"Charles Tart has long been one of transpersonal psychology's foremost researchers and has had considerable impact on the field of meditation. In his classic book States of Consciousness, he published two-thirds of the scientific literature at that time (1969): namely, two of the three articles available. Some two decades ago he published an article in JTP reporting on his initial meditative experiences. The hallmark of Tart's approach has been a superb marriage of open mindedness to the novel and nonconventional combined with a rigorous logic and demanding empiricism. It is easy to be open-minded; it is easy to be critical, but it is hard to be both. Tart manages the combination superbly. Recently he has begun teaching meditation and in Mind Science he offers a simple, clear, practical introduction for beginners. There are many meditation books on the market. Why choose this one? First, because it is delightfully dogma and jargon free. Tart has distilled out the practical elements of actual meditation practice and divorced them from the metaphysical and other beliefs in which they usually come embedded. Meditation, and the instructions for it, are presented as instructions for a self-experiment which each of us can try for ourselves and see whether we benefit. The emphasis is on practicality, simplicity and the question "does it work?" Throughout, the style is light, humorous and humble. Tart acknowledges that he is very much a learner himself and presents himself as what psychologists call a "learning to cope" rather than an "expert" model. He introduces three types of meditation: concentration, insight, and meditation in action. The concentration meditation, which focuses on the breath and the insight meditation, which opens to the full range of experiences, are derived from Buddhism. The meditation in action practice is based on Gurdjieffian principles. The combination is a happy one and should give readers a good foundation in three essential approaches. This book can certainly be recommended as an excellent introduction to meditation. It may be especially valuable for people who are not already on a spiritual path, and who would be put off by spiritual language or metaphysical assumptions."--Roger Walsh
"Tart is the most important writer [on] the scientific study of Expanded consciousness in the world at the moment."--Colin Wilson
"One of the world's leading experts in the field [of] consciousness research."--Frances Vaughn
"If all academic scientists had his open and discriminating mind, progress would be made exponentially."--C. Norman Sheely, M.D.
"A pioneer in the integration of ancient wisdom and contemporary science."--Roger Walsh
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Rich with lucid instructions and practical insights, Mind Science dispels the metaphysical haze that all too often surrounds the vital subject of meditation. Based on a lively workshop with fellow scientists, Charles Tart shows how the pragmatic and scientifically-inclined among us can bring mindfulness into everyday life without religious baggage--and gain from its many health benefits.
