The Science of Enlightenment [AUDIOBOOK] (Audio CD)

~ Shinzen Young (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

What is Enlightenment? Is it a myth or is it real? On The Science of Enlightenment you will learn that the liberated state is as real as the sensations you are having right now-for it is through the investigation of your own thoughts and feelings that you can awaken to clear insight and a happiness independent of conditions: the state of enlightenment. Through his expertise in both science and spirituality, meditation teacher Shinzen Young demystifi es the principles of enlightenment hidden within the world's great spiritual traditions and shows you how to use them in your own life. Here is one of our most rewarding and intellectually satisfying courses-16 hours of instruction-covering exactly how enlightenment practices work, what each vehicle offers, and how to start on your own way to inner liberation. Join Shinzen Young as he elucidates the many paths of awakening-and teaches the advanced meditation methods to experience them yourself-with The Science of Enlightenment. Includes meditations for working with your thoughts and emotions, developing inner clarity and enhanced awareness, and more.

Book Description

In his dual life as an American-born scholar of physics and mathematics and a fully ordained Buddhist monk, Shinzen Young is uniquely poised to bridge the wisdom of East and West. Here, he discusses the nature of enlightenment, and teaches listeners specific meditation exercises to cultivate this state in their own lives. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Sounds True, Incorporated; Unabridged edition (January 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591792320
• ISBN-13: 978-1591792321
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #323,475 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How to Reap the Benefits of Meditation, July 24, 2002

By	Adam Khan (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Science of Enlightenment: Teachings & Meditations for Awakening Through Self-Investigation (Audio Cassette)

I usually like to read when I have quiet time at night, and I usually only listen to tapes when I CAN'T read, like when I'm driving. But I became so enraptured by these tapes, I ended up sitting immobile and transfixed, listening late into the night. Shinzen Young is the most intelligent, articulate teacher of Buddhism I've ever heard. He hasn't written any books yet, but he has recorded several audiotape programs. This twelve-tape set is a recording of 24 talks he gave to a live audience, with one complete talk per side of each tape. He explains what mindfulness meditation is for, exactly how to go about it, and what you can expect for results. Three of the tapes have a guided meditation on each side.

Shinzen founded and runs a meditation center, and here he delivers excellent meditation instruction, but he also shows you the big picture. He knows a lot about world religions and gives a great history of Buddhism: what it evolved out of, and how it has evolved since it started. He covers some of the most important principles of Buddhism such as equanimity and the meaning of impermanence. You will learn the difference between the three branches of Buddhism and how they got to be what (and where) they are.

Shinzen is well-schooled in several languages, in mathematics, and also in science, adding extra dimensions of sophistication to his explanations and lending more credibility in my Western mind for the things he says. I'm the author of the book, Self-Help Stuff That Works, and I've specialized in distinguishing practical information from ideas that are merely fascinating. All this intellectually interesting information would be pretty worthless, in my view, unless it served a practical purpose and helped to reach a practical end, which in these tapes, it does. Using this program, you can begin fairly quickly gaining the vast benefits of meditation for yourself.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everyone feels pain but not everyone suffers, February 18, 2006

By	Arch_Spirit (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews

This audio series is of extraordinary value to the western mind, not only in terms of presentation but in terms of perspective. The teachings that Shinzen Young expounds upon are subtle details that often times missed during meditative practice and philosophical understandings of Eastern religions.

The series is broken down into 14 CDs with 2 sessions per disc. Some of the CDs feature focused meditations which are approriately placed according to the teachings he has covered.

I have a long commute and listen to this series all the way to medical school. It is one of the most gripping audio series that I've ever owned - just recently I found myself at Shoprite's parking lot for over an hour, unwilling to leave my car until I had finished hearing the session.

Shinzen Young covers the most minute aspects of buddhist/hindu meditative teachings. The only failure of this series is to communicate that Buddha and his meditative practices come straight from Hinduism ( as Buddha was a Hindu himself ). The "Buddhist" concepts that Shinzen Young often talks about are spoken in Sanskrit - the ancient language of the Hindus in India. Shinzen Young failure to present that Buddhism is a DIRECT extension of Hinduism, only compounds the misconception that Buddhist teachings are somehow a unique derived from Buddha and not from its proper source - Hinduism.

This however, does not undermind the didactic value of the series. Shinzen Young makes very clear to logical and skeptical minds where Buddhist/Hindu philosophy stands. The meditative practices are extremely helpful in self-experientially confirming the words of Shinzen Young. One profound lesson that comes of this series is that everyone feels pain but not every one suffers. For those who need guidance in how to deal with the tumultous nature of life or seek that morsel of happiness that is forever elusive - you will not be let down by Shinzen Young.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!!!, December 5, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Science of Enlightenment: Teachings & Meditations for Awakening Through Self-Investigation (Audio Cassette)

This is the best synopsis of spiritual practice I have ever come across. In a word: EXCELLENT!!! He condensed more in just one of the 12 audio tapes than what I've read in mulitple books or listened to in various lectures. Try it you'll like it...