All of us in our lives need to find the ways to cultivate a mind which is a friend--calm, clear, insightful and pervaded with kindness. In this book Shaila Catherine has outlined an ancient way to train the mind in stillness and wise attention. This book can be a guide for cultivating the inner calm we long for. --Christina Feldman, author of Compassion: Listening to the Cries of the World Wisdom Wide and Deep is a clear and comprehensive account of a path of meditation leading to profound levels of concentration and insight. Based primarily on the teachings of the Burmese master Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw, it also includes a helpful collection of references from classical Theravadan sources. Shaila Catherine has clearly done her meditative homework and here she shares it with us in a systematic way that is easy to understand. This is a valuable work as both a practice guide and a reference manual for this tradition.

--Guy Armstrong, teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center The major doorway into Buddhist practices continues to be meditation. The West relies upon teachers, centers and retreats to replace the monastic forms of the East. Stress, tension and anxiety haunts many people's lives. Others may be blessed with emotional health yet feel there is much more depth to life than being a well adjusted person. Shaila's new book converts theory to practice, ideas to application, knowledge about meditation to direct experience. She has written a manual in clear, practical language. The West needs such manuals, as well as the benefits of Dharma teachers and regular retreats. This is the form that is taking root in the West.

The strength of Shaila's new book, and an excellent follow up to her previous book, Focused and Fearless, is the attention she gives to detail in terms of exploring various depths of calmness and inner absorption, as well uncovering insights. -- Christopher Titmuss, author of Mindfulness for Everyday Living "Shaila''s book, Wisdom Wide and Deep is far more than just a handbook--it is an in-depth, piece-by-piece examination of many of the specific teachings of jhana and insight. It is book that you will study, as opposed to sit down and read through. It is reference book that you will use over and over again. The strong substantive nature of the book is an accurate reflection of Shaila''s own dedication to the dharma and her intense study of the Pali teachings. If you are interested in dharma study, then Shaila''s book belongs in your library." Phillip Moffitt, author of Dancing With Life In Wisdom Wide and Deep, Shaila Catherine has laid out a path of practice from the simplest beginnings to the profound and subtle insights available through jhanic absorption and systematic investigation. Her writing is beautifully lucid, making accessible the inner depths of the Buddha''s teachings.

This book is a powerful inspiration both for those who would like a glimpse of what''s possible and for those intrepid explorers of the mind who want to bring these teachings to fulfillment. Highly recommended. --Joseph Goldstein, author of A Heart Full of Peace and One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism This meditation manual is a first for the West and will surely become a classic and a support for generations of practitioners. Catherine has managed a difficult feat--to be simultaneously encyclopedic and charming. Her extraordinary clarity and step-by-step approach will embolden some readers to attain jhanic absorption, while others will simply gain useful insights into mind-body processes. -- Kate Wheeler, editor of In This Very Life: Liberation Teachings of the Buddha Praise for Shaila Catherines first book Focused and Fearless: "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."--Joseph Goldstein, author of A Heart Full of Peace and One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism "Focused and Fearless is a beautifully written introduction to jhana meditation that demonstrates the importance and necessity of deep concentration. "--Pa-Auk Sayadaw "This is the best book on these practices I have seen. It''s five-star."--Christopher Titmuss, author of Mindfulness for Everyday Living "The exercises are fun, plus they really work. I love this book."--Kate Wheeler, editor of In This Very Life: Liberation Teachings of the Buddha "The language here is so alluring thorough that readers will, I am certain, be inspired to redouble their zeal for practice."--Sylvia Boorstein, author of It''s Easier Than You Think "Shaila Catherine represents a new generation of Dharma practitioner in the West.

"--Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness "Developing a stable and undistracted mind is essential to most forms of meditation. This book will be of interest to anyone, regardless of their style of practice, wishing to incorporate the deeper stages of concentration of jhana into their meditation."-Inquiring Mind "Among the many how-to books about Buddhist meditation, this book stands out for its deep commitment to the frames of reference developed in the Pali Canon, specifically the role of concentration (both "momentary concentration" in the insight path and the jhna path), and its relationship to insight. With these frames, Catherine is able to create exercises and steps that develop calm meditative states and lead to liberating insight. This book is both a pragmatic manual and a deeply traditional understanding of Buddhist meditation practice. It suggests itself as a helpful guide both to beginning and advanced students."--Mu Soeng, Resident Scholar at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, and author of The Heart of the Universe 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 "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. " Wisdom Wide and Deep is a beautifully written handbook that describes an effective approach to the path of jhana and vipassana. This book introduces meditation practices adapted from the fifth-century meditation manual, The Visuddhimagga, supported by the philosophical structures of Abhidhamma analysis, and securely rooted in the Buddha's teachings. Shaila Catherine skillfully guides dedicated meditators to experience the stability of deep concentration, to recognize the subtle nature of material and mental processes, and to realize the exquisite peacefulness that arises from genuine insight knowledge.

" --Pa Auk Sayadaw.