Download Sarah Shaw is a part-time professor for the Oxford University

Sarah Shaw is a part-time professor for the Oxford University Department for continuing
education and an honorary member of the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies. Most of her
research interests are focused around Buddhism, but she is also interested in literary works and
Indian, Asian, and Greek influences. In fact, she studied Greek and English before obtaining her
degree in English Literature. Her interest in Buddhism has continued to grow over the years and
she has now been a practicing Buddhist for several years with the Samantha Association in the
UK where members practice meditation to calm the mind. Eventually, that led her to become
interested in the practice and customs of Buddhism, which resulted in her studying a few texts
and traditions on Buddhism. She has been writing about various areas of Buddhism since 2006
and is currently working on other projects on similar topics.
From the very beginning of “Introduction to Buddhist Mediation,” Sarah Shaw explains
that the purpose of the book is to provide a general overview of the practice of meditation, which
can be found in renowned Buddhist traditions. She asserts that although she hopes to cover the
most essential aspects of the historical and cultural background of Buddhism, she cannot
guarantee that she does so successfully. In other words, she explains that Buddhism has many
different approaches and practices and covering all Buddhist traditions would be nearly
impossible. Despite acknowledging her inability to fully shed light to this “awe-inspiring
subject,” Shaw has written this book to provide individuals with a further understanding of what
meditation is, and how it has developed differently in various geographic areas over time. In
order to supplement the teachings and historical evidence that is offered, Shaw provides readers
with Buddhist quotes and lessons, additional readings, and images throughout the book.
Shaw has organized the book in an effective manner by starting from the historical
beginnings of Buddhism and ending in how Buddhism is practiced in various regions around the
world today. For instance, she starts off by giving readers basic information regarding Buddhism.
She describes the historical Buddha, Gotama, and how meditation changed the course of his life
and influenced his teachings. Additionally, she describes some of the fundamentals of Buddhism,
such as the four noble truths, the eightfold path, and different styles of meditation among other
traditions. Afterwards, the chapters highlight the differences between meditation and Buddhist
traditions around the world by discussing the practices on a regional basis. Specifically, she
separates Buddhism into three different categories, East, South, and North Asia, in order to
describe generic forms of Buddhism. However, she then discusses how these forms of Buddhism
transcended into what we may recognize as Western Buddhism. Shaw concludes by discussing
why Buddhism is attractive to many people today.
Shaw basically examines Buddhist devotional practices, and provides readers with
instructions on how one can practice meditation, but she consistently claims that she cannot
guarantee that all the information provided is relevant to all forms of Buddhism. In other words,
the text and sources that she used may vary from the context that it is practiced in. Overall, I
think that this book would be useful for someone who is looking for a broad overview of
Buddhism. Although it did a great job of explaining the differences between various forms of
Buddhism, it was general information and it did not provide a deep understanding of any one
form of Buddhism. However, I recognize that her purpose was to just cover the basics of
Buddhism and to highlight how meditation is performed in various ways, and I think she
accomplished that successfully. I do not believe that Shaw was bias when describing any form of
Buddhism or when she compared it to other religions, and I also think that her information was
valid. For instance, after every chapter Shaw provides readers with additional readings and with
the sources she used to obtain the information she provided. Needless to say, she obtained her
information from a variety of people and resources, which led to a well-rounded perception of
Buddhism. Basically, the information was provided in a clear, concise, and organized manner.
However, if one is searching for more specific and detailed information, then this book would
not be very useful. Overall, “Introduction to Buddhist Meditation” is a great book for those who
are new to Buddhism and meditation and seek a general overview of it.