The following list has sufficient content for a lifetime of contemplation and meditation (many of these may be accessible for free with Libby, the library app). The Foundations of Mindfulness (Eric Harrison), Buddhism for Beginners (Thubten Chodron), The Heart of the Buddha's Teachings (Thich Nhat Hanh), The Miracle of Mindfulness (Thich Nhat Hanh), The Art of Living (Thich Nhat Hanh), and The Power of Now (Eckhart Tolle) are nice introductory readings. Don't let the title deter you- Meditation for Dummies (Stephan Bodian) is excellent. The 5 Minute Meditator (Eric Harrison) may be good for those with a busy schedule, and Modern Mindfulness (Rohan Gunatillake) may be good for those trying to incorporate mindfulness into a world full of tech. Full Catastrophe Living/ MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) is a good book if you want to incorporate mindful movement/ yoga into your practice or to learn about MBSR, and Yoga Body, Buddha Mind (Cyndi Lee) is good book to blend yoga, meditation, and Buddhism. If you want just one comprehensive overview of Mindfulness and Meditation/ Buddhism, Mindfulness, A Practical Guide to Awakening (Joseph Goldstein) and Practicing Mindfulness, An Introduction to Meditation, The Great Courses, are excellent. For a brain anatomy/functional perspective, My Stroke of Insight and Siddhartha's Brain are excellent reads. For Buddhism and Christianity overlap there is Living Buddha, Living Christ (Thich Nhat Hanh) and Jesus and Buddha, The Parallel Sayings (Marcus Borg). If one is interested in common ideas across religions/cultures, Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, Lao Tzu, The Parallel Sayings (Richard Hooper) is a wonderful compilation. The Mindful Path, Combining Psychotherapy and Buddhist Practices (Michael Jones) is an excellent book for a look at psychotherapy and Buddhism.

For meditation, there are apps as well as groups one can join/participate in (remote or in person). Palouse Mindfulness and Secular Buddhist Tradition have daily Zoom meditations and Tricycle, Lion's Roar, Insight Meditation Center, and Mindful Magazine are excellent resources for mindfulness, meditation, and Buddhism. Practical Meditation for Beginners: 10 Days to a Happier, Calmer You, by Benjamin W. Decker has a nice 10 day program with several meditation techniques for beginners to try and Meditations, and 50 Meditation Techniques, by CM Hamilton is a nice, succinct compilation of many techniques but there are many others out there.

While books, videos, podcasts, teachers, etc. may be useful for guidance and instruction, they are still "fingers pointing to the moon" - don't get stuck on the fingers :)

"The Buddha spent years of his life examining the nature of existence. He explored the innate qualities and dispositions of mind itself. He did not learn from a book or a god or a superhuman entity. He proceeded by long and direct examination of experience."

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​​Mindfulness and Meditation

  • Altered Traits, Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body, Daniel Goleman and Richard J. Davidson

  • The Art of Living, Thich Nhat Hanh

  • The Art of Living, Vipassana Meditation As Taught by S.N. Goenka, William Hart

  • The Art of Mindful Living, Thich Nhat Hanh

  • Be Free Where You Are, Thich Nhat Hanh

  • The Beginner's Guide to Meditation, Shinzen Young

  • Beginner's Guide to Meditation & Visualization, Sally-Ann Taylor

  • Beyond Time, Finding the gaps between past, present, and future, His Eminence the Seventh Dzogchen Rinpoche, Tricycle, Winter 2024

  • Breathe! You Are Alive, Sutra On the Full Awareness of Breathing, Thich Nhat Hanh

  • The Buddha’s Original Teachings on Mindfulness, Thanissaro Bhikkhu, Tricycle, Mar 05, 2018, https://tricycle.org/article/satipatthana-sutta-mindfulness/

  • Buddha Standard Time, Awakening to the Infinite Possibilities of Now, Lama Surya Das

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, A Guide to Managing Depression, Anxiety and Intrusive Thoughts With Highly Effective Tips and Tricks for Rewiring Your Brain and Overcoming Phobias, Adam Brown

  • Creative Visualization Meditations, Shakti Gawain

  • Deeper Mindfulness: The New Way to Rediscover Calm in a Chaotic World, J. Mark G. Williams and Dr. Danny Penman

  • Effortless Mindfulness Now, Awakening Our Natural Capacity for Focus, Freedom, and Joy, Loch Kelly

  • Essential Meditation Techniques, A Beginner's Guide to Liberating the Mind, M.E. Dahkid

  • The 5-minute Meditator, Eric Harrison

  • The Foundations of Mindfulness, Eric Harrison

  • Full Catastrophe Living, Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness, Jon Kabat-Zinn

  • Guided Meditations, Apple Music

  • Happiness, Thich Nhat Hanh

  • How to Reduce Suffering and Increase Happiness: A 21 Day Meditation Challenge, Kent Walker

  • Insight Meditation Center

  • The iRest Program for Healing PTSD, A Proven Effective Approach to Using Yoga Nidra Meditation and Deep Relaxation Techniques to Overcome Trauma, Richard Miller, PhD

  • The Joy of Meditating, A Beginner's Guide to the Art of Meditation, Salle Merrill Redfield

  • Living Buddha, Living Christ, Thich Nhat Hanh

  • Living Well with Pain & Illness, Vidyamala Burch

  • Masters of Mindfulness, Transforming Your Mind and Body, The Great Courses

  • The Meditation Bible, Madonna Gaudin

  • Meditation for Dummies, Stephan Bodian

  • Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics, Dan Harris and Jeff Warren

  • Meditation for the Modern Family, Over 100 Practices to Help Families Find Peace, Calm, and Connection, Kelly Smith

  • Meditation Made Easy, Preston Bentley

  • Meditations, 50 Meditation Techniques (and 25 tips for starting, improving, and maintaining a meditation practice), CM Hamilton

  • The Mind Illuminated, A Complete Meditation Guide Integrating Buddhist Wisdom and Brain Science, Culadasa John Yates, Matthew Immergut, Jeremy Graves

  • Mindful magazine

  • Mindful Living, Thich Nhat Hanh

  • The Mindful Path, Combining Psychotherapy and Buddhist Practices, Michael Jones

  • Mindfulness, An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World, Mark Williams and Danny Penman (guided meditations)

  • Mindfulness Defined, Talks, Writings, and Translations of Thanissaro Bhikku, dhammatalks.org

  • Mindfulness for Beginners, Jon Kabat-Zinn

  • Mindfulness in Plain English, Henepola Gunaratana

  • Mindfulness, A Practical Guide to Awakening, Joseph Goldstein

  • The Miracle of Mindfulness, Thich Nhat Hanh

  • Modern Mindfulness, How to Be More Relaxed, Focused, and Kind While Living in a Fast, Digital, Always-On World, Rohan Gunatillake

  • Neurodharma, New Science, Ancient Wisdom, and Seven Practices of the Highest Happiness, Rick Hanson, PhD

  • Now Is the Way, An Unconventional Approach to Modern Mindfulness, Cory Allen

  • 99 Ways to Live a Mindful Life

  • Palouse Mindfulness

  • Peace Is Every Step, Thich Nhat Hanh

  • The Power of Now, A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, Eckhart Tolle

  • Practical Meditation for Beginners: 10 Days to a Happier, Calmer You, Benjamin W. Decker

  • Practicing Mindfulness, An Introduction to Meditation, The Great Courses, Mark W. Muesse

  • Practicing the Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle

  • Radical Acceptance, Tara Brach

  • Real Happiness, The Power of Meditation, A 28 Day Program, Sharon Salzberg

  • Right Concentration, A Practical Guide to the Jhanas, Leigh Brasington

  • Satipatthana, The Direct Path to Realization, Analayo

  • Satipatthana Meditation, A Practice Guide, Analayo

  • Satipaṭṭhāna Meditation with Bhikkhu Anālayo

  • Siddhartha's Brain, The Science of Enlightenment, James Kingsland

  • Silence, The Power of Quiet in a World Full of Noise, Thich Nhat Hanh

  • Smiling Mind (app)

  • Teach Yourself to Meditate, Eric Harrison

  • 10% Happier, Dan Harris

  • Whole Brain Living, The Anatomy of Choice and the Four Characters That Drive Our Life, Jill Bolte Taylor

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Buddhism

  • Analytical Buddhism: The Two Tiered Illusion of Self, Miri Albahari

  • The Art of Living, Thich Nhat Hanh

  • The Beginner's Guide to Buddhism, Jack Kornfield

  • Barre Center for Buddhist Studies

  • Being Dharma, Ajahn Chah

  • Buddhism, Damien Keown

  • Buddhism, Winston L. King

  • Buddhism for Beginners, Thubten Chodron

  • Buddhism for Dummies, Stephan Bodian, Jonathan Landaw, Gudrun

  • Buddhism Info, https://buddhism.info/

  • Dhammapada

  • Talks, Writings, and Translations of Thanissaro Bhikku, dhammatalks.org

  • Entering the Stream, An Introduction to the Buddha and His Teachings, Samuel Bercholz and Sherab Chodzin Kohn

  • Handbook for Mankind, Buddhadasa Bhikku

  • In the Buddha's Words, An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon, Bhikkhu Bodhi

  • Insight Meditation Center

  • The Heart of the Buddha’s Teachings, Thich Nhat Hanh

  • Lion's Roar

  • No Self, No Problem, How Neuropsychology Is Catching Up to Buddhism, Chris Niebauer

  • Stepping Into Freedom, An Introduction to Buddhist Monastic Training, Thich Nhat Hanh

  • The Questions of King Malinda, An Abridgement of the Milindapanha, NKG Mendis

  • Tricycle, The Buddhist Review

  • Why Buddhism Is True, Robert Wright

  • Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice, Shunryu Suzuki​

Secular Buddhism

  • After Buddhism, Stephen Batchelor

  • Buddhism Without Beliefs, Stephen Batchelor

  • Buddhist Boot Camp, Timber Hawkeye

  • Secular Buddhism, Noah Rasheta

Mindful Movement: Yoga/ Qigong/ Tai Chi

  • Full Catastrophe Living, Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness, Jon Kabat-Zinn

  • The Power of Qi, Ken Cohen

  • The Principles and Practice of Taijiquan, Andrew Townsend

  • Teaching Yoga, 2nd edition, Mark Stephens

  • Tai Chi and Qigong, Balancing Exercises for Seniors, Alison Blaire

  • Tai Chi and Qigong, Energy Healing for Adults and Seniors, Chen Song

  • Tai Chi Illustrated, For Greater Balance, Relaxation, and Health, Master Pixiang Qiu, Weimo Zhu

  • The Therapeutic Yoga Kit, Sixteen Postures for Self Healing through Quiet Yin Awareness, Cheri Clampett and Biff Mithoefer

  • The Way of Qigong, The Art and Science of Chinese Energy Healing, Kenneth S. Cohen

  • Yoga Body, Buddha Mind, Cyndi Lee

  • Yoga for Dummies, Larry Payne, Georg Feuerstein

Chronic Pain

  • Full Catastrophe Living, Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness, Jon Kabat-Zinn

  • Living Well with Pain & Illness, Vidyamala Burch

  • The Way Out, A Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven Approach to Healing Chronic Pain, Alan Gordon

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Death and Dying​

  • The Art of Living, Thich Nhat Hanh

  • Being With Dying: Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death, Joan Halifax

  • Death: The Greatest Teacher, Judy Lief, Lion's Roar, 30 Aug, 2022

  • How We Live Is How We Die, Pema Chodron

  • No Death, No Fear, Comforting Wisdom for Life, Thich Nhat Hanh

  • Preparing to Die, Practical Advice and Spiritual Wisdom from the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition, Andrew Holecek

  • The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, Sogyal Rinpoche

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Other

  • The Art of Mysticism: Practical Guide to Mysticism & Spiritual Meditations, Gabriyell Sarom

  • Beyond Religion, Dalai Lama

  • Bhagavad Gita

  • The Craving Mind, Judson Brewer

  • Elements of Pantheism, A Spirituality of Nature and the Universe, Third Edition, Paul Harrison

  • Emotional, How Feelings Shape Our Thinking, Leonard Mlondinow

  • The Essence of Buddha, The Path to Enlightenment, Ryuho Okawa

  • The Experience of No Self, A Contemplative Journey, Bernadette Roberts

  • Falling Into Grace, Insights on the End of Suffering, Adyashanti

  • Freedom GPT

  • The Gnostic Gospels, Elaine Pages

  • The Gospel According to Jesus, A New Translation and Guide to His Essential Teachings for Believers and Unbelievers, Stephen Mitchell

  • A History of the Bible: The Book and Its Faith, John Barton

  • Jesus and Buddha, The Parallel Sayings, Marcus Borg

  • Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, Lao Tzu, The Parallel Sayings, Richard Hooper

  • Jesus, Interrupted, Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible (and Why We Don't Know About Them), Bart Ehrman

  • The Light We Give, How Sikh Wisdom Can Transform Your Life, Simran Jeet Singh

  • Living A Life of Inner Peace, Echart Tolle

  • The Master and His Emissary, The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World, Iain McGilchrist

  • Meditations, Marcus Aurelius

  • Mind-Body Medicine: The New Science of Optimal Health, The Great Courses, Jason M Satterfield

  • My Stroke of Insight, A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey, Jill Bolte Taylor

  • The Neurobiology of "We," How Relationships, the Mind, and the Brain Interact to Shape Who We Are, Daniel J. Siegel, M.D.

  • A New Earth, Awakening to Your Life's Purpose, Eckhart Tolle

  • Notes on Complexity, A Scientific Theory of Connection, Consciousness, and Being, Niel Thiese

  • Out of Your Mind, Essential Listening from the Alan Watts Audio Archives, Alan Watts

  • The Path of Cosmic Consciousness, A Practical Guide to the Higher Dimensions of Reality, Jeff Carreira

  • The Power of Myth, Joseph Campbell

  • Revelations of the Aramaic Jesus, The Hidden Teachings on Life and Death, Neil Douglas-Klotz

  • Sadhana, The Path to Enlightenment, Swami Rama

  • Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu

  • The Way of Thomas, Insights for Spiritual Living from the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas, John R. Mabry

  • Who Wrote the Bible?, Richard Friedman

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May your journey be peaceful

References and Potential Readings

brass-colored urns
brass-colored urns