want to make sure that you don't start with any of these www.reddit.com/r/zen/wiki/fraudulent_texts since those are mostly propaganda and based on religious alternate reality history.
But I don't know how many years you want to invest or how much money or whether you know what you're getting into... I think that this one translation of Zhaozhou/Joshu is a really good introduction and is a book even people who don't want to study Zen would want to keep on their shelves forever:
The Recorded Sayings of Zen Master Joshu https://www.amazon.com/Recorded-Sayings-Zen-Master-Joshu/dp/157062870X
But you can always dive in here and spend $0
The Four Statements: Very rough draft - https://www.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/v5b6t2/the_four_statements_very_rough_draft/
Vsakemu priporočam: Mindfulness in plain english: https://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-English-Bhante-Henepola-Gunaratana/dp/0861719069
Zelo lepo povedano kaj je meditacija in zakaj je dobra.
Druga ki mi je bila zelo všeč je tudi: The courage to be disliked.