Meditation is an effective way to normalize psychological and physical condition, achieve mental balance and a conscious, fulfilling life. To understand the essence of meditation techniques, master them and begin to practice them correctly, it is advisable to turn not to little-known sources, but to works that talk about meditation from the perspective of science and spirituality. The best books on meditation, which are necessary primarily for beginners, but will also be of interest to experienced meditators, are presented in the review below.
"Vipassana" - a book-guide to Buddhist meditation for beginners, Pramote Pamojo
Vipassana is the oldest Indian meditation technique, which is considered the basis of all meditative practices of our time. It itself is very simple and can be done even by a child. The book describing this meditation was written by a Buddhist monk and is a practical guide to mastering this technique. On the pages of the book, with colorful illustrations and clear life examples, the basics of Buddhist practices are outlined. Here it is easily and clearly explained how with the help of these practices you can achieve the highest spiritual goal - nirvana.
Bibliography
My article would not be complete if I did not include credible sources here. I recommend starting your acquaintance with meditation with the following books:
- M. Williams, D. Penman “Awareness. How to find harmony in our crazy world."
- Thich Nhat Hanh, The Miracle of Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Meditation.
- Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, Buddha, the Brain and the Neurophysiology of Happiness.
- Andy Puddicombe Meditation and Mindfulness. 10 minutes a day that will put your thoughts in order."
“Meditation for every day. Unlocking inner abilities”, Roman Dolya
The author sets out in his book practices that experts call unique tools of self-knowledge. Along with this, they also have practical benefits, since they explain in detail all the intricacies of meditative science, show the meaning of awareness of one’s place, and help heal the body and soul. Meditation is presented here as a method of spiritual growth, thanks to which a person reveals his capabilities and restores health through filling with light energies. The divine world supplying these energies allows the mind to overcome delusions and reach a new level of development. The book describes the simplest meditation techniques, which makes it accessible to readers who are far from spiritual research.
Daniel Siegel, Mindsight. The New Science of Personal Transformation" (MYTH, 2015)
This book is ranked top on Amazon.com in the Psychology section.
Daniel Siegel, MD, is a child psychiatrist. He is the winner of numerous professional awards and the author of more than ten books on brain function and parenting, which have received high marks from readers and critics. Dr. Siegel is the director of the Mindsight Institute.
Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence, said of his colleague's work: "Daniel Siegel's Mindsight Theory makes us say 'Eureka!' by helping us make sense of the endless tangle of jumbled emotions that often drive us crazy."
Indeed, Professor Daniel Siegel explains how the ability to focus attention on our inner world can significantly change the quality of life: “Our ability to concentrate is the key to integrative transformations in the structures of the brain. Through it, we can make the most effective use of the power of awareness, giving ourselves the alternative of choice and change.”
"Book of Secrets. The Science of Meditation, Osho
The book presents 112 meditative techniques, each of which allows you to go beyond the limits of consciousness. The author explains this diversity by the fact that all people are different and everyone needs their own meditation. The book “The Science of Meditation” by Osho needs to be read in order not only to find “your own”, but also to learn a variety of practices. The work is recommended both for connoisseurs of Osho’s works and for beginners just beginning to master the essence of meditation. It is suitable for any person, regardless of his experience, age, or faith. The main thing is an interest in knowing yourself and improving the quality of your life. An important advantage of the book is the presence of questions, answers and comments from Osho, who clearly and clearly explains each technique, revealing the secret meaning of Shiva’s sayings.
Signs of poor quality information
The promise of “magical” results
Many people associate meditation with something magical, mysterious and mystical. This stereotype is actively used. On the Internet you can find a lot of offers using meditation to open the third eye, remember past lives, cleanse the aura of negative energies, and heal from any diseases.
Perhaps I will disappoint someone: do not confuse meditation with magic. You are unlikely to open your third eye with this practice, but do you need such a result?
Most people live in captivity of their own illusions, seeing the world distortedly, through the prism of their own limiting beliefs and patterns. Meditation helps you realize this and see the surrounding reality in a new way, free yourself from limiting patterns and better understand the essence of what is happening. And for this you do not need to open your third eye. Everything is much simpler.
Instead of trying to cleanse your aura, shouldn't you look inside yourself? Usually, such aspirations hide internal dissatisfaction with what is happening, tension and emotional discomfort. Meditation helps you better understand yourself, make friends with your own emotions, and make your inner state more harmonious. And all these changes are explainable by modern science. There is nothing mystical or magical about them.
Meditation is unlikely to cure any disease. Even Buddhist monks, who spend many hours every day in a state of meditation, grow old and get sick. But truly regular practice can significantly improve your health. And this effect is also scientifically explainable: many diseases are of a psychosomatic nature. That is, their occurrence and course are influenced by a person’s emotional state. Meditation helps stabilize emotions, which leads to improved physical well-being.
So, meditation opens up a lot of possibilities, but they are all scientifically explainable. There is no magic in them. If you don’t see simple, scientifically explainable and understandable judgments, most likely the information you see is “fast food”.
Meditations to fulfill desires
In principle, this is a special case of the previous point. Here, too, meditation is seen as a magical ritual that will bring magical results. But I decided to talk about this separately, since such expectations from meditation are a common occurrence.
Take a look at the picture from Yandex, which clearly shows the most common expectations of people from meditation.
That is, many people think: you meditated for a week, and as a result, wealth, prosperity, love, abundance and other benefits magically fall on you.
I’ll repeat boringly that nothing will fall on you with the wave of a magic wand. Meditation does not change external reality. It can only change your internal state and state of mind. But internal transformations can really motivate you to take new actions to achieve what you want. You can suddenly see new opportunities (not because these opportunities suddenly appeared, but because you have learned to notice what you were not aware of before). That is, internal changes can lead to changes in external reality. All in your hands.
So, again we see that there is no magic. There is only work on yourself, which bears fruit.
Replacing meditation with techniques of relaxation, visualization and self-hypnosis
Many people who begin to master meditation see this practice as a way to relieve emotional stress and create a positive inner state within themselves. These are absolutely reasonable expectations, and meditation can really help with this.
But the thing is that, in addition to meditation, there are other psychotechniques that are aimed at achieving similar results. These psychotechnics are not bad. They are good, but they have their own characteristics and limitations. And they are much more superficial than meditation. Therefore, it is a pity when one thing is replaced by another: by considering meditation just as a relaxation technique or a visualization exercise, people lose 90% of the possibilities of meditation practice.
I plan to write an entire article to differentiate between meditation and other techniques: they are too often confused with each other. Today I will briefly outline the main difference.
The main goal of relaxation is physical and emotional relaxation. This is usually achieved by consistently relaxing the muscles of the body and imagining relaxing pictures and images.
During meditation, relaxation also often occurs, but this state is not the goal of the practice. It's more of a by-product. The goal is to train consciousness. As a result of regular training, you change, become more harmonious inside, and, as a result, excess tension goes away. Relaxation and deep calm appear.
That is, feel the difference: during relaxation, you simply relieve the tension that is present inside. But this tension can return at any time when another stressful situation arises. Meditation allows you to get to know yourself better and do deeper work on yourself. As a result, those situations that were previously stressful cease to be so. The very reason causing the tension is eliminated. And relaxation only allows you to work with the investigation.
Now about visualization and self-hypnosis. The goal of these techniques is to adjust yourself to the desired state. You imagine images, pronounce affirmations, and this helps you feel a certain internal state. This is a good way to work on yourself, but it is important to realize that this is not meditation! As with relaxation, visualization and self-hypnosis are much more superficial techniques than meditation.
Philosophizing divorced from real life
Meditation is a practice that encourages thoughtful reflection. But often thoughtful reflections can be confused with philosophical reasoning, which can look very beautiful, but at the same time do not carry any practical meaning.
Meditation is a practice closely related to everyday life. If you do not see this connection, look for new sources of information that will help you discern this connection.
It is worth recognizing that it is sometimes not at all easy to distinguish useless reasoning, which is nothing more than a game of the mind, from truly valuable thoughts. To help you cope with this task, I give here an interesting parable:
One night, in the province where the monastery was located, there was a heavy snowfall. In the morning, the students, literally wading through waist-deep snow, gathered in the meditation hall.
The teacher began his speech like this: “Tell me what needs to be done in this situation?”
One of the students said: “We should pray for a thaw.” Another said: “You need to sit in your cell, and let the snow go its way.” The third said: “He who knows the truth should not care whether there is snow or no snow.”
The teacher said: “Now listen to me.” The disciples prepared to listen to the greatest wisdom.
The teacher looked around at them, sighed and said: “Shovels in hands - and forward!”
"Meditation. Where to start”, Bokar Rinpoche
Bokar Rinpoche's book on meditation for beginners easily and clearly explains the basics of the Buddhist worldview and the essence of meditative practices. The work clearly demonstrates how happiness and unhappiness depend on a person’s consciousness, and not on external influence. The author describes time-tested methods for avoiding suffering and ways to achieve peace. Bokar Rinpoche promoted Vajrayana practice throughout the world. Thanks to his deep wisdom and simple explanations, he made this difficult meditation technique accessible even to beginners.
Rizwan Virk, “Business in the lotus position. How to combine work and spiritual search" (MYTH, 2014)
For many of us, spiritual growth and spiritual quest are significant areas of our lives. But how to combine hard work, constant multitasking and spiritual search? Is it possible?
I liked the fatigue test suggested by the author: “The test is this: you should leave work feeling more refreshed than when you arrived. If it works, then you used work as meditation. If you leave exhausted, you did a bad job.”
Rizwan Virk dreamed of owning his own business from a young age. He admired the founding stories of Apple and Microsoft, hoping to create something similar. Today, Rizwan Virk is a successful entrepreneur and investor.
His book is the story of a man who went from a convinced materialist to a deeply spiritual man whose mission is to help others recognize their path.
This book can be considered as a guide to building a business, or as a collection of lessons for spiritual growth.
“The power of now. A Guide to Spiritual Awakening by Eckhart Tole
One of the best books about meditation, written by spiritual master Eckhart Tole, teaches you to enjoy every moment and live in the present, and not regret the past or fantasize about the future. The author argues that one's true essence, joy, integrity and perfection are reality, not a goal. Tole offers a complete course of meditation that provides motivation for action. He explains that only one’s own selfish “I” becomes the cause of all problems and torment. You can free yourself from this only through unconditional presence in the real moment of life. Forgiving the past is not as necessary as forgiving the present. By forgiving the current moment, a person accepts it as it is, without resentment, which will also have to be forgiven someday.
Daniel Siegel, The Mindful Brain (MYTH, 2015)
The American Journal of Psychiatry: “A very profound book that can change your life for the better. It will help both those who practice mindfulness in everyday life and professional therapists.”
This book offers us a scientific perspective on meditation, combining modern neuroscience and the ancient art of mindfulness.
Mindfulness in a broad sense means waking up and not living on autopilot. Mindfulness involves paying conscious and non-judgmental attention to the events of everyday life.
And, indeed, in all cultures there are practices that promote the development of mindfulness. Different methods from different cultures still have the same goal - to develop the skill of mindfulness to improve the quality of life.
Professor John Teasdale, one of the creators of MBCT (mindfulness-based cognitive therapy), emphasizes that “mindfulness is a habit; the more we do it, the less effort it takes... It's a skill that can be learned. It's like gaining something that we already own. Mindfulness (awareness) is not difficult. Another difficult thing is to remember that you need to show it all the time.”
This book will tell you about the structure of the brain and the nature of consciousness, about meditation and various mindfulness practices. Of particular interest is how the author integrates brain science with mindfulness practice.
"In one breath. Meditation tutorial, Thich Hanh
Another book that reveals the incredible power of mindfulness. In addition, the author describes Buddhist practices with which you can get rid of regrets about the past and worries about the future, and also understand yourself in order to understand others. Zen teacher Thich Hanh talks about how to replace negativity with positivity, start enjoying the current moment, and not put off life for later. The book teaches how to make all the moments of your life bright and conscious, without getting lost in the turmoil of the modern world.
Also useful for beginners will be Nyanaponika Thera, a book about meditation that allows you to achieve the “four sublime states,” including love, compassion, co-joy and equanimity. The work is named after its author - Nyanaponika Thera, a Buddhist monk, Theravada theorist, researcher of Buddhist teachings of our time. This book is among the most interesting and inspiring accounts of dharma in modern Buddhist literature. Dharma is a kind of set of norms and rules, the observance of which ensures order in the Universe.
Mark Williams, Danny Penman, Mindfulness. How to find harmony in our crazy world" (MYTH, 2014)
A few words about the authors of the book.
Mark Williams is Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Oxford. He is one of the creators of the MBCT approach - Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy. Professor Williams repeatedly emphasizes that mindfulness (mindfulness practices) is one of the effective tools of the eight-week MBCT course.
For several years, Mark Williams and his colleagues have been studying the effects of mindfulness practices in preventing relapse of depression.
Scientists have proven the effectiveness of using this approach to prevent relapses, and also that regular meditation helps reduce irritability, anxiety and depression, improves memory, reaction speed, strengthens the immune system, thereby helping to prevent colds, flu and other diseases.
The UK National Clinical Research Institute has recommended this program to prevent relapse of depression.
Danny Penman is a science journalist and doctor of biochemistry. He has worked for the BBC, New Scientist and The Independent. He is a regular contributor to the Daily Mail.
This book can be used as a tutorial. Be prepared to commit about 30 minutes of exercise each day for eight weeks.
I want to see the other side
Leonid Lesnyak’s little-known book “Meditation” will help you with this. It is not widely known like the works of Osho or Mathieu Ricard, but this does not negate its value both for those already practicing and for ordinary readers looking for their path.
Here the author will talk about the connection between man and the Cosmos, where we are and where we are moving. The book also touches on the history of philosophical systems where meditation was practiced. You will learn where the energy centers are located in a person and how to develop them, how to prepare your consciousness. Here we are talking about such a well-known state as nirvana - a feeling of balance, goodness and silence, which can be achieved through daily training and practice.
We warn you that the above work is not written in the easiest language, like modern and adapted teachings, but it is suitable for those who sincerely want to understand the subject. Thoughtful and leisurely reading is what is needed for a deep understanding of this book.
