Reddit mentions of Taking the Path of Zen

For starting Zen practice, or just for meditation in general?

If you are interested in Zen, check out this book from your local library: http://www.amazon.com/Taking-Path-Zen-Robert-Aitken/dp/0865470804/

For concentration/mindfulness meditation in general:

1. Find a quiet place to sit for 5-15 minutes. Use a timer so you don't have to worry about time.
   
2. Take up a stable sitting posture that will prevent you from falling asleep or getting too relaxed: http://www.bisbeelotussangha.org/sittingpostures.htm I recommend the burmese posture for beginners. Find a cushion 6-10inches in height. Firm.
   
3. Close your eyes, or keep them open with an unfocused gaze on the ground in fround of you, about 45 degrees. I recommend trying both to see what works at first.
   
4. Bring your concious awareness to your breath. Take a few deep breaths and then breath like normal.
   
5. Begin counting on the inhalation and exhalation of your breath.
   
6. When you arrive at a count of 10, start over.
   
7. When you get distracted, acknowledge what you are thinking about, maybe even label it and then bring yourself back to the breath gently setting aside the distraction.
   
8. Repeat until your timer dings.
   
   Sounds simple? You'll get distracted very quickly. Most beginners have a hard time getting to 10 even once without losing their concentration to a sound, a thought, an itch, etc.
   
   The longer and more frequently you practice the less you'll get distracted, and the faster you'll realize when your concentration falls to something other than what you intend to concentrate on.
   
   It bleeds over in day to day life. With various side-effects
   
   

• noticing details of day to day things that we overlook usually
  
• better memory
  
• calmer, less reactive
  
• less desire to constantly be "doing" something.
  
• comfort with ones own thoughts
  
• trust in your intent (i.e. i know i won't eat that donut because i told myself not to)
  
  It goes on and on. Essentially it appears that focus and awareness is a basic skill required for self-control and disicipline. Meditation is one method to improve it.
  
  If you feel frustrated with your inability to remain distraction free. Remember that the frustration is yet another distraction, identify it and set it aside. Beware of it all, but Let it all go when you are practicing.

Always glad to discuss!

I learn a lot as I try to articulate my understanding and experience. That is one of the reasons I started teaching mindfulness practice.

I've listened to a lot of Alan Watts. I love that he described himself as a "spiritual entertainer" and a "philosophical entertainer". I could listen to him talk for hours. :D

I've also listened to many videos of Tolle, he is a great guy. I haven't read books from either of them.

I've read a little about Huang Po back when I hung out in /r/zen a little. I've since moved on from that place. BTW if you ever go there, maybe you already have, take them all with a grain of salt. I think there is more to learn from the zen texts and meditation than the toxic people in that forum.

'Taking the Path of Zen' by Robert Aiken is really good.
https://www.amazon.com/Taking-Path-Zen-Robert-Aitken/dp/0865470804

'Mindfulness in Plain English' may be the best intro to mindfulness I've read.
https://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-English-Bhante-Henepola-Gunaratana/dp/0861719069

'Focused and Fearless' is a very direct and simple guide to Jhana practice, or absorption concentration meditation. It describes very specifically how to reach and identify every level of Jhana.
https://www.amazon.com/Focused-Fearless-Meditators-States-Clarity/dp/0861715608

'The Posture of Meditation' is a great guide to the role your body plays in meditation. It is the most in depth guide on posture, but it can be an intro to meditation in itself. The author teaches that you can read deep mindful states with only correct posture.
https://www.amazon.com/Posture-Meditation-Will-Johnson/dp/1570622329


Most of those talk about actual practice, which I think is the most important.

For philosophy and understanding what is going on I highly recommend this course:

https://www.coursera.org/learn/science-of-meditation

It is a serious and lengthy course for which you will need patience to sit through lectures. An evolutionary psychologist from Princeton - Robert Wright evaluates Buddhism through the lens of modern psychology.

That was a defining course for me and gave me a lot of motivation to practice whole heartedly.