Waking Up
A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion
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4.4 • 52 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
For the millions of Americans who want spirituality without religion, Sam Harris’s latest New York Times bestseller is a guide to meditation as a rational practice informed by neuroscience and psychology.
From Sam Harris, neuroscientist and author of numerous New York Times bestselling books, Waking Up is for the twenty percent of Americans who follow no religion but who suspect that important truths can be found in the experiences of such figures as Jesus, the Buddha, Lao Tzu, Rumi, and the other saints and sages of history. Throughout this book, Harris argues that there is more to understanding reality than science and secular culture generally allow, and that how we pay attention to the present moment largely determines the quality of our lives.
Waking Up is part memoir and part exploration of the scientific underpinnings of spirituality. No other book marries contemplative wisdom and modern science in this way, and no author other than Sam Harris—a scientist, philosopher, and famous skeptic—could write it.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Expanding upon concepts posited in The End of Faith and Free Will, neuroscientist Harris draws from personal contemplative practice and a growing body of scientific research to argue that the self, the feeling that there is an "I" residing in one's head, is both an illusion and the primary cause of human suffering. Through meditation, this illusion can be extinguished, resulting in a deep sense of personal well-being regardless of circumstances, and also in compassionate and ethical behaviors toward others. The reality of such self-transcendence has been hitched to unwarranted claims about the nature of the universe by persons of faith and denied outright by most atheists and skeptics. The great value and novelty of this book is that Harris, in a simple but rigorous style, takes the middle way between these pseudoscientific and pseudo-spiritual assertions, cogently maintaining that while such contemplative insights provide no evidence for metaphysical claims, they are available, and seeing them for ourselves leads to a profoundly more salubrious life.
Customer Reviews
The perfect introduction to rational meditation
As an ex-Christian, I learned so much from this book. Harris’ scientific, rational, and yet open and non-dogmatic approach to mediation transformed my spiritual life from one of meaningless hoping and despair, to one of serious and introspection effective introspection. Glimpsing even a moment where you can break through the “illusion of self” is a profound experience, and one I will surely continue to expand on. Thanks, Sam!
Uplifting!
This podcast is a gem. Nothing like it in media. Sam is brilliant and thoughtful.
Great show
I look forward to every new show. An incredibly eye opening and insightful podcast. Sam Harris has a way of thinking and speaking that cuts through all the background noise.