Foreword xvii
Introduction 1
About This Book 1
Foolish Assumptions 3
Icons Used in This Book 3
Beyond the Book 4
Where to Go from Here 4
Part 1: Getting Started With Meditation 5
Chapter 1: Embarking on Your Meditation Journey 7
Getting an Overview of How the Journey Unfolds 9
Different paths up the same mountain 9
The view from the summit — and from other peaks along the way 11
The taste of pure mountain water 12
There’s no place like home — and you’ve already arrived! 13
Developing and Directing Awareness: The Key to Meditation 16
Building concentration 17
Opening to receptive awareness 18
Using contemplation for greater insight 19
Cultivating positive, healing states of mind 19
Making Meditation Your Own 20
Designing your own practice 20
Troubleshooting the challenges 21
Chapter 2: Why Meditate? 23
How Life Drives You — to Meditate 24
The myth of the perfect life 24
When things keep falling apart 25
Dealing with the postmodern predicament 27
Four popular “solutions” that don’t really work 29
How to Survive the 21st Century — with Meditation 30
Advanced technology for the mind and heart 31
The mind-body benefits of meditation 32
A Dozen More Great Reasons to Meditate 35
Awakening to the present moment 35
Making friends with yourself 35
Connecting more deeply with others 35
Relaxing the body and calming the mind 36
Lightening up! 36
Enjoying more happiness 36
Experiencing focus and flow 36
Feeling more centered, grounded, and balanced 37
Enhancing your performance at work and at play 37
Increasing appreciation, gratitude, and love 37
Aligning with a deeper sense of purpose 37
Awakening to a spiritual dimension of being 38
Chapter 3: Zen and Now: Where Meditation Comes From 39
Making the Indian Connection 41
Classical yoga: The path of blissful union 41
Early Buddhism: The roots of mindfulness meditation 42
Indian tantra: Finding the sacred in the world of the senses 43
To the Roof of the World — and Beyond 44
Ch’an (Zen): The sound of one hand 44
Vajrayana Buddhism: The way of transformation 45
From the Middle East to the Rest of the West 46
Christian meditation: Practicing contemplative prayer 46
Meditation in Judaism: Drawing closer to God 48
Meditation among the Sufis: Surrendering to the Divine with every breath 49
The Americanization of Meditation 50
Transcendentalism and Theosophy (1840–1900) 50
Yoga and Zen prepare the soil (1900–1960) 51
Meditation reaches Main Street (1960 to the present) 51
The Latest Developments in Meditation 53
Take two meditations and call me in the morning 53
Talking back to Prozac 54
Transforming classrooms with mindfulness 55
Meditation in the workplace 55
Chapter 4: Your Brain on Meditation and How It Impacts Your Life 57
Tracing the Origins of Meditation Research 58
Wiring up yogis and Zen monks 58
Studying TM and the relaxation response 60
Measuring the health benefits of meditation 61
Assessing the limitations of the early research 62
Mapping the Meditative Brain 62
Shifting mindfulness to center stage: Jon Kabat-Zinn and MBSR 63
Creating a working map of the brain 65
Pinpointing the location of positive emotions 65
Seeing how meditation changes the brain 66
Part 2: Beginning Your Meditation Practice 69
Chapter 5: Laying the Foundation: Motivation, Attitude, and Beginner’s Mind 71
Beginning (and Ending) with Beginner’s Mind 72
Exploring What Motivates You to Meditate 74
Improving your life 77
Understanding and accepting yourself 77
Realizing your true nature 78
Awakening others 78
Expressing your innate perfection 78
Living in Harmony with Your Meditation 79
Chapter 6: How Your Mind Stresses You Out and What You Can Do about It 83
Taking a Tour of Your Inner Terrain 84
Sifting through the layers of inner experience 85
Discovering how turbulence clouds your mind and heart 89
The Bad News: How Your Mind Stresses You Out 92
Preoccupation with past and future 94
Resistance to the way things are 94
A judging and comparing mind 95
Learned helplessness and pessimism 96
Overwhelming emotions 96
Fixation of attention 97
Clinging to a separate self 98
The Good News: How Meditation Relieves Suffering and Stress 98
Developing focus and concentration 99
Allowing spontaneous release 100
Penetrating your experience with insight 100
Chapter 7: Mindfulness Meditation: Awareness of the Here and Now 105
Turning Your Attention Inward 106
Relaxing Your Body 108
Developing Mindfulness 110
Focusing on your breath 110
Expanding to sensations 114
Welcoming whatever arises 115
Training Your Puppy: Reining In Your Wandering Mind 116
Chapter 8: Preparing Your Body for Meditation 119
Putting a Snake into a Stick of Bamboo — or the Subtle Art of Sitting Still 120
How to Sit Up Straight — and Live to Tell About It 121
What to do from the waist down — and other fantasies 124
Straightening your spine without rigor mortis 128
Zafus, benches, and other exotic paraphernalia 131
Chapter 9: Where to Sit, What to Wear, and Other Practical Stuff 137
What to Wear: Choosing Comfort over Fashion 138
When to Meditate: Any Time’s the Right Time 139
First thing in the morning 139
Before bed 139
Right after work 139
Lunch hours and coffee breaks 140
While waiting for your kids and at other predictable downtimes 141
How Long to Meditate: From Quickies to the Long Haul 141
What to Eat and Drink — and Avoid — before You Meditate 142
Where to Meditate: Creating Sacred Space 143
Why it’s best to stay put 144
How to pick the right spot 144
How to set up an altar — and why you may want to bother 145
Chapter 10: Just Doing It: Discipline, Effort, and Letting Go 149
Discipline Just Means “Again and Again” 150
Making a commitment to yourself — and keeping it 150
Being consistent, day after day 151
Restraining yourself, both on and off the cushion 152
The Right Kind of Effort: Not Too Tight or Too Loose 153
Giving your energy 100 percent 154
Applying yourself earnestly 154
Making an effortless effort 154
Knowing How to Let Go and What to Let Go Of 157
Suspending judgment 157
Accepting 158
Letting go 158
Unmasking 158
Surrendering 159
Chapter 11: Opening Your Heart with Love and Compassion 161
How Your Heart Closes — and How You Can Open It Again 162
Some factors that keep closing your heart 163
Some good reasons for keeping it open 164
Discovering your “soft spot” 166
Love begins with you 167
Feeling out the four dimensions of love 168
Generating Love for Yourself and Others 169
Opening the gates 170
Directing the flow 170
Transforming Suffering with Compassion 172
Some preliminary exercises for generating compassion 173
Transforming suffering with the power of the heart 174
Part 3: Troubleshooting and Fine-Tuning Your Practice 179
Chapter 12: Meditating with Challenging Emotions and Habitual Patterns 181
Making Friends with Your Experience 182
Embracing your thoughts and feelings 183
Naming your experience 183
Welcoming whatever arises 184
Meditating with Challenging Emotions 185
Anger 186
Fear and anxiety 187
Sadness, grief, and depression 189
Unraveling Habitual Patterns with Awareness 190
Naming your “tunes” 191
Expanding your awareness 191
Feeling your feelings 191
Noticing your resistance and attachment 191
Finding the wisdom 192
Getting to the heart of the matter 193
Infusing the stuck place with being 194
Working with patterns before you get stuck 194
Setting Patterns Aside — for Now 195
Letting go (or letting be) 195
Shifting attention 196
Moving the energy 196
Acting it out in imagination 196
Acting it out in real life — mindfully 197
When Meditation May Not Be Right for You Now 199
Choosing a Therapist to Help with Your Patterns 200
Talk is important, but you need to do more 200
Shop around 201
Choose the person, not the credentials 201
Find a therapist who meditates 201
Chapter 13: Troubleshooting Common Roadblocks and Side Effects 203
Navigating the Roadblocks on Your Meditative Journey 204
Sleepiness 205
Restlessness 205
Boredom 206
Fear 206
Doubt 206
Procrastination 208
Hypervigilance 208
Self-judgment 208
Attachment and desire 209
Pride 210
Avoidance 210
Bypassing 211
Enjoying the Side Effects of Meditation without Getting Sidetracked 211
Rapture and bliss 212
Visions and other sensory experiences 213
Waves of emotion 214
Energetic openings 214
Chapter 14: Developing a Practice That Works for You 221
Fitting the Puzzle Pieces Together 222
Know your motivation 223
Play to your strengths and fill in the gaps 224
Experiment, trust your intuition, and then settle down 225
Create a regular practice 225
Whenever Two or More of You: Meditating with Others 228
Joining or forming a meditation group 228
Attending your first workshop or retreat 229
Monk for a day: Creating your own solitary retreat 230
Part 4: Meditation In Action 233
Chapter 15: Cultivating Spirituality 235
What Does Spirituality Mean, Anyway? 236
The “perennial philosophy”: Where all religions converge 238
From faith to fruition: The levels of spiritual involvement 240
Dissolving or expanding the self: The point of spiritual practice 241
The Path of Devotion: In Search of Union 245
Mantra: Invoking the Divine in every moment 247
The practice of the presence of God 247
Guru yoga: Tibetan devotional practice 248
The Path of Insight: Discovering Who You Are 250
Expanding your boundaries 251
Looking into the nature of mind 253
Asking “Who am I?” 254
How to Find a Teacher — and Why You May Want to Bother 255
Choosing the right kind of teacher 256
Why you may need a teacher 257
What to look for in a teacher 258
How to find a teacher 260
Chapter 16: Don’t Worry, Be Happy — with Meditation 263
Checking Out the Hallmarks of Genuine Happiness 264
Recognizing happiness as your inherent condition 264
Experiencing a predominance of positive emotions 266
Accepting what life brings 267
Being in the flow of life 268
Meaning and belonging 268
Understanding an integrated definition of happiness 269
Studying Up on the Art and Science of Happiness 270
Why bother being happy? 270
The Buddhist understanding of happiness 271
The science of meditation and happiness 271
The insights of positive psychology 272
Finding True Happiness with Meditation 274
Savoring the moment 274
Fostering flow 275
Developing gratitude 276
Learning to forgive 277
Cultivating optimism 279
Chapter 17: Meditating in Everyday Life 281
Being at Peace with Every Step: Extending Meditation in Action 282
Coming back to your breath 283
Listening to the bell of mindfulness 284
Repeating a phrase to help yourself be mindful 285
Noticing how situations affect you 287
Applying meditation to familiar activities 287
The Family That Meditates Together: Partners, Children, and Other Loved Ones 291
Meditating with kids 291
Meditating with partners and family members 293
Meditative lovemaking 293
Chapter 18: Using Meditation for Healing and Performance Enhancement 297
Meditation Has the Power to Help Heal Your Body, Too 298
What healing really means 299
Understanding how meditation heals 300
Embracing the healing power of imagery 304
Exploring five healing meditations 305
Meditation Can Enhance Your Performance at Work and Play 312
Enjoying past success 314
Rehearsing peak performance 315
Starting your workday with mindfulness 316
Part 5: The Part of Tens 319
Chapter 19: Ten Commonly Asked Questions about Meditation 321
Will Meditation Make Me Too Relaxed or Spaced Out to Succeed at Work or School? 321
How Can I Find the Time to Meditate in My Busy Schedule? 322
Can I Meditate in a Chair or Lying Down Instead of Cross-Legged on the Floor? 323
What Should I Do about the Restlessness or Discomfort I Experience While Meditating? 323
What Should I Do If I Keep Falling Asleep While I Meditate? 324
How Do I Know If I’m Meditating the Right Way? 325
Can I Meditate While I’m Driving My Car or Sitting at My Computer? 325
Do I Have to Give Up My Religious Beliefs to Meditate? 326
What Should I Do If My Loved Ones Don’t Support My Meditation Practice? 326
Can Meditation Really Improve My Health? 327
Chapter 20: Ten Favorite All-Purpose Meditations 329
Practicing Relaxation 329
Following Your Breath 330
Walking Meditation 331
Mindful Eating 332
Cultivating Lovingkindness 333
Softening Your Belly 334
Healing with Light 335
Grounding into the Earth 336
Practicing a Half Smile 337
Peaceful Place 337
Part 6: Appendixes 339
Appendix A: Meditation Resources 341
Organizations and Centers 341
Secular approaches 342
Spiritual approaches 343
Websites 347
Books 349
Appendix B: About the Audio Tracks 353
How to Access the Audio Tracks 353
What You’ll Find on Dummies.com 353
Index 355
