Dean Sluyter has spent a lifetime learning authentic methods of natural meditation from Eastern and Western sages and then sharing them with thousands of students. He has completed numerous retreats and pilgrimages in Tibet, India, Nepal, and Europe, and for decades has led workshops throughout the United States.
For those from another planet who know nothing about meditation, Sluyter responds to some basic questions.
Where should I meditate? Anywhere that suits you or where you find yourself.
How often should I meditate? Try once a day and increase according to your situation.
What is the best time to sit? When you actually do it.
How long should I sit? It varies but don't rush it or try to cram it in at the end of the day.
The point that this whimsical Buddhist is trying to make with his students is that natural meditation means relaxing and going with the flow of the moment.
Our favorite part of the book is a chapter called " Tips and Flashes" where Sluyter puts together his own special brand of improvised play that we remember from his previous works, The Zen Commandments and Why the Chicken Crossed the Road & Other Hidden Enlightenment Teachings from Buddha to Bebop to Mother Goose.
Here you will find a zippy assortment of quips and quotes and Zen insights:
• "To live a life without having any fundamental expectations of anybody: this is a great freedom. You find that you are almost unshockable, because something inside has switched off the button of how things should be."
— Mooji
• "Notice how your skill of opening your pores and soaking in the hot tub of meditation carries over into other situations. You know how to let go, be fully present, and give yourself over to fully soaking: soaking in the green of the park or woods, soaking in art or music, soaking in laughter."
— Dean Sluyter
