You are what you do every day. As the world grows more chaotic and taxing on your mental health, mindfulness practice is no longer a nice-to-have; it’s a crucial ingredient for handling analysis paralysis, information overload, and what philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre calls “the vertigo of possibility.”
Regular meditation practice can help you become more aware of your surroundings, more adept at regulating your emotions, more sympathetic to yourself and others, and more present in all your endeavors.
The best way to study mindfulness meditation is, of course, to practice it. Quick-start introductions and short guided meditation recordings are readily available online.
Speaking for myself, if I don’t meditate every day, I won’t meditate at all, so five minutes a day beats five hours a month. But maybe you’d prefer five hours a day.
If you’re called toward a more intense practice, the following books provide further instruction and insight to go super-deep into your practice and get more from meditation and life.
Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha: An Unusually Hardcore Dharma Book, by Daniel M. Ingram
An emergency-room physician and self-described arahant, Daniel Ingram does nothing by halves. His sprawling masterwork starts from the assumption that the highest attainments of insight and concentration, as experienced by the greatest masters of meditation, are available to us in this lifetime through the rigorous and persistent application of practice and principles. Always provocative and entertaining, it explores the intricacies of morality, compassion, and wisdom, providing a detailed relief map for the contemplative experience and all the treasures and pitfalls therein.
In a similar pragmatic spirit to Ingram’s, Culadasa presents his comprehensive meditation guide as a complete owner’s manual for the human mind, describing discrete stages practitioners typically pass through on their paths to “stream entry,” “enlightenment,” and beyond. His work is extremely popular online, with thriving fan communities and countless hours of supplementary content available for those who find value in his engineer-dad approach.
A Fierce Heart: Finding Strength, Courage, and Wisdom in Any Moment by Spring Washam
One of the more controversial issues in modern mediation communities is combining contemplative practices with psychedelic drugs. Spring Washam is one of the most compelling representatives for the “pro” side of that debate. A Fierce Heart describes how spiritual practice combined with ayahuasca helped her channel the trauma and rage of her childhood to help her serve what she believes to be the “basic goodness” of humanity from a truly unique perspective.
A Path With Heart by Jack Kornfield
With his soothing voice and wise, patient persona, Jack Kornfield is the Fred Rogers of contemporary Western Buddhism. But his love for his students is anchored in a pragmatic, practical, and demanding life philosophy outlined at length in this, his most thorough and complete work. Digging into Kornfield’s masterpiece will remind you that taking proper care of yourself and others is a) extremely challenging work and b) absolutely the most worthwhile thing you can pursue.
Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom by Rick Hanson, PhD
In the last ten years, mindfulness meditation has reentered the cultural mainstream, this time as a supplement to cognitive behavioral therapy and a toolkit for rewiring neural pathways, mastering turbulent emotions, and more skillfully applying our psychological strengths to the increasing demands of modern life. If you’re looking for a clinical approach, Hanson’s book is one of the best.
Why Buddhism Is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment by Robert Wright
In this book, the often contrarian, stubbornly compassionate pop-philosopher and cultural commentator Robert Wright explores the potential of meditation as a powerful weapon against the cognitive biases and other behavioral quirks that threaten humanity’s continued existence on this planet. WBIT takes a plunge into Buddhism as a science and philosophy uniquely appropriate to understanding the human condition in the context of modernity, always with humor, humility, and heart.
Zen Without Zen Masters by Camden Benares
If you fully commit to meditation, it will inevitably shift your whole attitude toward life. When that happens, things are bound to get weird. To safely lean into those far edges of your inner experience, you’ll want to develop an indefatigable sense of humor. When you’re ready to feel your most way-out vibes fully and fearlessly, this collection of jokes, riddles, and parables.will bend your mind, ground your gut, and give you much to contemplate.
Remember that although most meditators benefit from their practice, some risks are involved, particularly at higher doses. Consistently check in with yourself and honor your experience, especially when it’s not what you anticipated.
Have fun. And don’t get too hardcore.
—
This post was previously published on medium.com.
***
All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS. Need more info? A complete list of benefits is here.
 |
 |
 |
 |
—–
Photo credit: Lior Shapira on Unsplash
