"We spend our lives lost in thought. The question is, what should we make of this fact? In the West, the answer has been "Not much." In the East, especially in contemplative traditions like those of Buddhism, being distracted by thought is understood to be the very wellspring of human suffering."

Section: 1, Chapter: 1

"Despite the obvious importance of the unconscious mind, consciousness is what matters to us—not just for the purpose of spiritual practice but in every aspect of our lives. Consciousness is the substance of any experience we can have or hope for, now or in the future...It is easy to see that any further developments in physics, chemistry, or biology will do nothing to close the explanatory gap. Consciousness is just a matter of what things seem like to a subject - and where there is no subject, there is no seeming."

Section: 1, Chapter: 2

"We have seen that the sense of self is logically and empirically distinct from many other features of the mind with which it is often conflated. In order to understand it at the level of the brain, therefore, we would need to study people who no longer experienced it."

Section: 1, Chapter: 3

"One cannot travel far in spiritual circles without meeting people who are fascinated by the 'near-death experience' (NDE). The phenomenon has been described as follows: 'Frequently recurring features include feelings of peace and joy; a sense of being out of one's body and watching events going on around one's body and, occasionally, at some distant physical location; a cessation of pain; seeing a dark tunnel or void; seeing an unusually bright light, sometimes experienced as a 'Being of Light' that radiates love and may speak or otherwise communicate with the person; encountering other beings, often deceased persons whom the experiencer recognizes; experiencing a revival of memories or even a full life review, sometimes accompanied by feelings of judgment; seeing some 'other realm,' often of great beauty; sensing a barrier or border beyond which the person cannot go; and returning to the body, often reluctantly.'"

Section: 1, Chapter: 5

"The form of transcendence that appears to link directly to ethical behavior and human well-being is that which occurs in the midst of ordinary waking life. It is by ceasing to cling to the contents of consciousness—to our thoughts, moods, and desires—that we make progress. This project does not in principle require that we experience more content. The freedom from self that is both the goal and foundation of spiritual life is coincident with normal perception and cognition—though, as I have already said, this can be difficult to realize."

Section: 1, Chapter: 5

"We are always and everywhere in the presence of reality. Indeed, the human mind is the most complex and subtle expression of reality we have thus far encountered. This should grant profundity to the humble project of noticing what it is like to be you in the present. However numerous your faults, something in you at this moment is pristine—and only you can recognize it.

Open your eyes and see."

Section: 1, Chapter: 6