Stephan BodianBesprekingen

Not bad introduction but there are better. The area of mindfulness has thousands of books that are more memorable than this dummies one.

Stop sleepwalking through life. The secrets of peace and happiness are right in front of your eyes. It's time to open them.

To wake up to your authentic spiritual nature, you don't need to spend countless years sitting in a Zen monastery, undergo a near-death experience, or travel halfway around the world to study with celebrated teachers. Enlightenment is right here, right now. It is yours for the taking. You only have to open your eyes and recognize it once and for all.

In this illuminating book, acclaimed spiritual teacher Stephan Bodian takes you on a journey straight to the heart of your true self. The journey may be filled with challenges, but the rewards are precious beyond belief. By lifting the veil and seeing yourself for who you truly are, you can at last find peace and contentment in everything you do.

A profound and practical guidebook for this extraordinary journey, Wake Up Now gives you a step-by-step road map for walking the pathless path at every stage of your spiritual quest, from your first moments of seeking to your initial glimpse of awakening through the ongoing process of embodying your realization in everyday life. With gentle direction, free from complicated jargon or elaborate practices, Stephan Bodian provides you with the tools you need to follow your path, including customized 'Breathe and Reflect' exercises in every chapter and 'Wake-Up Calls' that offer you daily ways to glimpse the deeper truth behind the ordinary.

But be warned: the teachings here have the popwer to transform your life in unexpected ways. By the time you finish this book, you may be forever changed.

Stephan Bodian is the former editor-in-chief of Yoga Journal, author of the best-selling guidebook Meditation for Dummies, and coauthor of Buddhism for Dummies. Founder and director of the School for Awakening, he has studied with some of the great spiritual masters of our age. After a series of deepening awakenings, his life is now devoted to igniting and fostering the flame of truth in others through his counseling, mentoring, teaching, and writing.

'Both profound and practical, Wake Up Now guides the reader through the intricacies of awakening as only someone who has walked the walk themselves can do. The clarity and compassion it offers are both rare and welcome.'-Adyashanti, author of The Impact of Awakeneing and Emptiness Dancing

By simply picking up this book, you've stumbled onto a path that's been hidden from you-until now. It's the path to enlightenment, and it has been traveled by countless individuals through the ages. But this path is a pathless one, a road that keeps changing as your own journey endlessly unfolds. Wake Up Now is your guide for this incredible journey. It won't tell you how many miles you must travel or whether the path will fork left or right, but it will offer you direct pointers that invite you to awaken now and show you how to navigate the obstacles, whether exernal or internal, that might block your path.

Whether you're new to the path of awakening or an accomplished seeker in search of further guidance, this book will show you that enlightenment is always avaliable, right here and right now-just open your eyes.

Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1 Entering the gateless gate
Chapter 2 Seeking without a seeker
Chapter 3 Freedom from the known
Chapter 4 The practice of presence
Chapter 5 Who is experiencing this moment right now?
Chapter 6 Spontaneous awakening
Chapter 7 In the wake of awakening
Chapter 8 Embodying the light
Chapter 9 Freeing the dark inside the light
Chapter 10 The awakened life
Other books you might enjoy (bibliography)
Index

> Babelio : https://www.babelio.com/livres/Bodian-Zen--La-meditation-pour-les-nuls/82159

In the past decade, researchers have discovered what great meditators have known all along - meditation has unrivaled power to quiet your mind, relax your body, improve your health, and bring more love and joy into your life. While over 5 million Americans meditate regularly, millions more remain unaware of the physical, mental, and spiritual well-being that can result from such a simple practice. "Meditation For Dummies" guides you down the road to increased awareness and inner peace. It also covers the historical origins and traditional wisdom behind modern meditation practice. Relax, take a deep breath, and we'll do the rest.

I liked the approach of this book. It was very interesting and I think it has a lot to teach. Unfortunately, I still feel like I am at the beginning of my path and hence would recommend this book to someone who has a basic grasp of mindfulness.

I liked the approach of this book. It was very interesting and I think it has a lot to teach. Unfortunately, I still feel like I am at the beginning of my path and hence would recommend this book to someone who has a basic grasp of mindfulness.

In Beyond Mindfulness, Stephen Bodian gives pointers and guided meditations to move a practitioner beyond the basics of a mindfulness practice. In the introduction, he proclaims that this book is accessible for anyone, whether or not you have a regular practice. However, I found that the concepts and ideas build off instructions and experiences of meditation and I think it would be difficult to put these ideas into play if you haven't had some prior experience. The basis of the book is that people can become complacent in a meditation practice and use meditation as a crutch, be focused on self as a witness and maintain a separateness that prevents true "awareness". His terminology for the next step is "awakened awareness" and while the concepts are interesting and the meditations are a start, like much of mindfulness in general, putting these ideas into practice are a lot of trial and error. It is a good addition to a library for practitioners of mindfulness who feel like they are in a rut or enjoy their practice and would like to level up.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks!

Definitely the book to start with as a beginner - it explains what meditation is (and even more important, what it is not). Especially appreciated were chap 18 - "ten favorite all-purpose meditations" and chap 19 - "ten meditation research studies - and what they mean for you". Very user friendly and practical with a great resources section if you wish to delve further into the subject. Enjoyable to read and recommended.

As a self-help book junkie, I compulsively read a lot in this venue. I would rank this book as one of the ten best of the hundreds this sixty year old has read. Why? The author, has travelled the buddhist path, a former Zen monk. He has been qualified as a psychologist. Most impressively, he writes pithily, and penetrates the normal self-help "schlock" to strike at the heart of consciousness change. It penetrates creatively beyond most self help material. And you had better understand what "enlightenment" means to you because you will have a different "take" on it by the book's end.

If you are like me, and are beginning to explore meditation, this book will be a wonderful addition to your library. Bodian, the author, is the former editor-in-chief of Yoga Journal. He explains meditation in a down to earth manner, and guides you every step of the way. The book covers various types of meditation without favoring one over the other. It offers an informative, practical, and comprehensive look at meditation. I don't know if it would be useful for a seasoned meditation practitioner, but it is certainly the best book for a beginner like me.

Guter Einstieg in die "unabhängige" Meditation, 10. November 2004
Das Dummies-Buch über Meditation hat sehr viel an Informationen für den Meditations-Einsteiger zusammengefasst - und das Ganze so verpackt, dass das Lesen Spass macht und der Anreiz, die Übungen nachzumachen, groß ist.
Dabei wird Meditation hier unabhängig von einer Religion, Weltanschauung oder einem größeren, übergeordneten Ziel präsentiert, als Übung und Haltung, mit der sich Ruhe, Wellness, vielleicht sogar Gesundung und Kontakt zum Spirituellen an sich, die Erfahrung des Transzendenten gewinnen lassen. Vielleicht, um an dem Punkt stehen zu bleiben, vielleicht, um dann darüber hinaus nach Weiterem zu suchen.
Mir gefällt das Buch sehr gut. Lässt sich auch auf einem Zafu sitzend gut lesen :)

Great book - very practical and progressive. Perfect for beginners as the title/series implies. Explains how and why in parallel and maintains links with the origins of meditation without judgement. Some of the earlier simpler exercises yield benefits instantly and give insight into how you might progress.