[.ca] The Wooden Bowl: Simple Meditations For Everyday Life (ISBN 0786884150)

From Amazon.com:
There is an old Zen story: when a monk was asked why he went to a monastery when he claims to have never lacked anything in the first place, the monk replies that if he hadn't gone, he would never have known that he never lacked anything. Reading The Wooden Bowl, you get the same feeling. It is a meditation manual that teaches you that you basically have nothing to learn, but you must read every page actually to learn it. If you have aspirations for astral travel or of becoming a renowned Zen master, this book isn't for you. Clark Strand is himself a former monk who seems to turn from institutional Zen to its roots in ancient Taoism, without actually saying so. He emphasizes simplicity, humility, and letting things happen, traits that he picked up from an old Chinese monk before he studied Zen formally. Still, in the great Zen tradition, Strand is an iconoclast. His message is what meditation is not. It is not becoming an expert, achieving different states of mind, reliving the life of the Buddha, daily sitting, or even concentration. Strand reflects on the silent lessons taught him by the Chinese monk and realizes that meditation is the natural condition of our minds. It "doesn't make us better or worse or different than we are, it only wakes us up." A haiku poet, Strand writes in short sections with a polished ease that reflects his view of what meditation should be. Like a hobby, he says, mediation should be a time of doing something for its own sake, absent other preoccupations. Don't worry about doing it right or doing it better or different from others. Meditation is empty yet substantial, plain but useful, the reality behind grand ambitions--a wooden bowl. --Brian Bruya

Meditation As A Hobby:
Meditation As A Hobby The Wooden Bowl is out of print and very hard to find. I was lucky enough to buy mine used on Amazon - unfortunately for you - I ain't selling my copy. I really loved this book. I'm a student of Buddhism and am looking for clarity and instruction on meditation without a Guru - I liked that this book was recommended as such - as meditation instruction without a Guru - so if you're looking into meditation either through a Buddhist perspective or just looking into meditation without any "school of thought" this is a fantastic book. The biggest lesson I got from the book was keeping meditation as a hobby. I could see that my meditation was getting close to me "punching in" before I sat and The Wooden Bowl simply reminds you the joy of keeping meditation as a hobby rather than as a job - or a rigid activity. I can't express in words the simplicity and warmth that this book provides. There is very little instruction - but the instruction given is perfect. Clark Strand (the author) puts it perfectly - his thoughts are on instructing meditation is like giving driving directions - the easier and simpler - the better. Think for a minute - telling someone how to drive from your house to the mall. Throughout this book you also get reminded what the present moment is - the present moment is always right here and right now - I really enjoyed this book - it's simple and for everyday life.