Gaylon Ferguson's Natural Wakefulness Book Signing September 12, 2009

In his long-awaited first book Natural Wakefulness: Discovering the Wisdom We Were Born With (Shambhala Publications) meditation teacher Gaylon Ferguson instructs both beginners and seasoned meditation students in the fundamentals of meditation and guided contemplations. These teachings are intended to help us experience our innate wakefulness.

There is a need, Ferguson says, for both trust in our innate wakefulness and confidence in the path to uncovering our true nature. But if we are always tight in our meditation practice, vigilantly on guard, or if we consistently lapse into daydreaming, we won’t appreciate our fundamentally awake nature. Like learning a complicated dance, this simple yet profound teaching is something one has to do to understand fully.

Ferguson includes guided contemplation and meditation exercises. He also shares selections from question-and-answer sessions with his students, providing practical advice for experiencing awareness in daily life and for experimenting with an attitude of curiosity about meditation. Finally, he shows us how we can reinforce and support each other in wakefulness through community.

Gaylon Ferguson, PhD, graduated from Exeter, Yale University, and Standford 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 core faculty at Naropa University, in Boulder, Colorado, he teaches both Religious and Interdisciplinary Studies.