Millions of people meditate daily but can meditative practices really make us ‘better’ people? In The Buddha Pill, pioneering psychologists Dr Miguel Farias and Catherine Wikholm put meditation and mindfulness under the microscope. Separating fact from fiction, they reveal what scientific research – including their groundbreaking study on yoga and meditation with prisoners – tells us about the benefits and limitations of these techniques for improving our lives. As well as illuminating the potential, the authors argue that these practices may have unexpected consequences, and that peace and happiness may not always be the end result. Offering a compelling examination of research on transcendental meditation to recent brain-imaging studies on the effects of mindfulness and yoga, and with fascinating contributions from spiritual teachers and therapists, Farias and Wikholm weave together a unique story about the science and the delusions of personal change.

Millions of people meditate daily but can meditative practices really make us ‘better’ people? In The Buddha Pill, pioneering psychologists Dr Miguel Farias and Catherine Wikholm put meditation and mindfulness under the microscope. Separating fact from fiction, they reveal what scientific research – including their groundbreaking study on yoga and meditation with prisoners – tells us about the benefits and limitations of these techniques for improving our lives. As well as illuminating the potential, the authors argue that these practices may have unexpected consequences, and that peace and happiness may not always be the end result. Offering a compelling examination of research on transcendental meditation to recent brain-imaging studies on the effects of mindfulness and yoga, and with fascinating contributions from spiritual teachers and therapists, Farias and Wikholm weave together a unique story about the science and the delusions of personal change.

Millions of people meditate daily but can these practices really make us ÔbetterÕ people? In The Buddha Pill, Farias and Wikholm put meditation and mindfulness under the microscope. Separating fact from fiction, they reveal what scientific research - including their own groundbreaking study on yoga and meditation in prisoners Ð tells us about the benefits and limitations of these techniques for improving lives. As well as illuminating the potential, the authors argue that these practices may have unexpected consequences and that peace and happiness may not always be the end result. Offering a compelling examination of research on Transcendental Meditation to recent studies on the effects of mindfulness and yoga, with fascinating contributions from spiritual teachers and therapists, Farias and Wikholm weave together a unique story about the science and the delusions of personal change. This isn't simply another book about the route to enlightenment and happiness, nor is it a 'how to'. Farias and Wikholm challenge assumptions about the uses and effects of meditation and yoga. Controversially, The Buddha Pill argues that personal change effected by these spiritual practices can vary widely from one individual to another, and that peace and compassion may not always be the end result. Combining insights from decades of scientific research with fascinating accounts from gurus and prisoners, The Buddha Pill weaves together a unique story about the science and delusions of personal change.

From one of America’s most brilliant writers, a New York Times bestselling journey through psychology, philosophy, and lots of meditation to show how Buddhism holds the key to moral clarity and enduring happiness. At the heart of Buddhism is a simple claim: The reason we suffer—and the reason we make other people suffer—is that we don’t see the world clearly. At the heart of Buddhist meditative practice is a radical promise: We can learn to see the world, including ourselves, more clearly and so gain a deep and morally valid happiness. In this “sublime” (The New Yorker), pathbreaking book, Robert Wright shows how taking this promise seriously can change your life—how it can loosen the grip of anxiety, regret, and hatred, and how it can deepen your appreciation of beauty and of other people. He also shows why this transformation works, drawing on the latest in neuroscience and psychology, and armed with an acute understanding of human evolution. This book is the culmination of a personal journey that began with Wright’s landmark book on evolutionary psychology, The Moral Animal, and deepened as he immersed himself in meditative practice and conversed with some of the world’s most skilled meditators. The result is a story that is “provocative, informative and...deeply rewarding” (The New York Times Book Review), and as entertaining as it is illuminating. Written with the wit, clarity, and grace for which Wright is famous, Why Buddhism Is True lays the foundation for a spiritual life in a secular age and shows how, in a time of technological distraction and social division, we can save ourselves from ourselves, both as individuals and as a species.

Who among us is not affected by issues such as stress, depression, personality and behavioral changes, agitation, hypertension or high cholesterol—to name a few? Did you know that these are some of the cognitive and biological deficiencies that are associated with Alzheimer's? It is estimated that 5.4 million people in the U.S. are afflicted with Alzheimer's disease. In its capacity to completely destroy personalities, relationships and daily living, we cannot afford to continue thinking of it as a private disease. Alzheimer's is a family problem—ruthless in its scope and spread. And despite relentless trials and research studies, scientists have not found a drug to control it. Even worse, there isn't even a fully reliable diagnostic test for it. Alzheimer's disease has become a gigantic specter that looms before all of us as we age, and it is advancing unimpeded. Today we know that contributing factors and symptoms (such as stress and hypertension) can be alleviated with holistic, alternate management approaches—like meditation, yoga, music therapy and virtual reality therapy. Research studies from Harvard Medical School, Johns Hopkins University and Mayo Clinic, among many others, have demonstrated the comprehensive benefits of yoga and meditation on various aspects of the human mind—and when you think about it, that's where Alzheimer's disease develops—in the mind. But, how can meditation and yoga stop or even reverse the course of Alzheimer's? They set the mind on an inward journey where the risk factors that precipitate the disease are formed. This bridging of the old and new creates an imperative paradigm shift in our perspective toward Alzheimer's disease management. Why Buddha Never Had Alzheimer's is precisely what is needed to cause a drastic and necessary revolution in medical care.

Millions of people meditate daily but can meditative practices really make us 'better' people? In The Buddha Pill, pioneering psychologists Dr Miguel Farias and Catherine Wikholm put meditation and mindfulness under the microscope. Separating fact from fiction, they reveal what scientific research -- including their groundbreaking study on yoga and meditation with prisoners -- tells us about the benefits and limitations of these techniques for improving our lives. As well as illuminating the potential, the authors argue that these practices may have unexpected consequences, and that peace and happiness may not always be the end result. Offering a compelling examination of research on transcendental meditation to recent brain-imaging studies on the effects of mindfulness and yoga, and with fascinating contributions from spiritual teachers and therapists, Farias and Wikholm weave together a unique story about the science and the delusions of personal change.

A comprehensive guide to ending suffering through the practice of mindfulness In Uncontrived Mindfulness Vajradevi guides us in the practice of exploring our experience as it happens. The emphasis is on cultivating wisdom, using the tools of attention and curiosity to see through the delusion that is causing our suffering.