Can anyone recommending any books of MCTB's caliber for introducing meditation concepts and practices to my friend from china? I want to share the benefits of meditation with her, but I am having a terribly hard time searching for meditation books on both amazon and google, and I don't know where else to search.

Please help!

Chinese language hosts perhaps the richest tradition of practices and literature -- Confucian, Taoist, Buddhist -- in various periods and phases of each across millennia.

One place to begin:
http://www.cttbusa.org/
based in Northern California, near the Oregon border.

If your friend needs to read in Chinese, then she's likely from (or in) China, and might not be conversant with modernist Western styles of thought and writing ( MCTB ).

Another, more modern possibility: Fa Lun Gong.
http://en.falundafa.org/

I find many of the chinese texts to be too bogged down with dogmatic concepts and terminologies. She is not too receptive to that, and neither am I..

I personally really enjoyed the western approach because it appealed to my rational and skeptical mind. I believe Mao's Cultural Revolution has led many people in China to have a rationalist worldview as well.

I just want a book that explains, in a very simple way, why it's pointless to chase pleasure and run from pain, and the immense benefits of staying in the present, as well as the depths of joy that meditation can take us to. I tried explaining it to her but she's just not receptive so I guess this path just isn't for everyone...

Here's the Chinese version of the audio from some dhamma talks from Susila Sayalay, a nun who is a master in the Pa Auk tradition of Burmese theravada: http://www.sayalaysusila.net/pages/audio-gallery-CN

I don't understand Chinese, but looking at the English versions, it looks like this includes exactly what you're looking for and more complex topics that derive from it.

Please join the review and refine for MCTB2 Chinese draft version : http://integrateddaniel.info/mctb2-chinese

There is a book on vipassana by William Hart, a student of Goenka, titled `The Art of Living`  It has been translated in Chinese. Very good down to earth explanations of the concepts around the practice.

Of course, MTCB2 in Chinese is also something to take a look at.

Thank you Ben. People can find MTCB2 in Chinese at this URL: http://integrateddaniel.info/mctb2-chinese

Hi,

You may check the resources listed on the webpage of  Houston Meditation Center which have an inclination towards practice instead of theory. You may also check Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment by Robert Wright which offer a perspective from Evolutionary psychology to illustrate the points you mentioned and has Chinese version published in Taiwan. If she can't get a copy, you may recommend Robert Wright's course Buddhism and Modern Psychology on coursera to her instead. Another good choice would be Sam Harris's Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion but unfortunately no Chinese version so far.

Fa Lun Gong has little in common with MCTB, being more on qi gong/energy practices rather than insights.

It is also highly illegal in China, so by introducing this to someone in China they may face the threat of persecution.

I have translated a little of my teacher's writings into Chinese here: Chinese Translation of Thusness/PasserBy's Seven Stages of Enlightenment

Also, Zen Master Hong Wen Liang 洪文亮 definitely attained MCTB 4th path. There are hardly any Chinese masters today that have attained that level. How do I know? Because I myself have attained MCTB 4th path, and I read both English and Chinese. However it is not exactly Theravada path as you can tell, so it is not following Mahasi style of practice. Rather it is focused on Soto Zen/Dogen practice of Zazen.

I have compiled some of his writings: https://app.box.com/s/ceb9i7wsk0lkfl2sjex97ai56l1k52pf

Also, another good compilation of dharma: https://app.box.com/s/ukzc6go2xtmpqrqu4z2fhbqitnx2m723



That being said, for more basic, introductory books, you might want to introduce something simpler like Chinese translation of Thich Nhat Hanh, etc? Those are more readible accessible and comprehensible to the normal non-hardcore-dharma folks. Usually I just give people The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle if they have no background in spirituality whatsoever, even though I do not consider that Eckhart Tolle has attained to 4th Path, as he is at the I AM realization phase (Thusness stage 1 and 2). But it can be an inspiring introductory read.

Also daniel recommends a path with heart and mindfulness in plain english as great places to start, i have only read the latter and find it not bad

i think mctb is more suitable for hardcore practitioners or at least those with an already deep interest in dharma that wont be put off or scared off by the hard hitting technicalities of hardcore dharma practice

while a gentler, easier approach to dharma may be more suitable for complete newbies
http://integrateddaniel.info/book-list



but then it all depends, some newbies may totally love mctb