The Quiet Mind summary

Coleman’s experience at the temple in Bangkok left him reeling. But before he could delve into it further, his work brought him back to America. There, he had the opportunity to meet Professor J. B. Rhine. Rhine was a self-identified parapsychologist, a scientist studying supernatural phenomena. 

Rhine gave Coleman a peculiar set of ESP, or extra-sensory perception, cards. Instead of faces, the cards were each marked with one of five symbols. They were used for a kind of guessing game in which one person drew a card and his partner then attempted to guess the symbol on it. 

To Coleman, it seemed that his first step should be to try out meditation for himself upon returning to Thailand. To that end, he set off for Wat Mahatai, a temple in Bangkok.

At the temple, he first learned to meditate in the lotus position, in which the legs are crossed so that each foot rests on the opposite thigh. Next, he was instructed to focus on his breathing by looking down at his belly and observing its constant rise and fall. This, the instructor said, would give the mind something automatic and constant to latch onto. 

Disappointed that he hadn’t been able to achieve his desired results with U Ba Khin’s training, Coleman flew to India in search of other gurus. During a layover on the way, he happened to share a table with an Indian man in a white suit. The man introduced himself as Krishnamurti. He was, he said, “a sort of philosopher.” 

The conversation that ensued between the two men would have a profound effect on Coleman’s views on spirituality. 

During one particularly hot winter in Bangkok, Coleman sought a break from the scorching heat in a short trip to Darjeeling, a town nestled in the Himalayan region of Northern India. There, he met Sherpa Tenzing, the famous mountaineer who accompanied Sir Edmund Hillary in scaling Mount Everest for the first time. 

Though ethnically Nepalese, Sherpa Tenzing subscribed to Tibetan Buddhism. His faith, he told Coleman, had helped him push forward during the difficult climb up Everest.

During his time in India, Tibet, and Nepal, Coleman was put off by the theatrical forms of worship that seemed to deviate from the Buddha’s original teachings. But was it just his Western mind preventing him from understanding Eastern practices?

It would seem not. Krishnamurti, for one, also felt that focusing on mantras was a distraction, and that any “schoolboy” could train his brain to become better at concentration. One of Thailand’s leading contemporary Buddhist monks, Buddhadasa Bikku, shared this belief. 

A few months after studying with Buddhadasa, Coleman traveled to Tokyo for a business trip. There, he was able to schedule a meeting with renowned Zen master Dr. D. T. Suzuki. At the time, Suzuki was in his nineties and hard of hearing, but his wit and wisdom were as sharp as ever. 

Dr. Suzuki explained to Coleman that Zen is not a philosophy or an intellectual pursuit – it’s something that must be practiced. Through that practice, it’s possible to experience satori – a sudden realization of your true self and your relationship to the universe. Normally, this self lies hidden, buried beneath all of our preoccupations with wealth and success. Emptying our minds of these false values, however, allows us to unlock our inner benevolence and creative power.  

Coleman began his investigation of Western meditation at the training center for the Spiritual Regeneration Movement in Kensington, England. The center’s protocol was based on the teachings of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who had risen to fame in the West thanks to the support of his most famous students, the Beatles.

At the center, Coleman was given a mantra meant to focus his mind. While repeating it was relaxing, however, it didn’t really quiet him mentally. What’s more, a single session at the center cost an entire week’s worth of Coleman’s wages. He chose not to continue attending, but since he was now staying in England with his wife, he decided to investigate something entirely new to him: Western meditation practices. The results were less than spectacular.

At this point in his journey, Coleman felt as if he’d tried every style of meditation in the book. Yet he was no closer to achieving a lasting inner peace. Frustrated, his thoughts returned to U Ba Khin and his meditation center in Yangon, the capital of Burma.

The author decided he needed to return to U Ba Khin and try the course again. The last time, he had spent too much time intellectualizing the practice of meditation. This time, he was determined to free his mind.