Waking Up

A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion

By: Sam Harris

Narrated by: Sam Harris

For the millions of Americans who want spirituality without religion, Sam Harris’s latest New York Times bestseller is a guide to meditation as a rational practice informed by neuroscience and psychology.

From Sam Harris, neuroscientist and author of numerous New York Times bestselling books, Waking Up is for the twenty percent of Americans who follow no religion but who suspect that important truths can be found in the experiences of such figures as Jesus, the Buddha, Lao Tzu, Rumi, and the other saints and sages of history. Throughout this book, Harris argues that there is more to understanding reality than science and secular culture generally allow, and that how we pay attention to the present moment largely determines the quality of our lives.

Waking Up is part memoir and part exploration of the scientific underpinnings of spirituality. No other book marries contemplative wisdom and modern science in this way, and no author other than Sam Harris—a scientist, philosopher, and famous skeptic—could write it.

A superb narration of a great book

Would you consider the audio edition of Waking Up to be better than the print version?

Sam is an excellent speaker, and the audio version comes across more like one of his great talks, not a robotically narrated text.

What did you like best about this story?

This is not just yet another book on meditation---it's not only on meditation, and it's not a self-help book---at least in any traditional sense. Unlike most of the former, it's strictly rational and does not give any concessions to any sort of religious accommodation, and unlike the latter it does not give a "30-Day Program to Become Happy" or anything of this sort---although it does discuss practical points. You can look at it as an invitation to look inside our minds, and to use this rational introspection cut through the illusions which are, at the end of the day, the source of our unhappiness.

Any additional comments?

If you are new to the whole meditation thing, I can recommend to first read "10% Happier" by Dan Harris (no relation to Sam). It's a very different, lighter/entertaining book (the audio version is fantastic), but it should serve as an excellent introduction to "Waking Up".

No religion necessary for spirituality

Enjoyed this immensely. I’m a 32 year daily meditator and this was such a fresh take.

Necessary

Truly mind opening. This is an incredibly important book to be read multiple times over.

consciousness

The book get you to start switching your mindset and looking at the world in a more compassionate and loving way. I really believe that i was lost in this aspect of my life. But sam got me digging deeper into exploring more phychedelics and and acknowledge that true passion will only come in if you tap jnto that creativity . Suffering will always be in your life is a matter om how you handle those thoughts

Profound and enlightening

This book is helping to accelerate my focus and determination towards practicing and understanding mindfulness meditation.