The capacity to awaken is inherent in all of us, and each and every one of us can do it. That's the heart of Gaylon Ferguson's remarkably encouraging message in his long-awaited first bookand it's backed by more than thirty years of study and teaching, during which time he's inspired thousands of people on the spiritual path. The meditative mind is not something we need to attain, he says, it's our very nature, and our desire to follow the spiritual path is nothing other than a manifestation of that nature already being there, just below the surface.

He encourages us to assess our "spiritual progress" with honesty and without judgment in order to see where our sticking points are and to get past them, and he provides exercises and much practical advice. His friendly and supportive approach to meditation practice is perfect for new meditators, and it will also provide renewed inspiration for anyone who's been practicing for years.

Natural Wakefulness: Discovering the Wisdom We Were Born With, Gaylon Ferguson, Shambhala Publications, Paperback,
204 pages, $15.95

Gaylon Ferguson, PhD, graduated from Exeter, Yale University, and Stanford University. He received a doctorate in cultural anthropology at Stanford. A senior teacher (acharya) in the Shambhala Buddhist tradition, he has led meditation retreats for thirty-three years. As a core faculty member at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, he teaches both Religious and Interdisciplinary Studies.

	Contents: NATURAL WAKEFULNESS: Discovering the Wisdom We Were Born With
	Forword by Sakyong Mipham	ix
	Introduction	xi
1.	Awakening to the Life of Reruns	1
2.	Natural Training	19
3.	Mindful Open Presence: A Gentle Way of Training	31
4.	Home Ground: Resting Attention in the Body	40
5.	Dancing Stillness: Helpful Hints on Mindfulness of Body Meditation	56
6.	Welcoming: The Feeling of Mindfulness	73
7.	Fear and Abundance: Conversations about Mindfulness of Feeling	88
8.	Awareness of Mind's Flow	108
9.	Seeing beyond Hope and Fear: Conversations on Mindfulness of Mind	120
10.	Opening the Doors of Perception: Mindfulness of the Sense Fields	133
11.	Awakening from the Nightmare of Materialism	141
12.	Awakening Communities of Courage: The Good Ground of Awakened Heart	154
	Acknowledgments	173
	Notes	177
	Resources	189
	Index	193