In classical Buddhism, the three avenues to understanding are study, reflection, and meditation.
- Study: learning the material, listening to teaching, studying texts.
- Reflection: thinking about what you've learned, clarifying questions and understanding, making the material your own.
- Meditation: holding the teaching in attention until it becomes part of how you live and function in your life.
The sequence of practices described in Wake Up to Your Life form a curriculum of practice that begins with basic meditation and leads you from the establishment of motivation and through the dismantling of habituated patterns to reclaiming your human heritage of clear open awareness.
This study-practice guide is based on this sequence of practices. Here you will find:
- Resources that provide background and additional perspectives
- Points of reflection for each practice
- Concise meditation guidelines for selected practices
Click here for a list of classes and study groups who use Wake Up to Your Life as a foundation.
George Draffan of naturalawareness.net has prepared a reading list to accompany the book. Click here to see it. He has also prepared an index of the authors and page numbers of the many quotes in the book. You can download a PDF version here.
Two Ways to Use the Study-Practice Guide
Method 1: For each area, read some or any of the books indicated in the study section. Use the questions in the reflection section to deepen your understanding and make it personal. Use the meditation section to instill a direct understanding, one that is accessible to you in your life.
Method 2: Use the matrix of squares to move around and explore. Find areas that resonate with questions you have and use the corresponding study, reflection and meditation sections to go deeper into the topic.
In the Meditation section of each area you will find a link to a chart giving the approximate timeframes and signs of assimilation for each practice. These time frames are for students who are doing these meditations for the first time and haven't had much previous exposure to meditation. To make a meditation practice part of you:
- learn the meditation technique so that it is clear to you how to do it
- develop proficiency so that you have a sense of making a consistent effort even though distractions arise
- practice it consistently until you develop understanding at the emotional level, not just intellectual
To work deeply, discuss your practice with a teacher on a regular basis.
For more detailed discussion of all these practices, please consult Wake Up to Your Life.
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