From Publishers Weekly
Wallace, founder of the Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies, explores key Buddhist meditation-related concepts that aid the "conquest of our inner obscurations" and "present a path to inner fulfillment and human flourishing." He first examines several particular methods—such as "mindfulness of breathing"—for cultivating shamatha, a state of "meditative quiescence" in which people's capacity for attention is refined and stabilized. They can then use these techniques to make a direct, delusion-free investigation of their own bodies, feelings and thoughts. These insights, in turn, help them nurture hearts of compassion and equanimity and, ultimately, realize more advanced teachings such as cultivating bodhichitta (a "spirit of awakening"), dream yoga and a highly developed meditation technique known as dzogchen. Wallace's discussions are usually clear and helpful (on why meditation works: "sustained, continuous effort can actually reconfigure your brain"), and his questions invite readers to see for themselves if his assertions resonate. Moreover, each chapter contains guided meditations to help readers encounter the teachings more directly. Nevertheless, the text can become dense and self-referential, and if readers miss a particular point early on, the effectiveness of later sections may be lessened. The result is a solid—if advanced—examination of some key Buddhist meditation techniques that will appeal to the serious student more than the casual seeker. (Apr.)
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Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Book Description
A practical guide to finding happiness through meditation
Drawing on his years of study with H. H. the Dalai Lama and other teachers, Alan Wallace presents five essential Buddhist meditations that can help people attain a genuine, spiritual happiness-a concept that's at the core of Tibetan Buddhist philosophy. The meditations are simple yet powerful techniques that focus the mind and open the heart to the happiness that is all around us. Each chapter contains one to three meditative techniques as well as a contemplative discussion that illuminates the philosophy behind the practice.
Alan Wallace, PhD (Santa Barbara, CA), devoted 14 years to training as a Tibetan Buddhist monk and was ordained by H. H. the Dalai Lama. He has a doctorate in religious studies from Stanford University and is the founder of the Santa Barbara Institute for the Interdisciplinary Study of Consciousness.
Drawing on his years of study with H. H. the Dalai Lama and other teachers, Alan Wallace presents five essential Buddhist meditations that can help people attain a genuine, spiritual happiness-a concept that's at the core of Tibetan Buddhist philosophy. The meditations are simple yet powerful techniques that focus the mind and open the heart to the happiness that is all around us. Each chapter contains one to three meditative techniques as well as a contemplative discussion that illuminates the philosophy behind the practice.
Alan Wallace, PhD (Santa Barbara, CA), devoted 14 years to training as a Tibetan Buddhist monk and was ordained by H. H. the Dalai Lama. He has a doctorate in religious studies from Stanford University and is the founder of the Santa Barbara Institute for the Interdisciplinary Study of Consciousness.
