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The cover of Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion

Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion

Sam Harris

Can you find deep meaning and calm without religion, by looking closely at your own mind?

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At a glance

Author
Sam Harris

Why read it

  • You will learn to look closely at your own mind and test the claim that the self you feel is an illusion
  • You will learn to treat consciousness itself as something you can study and train, not only talk about
  • You will see how spiritual practice can be separated from religious doctrine and tested against what science knows

Who it is for

  • Skeptics who want calm without faith claims
  • Meditators who wonder what the practice is for
  • Overthinkers who feel trapped in their own thoughts

Contents

  1. Chapter 1
  2. Spirituality
  3. THE SEARCH FOR HAPPINESS
  4. RELIGION, EAST AND WEST
  5. MINDFULNESS
  6. THE TRUTH OF SUFFERING
  7. ENLIGHTENMENT
  8. Chapter 2
  9. The Mystery of Consciousness
  10. THE MIND DIVIDED
  11. STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION
  12. ARE OUR MINDS ALREADY SPLIT?
  13. CONSCIOUS AND UNCONSCIOUS PROCESSING IN THE BRAIN
  14. CONSCIOUSNESS IS WHAT MATTERS
  15. Chapter 3
  16. The Riddle of the Self
  17. WHAT ARE WE CALLING “I”?
  18. CONSCIOUSNESS WITHOUT SELF
  19. LOST IN THOUGHT
  20. THE CHALLENGE OF STUDYING THE SELF
  21. PENETRATING THE ILLUSION
  22. Chapter 4
  23. Meditation
  24. GRADUAL VERSUS SUDDEN REALIZATION
  25. DZOGCHEN: TAKING THE GOAL AS THE PATH
  26. HAVING NO HEAD
  27. THE PARADOX OF ACCEPTANCE
  28. Chapter 5
  29. Gurus, Death, Drugs, and Other Puzzles
  30. MIND ON THE BRINK OF DEATH
  31. THE SPIRITUAL USES OF PHARMACOLOGY
  32. Conclusion
  33. About Sam Harris

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