Rev. ed. of: Meditation practice.

"A tricycle book."

Includes index.

What is meditation? Bringing the mind home / Sogyal Rinpoche -- The greater discourse on the foundations of mindfulness / the Buddha -- The four foundations of mindfulness / Thich Nhat Hanh -- The art of awakening / Jack Kornfield -- Going against the stream / Stephen Batchelor -- Buddhist traditions of meditation / John Snelling -- Enlightenment itself / Zen Master Dogen -- Mindfulness as the middle way / Dainin Katagiri -- Mindfulness and concentration / Thynn Thynn -- Stopping and being present ; Exercise/stopping / Jon Kabat-Zinn -- What practice is not ; What practice is / Charlotte Joko Beck -- Just one breath / Gary Snyder -- The great teacher / Venerable Henepola Gunaratana.

Why meditate? The greater discourse on the foundations of mindfulness ; The greater discourse of advice to his son Rahula / the Buddha -- To achieve necessary awareness / Thich Nhat Hanh -- To open, to balance, to explore ; Exercise/concepts and reality / Joseph Goldstein -- To transcend everyday consciousness / Ayya Khema -- The Dhammapada. The mind -- To investigate reality / B. Alan Wallace -- To heal the body, heart, and mind / Jack Kornfield -- To pursue your vision / Jon Kabat-Zinn -- For enlightenment / Shunryu Suzuki.

How to meditate. The greater discourse on the foundations of mindfulness / the Buddha -- Establishing a daily meditation practice / Jack Kornfield -- Zen meditation instructions / Zen Master Dogen -- Tibetan meditation instructions / the Dalai Lama -- Vipassana meditation instructions / Joseph Goldstein -- Open the hand of thought / Kosho Uchiyama -- Sangha and retreat / Jack Kornfield.

How to meditate : posture. What to do with your body / Venerable Henepola Gunaratana -- Seven-point posture / Kathleen McDonald -- The oneness of duality / Shunryu Suzuki -- Dignity / Jon Kabat-Zinn.

How to meditate : breathing. Sutra on the full awareness of breathing / the Buddha -- Tuning the breathing / Zen Master Man-an -- Taming a wild elephant / Venerable Henepola Gunaratana -- The swinging door / Shunryu Suzuki -- Ways of using the breath / Ayya Khema -- Exercise/breathing / Mahasi Sayadaw.

How to meditate : walking. The greater discourse on the foundations of mindfulness / the Buddha -- Kinhin / Hakuin Yasutani Roshi -- The mind of practice embodied / Joan Halifax -- Exercise/walking / Sylvia Boorstein.

How to meditate : driving. Driving meditation / Thich Nhat Hanh.

How to meditate : eating. Eating a tangerine / Thich Nhat Hanh -- Exercise/eating / Joseph Goldstein.

How to meditate : using mantras. The heart sutra / Lex Hixon -- Mani / Patrul Rinpoche -- The lotus sutra / Nichiren Daishonin -- Existence and unity / Yoshinori Hiuga Sensei -- Everything condensed / Soen Nakagawa.

How to meditate : listening. Exercise/sound meditation / Sylvia Boorstein.

How to meditate : visualization. "Thinking" in pictures ; Exercise/body of light meditation / Kathleen McDonald.

How to meditate : feelings and metta. Attention to emotions / Thynn Thynn -- Training of the heart / Joseph Goldstein -- Metta practice ; Exercise/lovingkindness / Sharon Salzberg.

How to meditate : problems in meditating. The mind's own radiance / Sogyal Rinpoche -- Maha-assapura sutta / the Buddha -- The hindrances / Joseph Goldstein -- Counting breaths / Hakuin Yasutani Roshi -- When the mind wanders / Venerable Henepola Gunaratana -- Exercise/hindrances / Jack Kornfield.

Postscript. Keeping it simple / Jon Kabat-Zinn.

Offers a historical background on the teachings of Buddha, providing practical advice on how to begin meditating and how to apply the meditation ritual to one's way of life, and presents a list of meditation and study centers throughout the world.