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Recommended
Books for reading
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The Tao
of Physics
by Fritjof Carpa
First
published in 1975, The Tao of Physics rode the wave
of fascination in exotic East Asian philosophies. Decades later, it
still stands up to scrutiny, explicating not only Eastern philosophies
but also how modern physics forces us into conceptions that have
remarkable parallels. Covering over 3,000 years of widely divergent
traditions across Asia, Capra can't help but blur lines in his
generalizations. But the big picture is enough to see the value in them
of experiential knowledge, the limits of objectivity, the absence of
foundational matter, the interrelation of all things and events, and
the fact that process is primary, not things. Capra finds the same
notions in modern physics. Those approaching Eastern thought from a
background of Western science will find reliable introductions here to
Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism and learn how commonalities among these
systems of thought can offer a sort of philosophical underpinning for
modern science. And those approaching modern physics from a background
in Eastern mysticism will find precise yet comprehensible descriptions
of a Western science that may reinvigorate a hope in the positive
potential of scientific knowledge. Whatever your background, The
Tao of Physics is a brilliant essay on the meeting of East
and West, and on the invaluable possibilities that such a union
promises.
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States
of Consciousness by Charles Tart States of Consciousness, a classic by world
authority Charles T. Tart, is a basic understanding of how the mind is
a dynamic, culturally biased, semi-arbitrary construction and system. A
systematic exploration of how and why altered states can come about and
their possibilities. As a student of his remarked, "For the first weeks
of class I didn't understand what those diagrams were about, but I've
realized the book is all about the way my own mind works!" Useful in
understanding some of the important ways your mind works before you
start altering it.
The Varieties of
Religious Experience by William James
"I
am neither a theologian, nor a scholar learned in the history of
religions, nor an anthropologist. Psychology is the only branch of
learning in which I am particularly versed. To the psychologist the
religious propensities of man must be at least as interesting as any
other of the facts pertaining to his mental constitution. It would
seem, therefore, as a psychologist, the natural thing for me would be
to invite you to a descriptive survey of those religious propensities."
Toward a
Psychology of Being, 3rd Edition
by
Abraham Maslow
If we wish to help humans to
become more fully human, we must realize not only that they try to
realize themselves, but that they are also reluctant or afraid or
unable to do so. Only by fully appreciating this dialectic between
sickness and health can we help to tip the balance in favor of
health." Abraham Maslow's theories of self-actualization and
the hierarchy of human needs are the cornerstone of modern humanistic
psychology, and no book so well epitomizes those ideas as his classic
Toward a Psychology of Being.
A profound book, an exciting book, its influence continues to spread,
more than a quarter century after its author's death, beyond psychology
and throughout the humanities, social theory, and business management
theory.
The Atman
Project by Ken Wilber
Wilber chronicles individual
psychospiritual development.
Up
from Eden by Ken Wilber
Wilber traces humanity's cultural and
spiritual evolution.
The Masks of
God by Joseph
Campbell This particular book comprises
the inner
story of modern culture, spanning our entire philosophical, spiritual
and artistic history since the Dark Ages, and treating modern man's
unique position as the creator of his own mythology
The Meditative Mind: Varieties of
Meditative Experience
by Daniel P.
Golemann This book is extremely helpful
for all
meditators who are interested in seeing where they are on the path. For
without a map, it is extremely easy for any meditator to become lost
and not make any real progress.
Phenomenology
of Mind
by G.W.F.Hegel
The Perennial
Philosophy by Aldous Huxley
"Both an anthology and an interpretation of the
supreme mystics, East and West. . . . A magnificent
achievement."--Rufus M. Jones "In his absorption and other-worldliness,
he soars clear out of sight."--The New Yorker
The
Doors of Perception and Heaven and Hell by Aldous Huxley
As only he can, Aldous Huxley explores the mind's
remote frontiers and the unmapped areas of human consciousness. These
two astounding essays are among the most profound studies of the
effects of mind-expanding drugs written in this century.
Aion by C.G.Jung
Aion
is one of Jung's greatest works and is one of the first three that
anyone who is new to Jung should start with. The first part deals with
Christianity, and the significance of the death of Christ. This is
treated as a legitimate, factual historical event, yet it is also
explained as a collective psychic phenomenon in the general sense. The
middle part of the book deals with ancient alchemy, and the symbolic
parallels between alchemy and modern conceptions of psychology. This
might sound dull, but trust me - you will be surprised to see the
uncanny symbolic parallels between ancient magical practices and the
most modern, up to date theories of the psyche
Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad-Gita
is the main source-book on yoga and a concise summary of India's Vedic
wisdom. Yet remarkably, the setting for this best-known classic of
spiritual literature is an ancient Indian battlefield. Bhagavad
Gita Commentary
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The
"God" Part
Of The Brain
by Matthew Alpert
The
thesis here is that spiritual and religious experience is
essentially
something the brain *does*, not something that comes from
'God'/'external being'. The author argues that spirituality and
religious impulses have emerged in the evolving brain by default
amongst evolving social organisms- in this particular book relatively
recently in hominid evolution. Key processes include the growing
hominid awareness of death, which, when coupled with an innate anxiety
function necessary for survival, ultimately led to spirituality,
religious and mystical experience.
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Lives in the Shadow with
J.
Krishnamurti
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Anthroposophy
in Everyday Life by
Rudolf Steiner
These are four
of Rudolf Steiner’s best-loved lectures.
In-cluded are
“Practical Training in Thought,”
“Overcoming Nervousness,”
“Facing Karma,” and
“The Four Temperaments.”
With its many practical exercises, mantras, and meditations, this book
is a fundamental introduction for anyone entering the path of
inner development.
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