Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion

Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion

2014 • 256 pages

Ratings67

Average rating3.8

15

For me, this is one of those books that change your view of the world and offer additional tools to experience existence in a richer and more contemplative way.

Sam Harris is a rationalist that constantly uses his understanding of the scientific method to derive new meaning and understanding. This is the key aspect that drew me to his ideas from the very beginning of the book. Consider this: we are talking about spirituality here, and in the way Sam frames it, science is not a contradiction but a complement.

The premise of the book is that consciousness and its contents is all there is. From this premise he proceeds to ask, given that all of our experience of life is about the subjective experience of consciousness and the variety of contents that can be drawn upon it, why not to explore them directly? - Through meditation and a contemplative framework.

This book is for those who want to explore the ideas behind meditation and are curious about what to make of it. Sam is a truth seeker, honestly looking for a deeper understanding of life, he is a good guide. Totally recommend this book and also the companion app, WakingUp.

January 31, 2020