The Mind Illuminated
by Culadasa
Integrating Buddhist Wisdom and Brain Science for Greater Mindfulness
As Described in Amazon:
"A revolutionary, science-based approach to meditation from a neuroscientist turned meditation master, The Mind Illuminated is an accessible, step-by-step toolkit for anyone looking to start—or improve—their daily meditation practice.
The book that bestselling meditation teacher Sharon Salzberg raves "brings the path of meditation to life," The Mind Illuminated is the first how-to meditation guide from a neuroscientist who is also an acclaimed meditation master. This innovative book offers a 10-stage program that is both deeply grounded in ancient spiritual teachings about mindfulness and holistic health and also draws from the latest brain science to provide a roadmap for anyone interested in achieving the benefits of mindfulness. Dr. John Yates offers a new and fascinating model of how the mind works, including steps to overcome mind wandering and dullness, extending your attention span while meditating, and subduing subtle distractions.
This groundbreaking manual provides illustrations and charts to help you work through each stage of the process, offering tools that work across all types of meditation practices. The Mind Illuminated is an essential read, whether you are a beginner wanting to establish your practice or a seasoned veteran ready to master the deepest state of peace and mindfulness."
The Mind Illuminated inspired our Meditation Technique:
The Playful Path & The Mind Illuminated
The Mind Illuminated (or TMI, in its 2017 edition) has the power to lead all the way to Awakening. Since it accomplished that for me (Oded) in 2018, I began teaching it to the letter in 2019.
However, after many interactions with students who shared their difficulties following TMI's instructions, a fundamental issue became apparent: TMI highlights the mental states of The Elephant Path, so it mainly relies on subjective assessments of our current Stage, stability of attention, vividness of awareness, etc. While this approach has many benefits, it might also be an ongoing distraction, leading to doubt and uncertainty in meditation: we might misidentify our state of mind, skip necessary steps, dwell too long on a specific practice, run ahead too quickly, or forget what to do and why.
To overcome this challenge, I developed The Playful Path (TPP).
It complements The Mind Illuminated by creating a clear separation between the actions we need to perform and the mental states we wish to cultivate. By focusing on meeting the criteria for completing a series of Games, we climb up the stages of The Elephant Path naturally, without the need to address them directly. Our performance is proof of the maturation of our skills.
Beyond that, some elements in The Playful Path are identical to The Mind Illuminated, others are slightly modified, and some are entirely new. TPP also introduces original skillful means I developed, visual aids, and alternatives to some practices offered in TMI.
Detailed descriptions of specific differences and similarities between TMI and TPP will be available for review in the future.
