Recommended Books for Meditation and Purification
August 15, 2021 — original post in r/u_Ok-Witness1141 A brief reading list, useful as a sketch of the lineage the author was working in.
Purification
The first pile of books are for meditation. Awakening, reducing suffering and learning how to navigate the mind. Each book is useful for some aspect of learning how to awaken. For me, this list is pretty exhaustive for a pragmatically orientated meditation practitioner. The collection taken together provides for both Shamatha (concentration) and Vipashyana (insight) practices.
The second pile of books are for general mental purifications and self-help. During meditation it is very normal for difficult emotions and disturbing content to crop up — sometimes referred to as the “Dark Night of the Soul”. These books help with dealing with those aspects skillfully and maturely. They also offer a lot of wisdom for general self-help improvement.
I hope you find this list helpful.
All the best to you on your journey :)