Focused and Fearless

A Meditator’s Guide to States of Deep Joy, Calm and Clarity

By Shaila Catherine

“Focused and Fearless is a wonderful book. Shaila Catherine describes the paths of deep concentration and transforming insight in a way that both inspires and enriches our practice. Her prose and her understanding are exceptionally lucid. This book is a treat to read.” Read more praise

—Joseph Goldstein, author of A Heart Full of Peace and One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism

Focused and Fearless offers the richness of an ancient meditative tradition as interpreted through the practice of a contemporary American laywoman. This orientation represents a landmark shift in Theravadan Buddhism by bringing jhana into the reach of ordinary, busy practitioners.

Focused and Fearless speaks to ordinary meditators who wish to attain non-ordinary states with ease. It offers a creative and contemporary slant to this ancient path of happiness and wisdom. Blended with contemporary examples, pragmatic exercises, and “how to” instructions that anyone can try, this book provides a wealth of tools to cultivate non-distracted attention in daily life and retreat.

Focused and Fearless presents an accessible, friendly, and wise approach to establishing ecstatic meditative states that lead to liberating insight. This is more than a book about concentration. It offers a complete path for awakening that is firmly based on the power of a unified mind.

Widsom Publications / Quality Paperback Original / $17.95 / ISBN-13: 978-0-86171-560-2 / 275 pages / May 2008

Praise & Reviews

Written lucidly by one of the most experienced meditators in the West, Shaila outlines the way to develop the four jhanas (deep absorptions) and experience the four Formless realms. The Buddha spoke of the great value of the jhanas and the formless realms as major steps to a truly enlightened life. Shaila has spent much of her adult life devoted to the dharma in the East and West, including some seven years in total in retreats. The wealth of her experience, insights and explanation of practice for depths of concentration and wisdom shine through the pages. This book is for the practitioner. It’s the best book on these practices I have seen. It’s five-star.

—Christopher Titmuss, senior Dharma Teacher, cofounder of Gaia House, and author of Light on Enlightenment: The Profound and the Profane, and several other books on Buddhism

This book is both scholarly and personal. It describes the terrain of intensely concentrated mental states and the dedication required for their cultivation in language that is so alluring and thorough that readers will, I am certain, be inspired to redouble their zeal for practice. it’s also poetic. Who could resist Shaila Catherine’s invitation to, “Frolic with a joyful heart, courageously exploring this undependable fleeting world.”

—Sylvia Boorstein, cofounder of Spirit Rock Meditation Center and author of Pay Attention for Goodness’ Sake: The Buddhist Path of Kindness and several other books on Buddhism

Shaila Catherine represents a new generation of Dharma practitioner in the West, with in-depth experience studying with some of the greatest masters of both the Theravadan and Tibetan Buddhist traditions. Her commitment to intensive practice has been matched by her dedication to study, and her exploration of the practice of concentration and jhanas reflects both these strengths.

—Sharon Salzberg, Insight Meditation Society cofounder and author of Loving Kindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness, Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience, and several other books on Buddhism

This is a “user-friendly” concentration book. Through practical exercises and clear examples, Shaila makes the ancient wisdom of the jhanas accessible to all.

—Amy Schmidt, dharma teacher and author of Dipa Ma: The Life and Teaching of a Buddhist Master.

I love Shaila’s book. Her exercises for daily life are truly original—and fun, plus they really work. She makes renunciation sound good—she’s very humble, but at the same time, wise. Her descriptions of deep jhanic states are imbued with her own experience. As you read, you know she would never stretch the truth in order to be impressive, but there’s some impressiveness that comes thru almost in spite of itself. As a bonus, the connections she makes to the Suttas make the Buddha’s time seem much closer to our own, lit up with relevance and interest.

—Kate Lila Wheeler, dharma teacher and author of When Mountains Walked, editor of In This Very Life and The State of Mind Called Beautiful.

Rigorously investigated and lucidly explained, Shaila Catherine penetrates the mysterious world of jhana practice. Her book’s strength lies in that she knows the territory intimately and teaches from her own experience. The author has deeply devoted her life to awakening through meditation, and her confidence and wisdom ring true throughout the whole book. This inspirational and fascinating manual will help many of the rest of us down this path.

—Diana Winston, author of Wide Awake, A Buddhist Guide for Teens, teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center and Director of Mindful Awareness Research Center, UCLA.

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Books are available for shipping within the USA.

If you would like it signed by the author, please include a note clearly spelling the name you would like the inscription addressed to.

Send a check for $26 (includes taxes plus shipping and handling) to:

Shaila Catherine
PO Box 490
Menlo Park, CA 94026