In our hyperactive, material world, we seem to burn our lives, participate in the pursuit of something elusive, achieve goals, but the state of harmony and happiness is only short-term and instantaneous, and we continue to run on inertia further. Therefore, more and more of us are beginning to need something deeper and more real, looking for the path of the heart. We ask questions, but there are fewer answers in this world. One way to find balance within yourself is meditation.
What it is?
This is a necessary spiritual practice. It consists in focusing attention on the present moment, distraction from extraneous thoughts. You need to get out of a noisy and unstable world, stop unnecessary chatter of the mind and achieve a state of awareness and harmony. You should concentrate on breathing, bodily sensations, on a specific word or phrase that we know as mantras.
The art of meditation is deceptively simple. But if you want to stop and look inside yourself to find the necessary and desired sense of peace and the right path, then you can meet certain difficulties. To stop the speech of the brain and the continuous flow of thought is not so easy, but it is necessary to stop the negativity in its direction. If you really came to learn this practice, then we will tell you the best books on meditation that will help you master the basic techniques and achieve a state of permanent harmony and balance.
How to find your mentor?
There is a lot of literature from various authors who will tell you about the types of meditation and ways to achieve enlightenment. There may be radical techniques that promote the maximum rejection of the pleasures of the material world to gradual practices where, step by step, you discover a new world of awareness and balance. Below we will talk about the authors and their approaches to this art. And you can figure out and understand where to start your journey. An integral attribute in the knowledge of the issue is a sincere desire to change something in your life, the need to reach a new level, which may not even be clear to you. But do not be afraid - the hand of the universe will direct you on the right path.
Where can I start?
We advise you to turn to one of the most famous authors of the best books on meditation - Osho. He is a writer not in the classical sense. His books are transcripts of audio and video recordings of his impromptu performances. This person is not amenable to generally accepted description and categorization, and it is impossible to tell the main thing about him in several paragraphs. His statements cover a wide range of topics: from the search for meaning to social and political problems.
His main merit is that he developed a new approach to meditation that recognizes the accelerated pace of life in the modern world. He offers to initially remove the stresses of our bodies and mind, and then seek our balance in the deeper layers.
In Osho books you can find answers to many questions that concern everyone and everyone individually. The most popular works are The Woman's Book, where the author tells us about energy centers and space destinations, how a woman should live in this world and what attitude she deserves from a universal point of view, and Life, Love, Laughter, consisting of a mixture of different Osho’s statements on the topic of seeking joy and harmony, ending suffering and pain. When reading, you will feel the centuries-old wisdom of ancient knowledge, which is ready to coexist with the era of technological progress and will help you not to lose yourself in this race and listen to your inner self. In these books, topics are raised from the consumption of food and drink to contemporary world problems and our heritage on this planet and in the Universe as a whole.
How exactly do I practice?
This is what Dwich Victor’s book “8 minutes of meditation - eight minutes a day to start a new life” will tell you.
The name speaks for itself. Here the author offers a short practice based on the control of his breathing, which is the very first step to meditation. We have already said that the basis and purpose of this art is to stop the activity of the mind and thoughts in general. It is breathing that can help you not to be distracted and focus on the true and important. In the book, meditation develops into an eight-week practice, each period you will discover new facets and feel other feelings, combining them. The main thing is not to abandon and continue to follow this path, where your companions will be balance and awareness.
If I want to know more deeply?
The book of Yuri Kapten “Fundamentals of meditation. Introductory practical course” will probably help you with this.
Here, the author will tell not only about how to learn various practices and choose the most suitable, but also to understand meditation as a concept, what it occupies in world religions and the degree of its influence on historical culture. You can learn this art not only as a spiritual practice, but also how humanity came to it, what rules and conditions must be observed for a better result, what exercises are available to you. Thus, you will discover the world of balance and harmony, you will be able to understand this topic, approach it consciously and slowly.
And if I need a new look?
Then one of the best books on modern meditation is worthy of your attention. Its author is a practicing Buddhist monk who currently lives in France, lectures and writes his works. We will tell you about Mathieu Ricard and the Art of Meditation.
The book is written in the most accessible and simple language for residents of the metropolis, eager to stop, breathe out and move on with a pure soul. He also advises daily spiritual practice, which provides the opportunity to rediscover not only the world, but also ourselves. The peculiarity of this work is that its author is a contemporary living in our realities, who reinforces all stages of training with his own examples, which helps each reader to develop the best practice.
I want to see from the other side
In this you will contribute to the rare book of Leonid Lesnyak "Meditation". She is not widely known as the works of Osho or Mathieu Ricard, but this does not negate her value for practitioners and ordinary readers looking for their way.
Here the author will talk about the relationship of man with 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 find out where the energy centers are in a person and how to develop them, how to prepare your consciousness. It speaks of such a well-known condition as nirvana - a sense of balance, goodness and silence, which can be achieved through daily training and practice.
We warn that the above work is not written in the easiest language, as modern and adapted teachings, but is suitable for those who sincerely want to understand the subject. Thoughtful and leisurely reading is what is needed for a deep knowledge of this book.
Do I need this?
Now that we have shown you a list of the best books on meditation, trying to explain its essence along the way, you can decide whether you are ready for this path of self-knowledge. This spiritual practice gives the best result when it is daily, and ideally, until the end of earthly life. Someone even chooses the hermit's path in order to abandon everything material and distracting, but now neither modern monks nor practicing authors require such victims from us.
To find peace without falling out of the current reality is a special art that requires effort and work. But you must admit that a sense of harmony and universal love is worth the work, isn't it?