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The Joy of True Meditation: Words of Encouragement for Tired Minds and Wild Hearts
“What is meditation? Pure fascination with this moment, exactly as it is”. Jeff Foster, a survivor of suicidal depression and now a popular spiritual teacher, invites us to discover the “life-saving” inner sanctuary of true meditation. He re-envisions meditation as a vast non-dual field of Presence, accessible to all of us in each and every moment of our lives; an effortless place where we can be our authentic selves—imperfections, doubts, fears, exhaustion and all. Meditation does not involve zoning out, numbing ourselves to the pain of living or trying to become spiritually enlightened. It means diving into “the sacred mess of this present moment” with curiosity and child-like wonder, drenching our deepest wounds with a loving Awareness, bringing light to the darkness. In true meditation, we come to We are perfect, exactly as we are. The Joy of True Meditation gathers together nearly 50 of Jeff Foster’s soothing, touching, provocative and encouraging essays and poetic reflections on life, love, our true nature, and the courageous journey towards wild self-acceptance. Plus, in an extended Introduction, Jeff opens up fully for the first time about his battle with chronic shame and depression. He shares movingly how a complete mental and spiritual breakdown eventually led him to the discovery of the present moment, his true home. He explains how true meditation literally saved his life. This book’s themes “Hidden in each of this book’s vignettes is a constant reminder of the fierceness and totality of the moment as an invitation to presence, to breath, back home. Jeff’s invitations are manifold and pay homage to the pulsing, alive heart, and to the vital, inspired breath. By being who he a poet, lover, and madman in the best sense of the word, Jeff offers words of encouragement whispered into our tired ears and minds, meant for our dazzled, wild hearts to receive.” – From the Foreword by Kelly Boys, author of “The Blind Spot Effect”
- GenresSpirituality
152 pages, Paperback
Published April 28, 2019
53 people are currently reading
122 people want to read
About the author
Jeff Foster
72 books260 followersJeff Foster graduated in Astrophysics from Cambridge University in 2001. Several years after graduation, following a period of severe depression and illness, he became addicted to the idea of "spiritual enlightenment", and embarked on an intensive spiritual search which lasted for several years.
The spiritual search came to an absolute end with the clear seeing that there is only ever Oneness. In the clarity of this seeing, life became what it always was: spontaneous, clear, joyful and fully alive, and Jeff began to write and talk about "nonduality" (which he often calls "the utterly, utterly obvious").
He holds meetings and retreats in the UK and Europe, clearly and directly pointing to the frustrations surrounding the spiritual search, to the nature of mind, and to the Clarity at the heart of everything. His uncompromising approach, full of humor and compassion, shatters the mind's hopes for a future awakening, revealing the awakening that is always already present, right in the midst of life.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 6, 2023
If you're expecting this book to be a guide on how to meditate or if you're looking for concrete answers and solutions to your pain or sadness, this book is not for you. Read it without any expectations.
Jeff Foster offers a lot of compassionate, heartfelt and comforting words. I enjoyed the book greatly. Though what I wanted to hear more about was the author's personal story and what led him to the deep depression and healing. The short texts felt a bit abstract and repetitive at times. I think the universal approach felt a bit too vague and I wanted a personal, individual touch.
Nevertheless, there's a lot of beautiful thougths in this book and one only needs to be open to receive them. Jeff Foster uses an approach of non-duality, where every feeling is welcome and not labeled negative or positive, bad or good. I think our modern world is just crazy about being productive, happy and goal-orientated, that there is no place to feel sad, angry, bored. We're offered a cure for nearly everything to omptimize our 'fullest potential': medicine to numb our depression, caffeine to boost our energy, sleeping pills to numb ourselves to sleep and the list goes on. There is no longer any space to feel. The expectations to always be happy and full of energy are high and a lot of this is certainly due to capitalism. There needs to be a 'functional' society in order to make capital.
Jeff Foster offers a lot of compassionate, heartfelt and comforting words. I enjoyed the book greatly. Though what I wanted to hear more about was the author's personal story and what led him to the deep depression and healing. The short texts felt a bit abstract and repetitive at times. I think the universal approach felt a bit too vague and I wanted a personal, individual touch.
Nevertheless, there's a lot of beautiful thougths in this book and one only needs to be open to receive them. Jeff Foster uses an approach of non-duality, where every feeling is welcome and not labeled negative or positive, bad or good. I think our modern world is just crazy about being productive, happy and goal-orientated, that there is no place to feel sad, angry, bored. We're offered a cure for nearly everything to omptimize our 'fullest potential': medicine to numb our depression, caffeine to boost our energy, sleeping pills to numb ourselves to sleep and the list goes on. There is no longer any space to feel. The expectations to always be happy and full of energy are high and a lot of this is certainly due to capitalism. There needs to be a 'functional' society in order to make capital.
July 8, 2020
My mum, being a yoga teacher always has self-help and meditation books lying around the house. When I’m bored I sometimes just pick one up and start reading it, seeing if there’s anything interesting... but I usually find that they’re a bunch of waffle made to so that self proclaimed gurus can string out more cash from their followers. But not this one. This is the best meditation book I have read.
This is manual of how the author overcame, is it safe to say, suicidal depression through meditation as it allowed him to capture his personal depth and power. As Foster put it, he went from depressed to deep-rest. My favourite quote from this book is “Somedays I thought about checking myself into a mental hospital. But maybe we have to go ‘insane’ to heal.” Here are are a few great concepts, but there’s much more in the book:
- Our breath is ‘our most wonderful anchor to Now’, don’t control it, let it be natural and try to observe it. It’s amazing because you can use it at any place, at any time.
- Whatever your doing, can you bless it with your undivided attention?
- Suicidal depression is a blessing in disguise because it allows you to requestion your ‘self’.
- If your sad your at a low vibration, and it’s absolutely not because your an egotistical, negative person. Stress is the tension between this moment and your mental image of how this moment should be. If your either sad or stressed, it’s not your fault! The best thing that you can do is be at peace with the process and let it be.
- Don’t wait for a significant other. No one is coming to save you; there will never be a knight in shining armour or sweet princess to sweep you away from your troubles. Furthermore, if you look to another for happiness you will become dependant on them and call it ‘love’. When you catch yourself falling into these traps, just meditate -because that is true love. Also tell yourself something like ‘I complete myself, in every moment’, ‘where I begin life begins’ or ‘I can’t live without myself’. “do not for any moment but into the lie that your salvation lies anywhere except at the very heart of your exquisite presence”
- There’s no such thing as awkward silence. Modern society is uncomfortable with silence. In Native American cultures, it’s considered polite to wait up to several minutes to respond to a question. Words are not necessary for us to feel each other.
- Beauty lies not in what you see, but how you see it.
- It’s sometimes terrifying to be present because the now is so unbearable. Our dreams and ambitions are a form of escapism.
I am blown away with how insightful Foster is, it flows well (no waffle), and most importantly the tone of Fosters voice doesn’t sound like he knows best and he’s commanding the reader on what to do. The contents of this book can be valuable to everyone.
This book is not a ‘how to’ guide which tells you the steps of meditation or breathing, but it does nudge you in the right direction. My only criticism is that it’s highly religious and it suggests that if you don’t believe in God, you can’t achieve full inner peace, which limits a lot of readers.
This is manual of how the author overcame, is it safe to say, suicidal depression through meditation as it allowed him to capture his personal depth and power. As Foster put it, he went from depressed to deep-rest. My favourite quote from this book is “Somedays I thought about checking myself into a mental hospital. But maybe we have to go ‘insane’ to heal.” Here are are a few great concepts, but there’s much more in the book:
- Our breath is ‘our most wonderful anchor to Now’, don’t control it, let it be natural and try to observe it. It’s amazing because you can use it at any place, at any time.
- Whatever your doing, can you bless it with your undivided attention?
- Suicidal depression is a blessing in disguise because it allows you to requestion your ‘self’.
- If your sad your at a low vibration, and it’s absolutely not because your an egotistical, negative person. Stress is the tension between this moment and your mental image of how this moment should be. If your either sad or stressed, it’s not your fault! The best thing that you can do is be at peace with the process and let it be.
- Don’t wait for a significant other. No one is coming to save you; there will never be a knight in shining armour or sweet princess to sweep you away from your troubles. Furthermore, if you look to another for happiness you will become dependant on them and call it ‘love’. When you catch yourself falling into these traps, just meditate -because that is true love. Also tell yourself something like ‘I complete myself, in every moment’, ‘where I begin life begins’ or ‘I can’t live without myself’. “do not for any moment but into the lie that your salvation lies anywhere except at the very heart of your exquisite presence”
- There’s no such thing as awkward silence. Modern society is uncomfortable with silence. In Native American cultures, it’s considered polite to wait up to several minutes to respond to a question. Words are not necessary for us to feel each other.
- Beauty lies not in what you see, but how you see it.
- It’s sometimes terrifying to be present because the now is so unbearable. Our dreams and ambitions are a form of escapism.
I am blown away with how insightful Foster is, it flows well (no waffle), and most importantly the tone of Fosters voice doesn’t sound like he knows best and he’s commanding the reader on what to do. The contents of this book can be valuable to everyone.
This book is not a ‘how to’ guide which tells you the steps of meditation or breathing, but it does nudge you in the right direction. My only criticism is that it’s highly religious and it suggests that if you don’t believe in God, you can’t achieve full inner peace, which limits a lot of readers.
October 21, 2019
Love it. Jeff Foster speaks to my heart and through his readings I have practiced stepping out of the darkness. I recommend reading some of his other work before starting with this one—but maybe not. What’s wonderful about this book is the short chapters, snippets, of mindful conversations and topics about facing darkness, love, and relationships. I have already read and reread certain chapters. This one will sit by my bedside table for a while. Lots of good nuggets to use for journaling and meditation.
December 16, 2019
This beautiful book came to me just when I needed it most.
Thank you Jeff💜
My mind was like a finch hoping erratically from branch to branch. Your words were not meant to land on or grab hold of. And, somehow, my mind would just stop and I’d be right here, now. Perfect.
Such sweetness and compassion.
Thank you Jeff💜
My mind was like a finch hoping erratically from branch to branch. Your words were not meant to land on or grab hold of. And, somehow, my mind would just stop and I’d be right here, now. Perfect.
Such sweetness and compassion.
July 21, 2019
Interesting book. Some of the chapters were brilliant, others not so much. It’s the kind of book one needs to read slowly — one chapter at a time. Letting the message sink in thoroughly before venturing into the next chapter.
February 28, 2020
Perfect timing
I've read almost every flavour of spiritual book there is, and rarely find anything new. This also was not new for me, but jeff wrote in a way that resonated me so deeply it brought tears to my eyes, reminding me of truth I do an A* job of ignoring. Thank you Jeff.
I've read almost every flavour of spiritual book there is, and rarely find anything new. This also was not new for me, but jeff wrote in a way that resonated me so deeply it brought tears to my eyes, reminding me of truth I do an A* job of ignoring. Thank you Jeff.
March 14, 2020
So beautifully written.. so eloquent and heartfelt.. absolutely loved it.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews