John Yates (Culadasa) - The Mind Illuminated : A Complete Meditation Guide Integrating Buddhist Wisdom and Brain Science

1. Figure 33. In-breathMost moments of consciousness are moments of attention with the breath as their object, but others have knee pain or thoughts about lunch as their object. Attention isnt actually moving between the breath and these distractions. Successive moments of attention hold different objects. Interspersed among these moments of attention are moments of peripheral awareness of other bodily sensations.
   Out-breathIf the pain in your knee draws your attention, a greater proportion of moments of attention are devoted to knee pain than to the breath. The pain is now a gross distraction, and the breath slips away into the background.

Culadasa has given us a clear, detailed, contemporary map of meditation, beautifully attuned to our householder lives. Through his mastery of both the science and art of conscious living, Culadasa imparts the practices and confidence we need to walk the path of liberation through all the stages to Awakening. I love his friendly, encouraging teaching!

Trudy Goodman, Ph.D., guiding teacher at InsightLA

In a time where meditation and its twin sister, mindfulness, have become the fads du jour, Culadasa gives us the real deal in this encyclopedic handbook. If you re serious about meditation, The Mind Illuminated should be on your bookshelf.

Lama Marut, author of A Spiritual Renegade s Guide to the Good Life and Be Nobody

Essential reading for anyone interested in meditative development from any tradition. At once comprehensive and also very easy to read and follow in practice, this is the most thorough, straightforward, clear, and practical guide to training the mind that I have ever found. A remarkable achievement.

Daniel Ingram, M.D., author of Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha

The Mind Illuminated is an extraordinary accomplishment. Culadasa has distilled his many years of meditative practice and teaching, his deep background in Theravada and Vajrayana traditions, and his extensive knowledge of cognitive science and neuroscience, to provide a unique and highly practical guidebook to meditation practice. The granular detail that Culadasa provides regarding various experiences along the path, and his practically grounded advice for dealing with obstacles and developing specific skills, are unique in the published literature on meditation. Regardless of the particular tradition in which one practices, or the amount of one s practice experience, there is a cornucopia of wisdom and detailed guidance here that merits careful study and practice. This is a true jewel of a book that belongs on the desk or night table of every meditation practitioner.

Sensei Al Genkai Kaszniak, Ph.D., guiding teacher at Upaya Zen Sangha of Tucson; Emeritus Professor of Psychology, University of Arizona

With wisdom, clarity and grace, Culadasa has written an invaluable manual for awakening. I believe this book will become one of the Top 10 Must Reads for anyone on the spiritual path for years to come. Helpful for beginning meditators, and valuable for advanced meditators who are already committed to meditation but have not yet experienced the fruits of consistent practice.

Stephanie Nash, mindfulness coach and integrative counselor

Writing with warmth and clarity, Culadasa brings a lifetime of investigation into Buddhism and neuroscience to his descriptions of the tasks and nuances of meditation. Though it is often encouraged, a meditation practice is not often explained. The Mind Illuminated provides comprehensive, step-by-step guidance about how to actually do it, how to handle the many hindrances that might stop us from practicing, and how the mind benefits when we do meditate regularly. A masterful and inspiring guide, Culadasa encourages us to savor the process that leads to becoming fully conscious.

Susan Suntree, author of Sacred Sites: The Secret History of Southern California and editor of Wisdom of the East: Stories of Compassion Inspiration, and Love

This book does an outstanding job of both constructing a cognitive theory of how the mind works and presenting a detailed handbook for learning and mastering meditation. The result is a beautiful integration of theory and practice, whose parallel strands lead to experientially, and account for conceptually, the radical shift in consciousness we call awakening.

Richard P. Boyle, author of Realizing Awakened Consciousness

The Mind Illuminated provides among the greatest syntheses Ive ever seen of concepts from across the spectrum of psychological research and theory. The book integrates knowledge from areas as diverse as cognition and neural systems, psychoanalytic notions of unconscious processes and catharsis, theories of William James, and third-wave strategies for emotion regulation. It also provides a valuable step-by-step instruction manual for mental training to focus attention, while developing self-insight and deep psychological healing. The secular nature of the instructions allows for bringing meditation into the therapy relationship without dogma and without the risk of either supporting or contradicting clients religious views.

Tucker Peck, PhD., clinical psychologist and recipient of the Varela Award from the Mind and Life Institute

This edition first published in 2015 by Dharma Treasure Press

Dharma Treasure Press

With offices at:
2126 W Windancer Trail
PO Box 232
Pearce, AZ 85625
www.dharmatreasure.com

Copyright 2015 by John Charles Yates

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Dharma Treasure Press. Reviewers may quote brief passages.

ISBN: 978-0-9908477-0-0
ISBN: 978-0-9908477-1-7 (ebook)

Cover design by Terry Moody
Interior by Gwen Frankfeldt and Maureen Forys
Composition by Maureen Forys
Illustrations by Nicolette Wales

Typeset in Minion Pro and Cronos Pro

Drawing of Buddhas eyes based on photograph by Hideyuki Kamon of Head of Buddha statue at the National Museum, New Delhi, India.

Printed in the United States of America

EBM

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This book is dedicated to my loving and beloved wife Nancy. Without your support and measureless patience, I could never have finished it. It is also dedicated to my sons, Charles and Sean, who at times thought they had lost their father to this project.

Acknowledgments

I am eternally grateful to my teachers Upasaka Kema Ananda and Joti Dhamma Bhikkhu. It was Kema who first introduced me to the power and clarity of the Buddhadhamma, inspiring me to take Upasaka vows and dedicate myself to meditation and to realizing the highest goals of the spiritual path. Joti Dhamma subsequently guided my study and practice for many years through thousands of hours of discussion and instruction. I am also indebted to Namgyal Rinpoche, Karma Tenzin Dorje, also known as the Venerable Bhikkhu Ananda Bodhi, who was my teachers teacher, and who established a lineage that transcends the sectarian boundaries of traditional Buddhism.