Cortland Dahl

Though stress and anxiety abound, Buddhism offers a different way--a path right through our challenges and fears into connection with our innate awareness, compassion, and wisdom. Buddhism is rooted in the simple idea that you can train your mind to suffer less and flourish more. In this experiential guide, Cortland Dahl will take you on a journey through the core principles and meditation practices of the Buddhist tradition. The journey begins with teachings on the Four Noble Truths, practical observations that will help you understand the causes of unhappiness, and how you can access inner calm and deep insight through meditation. The journey continues with teachings on compassion, buddha nature, and the profound principle of emptiness, before culminating in a discussion of meditation practices that use common experiences like dreams and strong emotions to awaken. Through accessible teachings and relatable stories, you will learn simple methods to transform your mind and embrace true, unshakeable happiness.

For anyone who is overwhelmed, stressed, or lonely in today’s world, or who simply senses they have an untapped potential to lead a more fulfilling life, here are ways to flourish. The human species is experiencing a massive mental health crisis. Depression is now the leading cause of morbidity globally. Loneliness is more dangerous to our health than smoking 15 cigarettes per day. Suicide rates in different groups in some parts of the world are skyrocketing and cut across social class and income. Distractibility and impairments of concentration are at an all-time high, and teens are spending more time on social media than they do sleeping. Now, based on decades of neuroscientific research, Dr Richard J. Davidson, a pioneering neuroscientist and New York Times bestselling author, and Dr Cortland Dahl, one of the world’s foremost experts on the science and practice of meditation, share their groundbreaking scientific model — the Healthy Minds Framework — that highlights the four core skills of human flourishing to counteract such problems. Each skill — awareness, insight, connection, and purpose — translates into practices that all of us can do in simple ways, every day, with enormous positive results. When we cultivate these skills, we can navigate life’s ups and downs with far more resilience and calmness, on a path to a life that feels balanced, rich, and rewarding.

El budismo no se fundamenta en verdades reveladas o creencias imposibles de probar; es una tradici n profundamente humana con un rico abanico de pr cticas para explorar la aut ntica naturaleza de la mente, las emociones y las relaciones. En esta accesible gu a, Cortland Dahl nos invita a recorrer los tres «veh culos tradicionales del budismo. Primero, el veh culo fundamental del budismo temprano, que introduce ense anzas como las Cuatro Nobles Verdades, tomadas directamente de la vida del Buda y de los sutras. Luego, el gran veh culo del budismo Mahayana, que ofrece principios sobre la vacuidad y la compasi n universal. Finalmente, el veh culo diamantino del Vajrayana presenta un conjunto de pr cticas dise adas para alcanzar el despertar en esta misma vida. Este libro nos gu a a trav s de meditaciones sobre la respiraci n y los sentidos, reflexiones sobre la naturaleza de la mente o pr cticas de compasi n, como el tonglen, de forma que podamos empezar a descubrir el tesoro espiritual que siempre ha estado en nosotros. Buddhism is not based on revealed truths or unprovable beliefs; it is a deeply human tradition with a rich array of practices for exploring the true nature of the mind, emotions, and relationships. In this accessible guide, Cortland Dahl invites us to explore the three traditional "vehicles" of Buddhism. First, the fundamental vehicle of early Buddhism, which introduces teachings such as the Four Noble Truths, taken directly from the life of the Buddha and the sutras. Then, the great vehicle of Mahayana Buddhism, which offers principles of emptiness and universal compassion. Finally, the diamond vehicle of Vajrayana presents a set of practices designed to achieve awakening in this lifetime. This book guides us through meditations on the breath and the senses, reflections on the nature of the mind, and compassion practices such as tonglen, so that we can begin to discover the spiritual treasure that has always been within us.