The New Meditation Handbook: Meditations to Make Our Life Happy and Meaningful

Perfect for both beginners and experienced meditators, this practical guide offers an introduction to the expansive inner world of meditation as well as a series of 21 step-by-step meditations, leading to increasingly peaceful and beneficial states of mind, which together form the entire Buddhist path to enlightenment. By following simple meditation instructions, readers can experience the inner tranquility and lightness of mind that comes from meditation, to reduce life's difficulties and bring greater happiness for ourself and others. Clear and relevant meditation break practices are revealed, so readers can integrate the meditations into their daily activities to reduce tension and improve relationships.

Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso is a fully accomplished meditation master and internationally renowned teacher of Buddhism who has pioneered the introduction of modern Buddhism into contemporary society. He is the author of 22 highly acclaimed books that transmit perfectly the ancient wisdom of Buddhism to our modern world. He has also founded over 1200 Kadampa Buddhist Centers and groups throughout the world. In his teachings, Geshe Kelsang emphasizes the importance of meditation and how to apply it in daily life. He reveals practical methods for developing wisdom, cultivating a good heart and maintaining a peaceful mind through which we can all find true and lasting happiness. Demonstrating these qualities perfectly in his own life, Geshe Kelsang has dedicated his whole life to helping others find inner peace and happiness.

Preface; PART ONE - FOUNDATION: Introduction; What is Meditation?; The Benefits of Meditation; How to Begin Meditation; Background Knowledge Required for Meditation; How to Meditate; PART TWO - THE 21 MEDITATIONS: THE INITIAL SCOPE: 1. Our Precious Human Life; 2. Death and Impermanence; 3. The Dangers of Lower Rebirth; 4. Refuge Practice; 5. Actions and Their Effects; THE INTERMEDIATE SCOPE: 6. Developing Renunciation for Samsara; THE GREAT SCOPE: 7. Developing Equanimity; 8. Recognizing that all Living Beings are our Mothers; 9. Remembering the Kindness of Living Beings; 10. Equalizing Self and Others; 11. The Disadvantages of Self-cherishing; 12. The Advantages of Cherishing Others; 13. Exchanging Self with Others; 14. Great Compassion; 15. Taking; 16. Wishing Love; 17. Giving; 18. Bodhichitta; 19. Tranquil Abiding; 20. Superior Seeing; 21. Relying Upon a Spiritual Guide; A Special Breathing Meditation; A Traditional Meditation on Emptiness; Second Contemplation: Meditation on the Emptiness of the Body; 'Prayers for Meditation'; A Commentary to the Preparatory Practices; Conclusion