Waking Up

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He says that consciousness cannot be explained in terms of information processing. He doesn't accept that neuroscience can fully explain the emergence of consciousness by correlating mind states with brain states. This is science denial. Ironically, he rejects dualism in the first chapter. His emphasis on consciousness is also ironic because later on he insists, "what does not survive scrutiny cannot be real.

He nonetheless demands the reader accept the subjective experience of consciousness as undeniable evidence for its existence. This is totally unscientific. Subjective experience alone is not falsifiable, subject to independent verification, etc. Harris tries to explain the illusion of the self by comparing it with the optical blind spot.

This is a false analogy because the blind spot is real and can be measured. Meditation, on the other hand, produces no physiological or psychological consequences in excess of what we'd expect from undertaking a calming activity. Harris caution the reader about meditation Gurus who abuse the power they have over their disciples.

He cautions against believing claims of supernatural powers, though he doesn't dismiss their possibility, either. He sounds particularly credulous to ESP which I find hilarious. I think the overarching problem with this book is that Harris doesn't fully appreciate the philosophy of science. He claims his baloney detector is fully functional, but I think his detection rate would be improved were he to study skepticism and critical thinking.

For example, people who claim great benefit from mediation are biased because they've got an imperative to rationalize the large amount of time they spend meditating. This conflict of interest goes unmentioned in the book. Another telling example is when Harris describes an interaction with his young son.

His son asked where gravity comes from, and after a thoughtful pause, he replied, "we don't know where gravity comes from. Gravity comes from mass! Obviously, he was answering the childlike question "why does gravity behave the way that it does? Only "how" questions are answerable by science. View all 10 comments. Jul 17, Elyse Walters rated it it was amazing. I did not sleep much last night but I read this book during the dark hours --and finished it this morning! On the bottom of page 43, Sam says, "I make no claims in support of magic or miracles in this book". On the same page bottom of page 43 , Sam goes on to say, "However, I can say that the true goal of meditation is more profound than most people realize -- and it does, in fact, encomp I did not sleep much last night but I read this book during the dark hours --and finished it this morning!

On the same page bottom of page 43 , Sam goes on to say, "However, I can say that the true goal of meditation is more profound than most people realize -- and it does, in fact, encompass many of the experiences that traditional mystics claim for themselves. It is quite possible to lose one's sense of being a separate self and to experience a kind of boundless, open awareness -- to feel, in other words, at one with the cosmos.

The Chapter on "The Mystery of Consciousness" was and entirely new discovery --way of understanding for me. He talked about the 'split-brain' phenomenon. The isolated right hemisphere is independently conscious from the left hemisphere. This chapter is so good--I've already re-read parts of it a few times. Much to chew on for discussions!!! I could go on and on but I will leave you with just two more things to consider: Its a brilliant book that changed my thinking forever!!!!

Sam's 3 year old daughter wanted to know. Wonderful teachings on meditation found in these pages, to boot!!! View all 6 comments. Apr 05, Eric rated it liked it. Sam could have made his argument in just a few pages. I do really like his writing style, so I still enjoyed reading this. I just kept waiting for him to really apply what he was writing about.

He went on and on about how beneficial mediation is, especially dzogchen, and how important it is to be taught exactly how to do it, instead of being taught in metaphor. But then he never talked about how to actually do it. Maybe that was outside the scope of his book. I was also looking forward to the ch Sam could have made his argument in just a few pages. I was also looking forward to the chapter on psychedelics, but was disappointed to find that much of it was lifted from a couple of his blog posts from his site that I had already read a while ago.

Overall, it's still worth reading. I can't believe I have to wait 5 more months for this to come out. Aug 17, Matt Manry rated it it was ok Shelves: I really wanted to like this book, but Sam Harris just can't resist taking so many cheap shots. At points, Waking Up was very interesting and engaging. However, other parts of the book were so bland, boring, and completely anti-religious that I could barely take it.

View all 12 comments. Mar 25, Stephanie rated it really liked it. This is not a very long book—only pages in hardback, or 5 hours on audiobook—but it took me a while to finish it. For every minute I spent reading, I spent another 2 minutes thinking about what I'd just read. And some of it just sailed past me, no matter how hard I tried to understand it. Harris is a clear writer, one of the clearest, so I have to assume my own cognitive limitations are at fault and not his power of explanation.

Still, I can't quite grant a full 5 stars to a book that I didn This is not a very long book—only pages in hardback, or 5 hours on audiobook—but it took me a while to finish it. Still, I can't quite grant a full 5 stars to a book that I didn't fully grasp. I got a lot of it, though. I'm an atheist who took an 8-week class in mindfulness meditation, and I meditate regularly. I studied Buddhism a bit in college and decided that of all the religions, it was my favorite, because it was more like a philosophy than a religion.

I have Buddhas all over my house. But I am a scientific-minded materialist, so I could never fully embrace Eastern religions because they are just too laden with, well, religion. Like most atheists, I have an allergy to the word "spiritual" because it seems like an unnecessarily woo-laden term for a normal, entirely earthly emotional experience. This book was exactly right for me, then, because Harris is open to Eastern spirituality but will not sacrifice his Western rationality to the cause.

He has his feet completely on the ground, he's inoculated against silliness. As someone who wanted to bolster her meditation practice, and get better at finding that self-less place of equanimity, I was really ready for Harris's approach. And it did help. The self-portrait of Ernst Mach, in particular, gave me a jarring sense of sudden understanding.

Jarring in the way that the Rubin vase illusion is jarring when you suddenly see two faces instead of a vase, or vice-versa. I also enjoyed his writing about drugs, especially psychedelics. Though I only tried psychedelic drugs a few times and never had a bad trip—thankfully.

I knew exactly what he was talking about when he discussed what such drugs do to your consciousness, and the possibilities they bring to light. But he seems to indicate meditation practices can get one somewhere near those experiences, and mine certainly never have. Then again, I haven't spent months in silent retreats in Tibet. The bit about gurus was very entertaining but not so useful to me.

He's worried about people who might get snared by charlatans, and that is a legitimate worry, but it seems somewhat unlikely that people who are reading a book by Sam Harris are especially credulous. Still, it's always a good reminder that one should not allow oneself to become abused in the service to any spiritual goals, and that anyone who insists you need to do harmful things in order to achieve enlightenment is someone you should avoid.

I think this is a good book for someone like me, someone who is familiar with Buddhism, who is attracted to its teachings, but who is not keen on religion. It's useful for someone who knows something about neuroscience and philosophy. It's a good addition to Harris's other writings.

If someone is entirely new to any of this, I'm not sure this book will sit well. The requirements for the "right" audience seem fairly stringent. I do recommend the audiobook. Harris narrates it himself and there's something about his inflection that helps make the meaning of his words clearer.

Listen to Waking Up with Sam Harris now.

That's not always true with writers who narrate their own books, though you'd think it would be. He gets into some difficult concepts, and hearing his voice somehow made it easier for me to understand. That being said, the paper book has diagrams and images that are also necessary to understanding. Thank you, public library. Oct 08, Vince Darcangelo rated it really liked it Shelves: Was the firebrandtype philosopher and scientist—co-founder of Project Reason and author of The End of Faith and Letter to a Christian Nation—changing teams?

Mindfulness Meditation

At its core, Waking Up is about mindfulne http: At its core, Waking Up is about mindfulness, and as a fellow atheist who has attended a fair share of Buddhist retreats including a recent one on Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction , I can relate to some of the conflicts Harris encounters. No matter how secular the retreat, I get nervous when I find myself in a room full of people following the direction of a group leader offering spiritual betterment. Harris takes out the touchy-feely and goes straight for the scientific foundation of a mindfulness-based approach to life. The result is a book heavy on Buddhist philosophy and refreshingly light on bullshit.

Beyond memoir, he explores the scientific underpinnings of consciousness and meditation, drops some knowledge about psychedelic drugs and, justifiably, rants on the silliness and scientific dishonesty of Proof of Heaven and other accounts of near-death experiences. It read more like a collection of essays on a single topic—which is fine, just not what I was expecting.

Not only do I agree with his observations and share some of his experiences , but Harris also challenges some of my long-held assumptions. All told, Waking Up is an interesting and enjoyable read. Nov 08, Morgan Blackledge rated it it was amazing.

If we colonized the moon, people who lived there could ostensibly have a perfectly decent life. But based on our evolutionary inheritance as earthlings, we would, in all likelihood, crave gravity and greenery. This is an interesting analogy to living life as an atheist. We can live quite well without religion. But because so much of our history as humans has revolved around spiritual pursuits, there may be something akin to gravity and greenery that we atheists lack and long for and even need.

P If we colonized the moon, people who lived there could ostensibly have a perfectly decent life. Personally speaking, there is simply no way for me to accept many of the core premises of the spiritual traditions. Particularly in light of evolutionary biology, neuroscience and psychology. But I still engage in contemplative practices, I still seek the renewal found in total engagement, I still love to meditate in a group, I still love yoga, I still find deep meaning and gratification in being of service to others.

There is gravity and greenery in these pursuits. But precisely, what is the spiritual equivalent to gravity and greenery. What exactly is it that we atheists need and crave and more importantly, how can we get it without betraying our rigorous, critical, sceptical, monist selves. This book is Harris's stab at answering these questions.

If you're interested in mindfulness or other forms of contemplative practice, and you want a clear, secular context in which to ground your experiences in, than this book may be good news. It certainly is for me. Unlike many other secular, rational presentations of mindfulness and meditation to date. Sam Harris goes for the gold by attempting to construct a secular account of "enlightenment". I personally can live without the whole business of enlightenment. At least as it is traditionally rendered.

I actually think it's a pernicious myth. But self transcendence for lack of a better phrase is something I can't live a full, rich, meaningfull life without. And as far as I can tell, plain old, nuthin fancy, butt normal, no magical powers, self transcendence again, an awful term without a better alternative seems to be what Harris is referring to when he uses the term enlightenment, and I'm unreservedly only moderately uncomfortable with that.

If you're familiar with Harris's work, you may be as surprised as I was to hear him freely use constructs such as spiritual, ego etc. His rationale was simply that there aren't good alternatives as of yet. Rather than try to create new words, he stuck with the old ones despite the problematic connotations.

I nolonger believe in ghosts or souls. So needless to say the word spiritual has been awkward for me for a while. This book is helping me reclaim the word. And he is still all the way in the game. Attempting like many of us to make sense of our spiritual and psychedelic experiences based on what we currently know about the brain and psychology not an easy job. Harris refers to this task as snatching the jewel i. I knew I loved this guy, but I had no idea how much of a bro he actually is.

I have to give him huge props for risking everything and coming out in this way. This is a huge move that will inevitably bring him a torrent of criticism from every angle. If for no other reason, this balls out move compelled me to give the book 5 stars. Harris does a terrific job of parsing out the spiritual use value of psychedelics with out overstating or understating their benefit.

A subject I have been unsuccessfully wrestling with for years. I know there was immense value in my early psychedelic experiences. I also know they were limited and degenerated into vastly diminished returns by the end of my psychedelic carrier.

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And I also know that I will not use them again, for various great reasons. Harris takes aim and clarifies this tricky subject in a seemingly effortless paragraph or two, tosses in a hilarious bad trip story for good measure and moves on. I love this guy! It's like the baby boomers had a huge and unsanitary spiritual drug orgy and their love child, Sam Harris appeared from behind the bong and cleaned up the intellectual mess without a shoveling all of it into the trash, or b framing it like it was fine art. I have to say. I've been waiting for someone to write this book. It's not without flaws I think invoking the "hard problem" of consciousness is a major one, I think the very idea that consciousness is a special i.

For now I'll simply enjoy the feelings I'm having after reading this awesomely interesting, sassy, and even lol funny book. Sep 12, Gary rated it liked it. The hard question is "what is consciousness". In the past we had Leibniz's monads and Descarte's homunculus unsatisfactorily explaining consciousness. The author suggests another path for understanding the hard question namely gaining self awareness of our non-existence through meditation from which one can discover the illusion of the self which leads the individual to 'enlightenment' The hard question is "what is consciousness".

The author suggests another path for understanding the hard question namely gaining self awareness of our non-existence through meditation from which one can discover the illusion of the self which leads the individual to 'enlightenment' and the realization that the 'self' does not exist. The author puts his spiritualism without mysticism in to context by reasonably looking at how we think about thinking and gives the listener just enough names of the brain parts without overwhelming the listener, and all the time supporting his path to self understanding by learning to first deny the self.

In the end the author thinks that the denial of self leads to a greater understandings about who we are and that a guru or some selective use of drugs will help the listener achieve enlightenment and lead to a more ethical person with greater appreciation for life. As for me, I think I'll continue learning about the universe by looking outside of myself and use reason, coupled with empirical data induction and properly constructed models and seek enlightenment that way and not get a guru or use drugs and spend too much time thinking about denying myself through meditation and self reflection.

Apr 25, Mohit Parikh rated it liked it. A book written for atheists in a christian nation. Sam wants to assure his readership that he still belongs with them - and with Dawkins and Hitchens and Sagan - even as he takes a step further and talks about Spiritual Awakening. He wants to suggest that there is nothing irrational about spirituality the way he defines it.

He isn't the greatest explorer of spirituality. The question for me was: Which is to say, why you are qualified to tell me the boundaries of what is irrational and what is rational to accept in spirituality? Sam Harris is smart. He is just lagging behind in the conversation. Also, I wish he was less self-conscious about how he will be received by his largely liberal atheist American readership.

By the way, here's an awesome review of the book: Try devouring this Buddhist Parable: A surgeon rushes to his side to begin the work of saving his life, but the man resists these ministrations. The man needs to get his priorities straight. His commitment to thinking about the world results from a basic misunderstanding of his predicament. And though we may be only dimly aware of it, we, too, have a problem that will not be solved by acquiring more conceptual knowledge.

And in time, many presume that both are the two sides of a same coin. Astronomers and Astrophysicists, Physicists like Sagan, Neil Tyson, Brian Cox gets some of us 'spiritually' enlightened, getting awe with the depth of understanding which previously believed impossible, when they started talking about their specialized fields. Some Writers like Shakespeare, Kurt Vonnegut personal option made many people realise that they could lead a happier life, prouder to be alive than previously believed possible.

Musical artists like Beethoven, Mozart made the same using the tools and medium they knew. Now, take a religious person listening to a 'Spiritual' Guru, he would feel connected and profound relevantness of his existence with respect to that Guruji's words and view of world. Sam Harris connects the word with understanding the brain and it contents both physical and emergent, of course rational content free of dogmas and bullshit stuffs, which is equally important to knowing the worldly facts and phenomena.

The Book deals with signifying the importance of being "spiritual" which the author implies removing the illusion of self. By "illusion of self" he meant that the illusion of inner-self, some kind of agenticity within our body having control over it which adds up concepts of soulful mind duality, and freewill stuffs. And breaking this illusion of the self, he says that our minds can have different and better 'conscious' experiences irrespective of our emotional states. It's not a matter of thinking more clearly about experience; it is the act of experiencing more clearly, including the arising of thoughts themselves and the problem is not thoughts themselves but the state of thinking without being fully aware that we are thinking.

Even though he explained things in simpler terms, I felt like I was listening to the most complicated man alive. He explored the split brain phenomena, Nature of Consciousness, Contemporary meditation techniques as per the western as well as the Eastern cultural and psychological understanding, the yogis, gurus who were considered as enlightened still many consider themselves enlightened in context to the core objective of enabling the readers to understand about our mind a little better and more profound.

He also had his exquisite intellectual ponderings on the effects and usage of 'drugs'. The term 'drugs' collectively defines a wide variety of neurotransmitters and chemical enhancers of neural activities in which substances in both category has both neurotoxic, epileptic as well as excrescence enhancing tool for consciousness. Collectively labelling them as 'drugs' disables us to have intellectual discussion on the ethical, psychological, biological, legal effects amd usage of such substances like Psilobin, DMT, Ketamine, LSD, MDMA commonly known as Ecstasy , etc. It is also worth noting that some substances stereotypically labelled as 'drug' has lesser effects than widely legalised Alcoholics and tobacco.

As Carl Sagan once said, Brain is a small place with a very enormous space and capabilities. He used fluids to define the nature and physical foundation of consciousness, as emergent phenomena. His early life encounters with drugs, in search of his spiritual encounters inside USA. While he was in his 2nd year at Stanford, he took off 11 years to spend time in India and Nepal, trying to understand the case of which he described briefly in this book. Religion is a term like sports: To speak of sports as a generic activity makes it impossible to discuss what athletes actually do or the physical attributes required to do it.

What do all sports have in common apart from breathing? The term religion is hardly more useful. The same could be said of spirituality. The esoteric doctrines found within every religious tradition are not all derived from the same insights. Nor are they equally empirical, logical, parsimonious, or wise. The Conventional sources of happiness aren't always reliable depending upon various transient conditions. It is difficult to raise a family happily, to keep yourself and the people you love healthy, to acquire wealth and find creative and fulfilling ways to enjoy it, to form deep relationships, to contribute to society in ways that are emotionally rewarding, to perfect a wide variety of skills—and to keep the machinery of happiness running day after day.

See if you can stop thinking for the next sixty seconds. You can notice your breath, or listen to the birds, but do not let your attention be carried away by thought, any thought, even for an instant. Keep away from mobile or computer, and give it a try. Before trying this book, I've checked the reviews of this work and found too many negative reception about it. Sam did answer those things in the book itself, "Search your mind, or pay attention to the conversations you have with other people, and you will discover that there are no real boundaries between science and any other discipline that attempts to make valid claims about the world on the basis of evidence and logic.

Though the brief summary of the book is very simple but one has to go through every word vigilantly, to avoid confusion, to avoid misconceptions. So I wouldn't recommend it for all. Sep 26, Lena rated it really liked it Shelves: Ever since the planes crashed into the Twin Towers, Sam Harris has been making the argument that we can no longer afford the luxury of religious belief.

In his writings, he has explained his theories about not only why the unproven beliefs of dogma are so dangerous, but also how many of the benefits that religion provides can be found in secular places. In Waking Up , Harris addresses the issue of what he terms "spiritual" states - altered states of consciousness that can be spontaneous or induce Ever since the planes crashed into the Twin Towers, Sam Harris has been making the argument that we can no longer afford the luxury of religious belief. In Waking Up , Harris addresses the issue of what he terms "spiritual" states - altered states of consciousness that can be spontaneous or induced by things like contemplative practice or drugs.

Most religions point to such states as proof of their assertion that there is a world beyond this one. Harris, however, uses these pages to argue that a. There is a fair bit of neuroscience in this book as Harris delves into what we currently know about consciousness. He also discusses his personal experiences with transcendent states, first on an Ecstasy drug trip and later as a rationalist in deep study of Eastern contemplative practices. He also discusses the risks of both of those paths, including the dangerously unpredictable impact of psychedelics and the hazards of attempting to learn about consciousness from imperfect human teachers.

Despite the risks, however, Harris's book is an unapologetic argument that the cultivation and experience of spiritual states can drastically improve the quality of one's life. I agree with Harris about a number of things, including that experience of such states can be potentially life changing. I also agree that there is an urgent need for people who experience such states to be given an opportunity to understand them outside the context of a particular religion or the New Age book aisle.

Where I am not totally on board, however, is with his assertion that people who have never experienced such states should try to do so. Harris believes that the cultivation of such states can reduce human misery and suffering. I don't doubt that's been true for Harris and for many others. What I question is whether or not consciously exploring such states can work for everyone. As I understand it, the current research on meditation as not sufficiently answered the question of whether people who seem to be experiencing the benefits of contemplative practice do so because the contemplative practice actually changed them or because they had brain chemistry that predisposed them to self-select for contemplative practice in the first place.

Harris himself acknowledges that traditional concentration practice has significant limitations, and the value offered by pointing-out practices is often lost on those who are exposed to it without previous context. The role of psychedelic drugs in Harris' own journey also raises questions for me - did that fundamentally alter his brain chemistry in such a way that he was enabled to have experiences he couldn't have had without those drugs? Ultimately, I'm not certain someone starting from scratch could induce the kind of experiences Harris describes by following his instructions.

I think it's a question well worth asking, and I applaud Harris for asking it. I'm just not quite as convinced of the answer as he is. Jul 29, Alex rated it it was ok. This book is extremely cerebral. Sam is a clearly a skeptic towards many things related to spirituality, which is fine, but his extreme judgment toward various religions comes seeping through his text.

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That is, except for Buddhism, which he often seems to put on a pedestal. I felt disillusioned by the book, based on the cover. It should have said this was a philosopher's guide to spirituality. And how true that is! Make sure you're awake and a pot of coffee before reading! He writes in a fairly highfalutin way and certainly doesn't wait for you to catch up on where he is headed. He is very opinionated and had a haughty tone throughout.

The majority of the book read more like a college textbook than a book meant for the lay reader. He got too bogged down in superfluous details about the brain and it got in the way. And many of the studies he referenced were irrelevant to his central thesis which that itself was unclear. As a psychologist, I almost always find information on the brain interesting, but I can easily see how most people would check out with glossy eyes after the first few studies he cites. It got so intense, I couldn't help but fear he was writing a textbook on psychophysiology or neuroscience and accidentally wrote in this book instead!

This seemed to intensify around the midway mark. I also realized around this time that his description of spirituality, and thus the book, was really just a covert autobiography of his OWN route to spirituality; however, instead of coming clean and conceptualizing from this way, he came from a perspective of being judgmental and projecting his scientific skepticism to any other route to the Divine than what he has found.

I would have thought someone who is writing about spirituality would be more inclusive and open minded to how there can be a VARIETY of ways to the divine: Waking Up is also extremely theoretical and conceptual in nature. While he does offer a suggestion here and there, they're rare, vague, and not always practical. Toward the end he starts a discourse on mind-altering illegal drugs. I was appalled he would write such a thing so openly in a book! Then, later, he contradicts himself saying that there are natural ways to get every sort of synthetic high. Overall, the book left me feeling very unsettled, like a real bad taste in my mouth after a mediocre meal.

At the end, I was still hung up on his viewpoints of frivolity with having his daughters take LSD, or how he'd repeatedly lump Spirituality into the Religion category. To quickly summarize his book in a few sentences: In order to be more spiritual and less religious, disregard all mainstream religions save Buddhism which I put on a pedestal because they are silly, trite, and filled with barely anything more than fanciful, imaginal, illogical, and mostly untrue ideas. Practice mindfulness and follow most of what Buddhism says and call it a day. There were some valid points he touched on and some quotes I enjoyed.

If you're a scientist or atheist who is allergic to any sense of religion, metaphysics, or modern sense of spirituality and are in the very first stages of "waking up" i. Apr 16, Adam rated it did not like it Shelves: Sam Harris felt the need to publish a book that states, without novel argument, what everyone already knew. One that doubles as a guide to being a dipshit dogmatist on the irreligious side of the binary. He also deems it necessary to inform us right off the bat of his mind-expansion under the influence of MDMA. Which, man, at least begin the book by talking about a non-stupid psychedelic if you're going to rant about this transformative event in your life that pretty much exactly parallels e So.

Which, man, at least begin the book by talking about a non-stupid psychedelic if you're going to rant about this transformative event in your life that pretty much exactly parallels every secular person's experience with psychedelic trips. And if you don't know anything about mindfulness or meditation practices, information is everywhere. Sam Harris gives a half-decent overview at certain points, but you're better off getting your information from other sources. Most of which are freely available online.

Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion

And I mean, shit, that Jack Kornfield guy isn't particularly invested in any religious doctrines. If you come across evidence of doctrines that don't resonate with you, just ignore them. I know the covers of Kornfield's books make him seem pukey and the Spirit Rock website is laden with images of creepily smiling middle-class, middle-aged white people, but.

And the guy's a legitimate authority in the Western Buddhist tradition. I'm no friend of organized religion or woo-woo new agey shit, guys. Those of you who know me know this. But my position on organized religion does not create an obligation to take Harris at his word. In fact, basic examination of much of what Harris says in this book and in others reveals an extraordinary lack of basic scholarly skill and critical thought.

Not that Joe Rogan is an idiot. Okay, so I dislike Sam Harris. But I'll give him some credit for writing a clear enough book about why meditating or doing something similar does not automatically render one a new age loony and about how valid and true many ideas from Buddhist thought are even in a scientific, rational context. Finally, and this concerns mostly the "I'm going to meditate and not consider Buddhist thought at all " crowd more than Harris himself, perhaps: I think there is potential value in entering a sacred traditional practice with something resembling the mindset of people who actually believe the practice is "religious" if the meditation of Theravadin Buddhists is considered religious in the same way as prayer.

If you're assured enough in your agnosticism or atheism, entering practices with the traditional context in mind can help maintain the integrity of the practice itself. Otherwise, you end up with braided asshole stoners going to yoga class to hit on chicks in yoga pants and laugh at the teacher's accent and pay no attention to the fucking yoga.

There are miles between "I'm going to ignore what yoga means and why it exists; this is just like going to the gym" and "I'm yoking myself to the gods and this area in my lower spine is going to cure all my ailments" or whatever the fuck. Similarly, there are miles between "I'm going to do this weird meditation thing and it's not real anyway so I don't have to listen to the teachers and understand its foundations" and "meditation will bring about a good rebirth and help me attain literal nirvana. View all 5 comments. Feb 23, Hoz Kamaran rated it really liked it.

If you are looking for the meaning of spirituality beyond religion, this is the right book to read. If you find religious spirituality illusional, that doesnt mean spirituality doesnt exist. Alot of people think that with the progress of science religion dies, thus spirituality must also die. But once you realize what is spirituality and its independence of a religion or personal god, you will realize that its necessary for a better understaing of existence and science.

We often think we are a o If you are looking for the meaning of spirituality beyond religion, this is the right book to read. We often think we are a one. And we think we have 1 soul. But, Sam harris amazingly rejects the idea of having a soul by presenting the split brain experiment in which the 2 hemispheres of the brain start behaving independently and unlikely of each other. It is like a person has 2 souls, because everything related to the human thought, brain, behavior You will better ubderstand the split brain experiment as you read the book.

Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion - Wikipedia

Sam Harris thinks the spirit can mean consiousness, thus spirituality can mean contemplating at consciousness. Consciousness is not yet defined, but it can be contemplated and felt. Our joys are temporary. We get happiest only for a few days, then everything gets back to its ordinary track. Our joys are external and they depend on our friends, environment, job, money, achievements, or winning competitions of life.

But can we find joy internally? These are questions that spirituality seeks. Unlike most of the other religions, Buddhism is not concerned with threatening people with hell, or telling people what to do, feel, or think. This feature gives Buddhism- as a philosophy, not religion - the privilege to be the most effective and peaceful path for understanding spirituality. Sam harris also talks about the illusion of near death experience, and how NDE may occur in the brain according to neuroscience. The book is not so easy to read.

Harris writes that the purpose of spirituality as he defines it — he says the term's uses are diverse and sometimes indefensible is to become aware that our sense of self is illusory, and says that this realization brings both happiness and insight into the nature of consciousness. Harris provides brief guidance on how to meditate, and directs readers to his website for more in-depth instructions. Although Harris assigns great value to religious experiences , he argues that facts about the cosmos and particular religious dogmas cannot reasonably be inferred from these experiences. By contrast, he criticizes Eben Alexander 's Christian interpretation of a near-death experience in Proof of Heaven at length as filled with unwarranted assumptions.

Waking Up has been praised by literary critics. Stephen Cave of the Financial Times similarly described Waking Up as "a fine book" and observed, "although it portrays only a fragment of the emerging picture of post-Christian spirituality, it nonetheless does so with great colour and clarity — like a shining stained glass window for a church that is still being built.

Harris writes about the profound issues that affect our lives with clarity, and with occasional humor. It received a more mixed response from Trevor Quirk of The New Republic , who criticized what he perceived as the book's inconsistencies and Harris's willingness to belittle religious people. He nevertheless wrote, "[Harris's] new book, whether discussing the poverty of spiritual language, the neurophysiology of consciousness, psychedelic experience, or the quandaries of the self, at the very least acknowledges the potency and importance of the religious impulse—though Harris might name it differently—that fundamental and common instinct to seek not just an answer to life, but a way to live that answer.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved 3 October Retrieved 23 April Retrieved 1 October A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion". Washington Independent Review of Books.

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