The mind illuminated
by Culadasa John Yates, Matthew Immergut PhD, Sean Runnette, Jeremy Graves · first published 2015
71% recommend26% neutral3% critical
Why HN recommends it
Secular, step-by-step meditation manual grounded in neuroscience, with detailed practice instructions for each stage from basic attention to advanced concentration; suits skeptics wanting a structured path.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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 di
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For anyone on HN seriously interested in this topic, I would wholeheartedly recommend the recently published "The Mind Illuminated" book written by Culadasa, professor of neuroscience and a _very_ accomplished meditator. [ http://www.amazon.com/dp/0990847705 ] For all the other commenters asking why Mindfulness and Concentration…
on “Mindfulness versus Concentration” ↗Cannot strongly recommend enough "The Mind Illuminated" by John Yates. https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Illuminated-Meditation-Integrati... It's been discussed on HN before (it's how I found it a few years ago) and breaks down meditation in a systematic way…
on “The spotlight of attention is more like a strobe, say researchers” ↗…crazier from there, but you’ll develop an intuition for what meditation is by then. This is a 400 page book about sitting still and focusing on the breath that is known to work: https://www.amazon.com.au/Mind-Illuminated-Meditation-Integr...
on “Ask HN: What's it like getting better at meditation?” ↗…got to be a happier person overall (though that wasn't ever a problem for me), and learned to deal with any kind of stress whatsoever. I'll happily recommend the, oh so often mentioned on hn, book "the mind illuminated" it really is great to start with: https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Illuminated-Meditation-Integrati... Recently I haven't been meditating as much as I'd like to unfortunately (I'm trying to get back to it),…
on “The Impact of Meditating Every Day” ↗…(https://www.consciouslifestylemag.com/wp-content/uploads/201...) depicts the mind as an elephant too. It gets distracted by the ape mind (look! shiny!) in the beginning. If you want to start meditation, get the book that has been recommended here before: Mind Illuminated by John Yates
on “Microdosing: Improving performance enhancement in intelligence analysis (2019) [pdf]” ↗You can look up "The Mind Illuminated" by Yates (Culadasa) and Immergut. It is completely devoid of run-of-the-mill pseudo-spiritual stuff, and consists of practical advice that you can follow. It is a complete guide that provides step-by-step…
on “Ask HN: What Are You Learning?” ↗I really liked the recent book The Mind Illuminated by John Yates as a basic meditation guide. Goes from the basics to advanced concentration, has detailed practice instructions for each stage, and is grounded in cognitive science with basically zero mysticism…
on “How Meditation Changes the Brain and Body” ↗…_very_ accomplished meditator. He's written THE definite book on meditation that uses models of the mind originating from both neuroscience and most noble meditation traditions. https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Illuminated-Complete-Meditation-... It's suitable both for beginners and advanced practitioners as it describes the progress of the practice in 10 very clearly described stages. For those that don't yet have enough…
on “Regular meditation may be more beneficial than vacation” ↗For those interested in learning more, The Mind Illuminated is by far the best book I've come across on the topic. It's an extremely systematic college level manual for learning how to meditate. The author has a PhD in physiology, has been meditating for 40 years,…
on “Guided meditation for beginners” ↗In no particular order: • Sapiens • Thinking Fast and Slow • The Mind Illuminated • A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?” ↗I suspect a better place to start is one of the excellent books on mindfulness meditation that's available now. The Mind Illuminated by John Yates is the one I see recommended the most, and it's helped me tremendously. It goes through ten stages, from novice to very advanced. I'm still close to the beginning, but the instructions in…
on “Headspace vs. Calm: A Meditation-App Battle That’s Anything but Zen” ↗…are just another phenomenon you're experiencing. Do a lot of the right kind of practice, and you can get it to stop, while still maintaining a high level of conscious awareness. E.g. see the book The Mind Illuminated.
on “Consciousness Doesn’t Depend on Language” ↗…a similar age. Please forgive me for offering some unsolicited advice. I highly recommend meditation. A helpful book I started with is called Wherever You Go, There You Are. I'm now getting into The Mind Illuminated, and I think it is also good. The subreddits /r/meditation and /r/TheMindIlluminated are informative, at the moment. When you find the time, which can be difficult when you are working a job, try forcing…
on “Superior IQs associated with mental and physical disorders, research suggests” ↗…is hard. It requires consistent effort and dedication, just like any practice involving a complex skill (e.g., going to the gym or swimming pool). For a completely secular practice, I’d recommend “The Mind Illuminated” by John Yates [1], a neuroscientist and a master meditator, whose aim with the book was to create a modern manual for meditation by making old Buddhist teachings accessible to an average westerner. The…
on “Ask HN: Anyone else in constant anxiety and how do you cope?” ↗Reading The Mind Illuminated by John Yates (Culadasa). It's the first (and possibly only) book which gives a systematic step by step guide to reaching enlightenment. It explains things in a clear objective scientific way without…
on “Ask HN: What was the turning point in your meditation journey?” ↗