Myth of Meditation: restoring imaginal ground through embodied Buddhist practice
Myth of Meditation: restoring imaginal ground through embodied Buddhist practice
$34.95
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ISBN / SKU
9781911407218
Format
Paperback
Pages
176
Dimensions
233 x 155
Description
From his three decades of teaching Buddhist meditation, Paramananda, offers an approach that is a challenge both to the way we experience ourselves, and the way in which we see and 'be' in the world. He contends that the historical Buddha offered not a panacea for the ills of his time but rather a radical alternative way of living in the world, still as valid today as it was 2500 years ago. At the very heart of this radical vision is the art of meditation. Engaging in this art is what Paramananda outlines in The Myth of Meditation.
Enlivened by his love of both the natural world and poetry, he guides us in a threefold process: grounding meditative experience in the body, turning towards experience in a kindly and intelligent way, and seeing through to another way of understanding and being in the world.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Paramananda came into contact with the Triratna Buddhist Order in 1983 and two years later was ordained within the Order itself. Since then he has been teaching meditation and Buddhism full-time in San Francisco and in London, where he now lives. He is author of Change Your Mind: A Practical Guide to Buddhist Meditation (2005), A Deeper Beauty (2002) and The Body (2007).
PRAISE
"A critical and necessary book to read, to practise and to embody. Brilliant in its depth and simplicity, Paramananda allows meditation to become poetry, to return to its 'original face.'"
—Michael Shea, PhD, meditation teacher and founder of sheaheart.com
"Paramananda beautifully examines how spiritual practice is both a deeply intimate relationship with oneself, and inextricably connected to the world we live in. He brings far-reaching Buddhist teachings down to earth and encourages us to be curious, as we simply sit with the breathing body, or open to suffering - our own and others' - in such a way that liberates the heart."
—Vajradevi, meditation teacher and author of Uncontrived Mindfulness
"Paramananda's latest book has grown out of a depth of practice and engagement. It is beautifully simple, earthy, inviting a subtle, sensitive and poetic meeting of ourselves. It is perhaps something of a cliché to say it speaks both to beginners and experienced meditators alike, I can't speak for beginners, though reading it I was reminded of another great meditation teacher - Shunryu Suzuki, and his famous book Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. Paramananda is able to encourage us to the openness of the beginner's mind, drawing the reader back to their own experience, giving them enough instruction and encouragement to be with the elusive, the understated, the difficult. This book will help you find your way back to your own vulnerable heart, connected to the mythic heart of the world."
—Jayaraja, Chair of Buddhafield, author of The Yellow Book of Games and Energizers
Enlivened by his love of both the natural world and poetry, he guides us in a threefold process: grounding meditative experience in the body, turning towards experience in a kindly and intelligent way, and seeing through to another way of understanding and being in the world.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Paramananda came into contact with the Triratna Buddhist Order in 1983 and two years later was ordained within the Order itself. Since then he has been teaching meditation and Buddhism full-time in San Francisco and in London, where he now lives. He is author of Change Your Mind: A Practical Guide to Buddhist Meditation (2005), A Deeper Beauty (2002) and The Body (2007).
PRAISE
"A critical and necessary book to read, to practise and to embody. Brilliant in its depth and simplicity, Paramananda allows meditation to become poetry, to return to its 'original face.'"
—Michael Shea, PhD, meditation teacher and founder of sheaheart.com
"Paramananda beautifully examines how spiritual practice is both a deeply intimate relationship with oneself, and inextricably connected to the world we live in. He brings far-reaching Buddhist teachings down to earth and encourages us to be curious, as we simply sit with the breathing body, or open to suffering - our own and others' - in such a way that liberates the heart."
—Vajradevi, meditation teacher and author of Uncontrived Mindfulness
"Paramananda's latest book has grown out of a depth of practice and engagement. It is beautifully simple, earthy, inviting a subtle, sensitive and poetic meeting of ourselves. It is perhaps something of a cliché to say it speaks both to beginners and experienced meditators alike, I can't speak for beginners, though reading it I was reminded of another great meditation teacher - Shunryu Suzuki, and his famous book Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. Paramananda is able to encourage us to the openness of the beginner's mind, drawing the reader back to their own experience, giving them enough instruction and encouragement to be with the elusive, the understated, the difficult. This book will help you find your way back to your own vulnerable heart, connected to the mythic heart of the world."
—Jayaraja, Chair of Buddhafield, author of The Yellow Book of Games and Energizers
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