(Chapters in
parentheses discuss principles)
Make friends with
yourself (2, 6, 9, 10, 15)
Accept
unconditionally (2, 4, 6, 9, 10,
11, 13, 15)
Relax (9, 13, 15)
Be in the here and
now (6, 7, 8, 9, 13, 15, 16)
Have a good time (4, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 15)
(Chapters in
parentheses discuss principles)
Form vs. essence (1, 9, 13, 14, 15)
Reality vs. mind
model (4, 5, 9, 10, 15)
Person vs. behavior
(4, 9, 10, 15)
More is never enough
(9, 10, 13)
Four Noble Truths
(The Buddha)
|
1. |
Life is filled
with dukkha (suffering/unsatisfactoriness). |
|
|
2. |
The source of
dukkha is craving (Chapter 10). |
|
|
3. |
Dukkha ends when
craving ceases. |
|
4. |
The way to end dukkha
and craving is the Eight fold Path. |
Eight-Fold Path
(The Buddha)
|
1. |
Right
understanding (Buddhist and equivalent teachings) |
||
|
2. |
Right thought (no
lust, ill-will, or cruelty) |
||
|
3. |
Right speech (constructive
and helpful; no lying, gossip, or vanity) |
||
|
4. |
Right action
(moral, precise, aware) |
|
|
|
5. |
Right livelihood
(doesn’t cause suffering) |
|
6. |
Right effort (do
it; the middle way) |
|
7. |
Right
mindfulness (Chapters 8 and 15) |
|
8. |
Right
concentration (Chapters 7 and 15) |
|
|
|
“Right” = perfect,
harmonious, in balance, conscious
Eight Limbs of
Yoga (compiled by Patanjali)
|
1. |
Yama: abstention
from evil conduct |
|
2. |
Niyama: virtuous
conduct |
|
3. |
Asana: physical
postures |
|
4. |
Pranayama: control
of breath and vital energy |
|
5. |
Pratyahara:
withdrawal of senses |
|
6. |
Dharana:
concentration |
|
7. |
Dhyana: meditation |
|
8. |
Samadhi: union
with divine ground |
Yama and Niyama (Yoga)
Non-violence
Non-stealing
Avoiding sexual
excess, control over sexual cravings
Non-possessiveness,
non-hoarding, non-greed
Truthfulness
Cleanliness and
purity of body and mind
Practices to perfect
body and mind
Contentment
Study of self and spiritual
works
Surrender to
God/ultimate truth
Five Basic
Precepts (Buddhism)
Abstain from:
|
1. |
Killing |
|
2. |
Stealing |
|
3. |
Inappropriate
sexual behavior |
|
4. |
False and/or harmful speech |
|
5. |
Intoxicating or mind-altering
drugs, particularly ones causing heedlessness |
Ten Commandments
(Judaism/Christianity)
|
1. |
Have no other gods
before the fundamental God |
|
2. |
Do not construct
or worship false gods or images of God |
|
|
3. |
Do not take the name
of God in vain |
|
|
4. |
Do not work on the
Sabbath (each seventh day) and
keep it holy |
|
|
5. |
Honor your father
and mother |
|
|
6. |
Do not kill |
|
7. |
Do not commit
adultery |
|
8. |
Do not steal |
|
9. |
Do not lie, particularly
about others |
|
10. |
Do not covet what
is not yours |
The Perennial
Philosophy (ala Aldous Huxley)
1. The phenomenal
world of matter and individualized consciousness, the world of things, animals,
people, and gods, is a manifestation of a Divine Ground within which all
partial realities have their being, and apart from which they would be
nonexistent.
2. Humans are
capable not merely of knowing about the Divine Ground by inference. They can
also realize its existence by a
direct intuition which is superior
to discursive reasoning. This immediate knowledge unites the knower with what is known.
3. People possess a double nature, a phenomenal
ego and an eternal Self, the
latter being the spirit or spark of divinity within the soul. It is possible
for a person to identify with the spirit and therefore the Divine Ground, which
is of like nature with the
spirit.
4. One’s life on earth has only one end and purpose:
to identify with the eternal Self and so come to unitive knowledge of
the Divine Ground.
Many of the books in
this list go in and out of print with various publishers. There are also many different translations of some of the non-English books, particularly
classic spiritual texts. I cannot say which translation is the most “accurate”
or “appropriate” for any particular reader.
The books are
grouped by the following overlapping categories:
American Indians
Attachments/Addictions
Autobiographies
Buddhism and the
Buddha
|
Buddhism: |
Tantric/Tibetan |
|
Buddhism: |
Zen |
Chakras and
Kundalini
Christian Practice
Christian Theory
Consciousness
Death
Dreams
Happiness
Journals/Diaries
Judaism
Love
|
Meditation: |
Practice |
|
Meditation: |
Theory and Research |
Mindfulness/Vipassana
Mysticism/Enlightenment
References
Religion
Religious Classics
Self-improvement
Stories
Sufism
Taoism
|
Teachers: |
Contemporary |
Transpersonal
Psychology: General
Transpersonal
Psychology: East and West
|
Yoga: |
General |
|
Yoga: |
Hatha |
These books deal
with the American Indian spiritual perspective, relationship to the Earth, and problems with the white
man. Storm tells the philosophy of the Plains people through stories. Freesoul discusses Indian spiritual
practices and symbols, including the ceremonial pipe and the medicine wheel.
Freesoul, J.R.
Breath of the invisible. Quest Books, 1986.
McLuhan, T.C. Touch
the earth. Outerbridge and Dienstfrey,
1971.
Niehardt, J.G. Black
Elk speaks. Pocket Books, 1972. Storm, H. Seven arrows. Ballantine, 1973.
Goleman surveys the
“psychology of self-deception.” Keyes has written many popular books about
getting free from attachments.
The Mauls’ textbook summarizes many of the barriers to personal growth.
Goleman, D. Vital
lies, simple truths. Simon & Schuster, 1985.
Keyes, K. Handbook
to higher consciousness. Living Love Center, fifth edition,
1975.
& P. Keyes.
Gathering power through insight and love. Living Love Publications, 1987.
Maul, G. & T.
Maul. Beyond limit: Ways to growth and freedom. Scott,
Foresman, 1983.
The personal stories
of people involved with pursuing a spiritual
path and/or consciousness expansion within the contexts of Christianity (Merton, Roberts), American Indian
(Castaneda), Buddhism (HamiltonMerritt, Trungpa, Watts), yoga Oones,
Muktananda, Ram Dass, Swami
Rama, Yogananda), psychedelic drugs (Castaneda, Lilly, Ram Dass, Watts), and “other” (Lilly,
Merrell-Wolff, Watts).
Castaneda, C. The
teachings of Don Juan. Ballantine Books, 1969. A separate reality. Simon
& Schuster, 1971. Journey to Ixtian. Simon & Schuster,
1972.
Tales of power. Simon & Schuster, 1974. Dass,
Ram. Be here now. Lama Foundation, 1971. Hamilton-Merritt, J. A meditator’s diary. Pelican Books, 1979.
Jones, F. The knee
of listening. Dawn Horse Press, 1972.
Garbage and the goddess. Dawn Horse Press, 1974.
(Jones later calls himself “Bubba Free John.”) Lilly, J. The center of the cyclone. Bantam Books, 1973.
Merrell-Wolff, F.
Pathways through to space. Warner Books, 1976.
Merton, T. The seven
storey mountain. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1948.
Muktananda
Paramahansa, Swami. The play of consciousness. S.Y.D.A. Foundation, 1974.
Rama, Swami. Living with the Himalayan masters. Himalayan
International Institute of Yoga Science & Philosophy, 1978.
Roberts, B. The
experience of no-self. Shambhala, 1984.
Trungpa, Chbgyam.
Born in Tibet. Random House, 1985.
Watts, A. In my own way. Vintage Books,
1972.
Yogananda,
Paramahansa. Autobiography of a Yogi. Self-Realization Fellowship, 1946.
Rahula provides a
good introduction to the Buddha and his teachings. Rice and Woodward provide
some of the Buddha’s teachings. Byles tells a story of the Buddha’s life and
teachings as it might be seen through a disciple’s eyes. Conze and Ross
overview some of the development
and different schools of Buddhism, and the other three books are compilations
of some of the vast Buddhist
literature.
Burtt, E.A. The
teachings of the compassionate Buddha. Mentor, 1955.
Byles, M.B.
Footprints of Gautama the Buddha. Quest Books, 1967.
Conze, E. Buddhism:
Its essence and development. Harper Colophon, 1975.
,I.B. Horner, D.
Sneligrove, & A. Waley. Bud dhist
texts through the ages. Harper Torchbooks, 1954.
Rahula, W. What
the Buddha taught. Grove Press, enlarged edition, 1974.
Rice, S. The Buddha speaks
here and now. Buddhist Publication Society, 1981. (Buddhist scriptures
in contemporary idiom.)
Ross, N.W. Buddhism:
A way of life and thought. Vintage Books, 1981.
Stryk, L. World
of the Buddha. Grove Press, 1968. Woodward, F.L. Some sayings of the
Buddha. Oxford University Press, 1973.
|
Buddhism: |
Tantric/Tibetan |
The book by Blofeld
and the one by Guenther & Tmungpa
provide an introductory overview. Chögyam Trungpa, who died recently, and
Tarthang Tulku, Tibetan Buddhists, have taught in the United States. The
book by Guenther and the one by Hopkins are more academically philosophical and
psychological.
Blofeld, J. The tantric mysticism of Tibet. E.P. Dutton, 1970.
Guenther, H.V.
Tibetan Buddhism in Western perspective. Dharma Publishing, 1977.
& Chögyam
Trungpa. The dawn of tantra. Shambhala,
1975.
Hopkins, J. The tantric distinction. Wisdom Publications, 1984.
Tarthang Tulku.
Gesture of balance. Dharma Publishing, 1977.
Trungpa, Chögyam. Journey
without goal. Prajna Press, 1981.
The myth of freedom. Shambhala,
1976. Cutting through spiritual materialism. Shambhala, 1973.
|
Buddhism: |
Zen |
During the 1950s and
1960s many books by Alan Watts and D. T. Suzuki were part of Zen’s strong influx
into the West. The books by Watts and Ross describe the Zen perspective and its
influence. Kapleau and Sekida discuss Zen practice. And Suzuki’s (not D. T.
Suzuki) book is an excellent set of talks on Zen meditation and attitude. See
also “Stories” category.
Kapleau, P. The
three pillars of Zen. Anchor Books, expanded edition, 1980.
Ross, N.W. The world
of Zen: An East-West anthology. Vintage Books, 1960.
Sekida, K. Zen
training. Weatherhill, 1975. Suzuki, S. Zen mind, beginners mind. Weatherhill, 1970.
Watts, A.W. The way
of Zen. Vintage Books, 1957.
Sannella describes
some of the psychological problems associated with and/or confused with the
rising of kundalini. The other
books go further into the
chakras and kundalini.
Motoyama, H.
Theories of the chakras: Bridge to higher consciousness. Quest Books, 1981.
Pandit, M.P.
Kundalini yoga. Ganesh & Co., 1968. Sannella, L. Kundalini —Psychosis or transcendence?
|
H. |
S. Dakin, 1976. |
Scott, M. Kundalini in the physical world. Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1983.
The books by French,
Brother Lawrence, Bunyan, and a Kempis are classics in Christian living and practices, with the originals respectively over 100, 300, 300, and 400
years old. The books by French and Brother Lawrence are concerned with the
practice of continual prayer, as mentioned in Chapter 15. Powell discusses the role of attitudes in Christian practice. The three-volume Course in Miracles was “dictated” to psychologist Helen Schucman
by a “voice” claiming to be Jesus. These
popular books encourage forgiveness and changes in attitudes and thoughts. See also the categories
“Meditation: Practice” and “Journals/ Diaries.”
A course in
miracles. Foundation for Inner Peace, 1975.
Bunyan, J. Pilgrim’s progress.
Zondervan Publishing House, 1967.
French, R.M.
(trans.). The way of the pilgrim. Ballantine Books, 1974.
Lawrence, Brother.
The practice of the presence of God. Whitaker House, 1982.
Powell, J. The Christian vision. Argus Communications, 1984.
Thomas a Kempis. The imitation of Christ. Image
Books, 1985 (Editor: H. C. Gardiner).
To best understand
the Bible it is useful to have a
handbook, such as Eerdmans’, to provide additional information, such as historical
and cultural factors. Since what is included in the Bible was heavily influenced by social and political forces, to
better understand early Christianity and the potential breadth of Christianity,
it is helpful to consider early Christian writings which were not included. The
current best example is the gnostic gospels found at Nag Hammadi. Pagels
discusses these gospels, which are given in total by Robinson.
Lewis is currently
one of the most popular traditional Christian writers. Jesuit paleontologist
Teilhard de Chardin provides a provocative theory of the biological/spiritual
evolution of man, which continues well beyond where we are now. Fox argues for
a creation- centered Christian spirituality, as opposed to the dominant
fall-redemption approach. Swami Prabhavananda discusses the Sermon on the Mount
from a Hindu/ yogic point of view.
Alexander, D. &
P. Alexander (eds.). Eerdmans’ concise Bible handbook. Wm. B. Eerdmans,
1980.
Fox, M. Original
blessing. Bear & Co., 1983.
Lewis, C.S. Mere Christianity.
Macmillan, 1943.
Pagels, E. The
gnostic gospels. Vintage Books, 1981.
Prabhavananda,
Swami. The Sermon on the Mount ac cording to Vedanta. Mentor Book, 1972.
Robinson, J.M.
(ed.). The Nag Hammadi library. Harper & Row, 1981.
Teilhard de Chardin,
P. The phenomenon of man. Harper Torchbook, 1961.
Ornstein (1977),
Pelletier, and Tart (1975) synthesize some of our knowledge about
consciousness. Lilly summarizes work with isolation tanks, while Masters and
Houston summarize what has been learned via psychedelic drugs. The other five
books are collections of articles about consciousness.
Goleman, D. &
R.J. Davidson (eds.). Consciousness: Brain, states of awareness, and mysticism.
Harper & Row, 1979.
Lilly, J.C. The deep
self. Warner Books, 1978. Masters, R.E.L. & J. Houston. The varieties
of psychedelic experience. Delta Book, 1966.
Ornstein, R.E.
(ed.). The nature of human consciousness. W. H. Freeman, 1973.
The psychology of consciousness.
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, second edition, 1977.
Pelletier, K.R.
Toward a science of consciousness. Delta Book, 1978.
Tart, C.T. (ed.).
Altered states of consciousness. Wiley, 1969.
States of
consciousness. E. P. Dutton, 1975.
White, J. (ed.). The highest state of consciousness. Anchor Books,
1972.
Wolman, B.B. &
M. Ullmann (eds.). Handbook of states of consciousness. Van Nostrand
Reinhold, 1986.
Kiibler-Ross
discusses the psychological needs of the dying person. Levine considers how to die
consciously, a spiritual approach to death. Moody surveys the experiences of
people who almost died, some of whom were “clinically dead.”
Kiibler-Ross, E. On
death and dying. Macmillan, 1970.
Levine, S. Who dies?
Anchor Books, 1982.
Moody, R.A. Life
after life. Bantam Book, 1976.
Faraday discusses
how to interpret dreams, Garfield how to plan and work with dreaming, and
LaBerge how to “awake” while dreaming.
Faraday, A. The
dream game. Perennial Library, 1976.
Garfield, P.
Creative dreaming. Ballantine Books, 1976.
LaBerge, S. Lucid
dreaming. Ballantine Books, 1986.
Happiness
These books offer
various ideas about how to cultivate happiness, including unconditional
acceptance(Kaufman), reducing worry (Carnegie), Western perspectives (Houston),
and Eastern perspectives (Watts).
Carnegie, D. How to
stop worrying and start living. Pocket Book, 1953.
Houston, J.P. The
pursuit of happiness. Scott Foresman, 1981.
Kaufman, B.N. To
love is to be happy with. Fawcett Crest, 1977.
Watts, A.W. The meaning
of happiness. Harper Colophon, 1979.
Journals / Diaries
Progoff describes
how to use his “intensive journal” for personal and transpersonal growth. It is
a structured journal with many components and exercises. Rainer shows how to
use a journal for “self-guidance and expanded creativity.” Kelsey covers
“Christian growth through personal journal writing.”
Kelsey, M. Adventure
inward. Augsburg Publishing House, 1980.
Progoff, I. At a
journal workshop. Dialogue House Library, 1975.
Rainer, T. The new
diary. J. P. Tarcher, 1978.
Williams provides a
history of the Jewish people from 538 B.C. to 1500 A.D. Buber’s book is a classic work in Hasidism, a movement of Jewish
mysticism. Hoffman and Schachter pursue the intersection of Hasidism with contemporary
psychology. The other books discuss the Kabbalah, a symbolic system of Jewish
mysticism and occultism.
Buber, M. I and
thou. Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1970 (Walter Kaufman translator.).
Fortune, D. The
mystical Qabalah. Ernest Benn, 1935. Gonzalez-Wippler, M. A Kabbalah
for the modern world. Bantam Book, 1977.
Hoffman, E. The way of splendor.
Shambhala, 1981.
Ponce, C. Kabbalah.
Quest Books, 1986.
Schachter, Z.M.
& E. Hoffman, Sparks of light. Sham bhala, 1983.
Waite, A.E. The holy
Kabbalah. University Books, 1960.
Williams, J.G.
Judaism. Quest Books, 1980.
Various perspectives
on the nature and cultivation of love.
Buscaglia, L. Love.
Fawcett Crest, 1972.
Fromm, G. The art of
loving. Harper & Row, 1956.
Hendricks, G.
Learning to love yourself. Prentice-Hall, 1982.
Welwood, J. (ed.). Challenge of the heart. Shambhala, 1985.
|
Meditation: |
Practice |
Le Shan’s book is a
good general introduction to meditation. Ellwood tells the beginner about quieting
the mind via meditation. Solé-Leris provides an introduction to the
concentration and mindfulness meditation practices of Theravadin Buddhism.
Kelsey discusses Christian meditation, while Fleming elaborates on the classic
Christian meditations of St. Ignatius. The book by de Mello is a unique blend
of Buddhist mindfulness and Christian meditation (e.g., the St. Ignatius
exercises). Other books on Buddhist meditation can be found under “Buddhism:
Zen” and “Mindfulness/ Vipassana.”
de Mello, A. Sadhana:
A way to God. Institute of Jesuit Sources, 1978.
Ellwood, R. Finding
the quiet mind. Quest Books, 1983.
Fleming, D.L. The
spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius. Institute of Jesuit Sources,
1978. Kelsey, M. The other side of silence. Paulist Press, 1976.
Le Shan, L. How to
meditate. Bantam Book, 1975. Solé-Leris, A. Tranquility and insight. Shambhala,
1986.
|
Meditation: |
Theory and
Research |
Goleman surveys the
many different approaches to meditation within the major world systems. White’s
book is a collection of articles on different aspects of meditation. Carrington
and Shapiro & Walsh deal with contemporary Western research approaches to
meditation.
Carrington, P.
Freedom in meditation. Anchor Press, 1978.
Goleman, D. The
varieties of the meditative experience. E. P. Dutton, 1977.
Shapiro, D.H. &
R.N. Walsh (eds.). Meditation: Classic and contemporary perspectives.
Aldine, 1984.
White, J. (ed.). What is meditation? Anchor Books, 1974.
Books dealing with mindfulness
and vipassana based on classic Theravadin Buddhist teachings and practices.
Dhiravamsa, Nyanaponika Thera, and Soma Thera overview such approaches. The
Visuddhi Magga is an outstanding encyclopedia of Buddhist doctrine and
meditation practices compiled by Buddhaghosa about the fifth century A.D. Goldstein’s book is a set of talks and
instructions from a meditation retreat. The other books are from respected
contemporary Eastern teachers (Mahasi Sayadaw, S. N. Goenka, Achaan Chah).
Buddhaghosa. Visuddi
Magga (The path of purification). Buddhist Publication Society, 1975.
Translator Bhikkhu Nanamoli.
Dhiravamsa. The way
of non-attachment. Schocken Books, 1977.
Goldstein, J. The experience of
insight. Shambhala, 1983.
Hart, W. The art of
living: Vipassana meditation as taught by S. N. Goenka. Harper
& Row, 1987.
Kornfield, J. & P. Breiter. A still forest pool: The in sight
meditation of Achaan Chah. Quest Books, 1985.
Sayadaw, Mahasi. Practical
insight meditation. Followed by The progress of insight.
Buddhist Publication Society, 1980 & 1978.
Thera, Nyanaponika.
The heart of Buddhist meditation. Rider & Co., 1962.
Thera, Soma. The way
of mindfulness. Buddhist Publication Society, fourth edition, 1975.
White’s book is a
good collection of articles about enlightenment. Stace provides a collection of
writings from the great mystics of various traditions. Roberts is a
contemporary American Christian mystic. MerrellWolff describes a philosophical
model of the highest level of consciousness. Bucke’s and Underhill’s books are
early classics in the field. Related material can be found under the category
“consciousness.”
Bucke, M. Cosmic
consciousness. E. P. Dutton, 1969. Merrell-Wolff, F. The philosophy of consciousness
without an object. Julian Press, 1973.
Roberts, B. The
path to no-self. Shambhala, 1985. Stace, W.T. The teachings of the mystics.
Mentor Books, 1960.
Underhill, E. Mysticism.
E. P. Dutton, 1961. White, J.
(ed.). What is enlightenment? J. P. Tarcher, 1985.
The dictionaries by
Jack and Reese help define spiritual terms. Popenoe’s book is a massive
annotated bibliography of the types of books in this suggested reading section.
The New Consciousness Sourcebook, previously The Spiritual Community
Guide, is a book that comes out every few years listing spiritual groups,
training centers, classified ads, etc. Henderson surveys many of the personal
and transpersonal growth groups of the 1970s. The last half of Ram Dass’s book
is a directory of American retreat centers and places of meditation
instruction.
Dass, Ram. Journey
of awakening: A meditator’s guidebook. Bantam Book, 1978.
Henderson, C.W. Awakening.
Prentice-Hall, 1975.
Jack, A. The new age
dictionary. Kanthaka Press, 1976.
Khalsa, P.S. (ed.).
The new consciousness sourcebook. Spiritual Community Publications.
Popenoe, C. Inner
development. Yes! Inc., 1979. Reese, W.L. Dictionary of philosophy and
religion. Humanities Press, 1980.
Schuon and Smith
discuss the fundamental spiritual commonalities of religions, including the
perennial philosophy. Wilber relates religion to his general
developmental/consciousness model (see “Teachers: Contemporary”). Lilly surveys
the many beliefs that people take for God. James’s book is an early classic in
the psychology of religion. Stapleton’s science fiction story tells of an
evolving God who creates a succession of universes. Spilka, Hood, and Gorsuch
provide a current textbook on the psychology of religion.
James, W. The
varieties of religious experience. Mentor Books, 1958.
Lilly, J.C.
Simulations of God. Bantam Books, 1976.
Schuon, F. The
transcendent unity of religions. Quest Books, 1984.
Smith, H. Forgotten
truth: The primordial tradition. Harper Colophon, 1977.
Spilka, B., R.W. Hood, & R.L. Gorsuch. The psychology of religion. Prentice-Hall, 1985.
Stapleton, 0. Star maker. Penguin Books, 1972.
Wilber, K. A sociable God. Shambhala,
1983.
Bhagavad-Gita. One
of the world’s most loved spiritual works. Instruction in yoga within the
context of a
great epic story.
J. Mascaro, Penguin
Books, 1962.
Swami Prabhavananda,
Mentor Books, 1944.
Shri Purohit Swami, Vintage Books, 1977.
The Dhammapada. Some sayings of the Buddha. P. Lal, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1967. T. Byrom, Vin tage
Books, 1976.
Holy Bible. The basic text of the Judeo-Christian religions.
A collection of folklore, history, letters, laws, ceremonies, hymns, prayers, sermons, odes,
proverbs, and essays. The King James version is still preferred
by many, though the Revised Standard Version is widely used in theological
studies. The gospel of John is perhaps the gospel closest to the perennial philosophy; it is the most “mystical”
of the gospels.
The Koran (Quran). The holy scripture of Islam,
the record of Mohammed’s oral teachings. J. M. Rodwell, translator, Everyman’s Library, 1974.
Tao Teh Ching (The way of
life). The basic scripture
of Taoism attributed to Lao Tzu. R. B. Blakney,
Mentor Books, 1955. W. Bynner, Capricorn Books, 1944.
G. Feng & J. English, Vintage
Books, 1972.
Books for “cleaning
house” (Chapter 11), dealing
with common practical psychological problems.
Martin, R.A. &
Poland, E.Y. Learning to
change. McGraw-Hill, 1980.
Mikulas, W.L. Skills of living. University Press of America, 1983.
Shapiro, D.H. Precision Nirvana. Prentice-Hall, 1978. Watson, D.L. & R.G. Tharp. Self-directed behavior. Brooks/Cole, fourth edition, 1985.
Williams, R.L. &
J.D. Long. Toward a self-managed life style. Houghton Mifflin, third edition, 1983.
Yates, B.T. Self-management.
Wadsworth, 1985.
These books are all collections of short stories intended to stimulate spiritual understanding.
Jataka stories are legends
of former lives of the Buddha, often as an animal. Shah’s book is a collection
of Sufi stories.
de Mello, A. The
song of the bird. Image Books,
1984. Kahn, N.I. Twenty
Jataka tales. Inner Traditions
Inter national, 1985.
Reps, P. Zen flesh, Zen bones. Anchor Books, 1957. Salajan,
I. Zen comics. Charles
E. Tuttle, I in 1974, II in
1982.
Shah, I. The pleasantries of the incredible Mulla Nasrudin. E. P. Dutton, 1971. (The first of four
such collections.).
Van Over, R. Taoist
tales. Mentor, 1973.
Books about Sufism,
the mystical side of Islam.
Lings, M. What is
sufism? University of California Press,
1977.
Schuon, F. Sufism: Veil and quintessence. World Wis dom Books, 1981.
Shah, I. The Sufis.
Anchor Books, 1971.
The basic work here
is the Tao Teh Ching (see “Religious Classics”) followed by Chuang Tsu ‘s
Inner Chapters. Wei’s translation and
commentary on the Tao Teh Ching is in terms of meditation
and mysticism.
Blofeld, J. Gateway to wisdom. Shambhala,
1980. (Taoist and Mahayana Buddhist practices).
Taoism: The road to immortality. Shambhala,1978.
Feng, G. & J. English (translators). Chuang Tsu Inner Chapters. Vintage Books, 1974.
Watts, A. Tao:
The watercourse way. Pantheon
Books, 1975.
Wei, H. The guiding
light of Lao Tzu. Quest Books, 1982.
|
Teachers:
|
Contemporary |
Below is a sample
of books from teachers who have been influential in American spirituality
in the last twenty-five years. Da Free John (a.k.a. Franklin Jones, Bubba
Free John, Da Love-Ananda) is an American teacher who offers himself as a
fully realized master. Krishnamurti was a highly respected teacher who encouraged
mindfulness and getting free from the search. Merton was a Christian contemplative
who incorporated many Eastern perspectives. Ram Dass (Richard Alpert) is a
popular and eclectic American bhakti yogi. Watts was a very popular and readable
explainer of Eastern perspectives. All have autobiographies listed in that
category, except Krishnamurti for whom Mary Lutyens and Pupul Jayakar have
written biographies.
Contemporary Buddhist
teachers can be found under the Tantric/Tibetan, Zen, and Mindfulness/Vipassana
categories. Contemporary yoga teachers include Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, Swami
Muktananda, Swami Narayanda, Swami Rama, and Swami Satchidananda.
Da Free John. The
Dawn Horse testament of Heart- Master Da Free John. Dawn Horse Press, 1985.
Dass, Ram. The only
dance there is. Anchor Books, 1974.
|
. |
Grist for
the mill. Bantam Books, 1979. |
Krishnamurti, J. The first and last freedom. Harper & Row, 1954.
|
. |
Think on
these things. Harper & Row, 1964. |
|
. |
The second
Penguin Krishnamurti reader.
Penguin Books, 1970 (M.
Lutyens, editor). |
|
|
. |
The awakening
of intelligence. Harper & Row, 1973. |
|
|
. |
The flame of
attention. Harper & Row, 1984. |
|
Merton, T. No
man is an island. Harcourt, Brace Jovanovich, 1955.
|
. |
Mystics and
Zen masters. Delta Book, 1961. |
|
. |
A Thomas Merton reader. Image Book, 1974. |
|
(T. |
P. McDonnell,
editor). |
Watts, A.W. The book.
Collier Books, 1966.
|
. |
Cloud-hidden,
whereabouts unknown. Vintage Books, 1974. |
|
. |
The essence
of Alan Watts. Celestial Arts, 1977. |
Transpersonal
Psychology: General
Maslow and Van Dusen
wrote two of the earlier books in Western transpersonal psychology. Assagioli’s
psychosynthesis was one of the first Western psycho- therapies to give significant
weight to the transpersonal. Ferrucci gives many exercises within the psychosynthesis
tradition. Metzner surveys many of the models/analogies of human growth and
transformation. Wilber is one of the foremost contemporary theorists in transpersonal
psychology. Ram Dass and Gorman present stories and discussion of people in
the helping professions and related personal and spiritual issues. The other
books are collections of articles about transpersonal theory and research.
Assagioli, R. Psychosynthesis.
Penguin Books, 1976. Boorstein, S. (ed.). Transpersonal psychotherapy. Science
and Behavior Books, 1980.
Dass, Ram & P.
Gorman. How can I help? Knopf, 1985. Dean, S.R. (ed.). Psychiatry &
mysticism. Nelson-Hall, 1975.
Ferrucci, P. What
we may be. J. P. Tarcher, 1982.
Maslow, A. The farther reaches of human nature. Penguin Books, 1976.
Metzner, R. Opening
to inner light. J. P.Tarcher, 1986. Tart, C. T. (ed.). Transpersonal psychologies. Harper & Row, 1975.
Van Dusen, W. The
natural depth in man. Harper
& Row, 1972.
Walsh, R.N. &
F. Vaughan (eds.). Beyond ego. J. P. Tarcher, 1980.
Welwood, J. (ed.).
The meeting of the ways. Schocken Books, 1979.
Wilber, K. The Atman project. Quest Books, 1980.
|
. |
Up from
Eden. Shambhala, 1983. |
|
. |
Eye to eye.
Anchor Books, 1983 (This book is the best overview by Wilber). |
These books deal
with the interfacing of Western and Eastern psychological/spiritual perspectives.
Watts is fairly general, Swami Rama and Swami Ajaya emphasize yoga, and the
other three emphasize Buddhism.
Ajaya, Swami. Psychotherapy East and West. Himalayan Publishers, 1983.
Fromm, E., D.T. Suzuki
& R. DeMartino. Zen Buddhism and psychoanalysis. Harper & Row, 1960.
Katz, N. (ed.).
Buddhist and Western
psychology. Pra jna Press, 1983.
Rama, Swami, R. Ballentine,
& Swami Ajaya. Yoga
and psychotherapy. Himalayan Institute, 1976.
Spiegelman, J.M.
& M. Miyuki. Buddhism and Jungiafl psychology. Falcon
Press, 1985.
Watts, A.W. Psychotherapy
East and West. Ballantine Books, 1969.
|
Yoga: |
General |
The books by Eliade,
by Prabhavananda and Isher
wood (1969), and by Taimni deal with yoga in general and the work of Patanjali. The books by Swami Rama and Wood describe
some of the different paths of yoga (see Chapter 13). The other three books
introduce three classic yogis,
Aurobindo, Ramana Maharshi, and Shankara. See also the category “Chakras and
Kundalini.”
Eliade, M. Patanjali
and yoga. Schocken Books, 1975.
|
. |
Yoga: Immortality and freedom. Princeton University Press, second edition, 1970. |
Maharshi, Ramana.
The spiritual teaching of
Ramana Maharshi. Shambhala, 1972.
McDermott, R. The essential Aurobindo. Schocken Books, 1973.
Prabhavananda, Swami
& C. Isherwood. How to know God: The yoga aphorisms of Patanjali. Mentor, 1969.
|
. |
Shankara ‘s crest-jewel of discrimination. Mentor Books, 1970. |
Rama, Swami. Choosing
a path. Himalayan Publishers, 1982.
Taimni, I.K. The
science of yoga. Quest Books, 1967. Wood, E. Seven schools of yoga. Quest Books, 1973.
|
Yoga: |
Hatha |
Books on hatha yoga
including the postures (asanas)
and working with the breath
and vital energy (pranayama).
Hittleman, R. Introduction
to yoga. Bantam Books, 1969.
Iyengar, B.K.S. Light
on yoga. Schocken Books, revised edition, 1977.
|
. |
The concise light on yoga.
Schocken Books,1982.
|
Narayanananda, Swami.
The secrets of prana, pranayama, and yoga-asanas. N.U. Yoga
Trust, 5th edition, 1979.
Samskrti & Veda.
Hatha yoga. Himalayan Institute, second edition, 1987 (first of two manuals).
Rama, Swami. Path
of fire and light: Advanced practices of yoga. Himalayan Publishers, 1986.
|
, |
R. Ballentine,
& A. Hymes. Science of breath. Himalayan Institute, 1979.
|
Vishnudevananda,
Swami. The complete illustrated book of yoga. Pocket Book, 1972.
William M. Mikulas
is Professor of Psychology at
the University of West Florida at Pensacola, where he teaches courses in transpersonal psychology and Buddhist psychology
as well as more traditional courses. He has published six books, the most
recent of which is Skills
in Living, a precursor to this book. He has published numerous
articles, including ones on such subjects as “Buddhism and Behavior Modification”
and “Four Noble Truths of Buddhism as Related to Behavior Therapy.”
Dr. Mikulas received
his Ph.D. in General Psychology and Behavior Modification at the University
of Michigan, where he also earned his M.A. and B.A. degrees. He has served as Visiting Professor at the University of Nevada and in Thailand. He was chosen for the distinguished
research award and also for the distinguished teaching award at West Florida.
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