Sluyter says not to worry about thoughts during our meditation; they are inevitable. Often we must deal with such sounds as voices or traffic rolling by. He instructs that, “It’s all a texture of the silence, which actually you are at your core. It’s just resting in what you are in your own essence.” He also suggests that we find the meditation style that suits us. Dean Sluyter has taught natural methods of meditation and awakening throughout the United States and beyond since 1970. He’s taught at colleges, yoga studios, corporate offices, and maximum-security prisons. He’s known for his funny, down-to-earth style, and for making life-transforming teachings accessible and easy. He is the author of many books including The Zen Commandments (Tarcher/Putnam 2001), Why the Chicken Crossed the Road and Other Hidden Enlightenment Teachings (Tarcher/Putnam 1998), Cinema Nirvana: Enlightenment Lessons from the Movies (Three Rivers Press 2005), Natural Meditation: A Guide to Effortless Meditative Practice (Tarcher/Penguin 2015), Fear Less: Living Beyond Fear, Anxiety, Anger, and Addiction (TarcherPerigee 2018)

Interview Date: 4/23/2015  Tags: Dean Sluyter, Zen meditation, Mahareshi Mahesh Yogi, Transcendental Meditation, principle of least action, boundless happiness, Nirvana, guided visualization, beingness, monkey mind, attention, sky meditation, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, worry, prisoners meditating, benefactor meditation, mediating on the breath, Mr. Rogers, Sri Mooji, Meditation, Personal Transformation, Self Help, Buddhism