The Meditation Process

The Meditation Process is a practical study of concentration meditation for intermediate and beginning meditators. Based on many years of wide personal experience and research, this is a close look at what the meditator actually does. Concise, practical suggestions are given for questions about posture, breathing, dealing with thoughts, brain hemisphere functions, establishing one-pointed mind, turning mind inward, relaxation, non-attachment, lifestyle, mantra use, awareness, and obstacles found in all forms of meditation. For the serious student, stages of meditation common to Raja Yoga and Buddhist Shamatha are seen as a process leading to one-pointed mind. Many professional photos give a sense of reality to the contemplative lifestyle as seen in India and Nepal.

Book description: This is a study of concentration meditation practices for intermediate and beginning meditators. As soon as the eyes close, the meditator is faced with a flurry of thoughts and a multitude of obstacles. The beginning meditator will find many solutions to common problems with sitting posture, breathing, dealing with thoughts and relaxation. For intermediate meditators, the meditation process removes colorations covering the mind; uncontrolled thoughts, unfinished business, concepts, and attachments. When the aim of meditation is transforming the mind, it becomes a more serious business requiring much skill and patience. The foundation for serious meditation is the ancient practice of concentration: cultivating one-pointed attention on a meditation object, the process common to Raja Yoga and Buddhist Shamatha. Based on 40 years of wide experience, study (280 citations), and gathering pointers from many adepts, this is practical study on handling distractions, nostril balance, understanding brain hemisphere functions, establishing one-pointed mind, turning mind inward, deep relaxation, non-attachment and lifestyle, using mantras, and awareness. It's helpful to have a map describing the stages of meditation; to know where you are going, how you are getting there, and when you are going off course. This is an experiential book; a close look at what meditator actually does during sitting with minimal attention given to philosophy. It is not a religious or even a spiritual book, but provides concise, straightforward help on the how-to-do without burying the essential points in a muddle of words. The 66 photos, taken over a 15–year period in India and Nepal where the contemplative lifestyle is visible, help to make it a personal reality for the reader.

Reviews:

“Congratulations on your fine book! I have given it a read and can recommend it highly... Your book looks excellent!” — Charles Taliaferro, Department of Philosophy, (Chair, 2013-2019), St. Olaf College

"A practical debut introduction to meditation for beginning and intermediate students... The book includes extensive guides to posture, breathing, and concentration; in the latter case, the author specifically deals with dhāranā, an oft-misunderstood concept of internal focus... Key concepts, such as dhāranā, mantras, and meditation objects, are introduced early and then revisited, which effectively stresses their importance. The book has short, easily accessible chapters, and robust end matter featuring notes, citations, a glossary, and bibliography, which makes the text easy to revisit. Black-and-white photos of other teachers and practitioners add a visual flavor of India and Nepal to the lessons. A helpful resource for overcoming meditation obstacles." — Kirkus Reviews

Olson packs plenty of fodder for the intermediate meditator into this detailed, expansive guide to the practical and esoteric aspects of sitting meditation, which draws somewhat haphazardly on both Buddhist Shamatha and Raja yoga traditions... Olson successfully bridges the gap between too-basic suggestions for beginners and less grounded, more opaque advanced guidance. When he offers hands-on advice, he distills complex ideas to concrete steps well, as in his discussions of the benefits of a kneeling posture and the use of mantras, his sample breathing exercises, and his analysis of the metaphor of treating passing thoughts as birds flying into the room... Takeaway: Experienced meditators struggling with plateaus or looking for a comprehensive, detailed consideration of process will savor this hefty guide to building a meditation practice. —Publisher’s Weekly/BookLife

"The Meditation Process" is a valuable addition to the literature previously available about the practice of meditation. It is not meant to be an introduction for the complete "newbie," but rather a helpful resource for those already introduced to the practice who may have practical questions or who desire a refresher or validation about things they may (or may not) have previously learned. The author has considerable experience himself, and has been exposed to multiple traditions. He draws primarily from two traditions (Raja Yoga and Buddhist Shamatha) which are compatible with each other and which can also inform the basic principles and methods underlying most of the world's meditative traditions. Drawing on literature and personal instruction from eminently authoritative sources, the author presents practical advice in a clear and readable form. This is a volume deserves a place on the shelf and in the hands of any serious meditator. —Steve Benson

Lyle Olson discovered philosophy and a love of inquiry at St. Olaf College. Upon graduating from the University of Minnesota, he ventured west to teach in Montana while continuing his studies. With a Masters in Counseling from Montana State University, he eventually retired as a high school counselor/teacher. But there were still the perennial questions to be pursued such as “what is life for?” He turned to the study of various traditions and Eastern philosophy, finding that they always included meditation as a core practice. To get a good grounding in meditation and gather the best practices from various traditions, he entered the graduate school in Yoga Science & Philosophy at the Himalayan Institute. He served as photographer for Yoga International and the Institute for 15 years including 2 years in various ashrams in India plus experiencing a variety of other Yoga and Buddhist meditation settings. He now lives in the Salish Mountains of NW Montana with lots of nature, critters, and books.

Long bio: While growing up, I had the peculiar habit of just watching and wondering. Then I discovered philosophy at St. Olaf College. I had found a home for my enjoyment of inquiry. But armchair western philosophy seemed to rest on ideas alone, without experiential validation. What could I do with it? Life intervened. I finished at the U. of Minnesota in education and started teaching high school in Montana. Eventually, with a masters from Montana State University, I counseled, taught photography, and an experiential class in awareness until retiring. But I still felt the need to do something with inquiry. In Eastern philosophy, I found traditions with thousands of year's experience, and their approaches always included meditation. So I started Transcendental Meditation in the early 70s, a good way to begin but I was not diligent. Upon retirement in the late 80s, I wanted to develop a solid foundation in meditation and entered the graduate school in Yoga Science & Philosophy at the Himalayan Institute. I continued there for 14 years as photographer for Yoga International including 2 years in various ashrams in India, many Buddhist Vipassana, Zen, and Goenka retreats, hundreds of darshans, lectures, and much study. As a perpetual student, I believe real learning comes through discovery. And synthesis is my favored way of working with ideas, which means discovering what is integral and common to various processes in meditation. Whenever I look at the more esoteric levels of traditions, their similarities become more apparent. My training is primarily in yoga, which has much in common with Buddhist practices, and commonality is also seen with Sufism and Christian contemplation. I found many wonderful pointers about practice. Unfortunately, they were scattered everywhere and often buried under an excess of words. Meditation is a long process measured in decades, which doesn't give us much time for finding necessary help. My plan, which started thirty years ago, was to take the best meditation suggestions from all the traditions and make the teachings more accessible. The first time I saw the sadhus in India, my attention was jolted. Who were these people? How did they come to take such an unusual and serious-minded approach to their lives? I had to see the contemplative life in action before it became a reality for me. From Sociology and Anthropology, I learned to take the role of participant-observer and I became a yoga student peering from behind a camera. My teacher said that I would meet many saints and sages, and so I did. Eventually I grasped the meditative lifestyle, or it grabbed me with possibilities for my own life, not necessarily in India, but maybe adapting it for living in the West. Meanwhile, two of my four great-grandchildren just started their first yoga class.