Customer Reviews

The Science of Enlightenment: Teachings & Meditations for Awakening Through Self-Investigation

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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.

I hesitated to get this at first. Mainly because I'd never heard of the author, Shinzen Young. But I was sufficiently intrigued by the title; the attainment of enlightenment being a lifelong interest. Several months ago, after listening to the audible sample, I decided to buy it. I'm so glad I did! Science of Enlightenment is an extraordinary, and life altering work.

I listened to Science of Enlightenment twice. Both times, I was delighted by the uplifted feeling I received while listening to it. I've come to understand through this audio book, that seasoned meditators are always in a state of meditation to varying degrees. It seems that the crystalline clarity and sheer power of Science of Enlightenment stems from the fact that the author is in a state of lucid meditation while speaking. Perhaps accounting for the inspired, positive energy I get from listening to it.

From searching on the internet, I discovered that Science of Enlightenment, and many other lectures by Shinzen Young, have never been put into a book form. In fact, the only book I was able to find is a new one on overcoming pain. So the probability of Shinzen Young doing aggressive, national book signing tours, at this point at least, seems unlikely. This non commercial approach makes his work all the more appealing and real.

I've read many books on the topic of meditation and enlightenment, and even practiced at a couple of Zendos in New York and California. Although these experiences were excellent, I still hadn't been able to get on a regular meditation schedule. Listening to Science of Enlightenment, gave me a deep understanding of meditation, enlightenment, religion and related topics. As a result, I've finally been meditating, which has profoundly impacted my life. I look forward to the extraordinary long term effects, which Young describes, after a few years of meditating.

American-born meditation teacher and professor Shinzen Young presents The Science Of Enlightenment, a 12-tape audio instructional course embracing traditional teachings, scientific insights, practical instruction, and more. Demonstrating how enlightenment practices work, and ranging from the Zen koan, to guided meditation, to dualist and non-dualist paths, to breathing guidelines, schools of Buddhism, Taoist thought, Jewish mystical practices, the quest to define enlightenment, and so much more, The Science Of Enlightenment is a warmly narrated, superbly presented, flawlessly recorded resource which features six complete and guided meditation sessions, as well as offering listeners a wealth of wisdom on selecting the meditation practice that best suits their own particular temperament.

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.

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...

I was also impressed with this work. It ties together many aspects of meditation and spirituality that I previously saw as separate, and got me many steps further down my own path. Young relates difficult concepts with amazing clarity and insight drawn from his own experiences. Born American, studying Buddhism as theology and then exploring Zen practice later in life, he brings an open and expansive view to the theory and practice of meditation. He also brings to light the role of meditation in Christianity and a number of other religious traditions. This is a great place to start your journey, or a good stopping place if you feel you still need to locate yourself within the larger tradition.

Shinzen Young explains meditation and the mystic tradition: Its history, what it is, what it does, how it works, and -- most importantly -- how to begin. As he says on one tape, he provides the lecture and then it's up to the student to do the lab work. After listening to this set of tapes you'll be very well-prepared for the meditation lab.

The Science of Enlightenment is a very profound, yet very dense piece of work. There is so much information here, yet Shinzen allows it to flow with a sense of ease from one subject into another. He is a very relaxed speaker. He also is VERY conscious about what words he chooses, so be careful that you are understanding him correctly. Self-help has been a big center of people's attention lately it seems, which has gotten this work much attention. However, I don't believe this work is directly comparable with the works of Eckhart Tolle, Jon Kabat Zinn and others, which are perfect in their own right. This is POWERFUL information that will stimulate you intellectually as well as spiritually. I would say TSOE's audience is those who are seriously into the idea of enlightenment and are willing to put a good amount of effort into it.

I would recommend this to most people, although I don't think most people are ready for it. I mean this in the most respectful way possible! This is NOT something that you can listen to on your way to work and expect to become enlightened. I listened to it on the way to work daily over 1 year, thinking I was doing something constructive for myself. In hindsight, though, this was not a good practice and wouldn't recommend it. I feel that I changed a lot of my habits in confusion and created more pain for myself (temporarily). As Shinzen talked about creating positive feedback loops using Global Relaxation, I have witnessed actually creating negative feedback loops and conflicts within myself. PLEASE, give this work it's due and actually study it like you would any work of this magnitude. Giving it full attention will help you drastically in the long run. In fact, I have been keeping a binder and taking notes while listening to the lectures! This may sound a little extreme, but considering the depth here it is a reasonable practice.

There are meditations also mixed in with the lectures where he teaches you some very useful techniques. The Global Relaxation meditation was my favorite, and it seems Shinzen recommends it highly. As a Computer Science student, I have improved my concentration power and as a student have raised my GPA significantly because of it. To say this was the only benefit would be a very limited perspective. I have improved my relationships with other people, improved my ability to enjoy food, wine and music more, am able to deal with very stressful situations more, and fear is not permeating as much anymore due to the state of humanity.

I would say this item is a definite five star. "Life Altering" IS a correct way to describe it.

This is not by any means a "Get Results Fast" scheme, but something to spend some time with each day. Do yourself a favor and take notes if you have to.

My favorite sections are "Relaxation and Reality" and the "Global Relaxation Meditation".

Essential.

I just finished listening to Shinzen Young's The Science of Enlightenment audio CDs. I ripped all 14 CDs into MP3s, synced them to my iPhone and listened at home, on the road, at the gym, and even at work. I have high expectations, and I was not disappointed.

Aside from being a Buddhist monk, scholar, meditation teacher, mathematician, and science geek, Shinzen is also a linguist, so he's very particular and precise with his use of words, pronunciation, and diction (especially with foreign languages). He likes to define and clarify any ambiguity in the terms he uses in his discourses. He doesn't go into too much philosophical conjecture and speaks in a friendly matter-of-factness tone.

The bottom line: Shinzen Young demystified the concept classical enlightenment, making "happiness independent of conditions" a realistic and tangible goal for people who choose to tread the path of liberation.

Thanks to Shinzen Young I now realize that my kind of practice is Vipassana, my proclivity is towards Theravada, and that, when I grow up, I want to become a hard-nosed rationalist Buddha :)

~C

As you can see from the other reviewers this audio book is just astounding in its breadth and scope. I'm on my third listening to this one and realized it's one that I've not left a review on. It's expensive I know, but you do get what you pay for. He is speaking to some students who you can hear chuckle in the background every once in a while. So he has a sense of humor and it's not rehearsed. The subject matter of which he speaks and the information conveyed is very practical and relevant.