Secular Meditation: 32 Practices for Cultivating Inner Peace, Compassion, and Joy - A Guide from the Humanist Community at Harvard, by Rick Heller
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Secular Meditation: 32 Practices for Cultivating Inner Peace, Compassion, and Joy - A Guide from the Humanist Community at Harvard, by Rick Heller
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Meditation is a form of mental exercise with numerous scientifically verified physical and psychological benefits. As meditation teacher Rick Heller shows, the benefits of the practice extend beyond the personal to enrich relationships with others, with one’s community, and with the world. In Secular Meditation, step-by-step instructions, personal stories, and provocative questions teach empathy for others, stress reduction, and the kind of in-the-moment living that fosters appreciation for life and resilience in the face of adversity. Heller simplifies what is often found mysterious, describing and providing detailed instructions for thirty-two different practices, ensuring that anyone can find the right one.
Secular Meditation: 32 Practices for Cultivating Inner Peace, Compassion, and Joy - A Guide from the Humanist Community at Harvard, by Rick Heller - Amazon Sales Rank: #286335 in eBooks
- Published on: 2015-10-19
- Released on: 2015-10-19
- Format: Kindle eBook
Secular Meditation: 32 Practices for Cultivating Inner Peace, Compassion, and Joy - A Guide from the Humanist Community at Harvard, by Rick Heller Review “Grounded in solid research on the brain and physical and mental health — and full of practical ideas and methods — this friendly, down-to-earth guide is a wonderful resource for both beginners and longtime meditators.”— Rick Hanson, PhD, author of Hardwiring Happiness and Buddha’s Brain“Everyone, regardless of views or beliefs, can develop happiness and wisdom. In Secular Meditation, Rick Heller and the Humanist Community at Harvard offer a straightforward way for nonreligious people to connect with their inner capabilities for compassion and clarity.”— Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness and Real Happiness“An ideal introduction for those new to the practice, as well as a valuable compendium offering fresh perspectives for seasoned meditators.”— Stephen Batchelor, author of Buddhism Without Beliefs and After Buddhism"This book is an ideal guide for those who want to study meditation and mindfulness but are put off by the focus on Buddhism or religion in general."— Library Journal (starred review)'The very short review of Rick Heller’s Secular Meditation: If you’re curious about secular meditation and mindfulness, there’s finally a book for you. And it’s a good one.”— The Humanist“In simple, accessible language, Secular Meditation introduces practices that profoundly transform our hearts and consciousness. Through a rich weave of stories, teachings, meditations, and inquiry, this book offers trustworthy guidance on the journey of awakening.”— Tara Brach, Ph.D., author of Radical Acceptance and True Refuge“This book — at once simple and profound — is a joy to read. Rick Heller manages to capture the essence of traditional Buddhist practices and translate them into a no-nonsense secular format. His suggestions for practice are straightforward and can be easily incorporated into daily life.”— Kristin Neff, Ph.D., associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin and author of Self-Compassion“This book has the potential to benefit many people. Rick has a light and yet substantial style that makes his writing lovely and approachable. He is clearly practicing what he is writing about, which makes for an authentic and sincere offering to this world. ”— Narayan Helen Liebenson, guiding teacher at the Cambridge Insight Meditation Center and the Insight Meditation Society“Secular Meditation is a clear and generous adaptation of Buddhist and other practices for the humanist community. It is a great book for people who believe that the human mind can be trained just as the body can but who are uncomfortable with any supernatural claims. It is simple and accessible, opening doors to generosity, clarity, and joyfulness in this life.”— James Ishmael Ford, author of If You’re Lucky, Your Heart Will Break“Rick Heller combines his secular humanist worldview with his expertise in guiding weekly meditation sessions, producing a unique reference work that’s approachable, practical, and based firmly in the natural world. This book fills a gap in the current literature: a workable guide to meditation in theory and practice for a secular audience.”— Ted Meissner, founder of the Secular Buddhist Association and host of the Secular Buddhist podcast“Rick Heller’s book represents a milestone in the emergence of a truly naturalistic form of contemplative practice. It will do much to help more people find happiness in life.”— Daniel Strain, executive director of the Spiritual Naturalist Society“I can’t say for sure, but we may be seeing the beginning of a major revolution. This revolution is in some ways a natural next step from the Scientific Revolution that occurred about five hundred years ago and the Neolithic Revolution that occurred many millennia before that. Ever since the Neolithic, human spirituality has tended to center on a literal interpretation of organized myth. The Scientific Revolution decentered those myths. So is humanity now left without a source of deep meaning and moral compass? Perhaps not. The Mindfulness Revolution offers a totally new direction: industrial-strength psycho-spiritual growth based on industrial-strength attentional skills — concentration power, sensory clarity, and equanimity. This book offers a rich banquet, inviting you to taste many flavors of mindfulness.”— Shinzen Young, director of Vipassana Support International“Secular Meditation is a wonderfully practical book grounded in the latest neuroscience. Rick Heller shows readers how one can mindfully learn to love others and be loved by others. It provides a step-by-step guide for anyone who wants to live a happy life.”— Paul J. Zak, PhD, author of The Moral Molecule“Secular Meditation by Rick Heller is a wonderful door-opener for people who are interested in the benefits and how-to of meditation and mindfulness practices but who are skeptical about the religious sources. Heller, the meditation teacher for the Humanist Community at Harvard, has collected thirty-two practices that will have something for every curious reader. His style is warm and engaging, with great stories sprinkled in, and he pulls the reader into trying out attention and kindness practices from all different angles to find their right fit.”— Christiane Wolf, MD, PhD, coauthor of A Clinician’s Guide to Teaching Mindfulness
About the Author Meditation teacher Rick Heller leads the Humanist Mindfulness Group at the Humanist Community at Harvard. A freelance journalist, he has written for the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, Buddhadharma, Free Inquiry, Tikkun, and Wise Brain Bulletin. He has attended workshops and retreats at the Cambridge Insight Meditation Center, the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, and the Insight Meditation Society. He holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from MIT, a master's degree in public policy from Harvard University, and a master's degree in journalism from Boston University.
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Most helpful customer reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in cultivating innerpeace, compassion and joy. By Marilyn Dalrymple I found this book educational, interesting and easy to understand. The subject, meditation from the view of someone who identifies himself as a humanist, is somewhat a new perspective for me. I enjoyed reading author Rick Heller’s viewpoint, and gained insight not only about meditation, but about someone who is a humanist.Readers are taken through meditation exercises in easy to follow and understand steps. The first chapter introduces us to, “The meditation of loving-kindness or metta meditation.” The reader is guided through the steps of the meditation exercise, then the practice is personalized. This is what, I think, makes the exercise in this book powerful – the lessons are personalized.At the end of each part of the book, there is a “Frequently Asked Questions section about . . .. (fill in the subject).” Further explanations are offered, and the questions asked are realistic – not just questions that would please the author.Part two of the book is “Finding Inner Peace.” Don’t we all want this? Part two discusses the cultivation of an attitude of kindness. The exercise is “Mindfulness of Breath Meditation.” Preparation for the exercise is clearly explained as is the exercise itself. Performing the exercise is not something that needs to be stressed over even if you are new to meditating. Heller offers suggestions and options that will make the it easier. Then, a discussion of the subject and exercise is given; the dialog goes more deeply into the subject.Part three is “Cultivating Joy.” Walking meditation is used for this exercise. How to perform the walking meditation is explained, then a discussion digs more deeply into the practice. Stories of other people’s experiences are presented and these offerings bring the encounters of others who are discovering the methods and the aspect of being a humanist, more to life.Part four covers, “Additional Practices.” One of the additional practices I found particularly interesting was “Intentional Daydreaming.” Another was “Mindful Speech and Listening.” This, we learn is simply learning to communicate with kindness in mind. A great lesson for all.The back of the book offers a list of resources, and a glossary. Secular Meditation is complete and thorough. I enjoyed being exposed to the Humanist Community at Harvard, which is the leader of the Humanist Mindfulness Group at the Humanist Community at Harvard.I would recommend this book to anyone wanting a new, fulfilling and informational read.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. A Compendium of Mindfulness Practices By Mark J. Knickelbine I am pleased to be able to endorse Secular Meditation: 32 Practices for Cultivating Inner Peace, Compassion, and Joy, by Rick Heller. A journalist and meditation teacher, Rick is one of the founders and facilitators of the Humanist Mindfulness Group and the Humanist Community at Harvard, where he had a chance to field test many of the contemplative techniques he shares specifically with a skeptical audience. Secular Mediation is a guide to spirituality without religion, one that will help anyone integrate a non-supernatural contemplative practice into their lives.The blurb pages of the book read like a who’s who of the worlds of mindfulness and nondogmatic Buddhism, including Stephen Batchelor, Sharon Salzberg, Rick Hanson, Tara Brach, and other luminaries, and it’s not difficult to understand why. Rick does not neglect the theoretical aspects of the philosophy of humanism and how it relates to Buddhism and other philosophical systems, such as stoicism. He also shares neurological, psychological and social research that sheds light on human behavior and the effects of meditation. But the emphasis here is thoroughly on practice, and the result is a compendium of meditation and mindfulness techniques that extend from simple seated practice to integrating present moment awareness in the thick of daily life. Included are a rich bibliography and resource list.I think my favorite aspect of Rick’s book, besides its comprehensiveness, is its emphasis on loving kindness. In fact, this is the only book on meditation for beginners that I’m aware of that actually starts, not with body or breath contemplations, but with loving kindness and compassion practice. It’s an unusual choice because heart cultivation practices can be quite challenging for many people, experienced meditators as well as beginners. But I believe that these techniques are a powerful source of inspiration and motivation that help us reap the fruits of our practice.Rick brings this heartful attitude to every imaginable kind of contemplative practice: cultivating all four brahmaviharas; awareness of the breath, sound, and body; working with mantras; walking and other movement practices; noting of thoughts and emotions; mindful eating; and even mindful reading, contemplative photography, and just watching TV. If you think you can’t meditate, I think you will find some practice here that you can do.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. A nicely referenced "how to" manual! By Alton Mitchell While I don't consider myself a very meditative person (and still don’t really), I found this book a nice read on several levels. Initially, I found the book somewhat direct, not a naturally soothing read which I think I expected a meditation book to be. However, by the end of the second chapter, I had experienced my “cloud clearing” which made me enjoy the book much more. It was then that I first saw it as a “how to” book… an instruction manual for how to do the specific practices which are detailed rather thoroughly. Once I had that enlightenment, everything fit together much more nicely for me… the content, the tone, the directness, the repetition, etc.. As a reference for how to do a specific meditation for a specific result, the practices are easy to find without requiring a lengthy search through block text. Given that I tend to automatically equate meditation with a religious exercise and experience, I was somewhat apprehensive of the book’s ability to convince me otherwise, but it did. The book gave references to where the meditation and practices originated, which I liked from a historic perspective, and openly described the components selected to end up with secular results. The bottom line is the book accomplished what I think the author set out to do. Many of the books I read get passed on to someone else; this one ended up on my shelf.
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Secular Meditation: 32 Practices for Cultivating Inner Peace, Compassion, and Joy - A Guide from the Humanist Community at Harvard, by Rick Heller
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Secular Meditation: 32 Practices for Cultivating Inner Peace, Compassion, and Joy - A Guide from the Humanist Community at Harvard, by Rick Heller
Secular Meditation: 32 Practices for Cultivating Inner Peace, Compassion, and Joy - A Guide from the Humanist Community at Harvard, by Rick Heller
Secular Meditation: 32 Practices for Cultivating Inner Peace, Compassion, and Joy - A Guide from the Humanist Community at Harvard, by Rick Heller
