Your journey into deepening your mindfulness and meditation practice doesn’t need to include every book on this list. Why are you unhappy? Because 99.9 percent of everything you think, and of everything you do, is for yourself-and there isn’t one. If you’re interested in learning how the brain interprets reality, and how that changes and controls our lived experience, this book is short and informative. There’s practices and resources that allow you to explore the idea of “no self” on your own and see for yourself if what’s described is true. This book isn’t just filled with studies and data, either. This book explores the science of the right brain and left brain, and how it makes up our lived experience and conscious experience. This book attempts to use science and neuropsychology to show that the Buddhist idea of “no self” or Anatta, is true. Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice The basic idea of Zen is to come in touch with the inner workings of our being, and to do so in the most direct way possible, without resorting to anything external or superadded. This is due to the nature of trying to teach Zen, it’s a very difficult concept since teaching Zen as a way or philosophy kind of goes against the idea of Zen.Įither way, it’s a good short read if you’re looking for something a little older and rooted in religion and the abstract. It requires a lot of patience and rereading but there are certainly some gems to be picked up in this book. While this is one of the shorter books on this list it’s likely one of the densest and most difficult to read. In An Introduction to Zen Buddhism, Suzuki offers a short primer on the insights shared in Buddhism and Zen. Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenmentĭaisetsu Suzuki was one of the earliest pioneers of teaching Japanese Zen in the West and an influencer to many thinkers and philosophers including Alan Watts. It’s actually a great gift to other people. Nurturing your own development isn’t selfish. It gives you a deeper understanding of what’s actually going on when you sit and meditate, as well as giving you some confidence that you’re not sitting and wasting 10 minutes of your day. It shows you the science of meditation, how it works, and why it works. The good news is that these ancient teachings were on the money when it comes to what actually makes human beings happier.įortunately, this book presents the science in a non-technical way that’s easy to digest and understand. This book helps bridge the gap between the teachings in Buddhism and what scientists are actually discovering. Many of the best meditation books in this list are a little guilty of not backing up their claims with science. What if we took the wisdom of Buddha and combined it with the research in neuroscience? We’d get Buddha’s Brain by Rick Hanson. Make the NOW the primary focus of your life. Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have. There may be a really profound line in it waiting for you. But it’s still worth giving a shot if you’re curious or haven’t read it yet. It says things that just feel instinctively true and I think a lot of people at the time of this book’s release really resonated with the messages.Īt times, as some of the critics may point out, this book can be hard to read or understand. I think the reason this book became as popular and mainstream as it did is because of how well it captures people in the beginning. It’s likely out of all of the books we recommend on this list, this will be the most popular and most recognized.ĭespite Eckhart Tolle being a bit of a controversial person (controversial in the sense that people disagree on how authentic or useful what he says is), this is the book that catapulted him into the mainstream and the idea of “living in the present moment”. I’ve tried to diversify the selection by choosing a book that will attempt to cover a niche within meditation and philosophy, so that each book can serve different needs for any stage of your journey. I’ve put together this list of the 17 best meditation books for beginners learning how to meditate and novices looking to deepen their practice. I’ve read a lot of books around meditation, the science around meditation, the philosophy, mindfulness, Buddhism, and more. Should one start with books on Buddhism? Start with books on Zen? Start with books specifically about how to meditate? The problem (or good problem depending on your perspective) is that there’s a lot of information out there on meditation, especially when it comes to books written on the topic. One of the first things I see newcomers do is try to find the best meditation books they can get their hands on. When meditation beginners attempt to learn how to meditate and deepen their practice, they often turn to research.
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