Have I missed a review or comments on the board on Sam Harris’s new book, “Waking Up”? Reading a review of the book I get the feeling that it is very consistent with reading Eckhart Tolle and consistent with my beliefs and experience.

I am surprised. What say you Sam Harris fans? Are you ready to follow Sam in waking up?

Below is from a review of the book:
http://www.newrepublic.com/article/119397/sam-harriss-waking-review
Even for extraordinarily lucky people, life is difficult. And when we look at what makes it so, we see that we are all prisoners of our thoughts. The simplicity of our imprisonment is what makes it so complete, and hard to recognize. Most of us do not even realize that suffering cannot arise without thought, or that we have the power to choose what and how to think. This is worth contemplating, and for those skeptical of this tyranny, the typical test is to ask them to not think, say, for one minute. Most of us fail immediately.
Worse still is our derivation of identity from thoughts and memories. It is commonsense to assume the existence of a “self” that experiences and thinks and remembers, which we locate “in the head.” As Harris argues, this “conventional sense of self is an illusion—and […] spirituality largely consists in realizing this, moment to moment.” As with much that is easily described, this is damningly hard to execute. One lesson that Harris attempts to impart is how horribly clever and tenacious the self can be: selves that endlessly yearn to extinguish the suffering from which they cannot dissociate; selves addicted to the strange dualistic conversation we call thought; selves so mesmerized they cannot enjoy “limitless” comfort, let alone access the transcendental nature of their experience. We find ourselves in a strange and recursive predicament. Our solution is found in recognizing “thoughts as thoughts,” as Harris writes, for that reveals the true nature of consciousness, which breaks the cycle and shatters the prison. There are a variety of ways to achieve this goal, if only momentarily, and Harris supplies various methods, both pharmacological and meditative, while being (sensibly) more prescriptive about the latter.
What I like about this venture is that it permits Harris to explore a variety of positions that just might appear preposterous. He entertains the possibility that consciousness might be beyond human intelligence to explain, and contrasts the metaphor of a brain that “generates” consciousness to one that “transduces” it (the popular theme in visionary and psychedelic subcultures that likens the brain to a sort of "receiver,” making consciousness the “signal”) and supports the resurging philosophical idea that consciousness inheres in all of matter. He doesn’t exhibit rigid certainty, either. He simply makes arguments.
Even more interesting is when Harris is led to concretize some of his spiritual insights. Harris recounts moments during meditation when he experienced “pure consciousness … where all thought subsided, and any sense of having a body disappeared…” leaving only “a blissful expanse of conscious peace that had no reference point in any of the usual sensory channels.” The tricky part of such an enviable state is deriving meaning and/or sense from it, analogous to basing life decisions on a vivid dream. If we take the proposition of “pure consciousness” seriously, then it must follow that consciousness can exist independent of perception—something many scientists and philosophers would find rebarbative. Yet Harris, relying on experience, is “confident they’re mistaken.” Such bizarre and contingent conclusions are incredibly easy to mock, though I have no intention to do so. I just wouldn’t have guessed he would make himself vulnerable in such a way.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/01/2015 07:18PM by ab.

I'll read the book.

I had not heard of Sam Harris 6-8 weeks ago when I came across some threads here where Sam was disparaged. Since then, I've listened to a number of his debates and speeches on youtube. I definitely enjoy the way he thinks and discusses an idea. Pinpoint focus, imo.

Interesting, consistent with my experience also.

I've read his books and listened to his YouTube clips. I genuinely like the guy, even though I don't agree with him on everything. He's heavily criticized about his stand on Islam, but I think it's unfair. Critics quote mine him, use his words out of context and seem to be deliberately smearing him. These are usually the same ultra politically correct crowd who regularly use these tactics. I appreciate his mind view as a guy who was raised outside of religion entirely, so has no axe to grind.

I'm really do not judge the content of a book by what people say in reviews.

Sam Harris is a person that I agree with sometimes and disagree with some time. I doubt I will get the book, but I will not judge what he wrote in the book by what someone else says he wrote in the book.

IMHO, you should do the same.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/01/2015 11:02PM by MJ.