Books
The Society of Mind
This book aims to answer one of the most deepest questions: How can the mind appear in the brain, which is itself “mindless”? The Society of Mind paints a surprisingly clear and enlightening picture of the inner workings of the mind. Reading every chapter of this book triggered “aha!” moments, and articulated concepts that I had a vague intuition of through meditation. The framework in this book fits beautifully with Culadasa’s mind-system outlined in The Mind Illuminated. If you’re interested in taking a deeper look at the nature of “sub-minds” (called “agents” in The Society of Mind), this is a must-read!
Read MoreMaps of Meaning
This book explores the complex and deep psychological foundations underlying myth, ideology and religion. If you’re puzzled as to why religion has been of such importance throughout history, or how individuals could join destructive ideologies such as Nazism or Stalinism, this book will open your eyes.
Maps of Meaning offers a deep analysis of the narratives that structure the western world, and of the dichotomy between the objective and subjective worldviews.
Read MoreCrime and Punishment
A masterpiece by Dostoevsky, taking place at the center of a murderer’s mind. This book opened my eyes to the complexity of human motivations, and taught me that the only inescapable punishment of immoral behavior is one’s own conscience.
Read MoreThe Brothers Karamazov
Dostoevsky’s magnum opus. This book jumps from one philosophical discussion to next, exploring life’s most difficult questions with unbelievable depth and gut-wrenching clarity. This book has taught me more about humans than I could ever learn from psychology books. Freud even said of The Brothers Karamazov that it was “the most magnificent novel ever written.”
Read MoreThe Vimuttimagga – The Path of Freedom
A reference textbook, similar to the Visuddhimagga but less dense and easier to read. Less well-known than the Visuddhimagga but also contains gems of practical information not found elsewhere on many types of meditation practices.
Read MoreThe Visuddhimagga – The Path of Purification
The classic reference manual for Theravada meditation. Similar to the Vimuttimagga, this commentary compresses the teachings of the Buddha into a practical and detailed framework. A very dense read which I use as a reference when exploring certain specific meditation practices. Contains invaluable information on the Jhanas and the Progress of Insight.
Read MoreWherever you go, there you are
This book’s title alone is worth reading and meditating on. Simply seeing it on my bookshelf serves as a mindfulness reminder, and to stop treating this moment as a means to an end.
This book is divided into brief chapters, each exploring a different facet of mindfulness practice. Each chapter is filled with soothing advice and can be read on its own, with topics ranging from “Posture” to “Voluntary Simplicity” and “Not practicing is Practicing”. I’ll often open this book randomly and read a few pages. This never fails to highlight the ever-present relevance of mindfulness in daily life.
Read MoreThe World is Made of Stories
What a pleasant surprise! I frankly did not expect much from this book, but it is a delightful read, filled with wisdom and depth.
This book explores the kinds of stories we tell ourselves – from the “role we play at work” all the way down to the “self we takes ourselves to be”. Engaging and funny, this book took me down a fascinating, and at times shocking, journey into my own mind.
Read MoreMindfulness in Plain English
I put off reading this book for a long time, as I saw it as nothing more than an introductory read. When I finally got down to reading it, I quickly realized I had misjudged this book ; despite being a remarkable introductory read, it also contains tremendous depth. Excellent if you’re looking for a quick refresher on why and how to meditate.
Read MoreThus Spoke Zarathustra
A book I’ve returned to more times than I can count. Thus Spoke Zarathustra never fails to strike me as a uniquely beautiful and profound book. Its pages are dripping with frightening depth and aphorisms that shake me to my very core. As Nietzsche himself would say, this is “A book for All and None” ; a book everyone must tread, but that no one can read. Not an easy read, but a very worthwhile one that can’t leave you unchanged.
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