Domyo Sater Burk - Idiots Guides - Meditation

No one likes a know-it-all. Most of us realize theres no such thinghow could there be? The world is far too complicated for someone to understand everything there is to know. So when you come across a know-it-all, you smile to yourself as they ramble on because you know better.

You understand that the quest for knowledge is a never-ending one, and youre okay with that. You have no desire to know everything, just the next thing. You know what you dont know, youre confident enough to admit it, and youre motivated to do something about it.

At Idiots Guides, we, too, know what we dont know, and we make it our business to find out. We find really smart people who are experts in their fields and then we roll up our sleeves and get to work, asking lots of questions and thinking long and hard about how best to pass along their knowledge to you in the easiest, most-accessible way possible.

After all, thats our promiseto make whatever you want to learn As Easy as It Gets. That means giving you a well-organized design that seamlessly and effortlessly guides you from page to page, topic to topic. It means controlling the pace youre asked to absorb new informationnot too much at once but just what you need to know right now. It means giving you a clear progression from easy to more difficult. It means giving you more instructional steps wherever necessary to really explain the details. And it means giving you fewer words and more illustrations wherever its better to show rather than tell.

So here you are, at the start of something new. The next chapter in your quest. It can be an intimidating place to be, but youve been here before and so have we. Clear your mind and turn the page. By the end of this book, you wont be a know-it-all, but your world will be a little less complicated than it was before. And well be sure your journey is as easy as it gets.

Mike Sanders
Publisher, Idiots Guides

ALPHA BOOKS

Published by Penguin Random House LLC

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Copyright 2016 by Penguin Random House LLC

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IDIOTS GUIDES and Design are trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC

eISBN: 9781465450401
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: Available upon request

18 17 16 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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Note: This publication contains the opinions and ideas of its author. It is intended to provide helpful and informative material on the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the author and publisher are not engaged in rendering professional services in the book. If the reader requires personal assistance or advice, a competent professional should be consulted. The author and publisher specifically disclaim any responsibility for any liability, loss, or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this book.

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Publisher:Mike Sanders

Associate Publisher:Billy Fields

Acquisitions Editor:Jan Lynn

Development Editor:Kayla Dugger

Cover Designer:Laura Merriman

Book Designer:William Thomas

Indexer:Brad Herriman

Layout:Ayanna Lacey

Proofreader:Monica Stone

PRODUCTION, LONDON:

Digital Producer:Alex Valizadeh

Senior Digital Producer:Miguel Cunha

DIGITAL OPERATIONS, DELHI:

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Operations Assistant:Tauhid Nasir

Dedicated in the memory of Kyogen Carlson, a brilliant Zen teacher and a great fan of interfaith dialogue.

Introduction

Do you fall into any one of the following three categories?

• You want to know why everyones talking about meditation, and what the heck it actually is.
• Youre ready to start meditating, so you need to choose a type of meditation and find out how to get started.
• You already practice a form of meditation and wonder what all those other kinds of meditation are about.

No matter which one applies, this book is for you. Im in the last category myself, and I found the research for this book quite fascinating because I got to learn what other Buddhists, yogis, Christians, Jews, Sufis, and others were doing when they meditate!

Meditation is a passion of mine, and Im thrilled to be able to offer you an accessible and thorough introduction to a practice that can change your life. I like to think of meditation as a fundamental, natural human activity. Im fond of comparing it to exercise; meditation benefits your mindmentally and emotionallywhile exercise benefits your body. (Of course, mind and body are not actually separate, so exercise can benefit the mind, and meditation can have physical benefits. But still .)