Zen training: Methods and philosophy
by Katsuki Sekida
(Click here)
Book Summary Information
Author: Katsuki SekidaEdition: Unknown Binding
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 1976
ISBN: N/A
Number of pages: 258
Publisher: Weatherhill
Summary of Zen training: Methods and philosophy
First published in 1975, Zen Training has become a classic of Zen literature. It was one of the first books to demystify religion without debunking it, to explain hitherto esoteric practices in lucid, everyday terms. It offers concrete guidelines for practicing zazen, seated meditation. Posture, breathing, the function of the abdominal muscles, muscle tone, and the mechanisms of wakefulness and attention are clearly and scientifically explained, so that one learns what actually happens in doing zazen, why it leads to certain psychological experiences, and what their significance is. There is also a chapter on koans that goes far to clarify what for many has seemed one of the most frustrating and baffling aspects of Zen. Again, the reader is told how actually to deal with koans and how they operate as catalysts of enlightenment. The author also draws many significant parallels between Zen and Western philosophy and psychology, comparing traditional Zen concepts with the theories of being and cognition of such thinkers as Heidegger and Husserl. Zen Training marked a turning point in Zen literature in its critical reevaluation of the enlightenment experience called kensho, which the author believes has often been emphasized at the expense of other important aspects of Zen training. The aim of zazen is seen not as the achievement of such experiences as satori or kensho but as the attainment of absolute samadhi, that condition of utters stillness in which thought is cut off, the mind is empty, yet one is in a state of extreme wakefulness and awareness. Absolute samadhi is considered the precondition of any kensho experience of lasting value, and indeed as "the foundation of all Zen activities." This book also goes beyond the earlier stages of Zen training to describe the more advanced stages: what happens after kensho, and above all, how one lives as well as trains in Zen.Stress Management Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Stress Management Books
Resilience: Discovering a New Strength at Times of Stressby Frederic F. Flach M.D.
Fawcett; Published: 1988-03-12; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $0.85
Price in other shops:
Kava: Nature's Wonder Herbby Margaret Greenwood-Robinson
Dell; Published: 1999-05-11; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.84
Price in other shops:
Men's Workby Paul Kivel
Ballantine Books; Published: 1992-07-20; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.99
Stress Management: A Comprehensive Guide to Wellnessby Edward A. Charlesworth
Ballantine Books; Published: 1985-10-12; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.77
Price in other shops:
Relaxation In a Weekby Pat Dyke
Trafalgar Square; Published: 1992-12-10; Paperback; Book
To Love Cherish/ love Cherish SK 2 Packby Catherine Wood Marshall
Zondervan; Published: 2002-04-01; Hardcover; Book
Respira y Sal de la crisis (Spanish Edition)by Julio Bevione
Grijalbo; Published: 2010-05-25; Paperback; Book
Price in other shops:
Fast Thinking De-Stress: E-Book (Fast Thinking)by Richard Templar
Prentice-Hall; Published: 2002-06-30; Hardcover; Book
Bounce: Living the Resilient Lifeby Robert J. Wicks
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 2009-09-24; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $8.66
Price in other shops:
Why Mars and Venus Collide: Improving Relationships by Understanding How Men and Women Cope Differently with Stressby John Gray
HarperAudio; Published: 2008-01-22; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $3.89
Price in other shops: