How to Meditate : (Revised and Expanded)

Rating:
Summary: A well grounded overview and how to on meditation.
Review: This is a simple and deceptively sophisticated book on meidtation well suited to the Western reader. Dr. LeShan de-mystifies meditation and makes it accessable to everyone. He gives a clear description of the techniques of several different types of meditation, and tells you how to decide which is the best one for you. His discussion of the pitfalls and poorly qualified gurus hits a home run

Rating:
Summary: The Place To Start For Beginners
Review: Well, I bought the book because of all the 5 stars reviews and I was disappointed. I feel it is a little outdated because a lot has happened since it was first written (`70s) and New Age beliefs, whatever opinion we hold, have made all of us more aware of the spiritual quest and its many practices. I felt as if Shehan did not dare really expose his personal beliefs although there are hints that he is a Christian. There are valuable insights on the traps in the meditative practice and I appreciated his serious insistence on them. I did not quite share his clear-cut criticism of non-proven notions like prana or vibrations,... but he is a honest writer and goes on saying that great men have assured us they were real and their opinion ought to be respected. I wish he would have taken a stronger stand on this one. IS IT or IS IT NOT ? The way he talks about "scientifically proven facts" is quite outdated too. Good presentation of the schools of meditation. On the HOW (which is the title of the book), there is a lot missing I think and I am not an expert. I think it must have been an very good book at the times but would need to be re-edited and maybe revised. If you have meditated before, you might want to look for a more comprehensive book. I think you can live without this one.