Describing Harris's views on meditation as secular faith. A quite gross misrrepresentation.

Traditional thinking/faith-based belief have absolutely nothing going for them, given they are merely a vehicle for unconscionable control, that has allowed some of the worst crimes/atrocities known to humanity! Committed in some alleged deity's name.

The Author clearly knows SFA about the practice of real meditation which is accurately described by Harris as a complete stilling of the conscious mind. As Harris has advocated, doesn't need the trappings of this or that religious dogma.

In fact, better practice minus all that pedantic absolutism! And an assistance to the critical thinking clearly despised by religious authorities/cult leaders?

We are one! Think, at the smallest level even the molecules that make this or that life form or inanimate object are composed of collected atoms. Atoms, when viewed as their component parts, are just combinations of positive, negative and neutral energy.

The composition of the whole of the known or visible universe as described by Einstien as the, Unified field of energy.

Moreover, given we know that energy cannot be created or destroyed! It therefore follows, it has always existed in some form, before there was a visible universe.

The big bang theory is just that, a theory Blown out of the water by an accelerating expansion! Just not possible from a big bang that has to be slowed by simple gravity!

Wars have been fought in the name of this or that religion. As has murder and all manner of atrocities! The sole product of traditional thinking! Unsupported by proven facts of any sort whatsoever.

We know there is dark energy, and given energy can neither be created or destroyed! Perhaps the source of the visible universe, as an extrusion of transformed dark energy?

Not confounded by the visible acceleration of the expanding universe!?

Can the universe think, dream or create? Well, you and I can and we are just a part of it or the unified field of energy that is our universe! We are one, but we are many.
Alan B.

Harris as with all God deniers ignore their own corrupt hearts which helps them use pseudoscience in order to chant idiotic dogmas.

Runner, it is better the world merely believe you are a moronic fool than to open your mouth and remove absolutely, all doubt.
Alan B.

Thanks Jason, you have nailed it!
Peter

It seems to me that this "review" is actually a statement of Jason's unexamined essentially naive prejudices and limitations.

In the "review" he used the words god and consciousness, obviously having NO idea at all about the profound esoteric meaning and coincidence of these two words.

By contrast the book reviewed here gives a profound all-encompassing explanation/description of such http://global.adidam.org/books/ancient-teachings This book was also published by Inner Traditions with the title Reality Is All The God There Is.

As a matter of interest the former editor of the global.adidam site was a good friend of Sam Harris. Sam even attended the editors transition-vigil after he died from pancreatic cancer. Which is to say that Sam is uncommonly well-informed re the matters of esoteric Spiritual Religion.

The West of course has NO such tradition, or even any kind of living Spiritual Tradition. Of course Protestantism NEVER had any kind of contemplative esoteric dimension. It was/is a "tradition" of the left-brained spirit-killing word.

But what are the foundational necessities of genuine Spiritual Life, and indeed of even authentic ordinary life. This site describes such necessities:

http://www.adidam.org/teaching/aletheon/truth-life

This essay describes the Sacred Space within which any kind of authentic Spiritual Life must necessarily be practiced.

http://www.beezone.com/da_publications/restsacr.html

So Harris has finally found that spirituality is important? Imagine that! After so many years of building a crescendo against religion, and against faith, he sees the need or the value of having a spiritual side. Who knows, maybe there's hope for the bloke yet. For now though I don't trust his change in in heart about spirituality to go any where. But I hope I'm wrong about that. Let him Find some humility and figure out that he is not an expert in this field no matter how well written or well spoken he is. Or better sill let him realize he was wrong for so many years on the soapbox against faith.

If he is willing to lose his audience that follows him because he is against religion, then he shows real sincerity. Until then I have my doubts about him and any view he holds on spirituality. And I recommend anyone else to hold a similar view skeptism towards him on a subject he knows very little about. That said though, I do hope hope that my doubts are wrong. That Harris has made a change in direction. But no matter how well he writes, he's not an expert on spirituality.