Mindful Books

Living Room
#1

Many of us have been introduced to mindfulness or deepened our practice through books. And now there are so many books out there, it can be hard to know where to go. Please list books that you’ve found particularly helpful for your practice here (and give a little story about why this book), as a gift to help guide and inspire others in their journeys.

Three of my top recommendations:

For beginners:

  1. Mindfulness in Plain English, by Bhante Henelope Gunaratana (pdf below). This was one of my first introductions. It is clear, concise and written with both wisdom and humor. I’ve read it three times.

mindfulness_in_plain_english.pdf (637.8 KB)

For beginners who have been at it a while:

  1. Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening, by Joseph Goldstein. This book is based on a series of talks that Joseph gave a few years ago (44 in total) that were comprehensive, insightful, and also full of wisdom. I listened to this series of talks times over the course of four years, and continuously return to the book as my go to resource.

For those that aren’t sure they should be doing this stuff but want an entertaining read that isn’t a mystery or romance novel:

  1. 10% Happier, by Dan Harris. [Disclaimer, Dan is a friend of mine]. Dan wrote this book about his journey into meditation. It is hilarious (and a New York Times Bestseller).
#2

Thank you for sharing book suggestions. I was able to find 1 of these and download the e-book from my library website. I was not able to find Jospeh Goldstein’s talks, just the book, however, searching for them lead me to another excellent resource - Dharma Seed.
http://dharmaseed.org/talks/

#3

As a beginner, I was really helped by the Mark Williams/Danny Penman book, “Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World.”

To apply mindfulness to the workplace, I’m currently reading Sharon Salzberg’s “Real Happiness at Work.” There’s a lot in there, presented in a less structured way, so I suspect it’s best for those with some experience.

2 Likes
#4

10% Happier is nothing short of hilarious. For a treat, listen to the book on audio.

#5

Thank you for sharing.

  • Before I discovered mindfulness and Jon’s books I was reading a lot about meditation as such and one of the best and most inspiring positions was without a doubt “Meditation for The Love of It” by Sally Kempton. It’s like a meditation bible, Sally gave a great insight into what it is and what it isn’t, for me as a beginner at the time it was a deal breaker. She has also a lot of good articles on meditation on her website.

  • I love “The Mindfulness Survival Kit” by Thich Nhat Hanh and the readers guide that goes with it: http://www.parallax.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/The-Mindfulness-Survival-Kit-Readers-Guide.pdf It gives an overview of five practices.

  • "Happiness, A Guide To Developing Life’s Most Important Skill" by Matthieu Ricard this was one of the first books I read many years ago on the subject of happiness. And the story that goes with it is inspiring: A molecular biologist turned Buddhist monk, described by scientists as “the happiest man alive,” demonstrates how to develop the inner conditions for true happiness.

I have a list of few books on mindfulness, happiness and spirituality on my website:

http://www.littlethingsproject.com/#!books/c1ra

2 Likes
#6

Hi all
Great topic, thanks for bringing this up.
My top three:
A Still Forest Pool: The Insight Meditation of Ajahn Chah
Of all the books I’ve ever read on Buddhist practice, reading this book brings me back to the time I spent in Northern Thailand as a monk living in the forests of Chaing Dow, Chaing Mai. There is no dogma, or intellectualized theory here. Ajahn Chah’s simple, but profoundly deep experience of the Dharma (Dhamma) has a visceral presence in this book. I take it with me on trips, and I’ve offered it numerous times to my patients.

John Douillard’s Body, Mind and Sport
As an avid endurance athlete I’ve found this book to have greatly influenced the way I exercise, train, rest, and race. Relying on Ayurvedic principles and yogic way of being, I’ve become an athlete whose experience of my body, breath, senses, thoughts, and awareness integrate while moving; I’ve learned to become still and watchful during regular training days and even the most grueling races!

Ryokan’s One Robe, One Bowl; Dew drops on a Lotus Leaf
Two beautiful collections of poems by a Japanese Hermit monk. His verses speak the Dharma in elegant phrases that sum up his experience of the mountains, the wind, loneliness, fleeting mental states, etc. Like other Japanese Buddhist poets, he uses few words to capture whole, complete moments.

#7

Center for Mindfulness Bookstore Bibliography

One of our local community members, Tom Hodgson, generously compiled a bibliography of the wide range of books that we currently have for sale at the Center. Please download the pdf below for a short description of each.

Center for Mindfulness Bibliography PDF.pdf (4.2 MB)

3 Likes
#8

Hi Eric

There is a chapter on inquiry (chapter 12) in Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression by Zindel Segal, Mark Wiiliams, John Teasdale. 2nd Edition, 2013.

Kind Regards
Hagen

www.mindfulnesslife.co.uk

#9

Thanks Hagen

That’s helpful.

Metta,

Eric