Śramaṇa Zhìyǐ (538–597)

Goodreads review:

This useful guide to the most basic forms of Buddhist meditation is broken down into 10 chapters, each addressing how to clear a common illusion. For this lay practitioner, who continues to strive in the these preliminary practices, this is the most useful guidance I have yet received.

While much of the guidance is written for ordained entering a monastery, the vast majority of the guidance is applicable to lay people as well. For instance, Sramana Zhiyi urges giving up other pursuits that can cloud the mind, such as work and reading other material. While I can't do that, I can be more mindful that what I eat, how I sleep, and where my mind wanders, affects my ability to further my meditative skills.

Understanding the consequences of daily living on the meditation practice is explored here and proves to be most useful in developing a more robust meditation practice. In great detail, this guide spells out what is meant when teachers say that the practice on the cushion is just the beginning of what we carry into the day.

It's possible to go through the 10 chapters and outline practices that can be adopted to a lay practitioner's practice.

I have read several books on meditation practices by prominent Buddhists, but this guide is the best for my money.… (mehr)