Shankman, Richard. The Experience of Samādhi: An In-depth Exploration of Buddhist Meditation. Boston: Shambhala, 2008. Print.

While on One Search, I decided to look up the terms “Buddhism” and “meditation” because I found the focus on Buddhist meditation to be extremely interesting. This search led me to find this book that is centered around the importance of meditation. While we may have not covered a lot of Buddhism so far, I felt the desire to explore its practice in a little more depth, and this book delves deep into a main practice of the faith.

After flipping through the book for a little, I found that one specific section on the three levels of concentration and its three signs to be most interesting. This section provides insight on the two different paths one can go on while meditation so that they may achieve a true sense of rationality. To achieve nirvana, one must dedicate their life to exploring their true self through meditation, and Shankman’s book is extremely helpful to my understanding of this specific practice.

Besides the step by step analysis of Buddhist meditation and its importance, Shankman also includes multiple interviews with Buddhist teachers. By doing so, the reader is able to understand zazen on a more personal and relatable level. Overall, reviewing “The Experience of Samādhi: An In-depth Exploration of Buddhist Meditation,” will really guide me in understanding the importance of meditation while writing my essay.