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If You Can Breathe, You Can Meditate: A Practical, Secular How-To
Guide to Meditation is an indispensable new book that demystifies
the practice of meditation, stripping away religious and
philosophical associations that have been ascribed to this timeless
and universal activity. It brings clarity and focus to something
that is entirely normal, completely human, and positively
habit-forming. Meditation is not magic, nor is it a religion. It
will not allow you to break the laws of physics and levitate or
visit astral realms. Meditation is simply a process of focused
objective attention--a mental exercise, nothing more and nothing
less. While it is often lumped together with mysticism or
appropriated by New Age believers alongside their chakras,
crystals, and auras, meditation is in fact a straight-forward,
secular practice that can help to improve your health and quality
of life. Among the potential benefits of meditation are relief from
stress, anxiety, and depression, lowered blood pressure, reduction
in cholesterol levels, effective pain management, improved sleeping
patterns, increased energy, and enhanced creativity and intuition.
A skeptic by nature and a scientist by training, author Morgan D.
Rosenberg brings a refreshingly direct and pragmatic perspective to
this plain and practical instruction manual for those interested in
meditation. Broken down into a series of step-by-step chapters, If
You Can Breathe, You Can Meditate guides the reader through the
various aspects of meditation, providing convenient, easily
referenced resources including a section addressing frequently
asked questions and a comprehensive bibliography that will assist
with further investigation and reading on the subject. Dispel your
misconceptions and discover the realities of meditation and
mindfulness, as this thoughtful and insightful guide presents a
practical way to engage in a beneficial routine of mental exercise
rooted in the fundamental, reasonable principles of meditation.
Due to the recent recession, interest in Ayn Rand's Objectivism is
greater than ever, and in the past two decades, interest in Eastern
philosophies has reignited in the West. There are also many books
on the market that cover Objectivism, such as The Six Pillars of
Self-Esteem, My Years with Ayn Rand and The Art of Living
Consciously, all by Nathaniel Branden. However, although Branden
took Objectivist practices and gave them some flexibility, he
stopped long before reaching the concepts of "enlightenment" or, at
least, the personal serenity found in the Eastern philosophies.
Similarly, Buddhism Plain and Simple by Steve Hagen, Buddhism for
Dummies, and The 8 Minute Meditation by Victor N. Davich are
examples of excellent books on Zen Buddhism and Meditation, but
that's where they stop. There has never been any attempt to apply
philosophies and other practices to the "real world" of the self,
until Morgan D. Rosenberg wrote Dark Buddhism: Integrating Zen
Buddhism and Objectivism, where he merges Objectivism with
traditional Zen Buddhism. On the surface, these two philosophies
seem to contradict each other, with Ayn Rand's principles of
self-focus and the Buddha's principles of selflessness, but the
author argues that each of them has logical inconsistencies, which
once weeded out, means the philosophies can be blended into a
cohesive whole. In his book, which is aimed at professionals as
well as readers who seek a self-help guide, chapters range from Zen
Buddhism Basics and Reintegrating the Self into Buddhism, to Living
Consciously and Mindfully and The Dark Buddhist Lifestyle. Although
most of this book has been directed towards thoughts and
consciousness, which are functions of the mind, the author stresses
the importance of always remembering that the body supports the
mind. "When you have a feeling, which originates in your mind," he
says, "your body responds to it." The connection between self,
consciousness, happiness, and the body has been long recognized. To
quote the Buddha, "Your body is precious. It is our vehicle for
awakening. Treat it with care." The mind-body connection is a very
real thing and also part of our modern world. An entirely fresh and
highly original philosophy, Dark Buddhism offers a series of
practices that will cultivate strong self-worth, bring about inner
peace and harmony, help with personal growth, and improve physical
health.
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