Bodian - Meditation For Dummies®, 3rd ed

Meditation For Dummies

by Stephan Bodian

Foreword by Dr. Dean Ornish, MD

Author of Dr. Dean Ornishs Program for Reversing Heart Disease

Meditation For Dummies

Published by
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Copyright 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2012944671

ISBN 978-1-118-29144-3 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-118-33179-8 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-33399-0 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-33509-3 (ebk)

Manufactured in the United States of America

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About the Author

Stephan Bodian has been practicing and teaching meditation for more than 40 years. As the founder and director of the School for Awakening, he offers workshops, intensives, retreats, and classes devoted to meditation, self-inquiry, and spiritual realization. His most recent book is Wake Up Now: A Guide to the Journey of Spiritual Awakening.

When hes not writing or teaching, Stephan practices an approach to counseling and mentoring that guides people in using a blend of psychological insight and meditative reflection for inner exploration and healing. A licensed psychotherapist, hes available for phone or Skype consultations worldwide through his website, www.stephanbodian.org .

Stephan first became interested in meditation in high school when he came across the word Zen in a novel by Beat writer Jack Kerouac. After studying Asian philosophy at Columbia University and doing graduate work at Stanford, he went off to a Zen monastery in the mountains near Big Sur, California, where he shaved his head and spent long hours following his breath. Ordained a monk in 1974, he eventually became director of training at the Zen Center of Los Angeles and resident teacher at a small Zen center in San Diego before putting aside his robes in 1982 to pursue a masters degree in psychology and a more ordinary life.

From 1984 to 1994 Stephan was editor-in-chief of Yoga Journal, an award-winning magazine devoted to yoga, meditation, and holistic health. In addition to Zen, he has practiced and studied insight meditation, Tibetan Buddhism, and Advaita Vedanta. His other books include Timeless Visions, Healing Voices; Living Yoga (with Georg Feuerstein); and Buddhism For Dummies (with Jon Landaw), a comprehensive, user-friendly introduction to one of the worlds great spiritual traditions.

Stephan is also the author and narrator of a series of meditation-based audio programs: Mindfulness Meditation; Freedom from Stress; and Stay Happy. Produced by Mental Workout and offered online through the iTunes store or www.mentalworkout.com , these programs are available as apps for iPhone, Android, and Nokia platforms and as web-based applications.

For more information on Stephans workshops, retreats, classes, and phone counseling and mentoring sessions, visit his website ( www.stephanbodian.org ).

Dedication

This book is dedicated to the great meditation masters and teachers in every culture and age, who continue to show us the way through their wise and compassionate example; and to you, dear reader: May the practice of meditation bring you the peace, health, and happiness you seek!

Authors Acknowledgments

Id like to express my appreciation to the colleagues, teachers, and publishing professionals who contributed to the creation of this book. First, to the good folks at Wiley, including Acquisitions Editors Tammerly Booth, Mikal Belicove, and Michael Lewis, and Project Editor for the first edition Melba Hopper; and to my agent, Carol Susan Roth.

Special thanks to: Dean Ornish, M.D., whose pioneering research has helped to change the face of modern medicine, for so graciously providing the foreword; technical advisor Eleanor Criswell, Ed.D., professor of psychology at Sonoma State University, who has generously supported and critiqued my work over the years; and Rick Shiner, old friend and recording engineer extraordinaire, for producing and providing original music for the CD. Thanks also to Shabda Kahn, Thomas Keating, Rami Shapiro, David Orme-Johnson, and David Black, whose insights helped inform certain sections of this book.

Ive had the inestimable good fortune to study with some great meditation teachers, whose guidance and instruction helped make this book possible. Deep bows to Shunryu Suzuki Roshi and Kobun Chino Otogawa Roshi; to Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and Drubwang Tsoknyi Rinpoche; to my beloved root teacher, Jean Klein, who pointed directly to the heart of meditation; and to Adyashanti, friend and mentor, through whose loving words and lucid presence the Buddha finally awakened to itself.