Foreword |
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Abbreviations |
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Introduction: The Big Picture |
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1 | (6) |
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Meditation and its goal. How to use this book |
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Part 1: The Happiness of Meditation |
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1. The Basic Method of Meditation I |
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7 | (12) |
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A solid foundation using the first four stages of meditation |
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2. The Basic Method of Meditation II |
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19 | (10) |
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Three advanced stages of meditation, in which the breath becomes beautiful |
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3. The Hindrances to Meditation I |
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29 | (10) |
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The first two of the five hindrances standing between us and deeper states of meditation—sensory desire and ill will |
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4. The Hindrances to Meditation II |
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39 | (14) |
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The remaining three hindrances—sloth and torpor, restlessness and remorse, and doubt |
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5. The Quality of Mindfulness |
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53 | (12) |
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Mindfulness, the gatekeeper, and how we can succeed in meditation |
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6. Using Variety to Freshen Up Our Meditation |
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65 | (16) |
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Meditations that entertain the mind, relieve boredom, and create joy |
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81 | (22) |
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Gaining deep states of meditation—the jhanas-and the insights of enlightenment |
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8. The Four Focuses of Mindfulness |
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103 | (24) |
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Using the focuses of mindfulness to arrive at the jewel in the heart of the lotus |
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Part 2: To Bliss and Beyond |
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127 | (10) |
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The "beautiful breath" that begins the journey |
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10. The Jhanas II: Bliss upon Bliss |
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137 | (16) |
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Nimittas, the doorway to the jhanas |
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11. The Jhanas III: Bliss upon Bliss upon Bliss |
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153 | (20) |
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How to enter a jhdna, and what it is like inside |
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12. The Nature of Deep Insight |
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173 | (12) |
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What keeps us from seeing things as they truly are |
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How a mind empowered by deep meditation discovers truth |
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13. The Deep Insight That Liberates |
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185 | (26) |
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Deep insights that change everything and lead us to the experience of enlightenment |
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14. Enlightenment: Entering the Stream |
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211 | (20) |
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What nibbana (enlightenment) is, and the first experience of nibbana—stream winning |
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15. Onward to Full Enlightenment |
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231 | (24) |
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The four stages of enlightenment, and how to tell if someone is enlightened |
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Conclusion: Letting Go to the End |
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255 | (18) |
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The importance of letting go, the attachments or hurdles we may encounter, and how to develop peace and happiness in our busy lives |
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Notes |
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273 | (4) |
Bibliography |
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277 | (4) |
Index |
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281 | |