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Waking Up

Sam Harris

PhilosophyHealth & MindPsychology
Publish date
2014
Publisher
Transworld Publishers Limited
Description
Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion explores the nature of human consciousness, secular meditation, and contemplative traditions through the lenses of modern neuroscience and philosophy. The book argues that meaningful spiritual experiences and self-transcendence are vital to human well-being, while proposing that the conventional sense of an enduring self is a cognitive illusion that can be examined through mindfulness. It is intended for skeptics, secular individuals, and general readers seeking the psychological benefits of contemplative practice without adopting religious dogma or supernatural beliefs.
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Books cited in Waking Up

Suggested by AI, not verified against the full text. Check the original book before using them as a source.

  1. Natural Great Perfection

    Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche

    Citation

    A seminal Dzogchen text reflecting the teachings Harris received during his retreats in Nepal and India.

    High relevanceExplore

  2. On Having No Head: Zen and the Rediscovery of the Obvious

    Douglas Harding

    Citation

    Harris details Harding's experiments as a direct, sudden method to glimpse the absence of an internal self.

    High relevanceExplore

  3. The Conscious Mind

    David Chalmers

    Citation

    Cited regarding the 'hard problem' of consciousness and the difficulty of bridging subjective experience and matter.

    High relevanceExplore

  4. Reasons and Persons

    Derek Parfit

    Citation

    Cited during discussions of split-brain patients and the reductionist view that personal identity is an illusion.

    High relevanceExplore

  5. Rainbow Painting

    Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche

    Citation

    Written by Harris's primary Dzogchen teacher, highlighting teachings on recognizing the intrinsic nature of mind.

    High relevanceExplore

  6. The Varieties of Religious Experience

    William James

    Citation

    Referenced for its classic, rigorous psychological evaluation of non-ordinary states of consciousness and mysticism.

    Medium relevanceExplore

  7. Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism

    Chögyam Trungpa

    Citation

    Referenced regarding the common trap of using spiritual insights to inflate rather than dissolve the ego.

    Medium relevanceExplore

  8. The Feeling of What Happens

    Antonio Damasio

    Citation

    Referenced in analyzing the neurobiology of consciousness and how the feeling of an individual self arises.

    Medium relevanceExplore

  9. The Bisected Brain

    Michael Gazzaniga

    Citation

    Referenced to explore split-brain operations and their implications for unified conscious agency and the self.

    Medium relevanceExplore

  10. The Power of Now

    Eckhart Tolle

    Citation

    Critiqued as an example of modern spiritual writing that mixes psychological insight with unsupported pseudoscientific assertions.

    Medium relevanceExplore

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    Thomas Metzinger

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    Provides a rigorous neurophilosophical argument that the conscious self does not actually exist.

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  • Buddhism Without Beliefs

    Stephen Batchelor

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    Argues for a secular, pragmatic approach to Buddhist practice stripped of supernatural metaphysics.

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  • Why Buddhism is True

    Robert Wright

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    Explores the cognitive science and evolutionary psychology supporting Buddhist claims of non-self and mindfulness.

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  • The Mind Illuminated

    John Yates

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    A comprehensive, scientifically informed manual mapping meditation practice from concentration to non-dual insight.

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  • Conscious: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind

    Annaka Harris

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    Offers a complementary, accessible exploration of consciousness, panpsychism, and the illusion of free will.

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  • Altered Traits

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    Reviews scientific research detailing how meditation permanently alters brain circuitry and mental wellbeing.

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