Jhana Consciousness

Download Jhana Consciousness PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Shambhala Publications
ISBN 13 : 1645470806
Total Pages : 305 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (454 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Jhana Consciousness by : Paul Dennison

Download or read book Jhana Consciousness written by Paul Dennison and published by Shambhala Publications. This book was released on 2022-12-20 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An interdisciplinary deep dive into Buddhist jhāna meditation and how it can transform our understanding of self and consciousness States of profound meditative concentration, the jhānas are central to the earliest Buddhist teachings. For centuries in Southeast Asia, oral yogāvacara (yoga practitioner) lineages kept traditional jhāna practices alive, but in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, reforms in Theravāda Buddhism downplayed the importance of jhāna in favor of vipassanā (insight) meditation. Some began to consider the jhānas to be strictly the domain of monastics, unattainable in the context of modern lay life. In recent years, however, there has been a resurgence of interest in the jhānas, and as researcher Paul Dennison shows, the esoteric and sometimes “magical” pre-reform practices of Southeast Asia hold powerful potential for modern lay practitioners living in a more scientifically minded world. Drawing on traditional Buddhist doctrine, teachings from lesser-known meditation texts such as the Yogāvacara’s Manual, and findings from the first in-depth, peer-reviewed neuroscience study of jhāna meditation, Dennison unpacks this ancient practice in all its nuance while posing novel questions about perception, subjectivity, and the nature of enlightenment.

Alternative States of Consciousness in Shamanism, Imaginal Psychotherapies, Hypnotherapy, and Meditation Including a Shamanism and Meditation Inspired Personal and Professional Training Program for the 21st Century Psychotherapist

Download Alternative States of Consciousness in Shamanism, Imaginal Psychotherapies, Hypnotherapy, and Meditation Including a Shamanism and Meditation Inspired Personal and Professional Training Program for the 21st Century Psychotherapist PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Universal-Publishers
ISBN 13 : 1581123574
Total Pages : 599 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (811 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Alternative States of Consciousness in Shamanism, Imaginal Psychotherapies, Hypnotherapy, and Meditation Including a Shamanism and Meditation Inspired Personal and Professional Training Program for the 21st Century Psychotherapist by : Allen Holmquist

Download or read book Alternative States of Consciousness in Shamanism, Imaginal Psychotherapies, Hypnotherapy, and Meditation Including a Shamanism and Meditation Inspired Personal and Professional Training Program for the 21st Century Psychotherapist written by Allen Holmquist and published by Universal-Publishers. This book was released on 2009-08 with total page 599 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Shamanism, hypnosis, imaginal psychotherapies, and meditation are based on the use of what we in the modern western world think of as non-ordinary human consciousness. These four modalities have fundamental similarities and differences in purpose, theory, technique, type of alternative consciousness, and their application of non-ordinary reality. Shamanism, the oldest and most intertwined with the cultures in which it is practiced, will be explored as a model for individual healing and transformation and professional training. The shamanic way will also be explored as a model of consciousness and a world-view that offers individuals, groups, and society much needed coping mechanisms, healing techniques, and transformative values that may be helpful in dealing with this trying and important transition time for humanity. Imaginal therapies, meditation and hypnosis all have their roots in shamanism, although in some parts of the world at certain times in history, shamanism borrowed from meditation in its adaptation and development.

Manual of Insight

Download Manual of Insight PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1614292779
Total Pages : 753 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (142 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Manual of Insight by : Sobhana (Mahā caññʻ Cha rā toʻ ʼA rhaṅʻ)

Download or read book Manual of Insight written by Sobhana (Mahā caññʻ Cha rā toʻ ʼA rhaṅʻ) and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2016-05-17 with total page 753 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The most comprehensive manual of the practice of insight meditation (vipassana), written by one of its foremost 20th century proponents, is translated into English for the first time. Manual of Insight is the magnum opus of Mahasi Sayadaw, one of the originators of the “vipassana movement” that has swept through the Buddhist world over the last hundred years. The manual presents a comprehensive overview of the practice of insight meditation, including the foundational aspects of ethical self-discipline, understanding the philosophical framework for the practice, and developing basic concentration and mindfulness. It culminates with an in-depth exploration of the various types of insight and spiritual fruits that the practice yields. Authored by the master who brought insight meditation to the West and whose students include Joseph Goldstein, Jack Kornfield, and Sharon Salzberg, Manual of Insight is a veritable Bible for any practitioner of vipassana.

The Only Way for the Realization of Nibbāna

Download The Only Way for the Realization of Nibbāna PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Pa-Auk Meditation Centre (Singapore)
ISBN 13 : 9810751931
Total Pages : 88 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (17 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Only Way for the Realization of Nibbāna by : The Pa-Auk Tawya Sayadaw

Download or read book The Only Way for the Realization of Nibbāna written by The Pa-Auk Tawya Sayadaw and published by Pa-Auk Meditation Centre (Singapore). This book was released on 2013 with total page 88 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In The Only Way for the Realization of Nibbāna, the Most Venerable Sayadaw gives a brief summary of the practice necessary for such realization, namely samatha and vipassanā. He bases his discussion on the first section of the ‘Mahā∙Sati∙Paṭṭhāṇa Sutta’, the in&out-breath section of ‘The Great Mindfulness-Foundation Sutta’. In the preface (pp.1-23), the Sayadaw discusses the ‘Mahā∙Sati∙Paṭṭhāṇa Sutta’ within the context of other suttas where The Buddha discusses the practice necessary for realizing Nibbāna. Afterwards, the Sayadaw discusses the in&out-breath section of the sutta within the context of the remaining sections of ‘The Great Mindfulness-Foundation Sutta’. Afterwards, the entire in&out-breath section is quoted (pp.25-26). And there is a brief discussion of how one progresses from mundane samatha and vipassanā to supramundane samatha and vipassanā (p.27). The Sayadaw then discusses in practical detail The Buddha’s instructions on samatha in the in&out-breath section of the ‘Mahā∙Sati∙Paṭṭhāṇa Sutta’, beginning with Ever mindful he breathes in; ever mindful he breathes out; ending with ‘Tranquillizing the body formation, I shall breathe in ’: thus he trains. ‘Tranquillizing the body formation, I shall breathe out ’: thus he trains; this being the four stages of development for attaining the four jhānas (pp.28-36). The Sayadaw then discusses in practical detail The Buddha’s instructions on the four stages of vipassanā. First Thus he abides contemplating the body in the body internally, or he abides contemplating the body in the body externally, or he abides contemplating the body in the body internally and externally; this being direct know­ledge and contemplation of ultimate materiality and ultimate mentality through the elements contemplation section of the ‘Mahā∙Sati­∙Paṭ­ṭhāṇa Sutta’, as well as the sections of consciousness-, feelings- and dhammas contemplation (pp.37-60). Second He abides contemplating originating phenomena in the body; or he abides contemplating perishing phenomena in the body; or he abides contemplating [both] originating&perishing phenomena in the body; this being the direct know­ledge and contemplation of causal and momentary rise&perish (pp.61-65). Third Or mindfulness that ‘there is the body’ is established just sufficient for knowledge, sufficient for mindfulness; this being the higher mundane vipassanā knowledges, prior to the realization of Nibbāna (p.66). Fourth And he abides independent, and does not cling to anything in the world; this being the supramundane realization of Nibbāna (p.67). The Saya­daw describes each stage of samatha and vipassanā in terms of the Noble Eightfold Path, and he describes vipassanā in terms of the full knowledges described by The Buddha as necessary for realization of Nibbāna, quoted and discussed in the preface. Their mutual correspondence is shown in a table (p.69). Tables describe the phenomena that make up ultimate materiality (pp.41-45) and mentality (pp.51, 53, 56-59) as described by The Buddha, and their correspondence to the various classifications given by The Buddha in earlier quoted suttas (p.71): the five aggregates (p.72), twelve bases (p.73), eighteen elements (p.74), and four Noble Truths (p.75). [From a book published by Pa-Auk Meditation Centre, a Centre of Theravāda Buddhist Tradition]

Tranquillity Leading to Insight

Download Tranquillity Leading to Insight PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : AuthorHouse
ISBN 13 : 1665598190
Total Pages : 369 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (655 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Tranquillity Leading to Insight by : Chulan Sampathge

Download or read book Tranquillity Leading to Insight written by Chulan Sampathge and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2022-08-28 with total page 369 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores the theme of meditation practices. This subject is approached in a realistic manner whilst using historical settings to emphasise the power of the mind and the importance of training the mind to stay in the present moment. To find true happiness one needs to find the path leading to it. The principal aim of this book is to explain the practical application of Mindfulness to achieving spiritual awakening and ending suffering. This book also demonstrates the continued relevance of Buddhist teachings with regard to overcoming the psychological ramifications that obstruct the way to happiness. Distilled into twenty two chapters using readily accessible language this is a concise and comprehensive guide. With reference to a range of similar texts this book reveals how to extract the pure gold of consciousnesses as was taught by the enlightened Buddha. Grounded in profound scholarship and Buddhist philosophical psychology the book brings these ancient teachings to the modern world. This book also explores the historical times of the Buddha and shares the story of the cultural awakening that took place across South and South East Asia after his enlightenment.

Buddhism: The early Buddhist schools and doctrinal history ; Theravāda doctrine

Download Buddhism: The early Buddhist schools and doctrinal history ; Theravāda doctrine PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
ISBN 13 : 9780415332286
Total Pages : 336 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (322 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Buddhism: The early Buddhist schools and doctrinal history ; Theravāda doctrine by : Paul Williams

Download or read book Buddhism: The early Buddhist schools and doctrinal history ; Theravāda doctrine written by Paul Williams and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2005 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This eight-volume set brings together seminal papers in Buddhist studies from a vast range of academic disciplines published over the last forty years. With a new introduction by the editor, this collection is a unique and unrivalled research resource for both student and scholar. Coverage includes: - Buddhist origins; early history of Buddhism in South and Southeast Asia - early Buddhist Schools and Doctrinal History; Theravada Doctrine - the Origins and nature of Mahayana Buddhism; some Mahayana religious topics - Abhidharma and Madhyamaka - Yogacara, the Epistemological tradition, and Tathagatagarbha - Tantric Buddhism (Including China and Japan); Buddhism in Nepal and Tibet - Buddhism in South and Southeast Asia, and - Buddhism in China, East Asia, and Japan.

Pradnya Evolves the Buddha's Way

Download Pradnya Evolves the Buddha's Way PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Educreation Publishing
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 485 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Pradnya Evolves the Buddha's Way by : K D Gaikwad

Download or read book Pradnya Evolves the Buddha's Way written by K D Gaikwad and published by Educreation Publishing. This book was released on 2018-07-20 with total page 485 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Lord Buddha's world acclaimed, unassailable and ever- excelling prajna (pradnya) was haunting the author ever since. Pradnya has been ever escalated by an ordinary man to a Divine-Pitch never to be dislodged there from. This is not a myth; in fact it has been a vivid extraordinary human effort. Study of human evolution unfolds that we evolve, evolve and evolve over many centuries. It holds a challenge even today to modern organized scientific knowledge, how could life of such organized wisdom evolve in an early period of human evolution. The author has ventured to delve into a challenging subject. Does this mean that the Buddha could possibly stir and activate every possible brain neuron to design an impeccable human behavioral model ahead of many centuries which is not yet excelled? My book is innovative, inspiring, thought-provoking and confidence building, the only one first of its kind and attracts attention at once. Although, "The Kingdom of righteousness" was proclaimed by the Blessed One, some 500-600 years before Christian era, yet that remained obscured from the public glare for a long time. Until Sir Edvin Arnold released his poem "Light of Asia" in July 1879 in London, which flashed on a Master mind from Asia, second to none. "The Light of Asia" brought forth the reformer philosophy of a giant from Asia, which raised expectations of understanding of hope, belief of empire and gave a completely new impetus to the History of World thought. It revolutionized traditional thinking by shaking its very foundation.

The Expositor (Atthasālinī)

Download The Expositor (Atthasālinī) PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 286 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (334 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Expositor (Atthasālinī) by : Buddhaghosa

Download or read book The Expositor (Atthasālinī) written by Buddhaghosa and published by . This book was released on 1921 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Mind, Consciousness, Body

Download Mind, Consciousness, Body PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : iUniverse
ISBN 13 : 9781475940305
Total Pages : 546 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (43 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Mind, Consciousness, Body by : Robert G. Howard

Download or read book Mind, Consciousness, Body written by Robert G. Howard and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2012-08-31 with total page 546 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Good news at last; here are new and exact descriptions of the mind, consciousness, body, reality, time, nervous system taxonomy. Feel the stimulation of your curiosity into the ancient questions about the mind-body duality as you plan your research and publication program. How reality and three time dimensions emerge from the mind and consciousness. Easy to understand mathematical definitions of otherwise ambiguous terms. Each of fifty hypotheses will inspire you to publish more than your peers. Introducing all the recommendations you will need to design an experiment or a research project which will propel you to the credible and prestigious forefront of your field. Exact scientific answers to the problem of mind-consciousness-body are easily worth 4 hours of reading. These solutions will kick off your numerous insightful publications. The price of this book will yield massive funding for years of your research. The math is reduced to the bare minimum and is explained in detail so the reader can use it is his own publications. The mathematics is treated as an abbreviated language which is translated into natural language.

Indian Psychology Perception

Download Indian Psychology Perception PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1136346120
Total Pages : 408 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (363 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Indian Psychology Perception by : Jadunath Sinha

Download or read book Indian Psychology Perception written by Jadunath Sinha and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-10-08 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is Volume IV of six in a collection on Psychology and Religion. Originally published in 1934, this study looks at perception in Indian Psychology, it gives a brief compass, an outline of the most important topics of Indian Psychology.

Hypnosis and meditation

Download Hypnosis and meditation PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0191076902
Total Pages : 464 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (91 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Hypnosis and meditation by : Amir Raz

Download or read book Hypnosis and meditation written by Amir Raz and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2016-04-07 with total page 464 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Research over the past decade has helped to demystify hypnosis and meditation, bringing these practices into the scientific and clinical mainstream. Yet, while hypnosis and meditation overlap on many levels, few scientific accounts have explored their complementary rapprochement. Despite cultural and historical differences, hypnosis and meditation share common phenomenology, cognitive processes, and potential therapeutic merits. This book provides a synthesis of knowledge concerning the bridging of hypnosis and meditation. The authors adopt a trans-disciplinary approach considering cultural, historical, and philosophical perspectives to elucidate contemporary questions in cognitive, neurobiological, and clinical science. The book explores the relationship between hypnosis and meditation in five progressive sections: Part 1 investigates historical, cultural, and philosophical issues to contextualize the scientific study of contemplative practices. Part 2 presents a range of views concerning the similarities and differences between hypnosis and meditation. Part 3 explores the psychological and cognitive mechanisms at work. Part 4 integrates recent brain imaging findings to unravel the neural underpinnings. Finally, part 5 examines how juxtaposing hypnosis and meditation can enhance clinical applications. Hypnosis and Meditation is a valuable resource to both specialists as well as interested lay readers, and paves the road to a more unified science of how attention influences states of brain, body, and consciousness.

The Head Trip

Download The Head Trip PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Vintage Canada
ISBN 13 : 030737145X
Total Pages : 402 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (73 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Head Trip by : Jeff Warren

Download or read book The Head Trip written by Jeff Warren and published by Vintage Canada. This book was released on 2009-03-18 with total page 402 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A world at once familiar and unimaginably strange exists all around us, and within us – it is the vast realm of consciousness. In The Head Trip, science journalist Jeff Warren explores twelve distinct, natural states of consciousness available to us in a twenty-four-hour day, each state offering its own kind of knowledge and insight – its own adventure. The hypnagogic state, when our minds hover between waking and sleeping, can be a rich source of creativity and even compassion. Then there’s the Watch, an almost magical waking experience in the middle of the night that has been all but lost to electric light and modern sleep patterns. Daydreaming and trance, lucid dreaming, the Zone, and the Pure Conscious Event – from sleep laboratory to remote northern cabin, neurofeedback clinic to Buddhist retreat, Warren visits them all. Along the way, he talks to neuroscientists, chronobiologists, anthropologists, monks, and many others who illuminate his stories with cutting-edge science and age-old wisdom. On this trip, all are welcome and no drugs are required: all you need to pack are a functioning cerebrum and an open mind. Replete with stylish graphics and brightened by comic panels conceived and drawn by the author, The Head Trip is an instant classic, a brilliant and original description of the shifting experience of consciousness that’s also a practical guide to enhancing creativity and mental health. This book does not just inform and entertain – it shows how every one of us can expand upon the ways we experience being alive.

Meditations of the Pali Tradition

Download Meditations of the Pali Tradition PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Shambhala Publications
ISBN 13 : 0834844435
Total Pages : 337 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (348 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Meditations of the Pali Tradition by : L. S. Cousins

Download or read book Meditations of the Pali Tradition written by L. S. Cousins and published by Shambhala Publications. This book was released on 2022-09-27 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A groundbreaking and detailed presentation of the rich system of meditation traditions that have come to us through the Pali tradition of Buddhism. Meditations of the Pali Tradition, from consummate scholar of Pali Buddhism L. S. Cousins, explores the history of meditation practice in early or Pali Buddhism, which was established in various parts of South and Central Asia from the time of the Buddha and developed until at least the fourteenth century CE. Ranging in discussion of jhana (absorption) meditation in ancient India to the Buddhist practice centers of the Silk Road to the vipassana (insight) practices of our modern world, this rigorous and insightful work of scholarship sheds new light on our understanding of the practices that are today associated with the Theravada school of Buddhism and the insight meditation movement. Cousins demonstrates that there is much more to Buddhist meditation than mindfulness alone—concentration and joy, for example, are equally important.

Neoplatonism and Indian Thought

Download Neoplatonism and Indian Thought PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : State University of New York Press
ISBN 13 : 1438405871
Total Pages : 368 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (384 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Neoplatonism and Indian Thought by : R. Baine Harris

Download or read book Neoplatonism and Indian Thought written by R. Baine Harris and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 1981-06-30 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The nineteen essays that form this pioneering volume of comparative philosophy represent an exchange of ideas among specialists in Neoplatonism and specialists in Indian thought. These scholars have examined concepts and assertions that appear to be common to both philosophical traditions, as well as the possible historical influence of Indian sources upon late Greek philosophy, and specifically upon the Alexandrine Platonists. While most of the essays refer to Hinduism, several of them contain general surveys.

Buddhism and Indian Civilization

Download Buddhism and Indian Civilization PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Discovery Publishing House
ISBN 13 : 9788171418664
Total Pages : 306 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (186 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Buddhism and Indian Civilization by : R.K. Pruthi

Download or read book Buddhism and Indian Civilization written by R.K. Pruthi and published by Discovery Publishing House. This book was released on 2004 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Indian civilization and culture is not only ancient but is also extensive and varied. Many races and peoples have contributed and enriched it. Its key not is synthesis on the basis of eternal values. Thus the foundations of the two great ideals of Indian civilization synthesis of cultures and spiritual regeneration of man have been truly laid, on which future structure of India s culture and civilization has been raised. Contents: Life of Buddha, Buddhism, Buddhist Thought, Buddhist Ethics, The Doctrines of Buddhism, Buddhism Persecuted, Theravada Buddhism, The Buddhist Doctrine of Karma and Development of Indian Civilization, Contribution of Buddhism to Art, Some Saying of The Buddha, The Stability of Societies.

Meditation

Download Meditation PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1351506145
Total Pages : 744 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (515 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Meditation by : Jr. Shapiro

Download or read book Meditation written by Jr. Shapiro and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-07-12 with total page 744 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many claim that meditation is effective in the treatment of many ailments associated with stress and high blood pressure, and in the management of pain. While there are many popular books on meditation, few embrace the science as well as the art of meditation. In this volume, Shapiro and Walsh fill this need by assembling a complete collection of scholarly articles--Meditation: Classic and Contemporary Perspectives. From an academic rather than a popular vantage, the volume takes the claims and counterclaims about meditation to a deeper analytical level by including studies from clinical psychology and psychiatry, neuroscience, psychophysiology, and biochemistry. Each selection is a contribution to the field, either as a classic of research, or by being methodologically elegant, heuristically interesting, or creative. Original articles cover such topics as the effects of meditation in the treatment of stress, hypertension, and addictions; the comparison of meditation with other self-regulation strategies; the adverse effects of meditation; and meditation-induced altered states of consciousness. Concluding with a major bibliography of related works, Meditation offers the reader a valuable overview of the state and possible future directions of meditation research. Today, in the popular media and elsewhere, debate continues: Is meditation an effective technique for spiritual and physical healing, or is it quackery? Meditation: Classic and Contemporary Perspectives weighs in on this debate by presenting what continues to be the most complete collection of scholarly articles ever amassed on the subject of meditation.

Meditation

Download Meditation PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : AldineTransaction
ISBN 13 : 9781412849951
Total Pages : 756 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (499 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Meditation by : Deane H. Shapiro (Jr.)

Download or read book Meditation written by Deane H. Shapiro (Jr.) and published by AldineTransaction. This book was released on with total page 756 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many claim that meditation is effective in the treatment of many ailments associated with stress and high blood pressure, and in the management of pain. While there are many popular books on meditation, few embrace the science as well as the art of meditation. In this volume, Shapiro and Walsh fill this need by assembling a complete collection of scholarly articles--Meditation: Classic and Contemporary Perspectives. From an academic rather than a popular vantage, the volume takes the claims and counterclaims about meditation to a deeper analytical level by including studies from clinical psychology and psychiatry, neuroscience, psychophysiology, and biochemistry. Each selection is a contribution to the field, either as a classic of research, or by being methodologically elegant, heuristically interesting, or creative. Original articles cover such topics as the effects of meditation in the treatment of stress, hypertension, and addictions; the comparison of meditation with other self-regulation strategies; the adverse effects of meditation; and meditation-induced altered states of consciousness. Concluding with a major bibliography of related works, Meditation offers the reader a valuable overview of the state and possible future directions of meditation research. Today, in the popular media and elsewhere, debate continues: Is meditation an effective technique for spiritual and physical healing, or is it quackery? Meditation: Classic and Contemporary Perspectives weighs in on this debate by presenting what continues to be the most complete collection of scholarly articles ever amassed on the subject of meditation.