Secular Meditation: 32 Practices for Cultivating Inner Peace, Compassion, and Joy
- 4h 15m
- Rick Heller
- New World Library
- 2015
Meditation is a form of mental exercise with numerous scientifically verified physical and psychological benefits. As meditation teacher Rick Heller shows, the benefits of the practice extend beyond the personal to enrich relationships with others, with one’s community, and with the world. In Secular Meditation, step-by-step instructions, personal stories, and provocative questions teach empathy for others, stress reduction, and the kind of in-the-moment living that fosters appreciation for life and resilience in the face of adversity. Heller simplifies what is often found mysterious, describing and providing detailed instructions for thirty-two different practices, ensuring that anyone can find the right one.
About the Author
Meditation teacher Rick Heller leads the Humanist Mindfulness Group at the Humanist Community at Harvard. A freelance journalist, he has written for the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, Buddhadharma, Free Inquiry, Tikkun, and Wise Brain Bulletin. He has attended workshops and retreats at the Cambridge Insight Meditation Center, the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, and the Insight Meditation Society. He holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from MIT, a master's degree in public policy from Harvard University, and a master's degree in journalism from Boston University.
In this Book
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Foreword
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Introduction
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Loving-Kindness Meditation
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Your Daily Dose of Metta
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Compassion Meditation
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Self-Compassion
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Sympathetic Joy
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Frequently Asked Questions about Compassion Practices
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Mindfulness of Breath Meditation
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Ambient Sound Meditation
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Mindfulness of the Body Meditation
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Face Meditation
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Mantra Meditation
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Frequently Asked Questions about Mindfulness
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Walking Meditation
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Walking in the City or Suburbs
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Mindfulness in Nature
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Mindful Manual Labor
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Mental Noting of Actions
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Mindful Vision
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What If You Never Saw it Again?
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Contemplative Photography
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Mindful Viewing of Museum Exhibits
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Mindful Couch Potato
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Mindful Eating
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Frequently Asked Questions about Cultivating Joy
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Mental Noting of Emotions
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Yes! We Have No Bananas
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Intentional Daydreaming
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Meditation on Whatever
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Mindfulness of Thoughts
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Mindful Speech and Listening
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Exploring Don't-Know Mind
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Meditative Reading
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Mindfulness of Your Place in the Universe
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Using Mindfulness to Break Bad Habits
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Making a Habit of Mindfulness
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Other Frequently Asked Questions
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Tips on Creating Your Own Mindfulness Group
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A Secular Invocation
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Resources
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Glossary
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Endnotes
