“This welcoming book offers a wise, warm-hearted, and practical understanding of the awakened heart. Reading it is like talking with your best dharma friend, who helps you to shift from being lost in thought to spacious and kind attention.”—Jack Kornfield

“A wonderfully wise and practical introduction to mindfulness meditation that explores and addresses all the ins and outs of the practice, the obstacles and confusions, as well as the rewards of this path. This book is like a friendly, helpful companion, offering clear and trustworthy guidance and support for beginning or aspiring meditators. Highly recommended.”—John Welwood, author of Toward a Psychology of Awakening

“Many essential questions on the view and meditation practice of Buddhadharma—and everyday life—are answered here with great clarity and with a genuine heart of caring and loving-kindness.”—Tulku Thondup, author of The Healing Power of Mind

“The advice in this book will be of tremendous benefit to those who have the courage to engage their mind and heart and develop their potential. As a result, it will benefit the greater world.”—Sakyong Mipham, author of Turning the Mind Into an Ally

“This meditation manual is full of helpful suggestions, not just for the beginning meditation practitioner, but also for those who have been meditating for a long time. Ferguson’s great learning and deep experience are reflected on every page. Here he has achieved a rare blend of subtle scholarship, readability, and practical use.”—Traleg Kyabgon, author of The Essence of Buddhism

The capacity to awaken is inherent in all of us, and each and every one of us can do it. That’s the heart of Gaylon Ferguson’s remarkably encouraging message in his long-awaited first book—and it’s backed by more than thirty years of study and teaching, during which time he’s inspired thousands of people on the spiritual path. The meditative mind is not something we need to attain, he says, it’s our very nature, and our desire to follow the spiritual path is nothing other than a manifestation of that nature already being there, just below the surface.

He encourages us to assess our “spiritual progress” with honesty and without judgment in order to see where our sticking points are and to get past them, and he provides exercises and much practical advice. His friendly and supportive approach to meditation practice is perfect for new meditators, and it will also provide renewed inspiration for anyone who’s been practicing for years.