Stephen Lovekin

Hes a hip-hop mogul, New York Times best-selling author, and proud dad of two, and thats not even the half of it. As fast as you can list Russell Simmons seemingly endless achievements, he adds to them. His capacity for success and his passion for philanthropic and social initiatives seems both limitless and effortless. How does he do it? His new book, out tomorrow, called Success Through Stillness: Meditation Made Simple, goes some way to explain it. A practical guide to the benefits of meditation, it makes a compelling, thoroughly researched case, and offers readers straightforward guidance on how to get started. Here, Simmons discusses what he considers to be the greatest tool to promote happiness.

Your book includes the quote: To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders. Some think of meditation as being hippy-dippy but that projects great power.

Its still a little bit of a lofty quote! But you know, the fact is those who understand what were seeking, those who know, they just need an example...like when I tell a basketball player about when hes in the zone -- when the rim feels like its as big as the ocean, you cant miss it. When you read a word and youre not even breathing, because you are in total concentration. This shock or this beauty that promotes this shock, or this music that promotes this stillness, is a catalyst.

What youre looking for is lasting stillness, stable, lasting stillness, or bliss. Whenever the noise is gone, then everything is beautiful.

And we dont know how to get into it, whether its running up and down the basketball court until finally you get a second wind and the world just opens up because you become present. You cannot induce it through the other vehicles always. Music is helpful to people who love music, and beauty for those people who want to go look at sights and say, Oh my God, look at that sunset. These things are all helpful, but they kind of shock you into presence. What youre looking for is lasting stillness, stable, lasting stillness, or bliss. Whenever the noise is gone, then everything is beautiful. You can actually see Gods miracles unfolding.

What would you say to young men who think meditating might make them look weird or weak?

I know how to talk to them. I can explain it depending on who I am talking to. I kind of made it as simple as I could, so much so that my 11 year-old daughter said that the book was written like See Spot Run. I said, This is as highbrow as Daddy can get! I said, Is there anything in there you didnt already know about meditation? She said, Yes. Some of the research. I said, Well, good, there you go, you learned something, shut up! My 11 year-old daughter thought my book was written for a child! Shes pretty smart, they both go to a school for the gifted, so theyre both geniuses and they get it from their Mama. Daddy is a little bit simpler.

I think that my job is taking complex scripture and complex ideas and simplifying them as much as I can without losing their essence.

Theres a reason that some things are written in terms that are more sophisticated, and scriptures are more difficult to grasp. Not only because people like to use big words, but because they want to really pinpoint the experiences. I think that my job is taking complex scripture and complex ideas and simplifying them as much as I can without losing their essence, and its a fun one. Writing my Twitter keeps me in prayer. And doing that with scripture and with spiritual principles is something that makes me very happy, so thats why I write these books.

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