Hi, 

I'm completely new, or have dabbled in reading some modern day books about this topic - like Power of Now. 
My question is, where do I start if I want to learn more about pursuing this goal? 

There's a lot of information here, so I was wondering if there is a beginner's thread or something. 


Thanks for the help anyone,


J

Welcome John,

Read this book! Highly recommended: http://integrateddaniel.info/book/

Hi John,

I would definitely recommend starting with starting with Metta (Lovingfriendliness) or good ol' Anapana Sati (ie., awareness of the breath).

Here are two of my favourite Metta resources
http://www.audiodharma.org/teacher/1/
http://visuteoh.net/teachings/metta-meditation-instructions.html

As for Anapana, there are several ways of doing it:
You could watch the breath touching the region above the upper lip or pay attention to the natural rising and falling of the abdomen. Keep in mind, that the breath is natural and not forced. Alternatively, you could pay attention to the whole process fo breathing from nose to lungs.

It is normal for distractions known as the 5 hindrances to arise. This is true of all humans. Just acknowledge, relax, smile and come back to the breath. Don't be hard on yourself. This is qute natural.

Start with 5 minutes and increment slowly.

In addition to reading Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha which Yilun has already linked to, you may also want to take a look at the r/streamentry Beginner's Guide  so that you can get started with building concentration while you're getting familiarized with all of this material.

As a fellow noobie, just slightly further down the path, I whole heartedly recommend 'The Mind Illuminated'. The book has good practical advice, and also promotes the right attitude to practise all the way throughut(Not grasping for results, nor impatient or in doubt).

There are ten 'stages' of practise which culminates in Awakening/Stream-entry, commonly known as 1st path, and each one progressively builds upon previous skills and introduces new ones required to ascend to the next stage.