In episode 118 Buddhist Geeks interviewed Daniel Ingram on his book Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha that Daniel revised and made available online in PDF-format (Thanks, Daniel!)
Why all this excitement about yet another book on Dharma? Books we have plenty of but manuals packed with straightforward techniques – not so many. Daniel describes it as “… one of the more practical and technically detailed manuals for high-level insight and concentration practice available, and its maps of spiritual terrain and advice for navigating in unusual territory are world-class. “
I spent the rest of the evening in the arm chair hugging my overworked laptop, slowly going through the first pages of the book. How do I move forward with sitting? What are the ways to enhance concentration? For the first time I was holding exact instructions as to how I could proceed and no longer worried that wanting to actually move forward with the help of the meditation techniques defined me as a doer and an achiever.
I started with Forward and Warning and then swiftly moved to the section on The Tree Characteristics where Daniel outlines how we can better understand the Three Characteristics (impermanence, suffering and no-self) while sitting. I soon stumbled over a number of exercises that might be helpful in both increasing the concentration and better understanding impermanence. They keep the mind busy observing the sensations at a fast rate and therefore do not allow it to get lost in thoughts.
Needless to say I feel more motivated to sit now and whenever I can I do those exercises off the cushion, dismantling sensations and mental formations that arise. Nobody can do the work for me (the author is very clear about that) but at least I know what to do. 
I was listening to a podcast by Edward Espe Brown this morning. Describing the time when Katagiri Roshi gave him some minimal instructions on how to do zazen, Brown commented:
“In Zen we say: “To give too many instructions is like gouging a wound in good flesh’ ”
Made me think of this
Hi Intro!
I have been “sitting with what is” for a while and recognise the Zen way. Yet I kinda question it I guess. Something tells me many of those teachers did get SOME instructions in their time.
I agree that there is a dearth of information on how to actually practice the nitty-gritty aspects of insight meditation. I have found personally that it is all too easy to sit without having a precise notion of the practice and, while the zazen/shikentaza approach to ‘just sitting’ is helpful in generating an open space to watch thoughts and sensations, I find that further instruction is required to understand the root of arising thought and to cut these off at the source.
Many thanks for pointing towards Daniel’s online book, and of course to Daniel himself for having the generosity to make it freely available.
With metta