Top meditation books to read
How to meditate - Kathleen Mcdonald
If you're a beginner to meditation, I would highly recommend this book. As per most Amazon reviewers, this is a very comprehensive as well as easy-to-understand guide on meditation. It helps answer burning questions most beginners have when they start their meditation journey, like how to sit, what to do with our minds, how to visualize, etc, and when and how to start meditating.
Perhaps the best feature of this book is it is a practical guide on meditation and thus beginners would find it very easy to approach this book. This guide is focused on Buddhist meditation, so if you're into that already this would help you firm up your knowledge in that area. If you're starting out, then great! You would be learning the doctrines and philosophies of one of the most respected meditation types worldwide.
About the author
Kathleen Mcdonald was ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist nun in 1974 and is a respected and inspiring teacher in the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition, a worldwide organization of Buddhist teaching and meditation centers.
Mindfulness in Plain English - Bhante Henepola Gunartana
This is one of the most influential books on meditation and has been a part of various top meditation lists on various websites like https://www.happierhuman.com/meditation-books/.
This is a plain, simple, and easy-to-understand guide to meditation. As many readers have pointed out, there's no use of big words, which tends to turn people away from such books.
It gives detailed instructions and recommendations on how to practice meditation in our day-to-day life, and beginners who are just starting out can confidently turn to this book. For example, it would walk a reader through different ways of counting and focusing on their breath.
The author speaks in an engaging and relaxed style which encourages the reader to explore meditation in its depths. He states that "meditation is not easy, it takes time and energy", but at the same time, it's "rejuvenating and liberating".
In addition, it also includes chapters on loving kindness and concentration, etc which can enable one to live a peaceful life. It starts with an introduction of what meditation is and then dives into the topic of Vipasanna meditation. It also takes the time to explain differences in approach between Vipassana Buddhism and other forms, such as classic Mahayana sects like Zen Buddhism and Tibetan traditions.
About the Author
Bhante Henepola Gunaratana is an internationally recognized author and meditation teacher. He has been a monk since the age of 20 and took ordination in 1947. He has served as the president of the Buddhist Vihara of Washington DC, and with a PhD in philosophy he has a strong scholarly background and lifelong commitment to Dhamma. In 1996, Bhante G received the title of Chief Sangha Nayaka Thera for North America. This acknowledged his status as highest-ranking monk of his sect in the United States and Canada. He continues to write books and articles, lead meditation retreats worldwide and teach at the Bhavana society.