Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion

by Sam Harris

Sam Harris’ Waking Up is a guide for those seeking spirituality without religion, blending neuroscience and psychology to explore meditation as a rational spiritual practice. Aimed at non-religious individuals, the book argues that the experiences of historical spiritual figures hold valuable truths beyond what science and secular culture acknowledge. It combines Harris’ personal journey with an exploration of the scientific foundations of spirituality, offering a unique perspective on contemplative wisdom.

Sam Harris "gets it", the both Eastern and Western ways of life and this book is the best of its kind written by a modern writer. It took me a while to finish reading it, a span of 8 years to be exact plus a Vipassana Meditation retreat taught by Goenka to understand what Sam Harris has written in this book. One has to "experience" it like an empiricist to understand the books. Good luck and best wishes to all readers!

The author invites us to dive deeper in a field most commonly inhabited by superstition and draws interesting credible conclusions. As an atheist, I’d say I’m pretty convinced that it is possible to discuss spirituality without religion after having read this book. It has fully changed my views on meditation and its purposes. I cannot thank the author enough for sharing a vast set of spiritual experiences, but from a secular standpoint.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is a starting guide to know our spiritual consciousness without religious dogma.The author is very harsh against religious thought (and many people may not like that), but he is compassionate towards the vulnerable people, where it counts.