Buddhism Plain and Simple offers a lucid, straightforward treatise on Buddhism in general and on awareness in particular.

When Buddha was asked to sum up his teaching in a single world, he said, Awareness. The Buddha taught how to see directly into the nature of experience. His observations and insights are comprehensible, practical, and down-to-earth, and they deal exclusively with the present.

The longtime teacher of Buddhism Steve Hagan presents the Buddha's uncluttered, original teachings in everyday, accessible language unencumbered by religious ritual, tradition, or belief.

This is the clearest and most precise exposition of Buddhism I have ever read. If you're looking for enlightenment rather than just scholarly knowledge, you'd better read this.
--Robert Pirsig, author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

In Buddhism Plain and Simple, Zen priest and longtime teacher Steve Hagen presents the heart of Buddhist teachings, pared down to its essence and explained in simple, everyday language. This best-selling book is the perfect guide to Buddhism for beginners; the text has served international readers at all levels of study and practice since it was originally published over a decade ago.

More than 300,000 copies in various formats have sold to date, and now it's available in this brand new edition with a high-quality binding and paper, as well as elegant decorative illustrations scattered throughout.

Practiced by more than 1.2 million Americans and 2-3 million Europeans, Buddhism has become one of the West's largest religions. Whether you're simply interested in learning more about Buddhist philosophy, or hope to begin practicing but don't know where to start, Buddhism Plain and Simple will help you on your way.

This is a book about awareness. Not awareness of something in particular, but awareness itself--being awake, alert and in touch with what is actually happening. It's about examining and exploring the most basic questions of life. It's about relying on the immediate experience of this present moment. It's about freedom of mind. It's not about belief, doctrine, formula, or tradition. --from the Introduction

This is the clearest and most precise exposition of Buddhism I have ever read. If you're looking for enlightenment rather than just scholarly knowledge, you'd better read this.--Robert M. Pirsig, author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

This is a book about awareness. It's about being awake and in touch with what is going on here and now. Practical and down-to-earth, it deals exclusively with the present, not with speculation, theory, or belief in some far off time and place. The teachings of the Buddha are plain and straightforward, and because they remain focused on the moment, they are just as relevant now as they have ever been. Buddhism Plain and Simple: The Practice of Being Aware, Right Now, Every Day is the book for anyone wanting to discover, or rediscover, the essence of Buddhism.

[Hagan's] book will appeal to readers interested in what true Zen practice is supposed to be about beyond all the popular images and colorful stories.

--Robert M. Pirsig, New York Times bestselling author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Buddhism is Not What You Think is a clear, direct, and engaging guide to the most essential elements of spiritual inquiry: attention, intention, honesty with oneself, compassion, and the desire to awaken. A renowned Zen teacher, Steve Hagen offers a valuable hands-on guidebook in which examples from everyday life are presented alongside stories from Buddhist teachers past and present to banish misconceptions and inspire the newcomer and the knowledgeable practitioner alike. Buddhism is Not What You Think--it is both more...and less.

National bestselling author and teacher Steve Hagen strips away the cultural and religious jargon surrounding meditation and provides an accessible and thorough manual for newcomers and experienced practitioners alike. Inside you will find:

• Simple practices to avoid needlessly complicating meditation
• Where most of us get stuck in meditation--and how to get unstuck
• A unique focus on meditation not simply as a spiritual technique, but as a way of living

This is a fun, unique book that goes deep into the great mysteries of knowing--something like Lawrence Krauss's A Universe from Nothing meets Sam Harris's Waking Up. Or, perhaps, Sam Harris and Stephen Hawking meet Socrates.

Robert Pirsig wrote of Steve Hagen's first book, Why the World Doesn't Seem to Make Sense, For those who are certain that objectivity and intellect are the ground floor of all knowledge, this can be a valuable trip to the sub-basement.

Now, in The Grand Delusion, Hagen drills deeper, into the most basic assumptions, strengths, and limitations of religion and belief, philosophy and inquiry, science and technology. In doing so, he shines new light on the question Why is there Something rather than Nothing?--and shines this light from an entirely unexpected (and largely unexplored) direction.

Using a provocative mix of examples from physics, philosophy, religion, myth, neuroscience, and mathematics--and a clever conversational exploration between Hagen and his interlocutor, ANYONE--this book also offers a fresh perspective on other questions that science, philosophy, and religion have long grappled with. Such topics include:

- What does it mean to exist?
- What is consciousness?
- What is reality?
- What is the nature of truth?

Layer by layer, Hagen examines the questions we ask, the way we ask them, the assumptions and beliefs we hold dear, and the ways in which we separate ourselves from the very answers we seek. In the process, he draws on sources that include Huang Po, Richard Feynman, Sir Arthur Eddington, Hui-Neng, Susan B. Anthony, Daniel Dennett, Joseph Campbell, Dogen, Emily Dickinson, Nagarjuna, Ikkyu, William I. McLaughlin, Sam Harris, and Henry David Thoreau.

Ultimately, this book reveals how all of these fundamental questions--and many, many more--stem from a single error, a single unwarranted belief, a single Grand Delusion.

The Grand Delusion helps readers move past this delusion into insight that can settle these age-old and seemingly intractable questions.

Have you ever thought about why God doesn't just snatch you out of here the second you say yes to Him? I honestly think this is the exact second God begins to use you for His purposes. You start to think differently, act differently, talk differently and coach differently. You start living differently because you know who you're living for and why you're here. God blesses others through us that believe in him. That's why He leaves us here, so we can be a blessing to others. Go Coach em Up His way and be a blessing to everyone around.

In this wise and original book, science writer and Zen priest Steve Hagen helps us to perceive the world as it is, not merely as we conceive it to be. This revised and updated edition includes new scientific understandings and clarifications of some of the more complex ideas. Read this book: it will change how you look at things. - Nick Herbert, Ph.D., author of Quantum Reality