Monday, December 27, 2021

"Buddha’s Heart" by Stephen Snyder (book)

Stephen Snyder (AwakeningDharma.org); Dhr. Seven (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly

[The] Buddha’s Heart: Meditation Practice for Developing Well-Being, Love, and Empathy is an inspiring and healing guide to immersive meditation in the ancient Buddhist heart practices — the "Supreme Abidings" or Brahma Vihāras.

With Buddha’s Heart, senior meditation teacher Stephen Snyder reveals an original and clear path to the powerful brahma vihāras. These practices offer rich, soothing support for the person and a portal to spiritual awakening and deepening self-realization.

Informed by Snyder’s experiential understanding, it is suitable for those at any level of meditation practice. The Buddha’s Heart leads readers step-by-step through
  • traditional teachings on wholesomeness and concentration meditations to establish a supportive bedrock for personal discovery;
  • guided, heart-opening meditations on loving-kindness, compassion, empathetic joy, and equanimity;
  • further guided practices for deepening awareness, including gratitude, forgiveness, and
  • opening to the Oneness of Reality;
  • exploratory exercises for each meditation practice, illuminating the psychological blocks to accessing our deeper nature’s heart qualities; and
  • embracing mindfulness and warm attunement in everyday life — opening our hearts to the profound depths of reality and the Absolute.
Heart (hadaya-vatthu) is seat of consciousness
The Buddha’s Heart teaches what seems counterintuitive yet is undeniably true: The more we open our hearts, the more resilient and flexible we become. And the more authentically vulnerable we become, and the safer and more protected we become.

Reviews
Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience
“A deep dive into the heart of who we truly are.”
— Loch Kelly, meditation teacher, psychotherapist, and author of The Way of Effortless Mindfulness

“A profound integration of clarity, heart, and grounded practice.”
— Rick Hanson, PhD, psychologist and NYT bestselling author of Buddha’s Brain

“Stephen’s original framing of classical Theravada teachings will inspire practitioners to explore unfathomed depths of their own tender hearts.”
—Karin Meyers, PhD, Academic Director, Mangalam Research Center for Buddhist Languages

“Written from deep personal wisdom, Buddha’s Heart expertly addresses key obstacles that block many people from accessing and opening to their true nature.
— Jud Brewer, MD, PhD, Director of Research and Innovation, Mindfulness Center at Brown and author of The Craving Mind

“A thorough and inspiring step-by-step walk-through of just what the subtitle says: a meditation practice for developing well-being, love, and empathy. The experienced as well as the inexperienced meditator can reap a useful harvest from these pages.”
—David Chadwick, author of Crooked Cucumber and Hearing the Voice of God

“Buddha’s Heart speaks to meditators at all levels with a grace, eloquence, and thoroughness seldom found.”
—Susie Harrington, meditation teacher, Desert Dharma
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