As the practice of mindfulness permeates mainstream Western culture, more and more people are engaging in a traditional form of Buddhist meditation. However, many of these people have little interest in the religious aspects of Buddhism, and the practice occurs within secular contexts such as hospitals, schools, and the workplace. Is it possible to recover from the Buddhist teachings a vision of human flourishing that is secular rather than religious...

Scholar and teacher Stephen Cope shows that crises don't have to derail us from our purpose - they can actually help us to find our purpose and step forward as our best selves. Cope takes the ancient yogic text the Bhagavad Gita - the epic narrative of the warrior Arjuna's odyssey of self-discovery - as a model for the reader's journey. Then he builds on that foundation using the stories and teachings of famous figures. Along the way, we find striking...

"Throughout history, people have sought the heights of human potential--to become as wise and strong, happy and loving, as any person can ever be. And now recent science is revealing how these remarkable ways of being are based on equally remarkable changes in our own nervous system, making them more attainable than ever before... Rick Henson, PhD, not only explores the new neuroscience of awakening but also offers a bold yet plausible plan for reverse-engineering...