"This is a superb collection not only for beginners who would like an exquisite introduction to meditation, but also for advanced practitioners who would like to refine their own understanding of this most precious gift of the great saints and sages of our human family. And if you have not yet started a meditation practice…take up this great experiment in depth, and I promise you, your life will never be the same again."
—Ken Wilber, author A Theory of Everything: An Integral Vision for Business, Politics, Science, and Spirituality

"For years, I have been seeking a comprehensive and authoritative survey of the world's major meditation practices that I can recommend to students. Now I have one."
—Peter Russell, author, From Science to God et al

A fulfilled life and happiness is more than physical comfort or buying new things. It involves awareness and development of our inner being and consciousness. The major meditation traditions of the world, each in their own way, aim at the creation of an inner peace and happiness which provides a solid foundation for action and compassion in the world. This book describes the techniques and experience of the major meditation traditions impacting the West in the words of highly respected practitioners of each tradition. Taken together, they constitute a solid overview of meditation and how the major traditions are similar or different from one another.

Contents

Foreword—Ken Wilber
Introduction
Zen—Shodo Harada Roshi
Transcendental Meditation—Jonathan Shear
Taoism/Qigong—Shou-Yu Liang and Wen-Ching Wu
Yoga—Georg Feuerstein
Therevada—Jeffrey M. Schwartz and Bryan Clark
Tibetan Buddhism—Robert A.F. Thurman and David B. Gray
Integral Yoga—Donald Salmon
Kriya Yoga—Sri Daya Mata
Sufism—Llewellyn Vaughn-Lee
Christianity—Basil Pennington
Conclusion
About the Authors