Focused and Fearless : A Meditator's Guide to States of Deep Joy, Calm, and Clarity

With this accesssible guide, meditators (and non-meditators) can understand how to attain extraordinary states with relative ease. Blended with contemporary examples and pragmatic "how to" instructions that anyone can try, Focused and Fearless provides a wealth of tools to cultivate non-distracted attention in daily life and on retreat. Shaila Catherine has a friendly, wise approach to the meditative states ( jhanas ) that lead to liberating insight. Focused and Fearless is about much more than merely meditation or concentration. It offers a complete path towards bliss, fearlessness, and true awakening. Contents......Page 6 Acknowledgments......Page 8 Introduction......Page 12 The Joy of the Focused Mind......Page 17 CHAPTER 1 Cultivating the Focused Mind......Page 19 CHAPTER 2 Joy of Seclusion......Page 29 CHAPTER 3 Happiness......Page 39 CHAPTER 4 Equanimity......Page 51 Preparing the Mind for Absorption......Page 59 CHAPTER 5 The Wisdom of Letting Go......Page 61 CHAPTER 6 Dynamics of Emotion......Page 73 CHAPTER 7 Effort, Ease, and Intention......Page 85 CHAPTER 8 Calming the Restless Mind......Page 97 How to Establish Meditative Absorption......Page 110 CHAPTER 9 Happiness and the Five Factors of Absorption......Page 111 CHAPTER 10 Access to Absorption: At the Threshold of Peace......Page 127 CHAPTER 11 Fearless Abidings—The First Jhana......Page 137 CHAPTER 12 Drenched in Delight—The Second Jhana......Page 149 CHAPTER 13 Absorbed in Joy—The Third Jhana......Page 155 CHAPTER 14 Radiant Calm—The Fourth Jhana......Page 161 CHAPTER 15 How Deep Is Deep Enough?......Page 169 CHAPTER 16 Summary of Meditation Instructions......Page 179 Doing the Work of Insight......Page 184 CHAPTER 17 Three Doorways to Insight......Page 185 CHAPTER 18 A New Way of Seeing......Page 197 Experiencing the Formless Dimensions......Page 207 CHAPTER 19 Without Boundaries: Exploring the Infinite......Page 209 CHAPTER 20 Realizing Emptiness......Page 227 Epilogue......Page 241 Notes......Page 247 Bibliography......Page 257 Index......Page 259 About the Author......Page 275 Jhana is a powerful meditative technique that opens the way to unfettered joy, radiant calm, and abiding happiness. "Focused and Fearless" presents this ancient meditative tradition as interpreted through the practice of a contemporary American teacher, and as such, it represents a landmark shift in Theravadan Buddhism by bringing jhana into the reach of busy practitioners. The book speaks to both non-meditators and meditators from any tradition, helping those who simply want to understand how to attain extraordinary states with ease while offering a creative, contemporary slant on this ancient path of happiness and wisdom. An engaging mix of contemporary examples, practical exercises, and how-to instructions that anyone can try, "Focused and Fearless" is an accessible, friendly, and wise guide that is ideal for both novices and the more seasoned practitioner who wishes to explore advanced meditative states Now ordinary meditators (and non-meditators) can understand how to attain non-ordinary states with relative ease. Blended with contemporary examples, pragmatic exercises, and "how to" instructions that anyone can try, Focused and Fearless provides a wealth of tools to cultivate nondistracted attention in daily life and on retreat. Shaila Catherine has a friendly, wise approach to rarely-talked-about meditative states that lead to liberating insight.