• Booklist

    The following list of books and internet pages are recommended reading for an understanding of the major spiritual teachings of the world’s greatest masters.

    1. The Bhagavad Gita is one of the volumes included in The Mahabarata which explains Hindu history and religion. The “Gita” is considered the gem of The Mahabarata and is a brief tale and poem that in English is translated as The Song of God. It is a poetic tale in which Arjuna, representing the personal ego-self, meets with his higher consciousness, Krishna, on the field of battle – the material world. When Arjuna refuses to fight against his kin, a dialogue develops between his lower and higher nature represented by the two characters. In Part 2, Krishna begins the lengthy definition of consciousness and its interactions with the inner and outer worlds. It is an explanation of the relationship between one’s ego and the higher self. An American, calling himself Yogi Ramacharaka, did a superb job of translating the story, and in my opinion one of the easiest versions to understand. The book is small with a hard, dark blue cover with gold writing. The story can be found online for free at the following link: http://www.yogebooks.com/english/atkinson/1907-01bhagavadgita.pdf

    2. A Buddhist Bible, edited by Dwight Goddard, contains Buddhism’s basic instructions as described in the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path (pgs. 22 -60). They are found in the chapter titled The Word of the Buddha. Buddhism is not a religion. Its principles explain a spiritual lifestyle that leads toward freedom from suffering. There are many sutras in the book that explain the nature of consciousness. The paperback cover is black with red elements. I recommend this very clear and easy to understand translation of the Buddha’s teachings.

    3. It is preferable to study the Kabbalah along with Buddhism because the teachings of the Buddha may seems extreme and demanding for Western cultures. Here is the YouTube link to a comprehensive overview of Kabbalah: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkvITHLbNhw

    4. Richard Wilhelm’s translation of the I Ching, Chinese Book of Changes. The book has a forward by the renowned Swiss psychoanalyst, Carl Jung. He explains the nature of synchronicity and how the Chinese used examples in nature to define all situations in social life. The hardcover has a grey and yellow book jacket and the book itself has a light-yellow cover. There is a learning curve in the use of the hexagrams, but it is extremely helpful for decision-making using either three coins or the more complex method using yarrow stalks. The instructions for how to create the hexagrams which answer personal questions is in the book. For online free access: http://www2.unipr.it/~deyoung/I_Ching_Wilhelm_Translation.html#57

    5. The Sermon on the Mount contains the core teachings of the New Testament. It is instruction on learning to be nonjudgmental. These are claimed to be the words of Jesus explaining how experiencing remorse (repentance) for one’s wrongdoing and anger toward others is the way toward peace within (the meaning of heaven). Matthew chapter 5 is the version recommended. It is a talk/sermon given out in nature on a mountain where followers are present. The instruction defines a method of transforming one’s attitude through a sincere change of heart that is referred to as repentance. There are parables throughout the book of Matthew that are used to get these points across. I suggest the King James version as it is the original English translation by William Tyndale and the most poetic. However, it is important to keep in mind that the Hebrew language is far from old English prose.

    Meditation and other studies:

    The following YouTube videos are supportive material related to the books and subjects listed above. :

    Despenza’s video explains that the body is the physical vessel that retains emotional reactions through conditioned reflex response. The body is the visible part of the subconscious and unconscious mind. The explanation and information in Dispenza’s video are outstanding, however, his meditation technique lacks adequate power to reverse the programmed conditioning of the mind/body connection. Use the meditation technique offered here on MeditateForCalmAwareness.com.