Here are some of the best books and resources that I am familiar with:
Books:
- Alan Watts was the author that had the most transformative books for my wife (Susie) and I. I first heard him trough NPR radio talks. Now those talks and much more are on YouTube.
- 'The Wisdom of Insecurity' was the most transformative book for me. Eye opener. Also starts making the transition from Western to Eastern ways of thinking.
- 'The Book' was the second most transformative book for me. Watts intended it be 'the book of wisdom' that Watts would have passed down to his child.
- 'A Path with Heart' by Jack Kornfield is a great beginner books. However, when we first read it we blew it off as mushy 'Chicken Soup'. However, later, a very hard core Buddhist book recommended it. On rereading it we were amazed how deep it really is. Believe what he says. It is not just 'feel good' mush.
- 'Full Catastrophe Living' is a great book from Jon Kabat-Zinn who created Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), It is particularly good for people facing major issues.
- 'Mindfulness in Plain English' by Bhante Gunaratana has for many years been considered the primary book on learning Mindfulness meditation. The author is my teacher's (Mathew Flickstein) teacher. Bhante and Matt founded the Bhavana Society, a retreat center in West Virginia (see Retreat Centers below).
Retreat Centers:
- Bhavana Society, a retreat center in West Virginia. The teachings are Buddhist and are the basis of this class. I have never been there since I went to my teacher's retreats.
- Goenka retreat centers are good except that they teach only his version of meditation, which is focused on the body. I know several serious meditators that use this style and it is very valid, just different from what we teach. He has passed away and they show videos every evening of him teaching. These are on YouTube as well. The standard 10 day retreats are considered something of a 'boot camp' in that you get up early, only get a piece of fruit for dinner, etc. The retreats are donation only, even for room and board, so they want to keep out people who are not serious. They can be donation only because previous students volunteer to cook, serve, and clean during the retreat. went to the retreat in Jesup, GA.
Other Resources:
- My first mediation teacher (John Shealy) has a huge treasure trove of resources on a web page of his - bemindful.org.