Why Meditate?

Editor Clint Willis has gathered twenty-five pieces, each of which answers the question “Why meditate?” from a different perspective. These include work (with a selection by Lewis Richmond), children (Jon Kabat Zinn), service (Ram Dass), death (Sogyal Rinpoche), fear (Pema Chodron), compassion (Thich Nat Hanh), and kindness (Sharon Salzberg). Other authors explore themes of happiness, success, failure, romance, marriage, illness, worry, fun, and therapy. Also included are writers such as Annie Dillard, Thomas Merton, and Rainer Maria Rilke whose work, although not explicitly about meditation, teach lessons about mindfulness and other related themes. This book is written for those who have only heard of meditation and want to know more, as well as beginning and experienced meditators who wish to deepen and broaden their practice.