Meditation Resource Page for Fall 2023

Meditation Resource Page

This page gives you a few things to read about meditation, some self-guided instructions for beginning a meditation practice, and some Spokane area community resources for supporting a meditation practice.

About Meditation

To find out a little more about meditation before you decide whether or not it is worth a try, I've chosen a recent interview with Matthieu Ricard, a famous French born Buddhist monk. The ‘World’s Happiest Man’ Shares His Three Rules for Life - The New York Times

You might then read his account of what meditation is in "A Lucid Assessment, 3-14" from his short book Why Meditate?. Bear in mind that for a Buddhist meditation is part of a systematic philosophy (an 8 fold path or "ashtanga") with a very specific set of goals, including the cultivation of compassion and altruistic love. Ricard is famous, in part, because he has a background in science and participated in some of the early neurological studies of meditative and prayer states. Of course, you can set aside the philosophy and science and still approach meditation as a simple technique for calming your mind.

Self-Guided Instructions

You can teach yourself to meditate, but it is also very helpful, early on, to discuss your efforts with someone who has experience. I can help with that, of course, but I have also identified some community resources that you may want to consider.

My very brief self-guided instructions, along with links to major internet resources is at Meditation Exercises. These instruction just focus on basic mindfulness meditation.

10% Happier was a popular book by a former NBC news correspondent who recounts his journey using meditation to address some problems in his life. The appendix to the book offers self-guided instruction and is available here. It has more practical detail than my guide and gives you a sense of some other meditation goals beyond mind quieting. The "metta" or loving kindness meditation is particularly effective is changing your mental state toward people you may be having difficulty with.

One of the best short instruction books on meditation comes from Matthieu Ricard. His book, Why Meditate?, is worth reading in its entirety, but here I have excerpted the introductory parts. You will notice some differences from the more generic guides above. He is more prescriptive about your posture and does not suggest closing your eyes completely. I find keeping my eyes closed less distracting, but you should experiment.