Evolving Dharma is the definitive guide to the meditation revolution. Fearless, unorthodox, and irreverent scholar and activist Jay Michaelson shows how meditation and mindfulness have moved from ashrams and self-help groups to classrooms and hospitals, and offers unusually straight talk about the Big E enlightenment. Michaelson introduces us to maverick brainhackers, postmodern Buddhist monks, and cutting-edge neuroscientists and shares his own stories of months-long silent retreats, powerful mystical experiences, and many pitfalls along the way. Evolving Dharma is a must-read for the next-generation meditator, the spiritually cynical, and the curious adventurer in all of us.

JAY MICHAELSON is a writer, activist, Buddhist meditation teacher, and scholar of Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah) whose work has been featured on CNN, NPR, and in the New York Times. He is vice president of the Arcus Foundation, which supports social justice and conservation worldwide, and writes regularly for the Daily Beast, the Huffington Post, Tricycle, and the Forward. He holds a JD from Yale, a PhD from Hebrew University, and has held teaching positions at Yale University and Boston University Law School. Michaelsons previous book, God vs. Gay?, was an Amazon.com bestseller and Lambda Literary Award finalist. For more information about his articles and appearances, visit his website.

Contents: Evolving Dharma
Introduction	ix
PART ONE: GROUND
1. New Forms: The Dharma Evolves by Disappearing	3
2. New Evidence: The Science of Brainhacking	29
3. New Communities: Post-Traditional, Post-Speculative, Post-Boomer Buddhism	49
PART TWO: PATH
4. Beyond Bliss: When Every Mystical State You've Ever Wanted Isn't Enough	71
5. Beyond Now: The Evolution of Enlightenment	89
6. Beyond Peace: What It's Like to Spend Lots of Time in Silence, and Get to Know Your Shadow	111
PART THREE: FRUITION
7. After Integration: The Imperfect is Our Paradise	131
8. After the Self: Postmodernity, Spirituality, and Identity	151
9. After the Fall: Occupy Buddhism	171
Afterword: The Future	191
Bibliography	201
Notes	217
Index	235
Acknowledgments	243
About the Author	245