Best book on meditation available

If you are new to meditation or a veteran, this is an ideal book and practice to start with. Shinzen Young is an excellent teacher. His skill and depth of experience are unparalleled. His knowledge of languages, science, technology, is the broadest I have experienced. Enjoy the book in print and audio.

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Best overview of enlightenment so far

I really enjoyed this book. So many "Wow!" moments.

If I were to sum up the single thing that really made the book stand out for me, it would be this:

So much of what is written about enlightenment feels to be about the "pre-conceptual" - taking away the contribution of conceptual thought towards our state / how we feel in any given moment. I get this - many of my most precious moments are remembered for the bliss of discovering the spirit in everything that you look at - tree, bird, sky, bush, work of art.... Getting to this point is often a switch that takes you into your appreciation of the thing just for how you sense it. For this reason, I've often assumed that full enlightenment would simply relate to being able to step fully into this "world without words". All of my encounters with the Magic of Everyday Life are consistent with this direction.

I've spent much of my life as a conceptual modeller (and sometimes quantitative modeller) of biological systems. So it's always seemed a little ironic that my pursuit of the spiritual feels like a complete negation of the way that I've invested the last forty professional years.

Shinzen's book has given me a jolt: I'm not just around the corner from living in a world of ongoing magic. I've only glimpsed that first step of the journey! His proposition is that the bliss of stepping towards / blissing out in the non-conceptual MUST be matched by equivalent effort in exploring one's inner world in a way that has analogy to developing a conceptual model of how it functions.

Before reading the book, I'd recommend going through the free course on the linked website: unifiedmindfulness.com.

But don't miss out on the book - it is a tour de force!

Absolutely five stars!

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Esclarecedor

Este libro permite explorar temas como mindfulness, Flow, presencia y similares. Menciona prácticas budistas con términos nativos de la India. Puede ser tan profundo o ligero según lo que el lector desee experimentar.

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Enjoyed it very much - great for meditators you learn the distinctions and nuances of words used to describe and understand

I loved Edoardo Ballerini’s voice and tone.
Shinzen Young can be felt in this book for his passion to help enlighten the world.

I found the last chapter a little unnecessary though....

But in all - must read for meditators or aspiring ones

One of my most valuable and cherished reads!

Wow! Can't believe how totally and completely this book resonated with me. The broad and confusing wide world of thinking in meditation and enlightenment were carefully explained in such an organized manner that I feel my many years of learning was expanded tenfold in one reading. I especially liked how he dealt with all the outlier activities and concepts and put them in context of the basic enlightenment concepts he explained. I intend to listen to the book several more times - it is that deep and comprehensive.

Excellent, simple and scientific

I highly recommend this book for someone who’s gotten past the initial stages of meditation and contemplating consciousness. I wouldn’t start with this book: There are other introductory books such as the untethered soul. But for someone who’s already taken the time to do some research, practice, and think for themselves this book really brings it all together and provides some Rational explanations to help understand meditation and the human condition.

I finally have a meditation practice

This the book that got me there, more than 18 years practicing yoga or other books.

Not A Scientist

This book fell far short of what I expected it to be. It is closer to a Biography than a scientific examination of meditation or enlightenment.

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EXTREMELY positive, thought provoking, inspiring

I recommed this book to absolutely every human being. a b c d e f g

Inspirational

Shinzen Young’s masterpiece gives me hope that the conversation between science and religion is deepening resulting in much needed cooperation and opening of minds to a larger whole that includes them both.