Meditation

The Book in 3 Sentences Consciousness is the only undoubtedly real thing in the universe, and one’s relationship with its contents (thoughts, sights, emotions) determines the quality of their experience. Religion is a flawed and acutely dangerous path to spirituality that must be replaced by a more experiential, rational approach to contemplation. Constant identification with the contents of consciousness, namely thoughts, shapes the illusion of the self that is responsible for much of human suffering. How I Discovered It I’ve listened to several podcasts that Sam Harris has appeared in where he has mentioned this book. He frequently quotes passages in the Waking Up app too. ...

Bored and on the search for a flashy hobby, I stumble across the Headspace app several years ago, letting Andy Puddicomb caress my mind for a few minutes each day. Back then, meditation was pursued for no extrinsic purpose; I only knew that it was somehow related to better emotional regulation and would enhance my daily experience in subtle ways. It’s been over two years and I have since moved on to Waking Up which provides a deeper version of mindfulness meditation than Headspace, the latter being more accessible to those otherwise unfamiliar and sometimes averse to this traditional eastern practice. As a companion to his book Waking Up, Sam Harris takes the listener on a journey into the nature of consciousness, directing them to dispel the conventional sense of self and experience the open space of awareness. ...