It is not an easy task to create a list of the Best Meditation books. There’re so many books out there, discussing the different aspects of meditation. There are also different types of meditation. Some people prefer mindful meditation, other love mantra and chanting meditation.
We have included in the list the 20 best meditation books for both budding meditators and those who have already gained experience in meditation. Take a look at the list.
1. Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics
ABC News anchor Dan Harris used to think that meditation was for people who collect crystals, play Ultimate Frisbee, and use the word “namaste” without irony. After he had a panic attack on live television, he went on a strange and circuitous journey that ultimately led him to become one of meditation’s most vocal public proponents.
2. Strength in Stillness
Oprah Winfrey and Jerry Seinfeld. Ray Dalio and Ellen DeGeneres. Gwyneth Paltrow and Howard Stern. Tom Hanks and Gisele Bündchen.
What do they have in common? The answer is a Transcendental Meditation teacher named Bob Roth, who has spent the past forty-five years helping many thousands of people access their innate creativity and power through this simple, nonreligious technique. Roth’s students range from titans of business and the arts to federal prisoners, from war-scarred veterans to overworked moms and dads.
3. Real Happiness
Thousands of years prove it, and Western science backs it: Meditation sharpens focus. Meditation lowers blood pressure, relieves chronic pain, reduces stress. Meditation helps us experience greater calm. Meditation connects us to our inner-most feelings and challenges our habits of self-judgment. Meditation helps protect the brain against aging and improves our capacity for learning new things. Meditation opens the door to real and accessible happiness.
There is no better person to show a beginner how to harness the power of meditation than Sharon Salzberg, one of the world’s foremost meditation teachers and spiritual authors. Cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society, author of Lovingkindness, Faith, and other books, Ms. Salzberg distills 30 years of teaching meditation into a 28-day program that will change lives. It is not about Buddhism, it’s not esoteric―it is closer to an exercise, like running or riding a bike.
From the basics of posture, breathing, and the daily schedule to the finer points of calming the mind, distraction, dealing with specific problem areas (pain in the legs? falling asleep?) to the larger issues of compassion and awareness, Real Happiness is a complete guide. It explains how meditation works; why a daily meditation practice results in more resiliency, creativity, peace, clarity, and balance; and gives twelve meditation practices, including mindfulness meditation and walking meditation.
4. Meditations from the Mat
As more and more people in the West pursue yoga in its various forms, whether at traditional centers, in the high-powered atmosphere of sports clubs, or on their own, they begin to realize that far from being just another exercise routine, yoga is a discipline of the body and the mind. Whether used in the morning to set the tone for the day, during yoga exercise itself, or at the end of the day, during evening reflection, the daily reflections in Meditations from the Mat will support and enhance anyone’s yoga journey.
5. Peaceful Piggy Meditation
Sometimes life seems like it’s all about hurrying―so many places to go! And sometimes it’s hard when things don’t go your way―it can make a piggy angry and sad. So how do young piggies find a peaceful place in a frustrating world? They meditate! They find a quiet spot, a special place with a few simple things, and just breathe. They do this every day, feeling their breath going in and out. They slow down and calm down. Now it’s easier to deal with whatever comes their way, and they have time to notice all the magical things in life, too.
6. Tiny Buddha
Tiny Buddha began as a Lori Deschene quote-a-day tweet in 2008. As popularity grew, Lori asked her Twitter followers to contribute their thoughts and perspectives on the difficult questions that influence how we live our everyday lives: thoughts about purpose, pain, happiness, fate, and more.
Lori’s daily wisdom posts about mindfulness, non-attachment, and happiness became so popular that she now has more than 300,000 social media followers who share quotes and stories about letting go of pain and opening up to joy. Her inspirational site has grown into one of the most popular on the web.
7. How to Meditate
Pema Chödrön is treasured around the world for her unique ability to transmit teachings and practices that bring peace, understanding, and compassion into our lives. With How to Meditate, the American-born Tibetan Buddhist nun presents her first book exploring in-depth what she considers the essentials for a lifelong practice.
8. The Book of Life
365 Daily Meditations on Freedom, Personal Transformation, Living Fully, and Much More, from the Man the Dalai Lama Described as “One of the Greatest Thinkers of the Age”
9. Simple Abundance
Simple Abundance is a book of evocative essays – one for every day of the year – for women who wish to live by their own lights. A woman’s spirituality is often separated from her lifestyle. Simple Abundance shows you how your daily life can be an expression of your authentic self … as you choose the tastiest vegetables from your garden, search for treasures at flea markets, establish a sacred space in your home for meditation, and follow the rhythm of the seasons and the year.
10. Practical Meditation for Beginners
The key to building a solid meditation practice is in the practice itself. From Zen and Vipassana to walking meditations and body scans, the simple practices outlined in Practical Meditation for Beginners make it easy to build an ongoing meditation routine that is best for you.
11. The Mind Illuminated
The book that bestselling meditation teacher Sharon Salzberg raves “brings the path of meditation to life,” The Mind Illuminated is the first how-to meditation guide from a neuroscientist who is also an acclaimed meditation master. This innovative book offers a 10-stage program that is both deeply grounded in ancient spiritual teachings about mindfulness and holistic health, and also draws from the latest brain science to provide a roadmap for anyone interested in achieving the benefits of mindfulness. Dr. John Yates offers a new and fascinating model of how the mind works, including steps to overcome mind wandering and dullness, extending your attention span while meditating, and subduing subtle distractions.
12. Mindfulness In Pain English
Mindfulness in Plain English was first published in 1994, is one of the bestselling — and most influential — books in the field of mindfulness. It’s easy to see why.
Author Bhante Gunaratana, a renowned meditation master, takes us to step by step through the myths, realities, and benefits of meditation and the practice of mindfulness. The book showcases Bhante’s trademark clarity and wit as he explores the tool of meditation, what it does, and how to make it work.
This book is:
- A best-selling introduction to mindfulness
- Full of practical advice on developing a meditation practice
- Written in approachable, clear language
- Containing chapters on loving-kindness and concentration
13. Wherever You Go
When Wherever You Go, There You Are was first published in 1994, no one could have predicted that the book would launch itself onto bestseller lists nationwide and sell over 750,000 copies to date. Ten years later, the book continues to change lives. In honor of the book’s 10th anniversary, Hyperion is proud to be releasing the book with a new afterword by the author, and to share this wonderful book with an even larger audience.
14. 8 Minute Meditation Expanded
People are always looking for new ways to reduce stress, increase productivity, and lead more well-rounded, happier lives. Many have sought a solution in meditation. However, simple, clear instruction is often difficult to find, and most teachers and books make meditation seem like a chore—something you have to do for up to an hour each day.
15. You Are Here
In this book, Thich Nhat Hanh—Zen monk, author, and meditation master—distills the essence of Buddhist thought and practice, emphasizing the power of mindfulness to transform our lives. But true mindfulness, Hanh explains, is not an escape. It is being in the present moment, totally alive and free.
16. Super Mind
In Super Mind, clinical psychiatrist and bestselling author Norman E. Rosenthal, M.D., shows how the incredibly simple daily practice of Transcendental Meditation (TM) can permanently improve your state of mind during the routine hours of waking life–placing you into a super-mind state of consciousness where you consistently perform at peak aptitude.
17. Transcendental Meditation
Described as “a great book, by far the most comprehensive on the TM Program” when it was a bestseller in its original version, Jack Forem’s study of TM became a much-loved classic. This updated edition contains all the features of the original plus much more.
18. Manual of Insight
Manual of Insight is the magnum opus of Mahasi Sayadaw, one of the originators of the “vipassana movement” that has swept through the Buddhist world over the last hundred years. The manual presents a comprehensive overview of the practice of insight meditation, including the foundational aspects of ethical self-discipline, understanding the philosophical framework for the practice, and developing basic concentration and mindfulness.
19. The Three Pillars of Zen
In this classic work of spiritual guidance, the founder of the Rochester Zen Center presents a comprehensive overview of Zen Buddhism. Exploring the three pillars of Zen—teaching, practice, and enlightenment—Roshi Philip Kapleau, the man who founded one of the oldest and most influential Zen centers in the United States, presents a personal account of his own experiences as a student and teacher, and in so doing gives readers invaluable advice on how to develop their own practices.
20. No-Nonsense Buddhism for Beginners
How is an awakening different from enlightenment? Can agnostics and atheists be Buddhist? Am I supposed to stop thinking when I meditate? In No-Nonsense Buddhism for Beginners, renowned Buddhism teacher and host of the popular Secular Buddhism podcast, Noah Rasheta, delivers an easily accessible introduction to the teachings of Buddhism that answers these common questions and many more.
With No-Nonsense Buddhism for Beginners you’ll gain a fundamental understanding of Buddhism and how to apply the philosophies in your everyday life, through:
- A simple 4-part structure addressing the different aspects of Buddhism―the Buddha, key Buddhist concepts, the
- Buddha’s teachings, and current Buddhist practices
- Straightforward Q&A’s that simplify the vital concepts of Buddhism into easy-to-understand ideas
- “Everyday Buddhism” Sidebars that make Buddhism less abstract by offering down-to-earth examples from everyday life
