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Study and Practice of Meditation: Tibetan Interpretations of the Concentrations and Formless Absorptions by Leah Zahler

Download Study and Practice of Meditation: Tibetan Interpretations of the Concentrations and Formless Absorptions

Study and Practice of Meditation: Tibetan Interpretations of the Concentrations and Formless Absorptions Leah Zahler
Language: English
Page: 520
Format: pdf
ISBN: 1559393254, 9781559393256
Publisher: Snow Lion Publications

Review

"Working under the guidance of Jeffrey Hopkins, Leah Zahler has here produced a definitive introduction to the Tibetan interpretation of the concentrations and formless realm absorptions. Of interest to scholars of meditation, comparative religion, mind training, and altered-states-of-consciousness this work will productively make available to readers information that will enable them to appreciate the Tibetan articulation of these states of meditation and their overall place in the Buddhist path."—Harvey B. Aronson, Ph.D., author of Buddhist Practice on Western Ground and Founding Co-Director Dawn Mountain, Houston, Texas

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If you’ve ever wished for a comprehensive book outlining Tibetan Buddhist meditative states and their related signs, requirements and significance, this is the volume to keep on a reachable shelf in your library. Readable either from cover-to-cover or as a look-up resource, Leah Zahler’s Study and Practice of Meditation is a special offering.

 

Focusing on interpretations of meditations known as the “concentrations” and “formless absorptions,” Zahler uses Gel-uk discussion to reflect the fine nuances of these practices. Not only does Zahler base her presentation on Tsong-kha-pa’s ancient text, Notes on the Concentrations and Formless Absorptions, and other primary works, but she additionally weaves oral commentary by contemporary Ge-luk-pa scholars into this unique format. Refreshingly, the comments made by modern-day lamas Lati Rinpoche, Denma Locho Rinpoche, and the late Gedun Lodro, add context, depth, and fuller clarity to the author’s writings and her source materials.

 

The entire format of Study and Practice of Meditation is designed for accessibility. The information itself is highly practical. Bodily positions, specific states of mind, limitations to practice, stages and signs of progress, various comparisons, all and more are described in detail. Topics are bolded and capitalized for quick finding. Charts add to the reader’s ability to unravel complexities.

Four rich chapters are, in themselves, devoted to the topic of “calm abiding.” An extremely useful section of the book is on “the preparations,” a series of segue practices between the states of calm abiding and “special insight.” Says the author,

 

"Of all the topics related to the concentrations and formless absorptions, that of the preparations is probably the least known to Western scholarship. It deals with the process by which the meditator who has attained calm abiding progresses from a given level to the next higher one – for instance, from the highest mind of the Desire Realm to an actual absorption of the first concentration or from an actual absorption of the second concentration. To attain the next higher level, the meditator must separate, at least temporarily, from attachment to the afflictive emotions pertaining to the lower level – that is, the level he or she wishes to advance beyond. (p. 189)"

 

Any student of meditation would be wise to have this well-researched text on hand, to browse through, either before or after a sitting, or to study meticulously as part of a scholarly program. Zahler’s book is filled with interesting tidbits and heartening insights. It brings light to the fact that every state of mind has its own subtleties, easy to miss without the assistance of a good teacher – or, in the absence of a teacher, an excellent reference book.

 

- Nanci Rose-Ritter, December, 2011

 

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From the Back Cover

Study and Practice of Meditation gives a vivid and detailed account of the meditative practices necessary to develop a calm, alert mind that is capable of penetrating the depths of reality. The Buddhist meditative states known as the concentrations and formless absorptions are best known in the West from Theravada scriptures and from Vasubandhu's Treasury of Manifest Knowledge. In this book the reader is exposed to Tibetan Buddhist views on the mental states attained through meditation as described by three contemporary Tibetan lamas. The book discusses the ways in which certain meditative states act as bases of the spiritual path, as well as the nature of meditative calm and the prerequisites for cultivating and attaining it. In addition to reviewing and translating Tibetan sources, the author considers their major Indian antecedents and draws comparisons with Theravadin presentations.

Leah Zahler, poet and scholar, graduated from Smith College and received a Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies from the University of Virginia.

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