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Interested in learning more about meditation? Below, you’ll find our curated list of the 20 Best Meditation Books.
Oftentimes people look for ways to incorporate more mindful practices into their everyday lives but fail when it comes to figuring out how to get started and what steps they need to take.
What you need to know is that meditation is a lifelong process, and aside from simply sitting down with your own thoughts, there is way more to this practice than you can ever imagine.
The primary reason for many who practice meditation is to achieve a life-long transformation, to better themselves, and to become more conscious and aware of everything and everyone around them.
The following books on meditation listed below will help you get started when it comes to incorporating meditation into your daily routine, and to help you fully comprehend how this wellness practice can help you become a happier human.
Table of Contents
- Best Meditation Books
- Making Space
- Meditation Made Easy
- Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind
- 10% Happier
- Out of Your Mind
- Wherever you go, there you are
- The Mind Illuminated
- Mindfulness in Plain English
- Thoughts Are Not The Enemy
- What is Zen?
- Meditation in Action
- Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation
- Strength in Stillness
- Meditation for Beginners
- Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics
- The Headspace Guide to Meditation and Mindfulness
- The Miracle of Mindfulness
- What the Buddha Taught
- The Art of Happiness
- The Way of Zen
Best Meditation Books
Making Space
Author: Thich Nhat Hanh
Making space is about creating a home meditation practice for you to involve in your daily life. This book is known as one of the best meditation books for beginners but it can also be used by experienced practitioners as the author Thich Nhat Hanh touches on various subjects on mediation that anyone can find useful. The author gives tips on how to create that meditation space at home, he gives examples of creative practices and gives out suggestions on how to do it and how to achieve making this into a daily habit.
Meditation Made Easy
Author:Lorin Roche
This book is a perfect meditation book for beginners and for people seeking a light read that introduces and guides you through what meditation is and how it can be integrated into your life. The author makes suggestions to the reader so that you can find the practice of meditation something pleasurable, and he helps people achieve it by sharing simple meditation techniques.
Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind
Author: Shunryu Suzuki
This book goes a little deeper than basic meditation practices and talks about mindset and living in a more mindful manner through the practice of meditation. This is a great book for those just getting started with meditation. However, it also shares the experiences of practitioners and for that reason, people who are already involved in meditation can continue to learn new things from this great read.
10% Happier
Author: Dan Harris
10% Happier is an autobiography by Dan Harris who speaks about his personal journey and how finding meditation helped him push forward through the toughest of times in his life. More than a simple guide on how to start meditating, this book uses life experience to demonstrate how in the case of Dan Harris meditation helped him to become more mindful and centered.
Out of Your Mind
Author: Alan Watts
Aside from teaching the readers only about the practice of meditation, Out Of Your Mind is great for leading you along the way and teaching you what a meditation practice is all about, what does it do for you, and what happens during your practice. The author does a great job in delivering the information to the reader and making it easy for someone who hasn’t had experience in this field, to understand. This book is great for learning about the origins of meditation but also it’s a perfect guide to take you along the way.
Wherever you go, there you are
Author: Jon Kabat-Zinn
This book is considered to be a modern approach to meditation. Unlike many other books that touch on history and even religion, this book separates spirituality from the actual practice of meditation and focuses on the advantages that come with becoming a daily practitioner. Wherever you go, there you are isn’t a long manual you need to put too much effort to read through, on the contrary, this is a light reading for people who are curious about how to integrate meditation in order to become mindful beings.
The Mind Illuminated
Author: John Yates
This book is for people who are a little more advanced when it comes to meditation. Although this book is also a guide to meditation, it includes a lot of information that people might find interesting. In this book you will find detailed information on how to progress through every step of meditation, aside from simply integrating it into your life, you’ll learn where meditation can take you in life, and what advantages it can bring to it.
Mindfulness in Plain English
Author: Bhante Henepola Gunaratana
Mindfulness in Plain English is a great book for those seeking to deepen their meditation practice and taking it to the next level. Gunaratana shares his philosophy with his readers along with what he believes is the best way to cultivate a positive mindset. He explains how meditation can help people stay away from daily distractions and focus on what truly matters in life. This book can be considered a little trickier for beginners since it uses a lot of concepts that might be confusing, but if you have already some experience then this book will be the one for you.
Thoughts Are Not The Enemy
Author: Jason Siff
This book provides a different approach to mindful meditation, where he uses the power of our thoughts to show us where we need to be focusing our attention. Understanding the way we think is very important as it is the perspective we have on life, and for that reason, the author urges us to not try to suppress our thoughts but to be mindful of them and observe the patterns. Learning about the way we think can also help to learn more about ourselves as well.
What is Zen?
Author: Alan Watts
What is Zen dives deeper into understanding what meditation is, where it comes from, which religious traditions are involved in this practice and why. Understanding further about spirituality and religion can help you dive into a deeper connection with your meditation practice; you can get different insights on how people used meditation to connect with themselves and how regardless of different religions and cultures, this practice has always had one main focus and it is to make you into a more conscious and mindful being.
Meditation in Action
Author: Chogyam Trungpa
Written by a Tibetan Buddhist Teacher, Mediation in Action goes deep into the practice of meditation using wisdom and knowledge. Chogyam gives a unique insight into the practice and adds additional information as an experienced meditator that anyone from beginners to experts can find inspiring and valuable. Understanding what meditation is and where it leads to is often the most important aspect of this practice.
Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation
Author: Sharon Salzberg
The Power of Meditation delivers a 28-day manual that goes through everything involved with meditation and why it’s important. This book is great for beginners that are lookin gto start out their meditation practice while being guided by the program, step by step. This book is written by meditation and spiritual teacher, who talks about mindful thinking and involving this into your meditation process. Aside from simply guiding your meditation practice, this explains the benefits and the science aspect behind a meditation experience.
Strength in Stillness
Author: Bob Roth
In Strength in Stillness, the author explains the wide variety of benefits that come from sitting down with your eyes closed until eventually understanding what meditation is and where it can lead you. This book is not really an instruction manual, but it is a personal guide and introduction to more conscious and mindful living. This book is great for beginners who can’t seem to understand what meditation is for and how it truly works.
Meditation for Beginners
Author: Yesenia Chavan
For new practitioners, the practice of meditation can often seem a little dull or even frustrating. Society always has us in their own heads, stressing out and not realizing the true benefits of meditation. Fortunately, this book is perfect for beginners as it breaks down the practice in order for all the readers to comprehend everything about meditation. It goes over what it is, how you can get started, what you might experience, and how you will feel at the beginning, and it will help you to understand how you can develop with this practice, and where it can lead you in your life.
Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics
Author: Dan Harris
The same author of 10% Happier, also wrote this book titled Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics and it’s targeted towards those who are new to meditation. There is no better way to describe nonbelievers than fidgety skeptics. Truly, there are people who don’t understand the practice and they don’t believe that it can help them in their lives. In this book, Dan Harris addresses people with doubts and concerns regarding meditation. This book is a great read for nonbelievers who are trying to understand not only the mindful and conscious part of meditation but the scientifically proven benefits as well.
The Headspace Guide to Meditation and Mindfulness
Author: Andy Puddicombe
Often people have claimed to have zero time in their lives to dedicate to meditation. If you’re looking to start practicing meditation and reaping the rewards of having a consistent and steady practice but don’t know when or how to integrate it into your life, then this is the book for you. Not having enough time in your day to dedicate to meditation is simply an excuse. A simple 5 to 10 minutes per day is a great place to get started. Whatever time you have available is enough for involving yourself in this practice. The Headspace Guide to Meditation and Mindfulness will teach you how you can find time to integrate meditation into your daily life and make it a habit.
The Miracle of Mindfulness
Author: Nhat Hanh
One of the top authors on mindfulness and zen practices, Nhat Hanh focuses on talking in this book of the art of meditation practice. Aside from simply talking about sitting down and meditating, the author chooses to talk about what it means to meditate and focus on being present in the moment. This book is great as it is pretty straightforward in introducing the meditation practice, and telling you how to immerse yourself in it.
What the Buddha Taught
Author: Walpola Rahula
Learning about meditation also involves learning a little about Buddhism, and about how they integrated this mindful practice into their lives. Learning about this philosophy can help you understand a more conscious way of seeing life and even re-shaping your beliefs, something that you also want to involve in your meditation practice. This book is great for grasping the true concept behind the meditation practice, and learning how to involve new life philosophies into your practice.
The Art of Happiness
Author: Dalai Lama XIV
Who better to teach you of a more mindful living than the Dalai Lama himself? This book is a guide to finding happiness in your life through integrating different practices and habits such as meditation, and also by changing your train of thought into something more conscious of yourself and your surroundings. This book teaches from the experience of the Dalai Lama himself, learn about his philosophies, and how his practices helped him to become more insightful until he found his true happiness.
The Way of Zen
Author: Alan W. Watts
A great book to learn about living a more zen lifestyle, and leading a more meaningful life. This book is great to learn more about yourself, about your life, and about your mind, and especially knowing how to connect those three with the art of meditation practice. While this book touches a little on Buddhism, it is not a religious book. It is merely a guide to deepen your meditation practice by connecting more with yourself.
Did you find this list of meditation books to be helpful? If I missed one that you recommend, please leave a comment below.
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