About
The Book

“Shinzen Young’s approach to Mindfulness is both poetic and rigorous. He has already benefitted countless people with his innovative techniques. In The Science of Enlightenment, he demystifies the process of practice and makes it easily accessible, which will undoubtedly benefit both new and experienced meditators.”

“In this fascinating, clearly written, and easy-to-read book, Shinzen takes us on a journey that combines autobiographical anecdote with correlations between many different  mystical traditions, all leading to a set of principles upon which a science of meditation can be founded. This is an important and groundbreaking addition to world literature on Awakening.”

“The best book I have read on the full process of Buddhist insight meditation, from the muddy beginnings to the strange and beautiful deep end of practice. Young’s primary interest is in making contemplative development more rigorous—to disambiguate the confusions, define the terms, and tease out the fundamental dynamics. Between the two great Magisteria of science and spirit, he explores a middle ground of direct experience. There is simply no teacher alive today who can do this with Young’s level of experience and precision. The man has the perceptual acuity of a high-powered microscope, with enough actual scientific discipline to clearly describe what he’s seeing without falling into premature conclusions or half-baked interpretive conjectures (the pitfall of too many spiritual books that seek the imprimatur of science). The effect is thrillingly provocative, a dramatic validation of the deepest aspects of what it means to be human. The text is also gracefully written, filled with fascinating personal stories and rich cultural and historical context. Simply wonderful. A must-read for anyone curious about both meditation and the future of science.”

“Shinzen Young is a genius in making meditation more comprehensible and practical for modern people, writing both from widespread and deep intellectual understanding and from deep personal experience and accomplishment! I give it my strongest recommendations both for those beginning meditation and for those expert in the practice.”

“Shinzen says that ‘to teach about enlightenment is to mislead people,’ but that ‘to fail to teach about enlightenment is also to mislead people.’ It’s impossible to perfectly describe and guide others on this paradoxical path. That said, it’s a rare thing to have a guide that fails quite so as well as Shinzen does.”

“Only a broadly trained and practiced dharma-farer like Shinzen Young could have pulled off this remarkable blend of Zen’s nonconceptual immediacy, Vipassana’s precision, and the Western scientific perspective, along with numerous other helpful perspectives, into something so readable and practical while yet plunging the depths of practice and awakening. In short, Shinzen has totally rocked it!”

“Shinzen is one of the very best meditation teachers I have ever worked with. His openness to feedback and continuous improvement embodies the essence of science: precision, depth, power, simplicity, and universality. This book is a gift from a unique visionary, presenting ancient wisdom in a manner that exemplifies the contemporary zeitgeist.”

“In this remarkable book, Shinzen shares both his personal story and the knowledge of Buddhist practice that he has accumulated over a lifetime. With his unique approach he synthesizes teachings from multiple traditions and presents them in a clear and accessible way. An accomplishment as impressive as it is inspiring.”

“Shinzen is a genuine meditation master and spiritual teacher, among other talents and abilities far beyond those of mortal monks. His grand vision furthering the unification of science with spirit, as exemplified in this tremendous new work, will help further the integrated science of enlightenment for wise living in this next century.”

“Shinzen is my teacher, my mentor, and my friend. I was a skeptic who came to mindfulness desperately looking for relief, and Shinzen’s pragmatic voice, his sheer logic, leveled my distrust. Now, as one of his senior facilitators, I’m grateful and honored to share his brilliantly wrought, unifying system of mindfulness, which has had such a radically positive effect in my life. This book speaks to your ultimate thriving as a human being.”

“With warmth, wisdom, and stunning precision, Shinzen Young maps out his unique path through and out of the realms of suffering; a towering work by one of the great teachers of our time.”

“I am not a big fan of the language of ‘special meditative states’ or ‘enlightenment’ as the most skillful ways to think about or broadly cultivate access to the full range of our intrinsic wisdom and warm-heartedness. Nevertheless, Shinzen’s brilliant, wide ranging, deeply passionate, and very clear developmental approach here can give anyone who cares about wisdom and compassion a precise and compelling perspective—both scientifically rigorous and culturally inclusive—on what it might mean to be fully who and what we already are, in other words, fully human, and how to realize it and let it ripen us through the systematic lifetime cultivation and application of mindfulness/heartfulness writ both seemingly small and inwardly, and seemingly large and outwardly. The fate of the world hangs in the balance, so Shinzen’s highly disciplined methods and message are best taken seriously, and yet at the same time, approached with a light touch and a sense of humor, as he himself emphasizes, so we do not take ourselves and the possibility of our attaining ‘special states’ too seriously, especially since they are already here in this moment and there is no one to take them seriously anyway. Seriously.”

“This is a beautifully rich, integrative work for students of meditation in our time. Shinzen Young speaks with clarity and authority grounded deep in contemplative experience, and informed by serious, modern scientific inquiry. This book will engage and guide anyone interested in the scholarship, the practice, and the science of meditation.”

“Shinzen’s writing, like his embodied teaching style, is direct, lucid, and insightful. Through his practice, teachings, and ways of transmitting his teachings, he is able to connect with the seeker and the scientist alike in profound ways. The Science of Enlightenment is a must-read for those interested in how meditation works in everyday, practical terms; as well as in logical, scientific terms.”

“Shinzen’s wisdom shines forth in this practical and helpful guide.”