I first wrote this book in 2009 as a meditation guide for my late sister who was battling cancer. She had asked me to teach her some techniques on centering and calming her mind. I began teaching her the fundamentals when she asked, "these are great techniques, but my 'chemo brain' is having a hard time remembering. Can you write them down for me?"
Well, I started writing them down and, when I got to a hundred pages, I thought, "maybe I should just turn this into a book?" I believe the finished book has around 240 pages of content (including a glossary of terms) and is an excellent primer for those who want to experience the deep connection available with traditional Zen meditation.
I wrote this from an obviously Theistic perspective based on my studies of the Buddhist Canon known as the Tripitaka (the "three baskets"). There are at least two places that I found, so far, of the Buddha making reference to both "Atman" and "Brahma". That is, a conscious God who created the universe and, a God "without conscious attributes" that sustains the universe.
When Zen was first introduced to the West, there were many who came to it as a rebellion of Christianity in particular or monotheism in general. Sadly, this tainted many of their writings to imply that "God does not exist" according to Buddhist scripture.
A more correct approach would be to say that Buddhism does not focus on God but, as I mentioned earlier, Shakyamuni Buddha is recorded as clearly referring to a Creator God. In any case, if you are interested in attuning your consciousness to that which many refer to as God, then click the link below and get a copy!