According to the Kabbalah there are five dimensions of creation. The first three are the height, width, and breadth that we experience as space. The fourth is time. And the fifth dimension is the spiritual plane, one that transcends time and space. The mystics speak of this grand realm, and one of the ways of appreciating it is through meditation.

In this top-drawer work, David Cooper (Silence, Simplicity and Solitude) outlines purification, concentration, effort, and mastery as the foundation stones of spiritual work. Using illustrations from the wisdom teachings of Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam, he explains the multi-faceted dimensions of meditation. Included here are the negative mind states that can be distracting and troubling to us during meditation. These are contrasted with the positive mind states that are the grail of spiritual practitioners. Meditation has rarely been explained so clearly and so richly.