The Mind Illuminated - A Complete Meditation Guide Integrating Buddhist Wisdom and Brain Science

Once we have completely calmed the mind—stopped thinking and reacting—then we can step over the threshold into our inner being, where everybody really belongs. What we experience at that moment of entry is utter delight. That is an indication that we are in the first jhana. Immediately after feeling this utter delight, the first reaction of the min... See more

way. If liberation is the central aspiration of your life, periods of intensive meditation practice can be of inestimable value. They generate tremendous energy, power, and insight. But there are also cycles of living actively in the world, developing generosity, morality, truthfulness, and compassion, qualities more easily expressed in daily life

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Three Wisdom Tools To take this journey inward, we’re going to engage the three prajnas, or “wisdom tools,” of hearing, contemplating, and meditating.6 Hearing, or reading, about something leads to contemplating upon it, which leads to meditating on it. By reading and thinking about this material, you will be engaging the first two wisdom tools. In

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Second: discipline yourself to remain mentally in the now. Don’t allow the mind to daydream, and don’t worry about the future. Sure, you can make plans for future things that need to be organized today, but don’t future-think too much. Stay centered in the eternal present. Working on trusting and exercising the muscle of your perception, it grows q

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