How to Meditate: A Guide to Self-Discovery

by Lawrence LeShan

Lawrence LeShan's classic guide to meditation introduced mindfulness to an entire generation. Now it's available in a new paperback edition.
 
Since its initial publication nearly 50 years ago, this simple yet powerful guide has helped more than a million readers reap the profound and limitless rewards of meditation. Now, in a special new edition, How to Meditate is back, singing the virtues of a quiet mind in the overstimulating bustle of the modern world.

Outlining a realistic and no-nonsense approach that will enable you to bring meditation effortlessly into your life, no matter how thinly stretched you are, How to Meditate is unrivaled as a source of inspiration and practical instruction for anyone seeking inner peace, relief from stress, and increased self-knowledge.

Genres: Meditation, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Self Help, Psychology, Philosophy, Mental Health

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Also wrote as Edward Grendon.

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meditation can get a bad rap. Often times, the strong opinion of religious folks can deter other folks from walking the meditative path. New age religion folk have their twist, yogis have their twist, Christians have their twist, etc. This book is written in the twist of a learned psychologist who seems to have his head on completely straight.

I like how he discusses the many different paths one could take for meditation. He also keeps things nice and simple. He has a diverse approach by quoting many different people from many different religions. It seems that he has mastered the subject, and helps to connect the dots in areas that were vague to me.

If you are interested in meditation, this is a great short book to pick up.

[Meghan Tonjes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Around page 100...and it’s getting hard to continue.
There are so many times he goes to condescend and inevitably ends it with “I just don’t understand why they do this”. Just a thought...ask? Interview someone who actually takes part in the thing you don’t understand. He gets entirely lost when it comes to mantra meditation, suggesting nonsensical phrases and ignoring how intentional a mantra like “I am safe” can be/how it can have actual effects on processing and the nervous system in meditation. He refers to people as nuts or feeble-minded when he doesn’t necessarily have any real insight into WHY someone would be curious beyond how he applies himself in meditation. Once we got to “energy” or “vibration”, he all but admitted he doesn’t get it and didn’t really offer the perspective of someone who might.

[Sleepless Dreamer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The real self discovery will be learning how many days can I actually remember to meditate. My bet is three.

Review to come!

[Marci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good

I don't think I have ever read a better introduction to the general practice of meditation. Seriously, two thumbs up.

[Bernie Gourley · Rating 3 out of 5]

LeShan’s book is a secular and scientific guide to meditation. By secular, I don’t mean to suggest that it’s devoid of mention of religion. On the contrary, How to Meditate delves into a wide variety of meditation styles that have roots in religion, and it quotes from spiritual teachers across a range of religions--including the mystic branches of Christianity and Islam. I mention the latter because the book seems tailored to bringing individuals into meditation that do not normally think meditation as being their bag, which could include atheists, secular humanists, or those whose religious practices don’t involve a mystical component. I just mean that the book is secular in that it doesn’t advocate a specific religion or suggest that one needs to hold any particular spiritual beliefs to benefit from meditation.

Also, by scientific I don’t mean to suggest that the book gets bogged down in the minutiae of EKG’s or the like. How to Meditate is readable to the general reader, except perhaps for chapter 11, which deals with using meditation in psychotherapy. [However, by the author’s own admission, one can skip that chapter with no great loss if you aren’t a therapist.] What I do mean to say is that LeShan takes an approach to meditation that is grounded in real-world, observable results. He tells the reader of the mental and physical benefits of meditation as they are discussed in the scientific literature.

In other words, if you think that meditation is only for hippie-types who believe in auras and astral planes, this book may convince you otherwise. On the other hand, if you’re one who believes in auras, astral planes, or the idea that only one true guru / path exists, you’ll probably be miffed by this book. There are a couple chapters devoted to ideas that people believe that both have little evidence of grounding in reality and which detract from meditation. This includes ESP, auras, strange maps of reality, and guru-worship.

The core of the book is chapter 8, which explains how to do meditations of eleven different kinds. The book addresses single-point awareness, breath counting, thought watching, bodily awareness (specifically, Theravada Buddhist style meditation), word association (1,000-petaled lotus), mantra meditation, meditation on “I”, movement meditation (particularly Sufi-style), sensory awareness, safe harbor meditation, and unstructured meditation. The first ten are all types of structured meditation, and an earlier chapter is devoted to distinguishing structured from unstructured approaches to meditation. There is also an earlier chapter that discusses a broad taxonomy of meditation and sub-classes of meditation.

The book is logically arranged for the most part. It begins with a chapter on why one should meditate. This first chapter sets up two chapters that deal with the psychological and physiological effects of meditation. There is one oddity of organization. The core “how-to” chapter is bookended by a chapter on ESP and one on various pitfalls of spiritualism. It would seem these two chapters should go together as they both deal with things that detract from meditative practice, and not with the central chapter wedged between them.

The last couple chapters and the Afterword aren’t as beneficial for the general reader as the first 3/4ths of the book or so. One of those chapters is the aforementioned chapter for psychotherapists and the other deals with the social significance of meditation. The last chapter before those that I found superfluous, however, is one addressing the question of whether one needs a teacher to learn meditation. This pro and con discussion seems like a good way to end this book.

There is a long afterword by Edgar N. Jackson that adds a perspective on what we should take from LeShan’s book. I suspect that if page count were not a concern the book would have ended on the chapter that talks about decisions about a teacher. The last two chapters and the Afterword seem to have been added for the twin-fold purpose of hitting a target page count and to add a couple niche audiences—namely students of psychology and fans of Edgar N. Jackson (i.e. Christians with an interest in mystical approaches to their religion.)

Overall, I’d recommend this book for those who are new to meditation, those who are seeking to expand their practice to new types of meditation, and those who are interested in the mind in general. As I mentioned, if you think of meditation as a route to see the glow of chakras or to commune with the dead, this probably isn’t the book for you—you’re likely to find its disregard for such otherworldly endeavors to be unappealing.

[Dunori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been meditating on somewhat of a regular basis for a few years now so when I first came upon the book I was skeptical about if it could give me very much new info on the subject. However, I am also an aspiring attendee of vipassana and so told myself any/all additional reading on meditation should be helpful to prepare which is why I still proceeded with reading it. I'm very glad that I did because to my surprise, the path the book took was about 80% unexpected and provided me with some realizations that I found very valuable. The way in which the author wrote the book was rather unique as well which in-turn was an easy way to keep me intrigued. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone interested in meditation from those brand new to it to people who have been doing it their whole lives.

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am exhausted and depressed by what is happening in the world and most particularly in the US. Now, more than before, I am interested in, and occasionally practice, meditation as a way to settle my mind and to seek equanimity. Not being much interested in whatever the current wrinkle is in meditation practice, I turned to Lawrence LeShan’s perhaps somewhat outdated (pub. 1974) comprehensive overview of meditation practices historical and current. Dr. LeShan (d. 2020) was a psychologist interested in meditation, the paranormal, and mysticism. This, his once best-selling book, discusses the psychological and physiological effect of mediation, the basic types of meditation, the “how” of meditation, and alluring traps in meditation and mysticism. While he criticizes practices in some kinds of meditation, he is otherwise nonjudgmental, arguing that there are many ways to meditate, some flowing from the cultures in which they are embedded, some introduced by charismatic mentors. Some meditations are silent, others verbal, yet others meditate through music or physical activity.

I am glad that I read How to Meditate in that it opened my mind to the wide range of ways to meditate and the positive effects as well as the potential traps in meditating badly.

There is a long distracting “Afterword” by Edgar N. Jackson D.D. (d.1994), a Methodist minister who published more than 40 books on personal and group counseling and who championed Christian mysticism. Unlike Dr. LeShan, Dr. Jackson promotes mysticism as a way to the Christian god. I for one was uncomfortable with the essay. I would have added a star to my rating if there had been no “Afterword.”

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars. In many ways, this book is inspiring and aspirational. I think the value in this book comes from the idea to meditate and the value it contributes to your life. The application of this practice.

It seems that, more and more, as we look around, we find ourselves in a world that is so superficial and materialistic. Our attention span continues to atrophy everyday through social media and the culture of instant gratification. I think we all need a little more time for peace and reflection. Perhaps, mysticism is the key to a better life.

Favorite quote of the book: “ fortunately this is not a book merely to be read. It is an invitation to test the assumptions you have about life. It asks you to ask yourself how you use your mind and how you conceive your spirit. Then it asks that you test the premise of the book and do the hard work that is essential to discover the dormant or unused dimension of your own being to move toward the self-actualized, self fulfilled person you might become.”

Kudos to Edgar N. Jackson for writing the perfect Afterword to accompany this book.

[Stefan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got to this book because I asked somewhere on the internet "How do I learn to completely ignore certain people?" and this book was recommended to me. Back then I didn't realize immediately but my question was about focus.

The book delivers what the title says it will. Doesn't get bogged down in details. I like it, and it's a light read too.

[Joe Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, a good introduction and guide to get into meditation. Lots of explanation (maybe too much yapping) but lots to learn from the book. But it set me off on my meditation journey

[Jim Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good basic guide to meditation. Does not really go very much in depth but is very clear and easy to follow for the beginner.

[James Henderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are looking for a short introduction to meditation without a particular religious bias this is the book for you. Organized into twelve chapters each of which discuss a basic issue regarding meditation, the book is as practical as one can be when discussing this concept.
Why do we meditate? LeShan suggests on the opening page of the book that "We meditate to find, to recover, to come back to something of ourselves we once dimly and unknowingly had and have lost without knowing what it was or where or when we lost it." (p 1) There are many names for what this means in reality and LeShan discusses these. I found the sections on how to and what the effects of meditation are to be especially informative. While suggesting that paranormal feelings and events should be excluded from the process of meditation he does not deny that they exist. He follows up with a chapter on the "traps" of mysticism that is convincingly effective. While he encourages those interested in meditation to seek out others who share that interest he definitely believes that this is a practice that may be done alone and he provides suggestions for those who choose this approach.
Finally, the afterword by Edgar N. Jackson provides a summing up and places LeShan's book in the context of the history of spiritual thought. With the inclusion of referential footnotes this text is an impressive short presentation of meditation for the the thoughtful reader.

[Una · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this book such a high review because it's not only well-written but a welcome departure from magical crystal guru bs. It includes a respectful summary of different approaches and instructions regarding different types of meditation, but also includes such chapter headings as "alluring traps in meditation and mysticism" and " 'vibrations,' 'energy,' and other cheap explanations of things." At no point did I roll my eyes and I came away from the book feeling like I could (and wanted to) start a lifetime of regular meditation. It also explained the pros and cons of seeking a teacher, what to avoid (anyone who claims to have 'the right way' or acts like a 'leader') and how to do without a teacher or group at all(what I'm interested in.)

The only part I would skip are the last 2 chapters. One is specifically for psychologists (you'd think it would be totally fascinating but it's pretty dull, though helpful for a shrink who wants to integrate meditation into their treatment) and I found the last chapter to be a rambling and unhelpful wrap-up.

[Joan J. Pons · Rating 2 out of 5]

Compré una edición de los años setenta en el rastro, ellibro tiene dos partes, la primera, más extensa, explica diferentes métodos de meditación, como realizarlos y sus beneficios asociados, la segunda, que sobrevuela todo el manual y que ocupa los dos últimos capítulos, es un intento de conexión de la meditación con toda una serie de representaciones paranormales, como la telepatía o la clarividencia. la primera parte está bien, es útil para hacerse una imágen general, un mapa de los diferentes métodos de meditación, aunqueluego es necesario profundizar en ellos para entenderlos mejor. La segunda es anacrónica y genera un poco de vergüenza ajena.

[Forked Radish · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another rubbishy self-help book. This time by Lawrence LeShan Ph.D. (permanent head damage).
Why diverge from the subject of meditation in order to attack "Hinyana" (sic) Buddhism, especially since Buddha was himself a "Hinayana" Buddhist? And declaring that, though couched in the third person: "Nothing can be characterized as "good" or "evil" since this would mean so characterizing the total cosmos." is irrelevant and idiotic sophistry.
P.S. The "great mystic" who said "The kingdom of heaven lies within you." was Jesus.

[bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm still reading this, but chapter 7, where he address the paranormal, has really turned me off.

The author makes claims suggesting that there absolutely is an existince of the paranormal, and his justification is extremely weak.

If the "mindfulness" community really wants to be taken serious and is not filled with a bunch of charletans than this supporting the idea of the supernatural can not be condoned.

[Terra Weston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a sound and straightforward introduction to meditation for personal growth. My only complaint is that it veers into the hokey from time to time, discussing such topics as ESP. In my opinion, these discussions detract from the credibility of the text, but I found enough to like that I still recommend the book as a first look into the topic.

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent how-to book and introduction into what meditation is, it's difficulty and very interesting comparisons to religions. I recommend it, if you are interested in finding out more on meditating or have an interest in learning :)

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

a little too self important to be fully dependable but still a pretty good primer on a lot of different meditative techniques

[Carole Skees · Rating 2 out of 5]

Over westernized and at times, egotistical view of meditation practices.

[Mario R · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book delves into meditation from a scientific perspective - yet it still retains the methodologies of many ancient traditions and examines their attributes and effects. The author seems to have researched from ancient Greek mystics to Christian and Buddhist practitioners regarding the many ways of cultivating mindfulness in our daily life. Many different 'paths' and techniques are mentioned - a few of which I wasn't aware of until now such as unstructured -meditation within the limits of a subject chosen, active will to know relations, meaning, structure (purpose being to free your own personality structure; emotional)/structured (intellectual process, given an impossible mental task such as breath counting), contemplative, and thousand lotus petal meditation (focus on a word, then observe the inevitable associations, then back to focus)

The scientific perspective provides lots of skepticism for claims of ESP and levitation etc etc., which the author warns against seeking such phenomena as they aren't beneficial to the goal of practice anyway. Do not forget we meditate to experience reality to its fullest extent. Even I have experienced such lights and images, but they do not mean anything.

The second to last chapter was the most interesting scientifically; the psychologist believes some combination of meditation and psychotherapy can be useful in practice. These joined techniques bring about ego strength, self-awareness and trust in oneself. The psychotherapeutic value being to allow the subject be more herself, despite the calmer perception such meditation may bring.

The conculsion of this book is significant. The psychologist asserts that given our modern and technologically advanced lives we essentially have begun to repress the half of our selves which develops our sense of connectedness in relationships and meaning in the universe. The latter half of our lives requires this half to be developed, or else a host of problems may arise during this stage. All of this must necessitate at least more research, if not practice, using these techniques used since ancient times to help arouse happiness and meaning in the lives of everyone.

Amazing little book I found at a Little Free Library. Thank you to whoever...

[Brijesh Bartwal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review: How to Meditate (First Edition, 1974)
Author: Lawrence LeShan
Reviewer: Brijesh Mohan Bartwal

In the afterword of this book, Edgar N. Jackson captures its essence perfectly:

“Fortunately, this is not a book merely to be read. It is an invitation to test the assumptions you have about life. It asks you to ask yourself how you use your mind and how you conceive your spirit.”

The strength of Lawrence LeShan’s How to Meditate lies in its clarity and timelessness. A truly valuable book invites readers to reflect, reassess, and develop their own hypotheses—and this one succeeds remarkably. I read it twice in succession and still feel compelled to return to it.

The book is simple in style yet profound in its impact. LeShan neither glorifies meditation nor complicates it for practitioners. Instead, he presents meditation as a powerful practice for self-awareness and emotional understanding. Importantly, he reminds us that meditation is not a guaranteed key to happiness but a means of learning to observe and manage our inner world.

What struck me most was the realism with which the author approaches the subject. He cautions against treating meditation as a cultural trend or fashion statement, emphasizing instead its deeper purpose and transformative potential. Though first published in 1974, the reasons mentioned in the book about why people turn to—or avoid—meditation remain strikingly relevant today.

This book is honest, practical, and to the point. It left me in a state where words fall short of expressing its impact. For that reason, How to Meditate deserves not just a single reading but repeated revisits.

Even if you are not interested in meditation, I strongly recommend this book. It is a timeless guide that rewards readers each time they return to its pages. As the author is also a psychologist, he seamlessly integrates science into his arguments and discoveries while still acknowledging the enduring mysticism that surrounds meditation.

[Amine · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this book to be a pretty big waste of time, it actually pissed me off. The best thing about it is that it's relatively short. Lawrence cautions the reader about getting absorbed in spiritual myths and pseudo-science about meditation, encouraging a scientific and fact-based approach. However he indulges in a fair bit of kookiness himself, making loose unverified claims about parallels between field theory in physics and meditation, equating physicists like Einstein with mystics like Mother Theresa. He also talks about paranormal and psychic phenomena with surprising conviction, like their existence is a self-evident when in fact there isn't much scientific evidence to support either.

He also repeats himself quite a lot, and the quality of the writing is poor, with no shortage of the usual platitudes of self-help literature. Here's a quote which really encapsulates just how dumb the writing gets:

"The mystics have no need to identify themselves with national units or with races. They have no need for enemies to hate. They are nice people to share the planet with."

Well isn't that just fucking wonderful?

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first chapters provide a wonderful introduction to the world of meditation. Chapter 8 provides a brief description of many meditative practices, that could be used as a starting point to your own practice.

Subsequent chapters were less interesting to me. He addresses the paranormal, and asserts that doing meditation may make you more open to your native intuition (that some people call paranormal phenomena), that our culture tends to wipe out our awareness of. But that isn't the point of meditation, rather a side effect that can be helpful in your life, but not as helpful as all the other benefits.

I've meditated for many years and highly recommend it to help you grow spiritually and in your ability to channel love, peace, joy for yourself and others, and increase your sense of gratitude and awe.

[Nolan Christensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meditation is a broad topic and frequently dips into the realm of 'woo-woo'. This book very clearly and helpfully discusses a variety of reasons, approaches, and practices regarding the wide world of meditation, and even has the decency to quote sources and studies from which the conclusions within are drawn.

At this point in time, I can't exactly see myself meditating every day; simply in typing that, though, I realize that I should probably start. I enjoyed the author's approach and methodology, and though I don't agree entirely with everything within, this book strikes me as a fine starting point if on is interested in the finding of oneself.

I would recommend this to those trying to find more out of life. I will keep it on my bookshelf and read it again and most likely follow a number of the recommended practices within.

[L.L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Książka kiedyśtam kupiona jeszcze w klubie Świat Książki i tak przeleżała z 12 lat, jakoś nigdy nie miałem ochoty się za nią wziąć, aż w końcu teraz... i muszę przyznać, że to bardzo dobra książka. Techniki są opisane w sposób przystępny, prosty, bez udziwnień, bez filozofii autora, tak "po ludzku" i dla ludzi współczesnych (mimo, że książka już swoje lata też ma), pasuje mi to i zostawię ją sobie (w przeciwieństwie do niedawno przeczytanej "Techniki wyciszenia"...). Gdybym miał wybrać jedną książkę/instrukcję na temat medytacji, to byłaby właśnie ta.

(czytana: grudzień 2018-5.01.2019)
5/5

[Joanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an unread selection on my shelf since 1988, I moved this to my bedside "to read" stack about a year ago. Now I understand why. As a challenged student of meditation, I have tried many methods, so I really wasn't expecting much. Originally published in 1974, the book was only waiting for me to discover its teachings that still resonate today. I really enjoyed LeShan's sensible overview and various insights across multiple approaches. The challenge lies in now applying a variety of choices to uncover what will best help me on my own wellness journey. Will definitely keep this as a useful reference. Highly recommend!

[Rose Crawley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading LeShan’s book on meditation. It gave tips and explanations of the different forms of meditation. It also touched on how people of different religious backgrounds used meditation in their lives, so it did not single out any religion or talk down about any religions. The only part I did not like about the book was the parts on ESP. I find that to be a bit unrealistic, but if you are looking for a book that will direct you on which path to start your meditation journey, this book is well worth the read.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book both as a handbook and in the content around the methods. I found it useful to begin practicing meditation. I think this would be a good book to recommend to someone who wants to meditate but is secular or turned off from any arguments based in mysticism. That's not to say that I am that person, but the varied references and methods are good as an overview of different sides of the subject. I thought the most interesting part was the discussion of the 'distractions' of meditation and how mysticism and the supernatural could be founded in those distractions.

[Henry DeForest · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was easy to read and useful in the information it presented. Specifically, I really enjoyed the different meditative styles it offered as well as LeShan's emphasis on the idea that there is no one right way to meditate. With that said, I didn't find the book to be particularly enjoyable to read as it was stylistically quite plain. But of course, this is an informational book—it's not necessarily supposed to read like "fine literature". I think it is a worthwhile read if you are looking to learn some of the basic ideas surrounding meditation.