Meditation Information & Resources

We live in an amazing time in human history where a vast amount of meditation and spiritual teachings are now accessible from the comfort of our homes. The generations before us have wandered the world in search of these teachings, and they’ve done the hard work of translating it into practical, easy to understand techniques. It’s all here for us, it’s just a matter of putting in the work, following the instructions, and discovering these things for ourselves.

With that increased ability to share information comes an overabundance of resources. It can be tough to weed through everything that’s out there from various websites and online communities, to books and podcasts. The resources I’ve compiled in each of the sections below is far from exhaustive. I’ve pulled together the things that helped me the most in both practice and the theoretical aspects of this training. I’ve also included some resources that I see commonly shared in online meditation communities.

If you’re new to all this, it can be quite overwhelming. I would suggest you start slow, dabble in a few things, and trust that over time you’ll find yourself gravitating towards a specific style of information and teachings that suit your personality and way of learning.

Books

Books for Meditation & Internal Training

There are thousands of meditation books out there, and sorting through them can be overwhelming. While I’ve learned a lot from various teachers and traditions, I’ve personally found the most effective books to be the ones that take a pragmatic approach, with little to no religious connection. That said, I still encourage anyone interested in these practices to explore different teachers and traditions to discover what they connect with.

I narrowed this list to the books that had the biggest impact on my practice and understanding of internal work. I hope you find something that inspires you, expands your perspective, and opens you to new depths of practice.

Introductory Books

If you’re new to meditation and are looking for an accessible introduction to the techniques and benefits of practice, I recommend starting with one of the three books below. Each link will take you to a Goodreads page where you can find more information and read reviews. They aren’t listed in any particular order so choose the book or author that resonates most with you.

Mindfulness in Plain English - Bhante Gunaratana

Wherever You Go, There You Are - Jon Kabat-Zinn

The Miracle of Mindfulness - Thich Nhat Hanh

The Mind Illuminated - Culadasa (John Yates, PhD)

Culadasa blends neuroscience with traditional Buddhist techniques to guide the reader through ten distinct stages on the path of developing concentration and awareness. You’re provided with stage-specific instructions for your sits, and tools to overcome the obstacles you’ll experience along the way. In-between each stage are chapters that explore various aspects of how the mind functions, helping you better understand your experience in meditation and in daily life.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who’s practice has stagnated or if you only have a surface level understanding of what meditation aims to accomplish. It de-mystifies the process and makes it approachable no matter where you’re at. The technical and systematic style won’t be for everyone—some people prefer the simplicity of Zen or Nondual traditions—but if you want a more structured, science-based approach, I’d try it out.

Amazon Link

Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha - Daniel Ingram

Daniel Ingram clearly lays out the core Buddhist teachings, the techniques required for deep practice, and the stages a meditator may pass through on the path of awakening. His work has inspired a new generation of practitioners, myself included, who appreciate the transparency that he presents this information with. He speaks openly about the highs and lows of this journey, the transformative power of these practices, and all the strange territory in-between. If you’re interested in taking your practice deeper I would highly recommend this book, I think it will be a valuable companion for you along the way. Daniel lays the entire meditation path out for you, inviting you to walk it and experience everything for yourself.

Here’s a link to his free online version.

Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha - Online Version

Daniel Ingrams Personal Website - PDF Download, E-reader Download, Audiobook

Seeing that Frees - Rob Burbea

Seeing that Frees focuses on a different dimension of practice than most meditation books. It’s packed with “Insight” exercises that help you begin to deconstruct the many ways we grasp at experience and create suffering throughout the day. Whether you’re seated on a meditation cushion, out for a walk, or sitting on a bus, he offers a wide range of practices that you can bring into your daily life.

The practices in this book are designed to disrupt your normal patterns of perception by deconstructing your experience so you can see things as they truly are, rather than seeing through your conditioning. As you shift away from your conditioned ways of seeing the world, your mind begins to hold less tightly to ideas and experiences, allowing it to feel freer and more open as you move through the world.

Amazon Link

The End of Your World - Adyashanti

This book was invaluable in helping me understand my own awakening process. Adyashanti speaks in clear and direct language about what’s happening during an awakening and its implications. I found his blunt style to be really refreshing. I’ve also spoken with a number of people who found this book—and Adyashanti’s teachings in general—to be helpful during the early stages of their own awakening process. His books and talks seem to have a great ability to bring the reader or viewer into a place of stillness. You can find his YouTube channel below.

Amazon Link

Adyashanti Youtube

Right Concentration - Leigh Brasington

This book is great for anyone who is serious about developing very high levels of concentration. Leigh goes in-depth into the eight “Jhanas”, states of mental absorption that can be accessed once the mind remains steady and peaceful for long periods of time. He outlines the experience of them and provides instructions for entering into and shifting between each one.

Although it’s inspiring to hear about the different states that can be achieved, this book won’t be of much use until you have a solid footing in your concentration practice.

Amazon Link

A Comprehensive Guide to Daoist Nei Gong - Damo Mitchell

This is the only book on the list that doesn’t focus entirely on meditation and Buddhist practices. Using a clear and pragmatic approach, Damo takes the reader through a systematic process of developing our bodies energetic system. This journey moves from awakening our lower energy centre, to building and moving Qi to nourish our body and open various energetic pathways. These practices take us deep inside, opening us to the subtle energetic world within our being. The byproduct of this work is that we start to bring our body and mind into harmony, leading to higher levels of health and a deeper connection to ourselves and the world around us.

You can find more about this work in the Qigong & Tai Chi section on the Body page.

Amazon Link

More Books

The books above cover a lot of ground but here are a few more to help round out your understanding and practice. These links will bring you to the Goodreads page for the book where you can learn more about them and read reviews.

Awakening from the Daydream - David Nichtern
Waking Up - Sam Harris
Seeking the Heart of Wisdom - Joseph Goldstein & Jack Kornfield
Pactical Insight Meditation - Mahasi Sayadaw
Touching Enlightenment - Reginald A. Ray

Podcasts

Meditation Podcasts

Podcasts are a great source of information for meditation and other internal work. They offer conversations and insight from a wide range of practitioners and teachers, opening you up to new perspectives and methods that you may have never come across on your own. Each of these podcasts have a deep catalog, and most of the content remains relevant over time. Take your time, skim through the episode lists and try out a couple that catch your attention.

Although they all cover a wide range of topics, I’ve listed them in order of accessibility. You can find them on any major podcast platform but I added a direct links here for convenience. All descriptions are pulled directly from each podcasts website.

Self-help for smart people. World-class insights and practices from experts in modern science and ancient wisdom. Hosted by veteran journalist and best-selling author Dan Harris.

Click here to listen.

Ten Percent Happier

Jack blends his long-established Buddhist practices with many other mystical traditions, revealing the poignancy of life’s predicaments and the path to finding freedom from self-interest, self-judgment and unhappiness.

Click here to listen.

Heart Wisdom

Evolving Dharma in the Age of the Network.

*New episodes are rare but they have a deep catalogue worth exploring.

Click here to listen.

Buddhist Geeks

The Deconstructing Yourself podcast is passionate about fearlessly investigating, practicing, and reviewing all things to do with awakening, meditation, mindfulness, brain hacking, neurofeedback, and more.

Click here to listen.

Deconstructing Yourself

The Guru Viking Podcast specialises in in-depth interviews with remarkable figures in the fields of meditation, spirituality, and religion.

Click here to listen.

Guru Viking

“Damo Mitchell and friends discussing various aspects of the martial, medical and spiritual arts of the East as well as life in general.” This podcast focuses more on Qigong and Tai Chi, but still has a heavy focus on internal training in general.

Click here to listen.

The Damo Mitchell podcast

Adverse Effects

Adverse Effects of Meditation

A wide range of adverse effects can arise for some practitioners, but they’re more commonly seen in people engaging with intensive practice, such as sitting for multiple hours per day or going on retreat.

In more extreme cases, these side effects can last for weeks or months, interfering with daily life. When this occurs, it’s commonly referred to as the “dark night”. This term is used in some meditation groups to describe the difficult psychological and existential territory meditators can encounter. It’s commonly triggered by deep insights into the nature of impermanence, or from seeing through the solidity of the self. This territory is not exclusive to meditators, some people find themselves there after a psychedelic experience or any kind of spiritual and contemplative practice.

During this phase of practice, the normal sense of self and solid ego structure is starting to change. Your psyche is in a transition phase where the old self-image dissolves but a new sense of self or worldview hasn’t fully formed. This process can bring up a lot of psychological content or unresolved trauma that has been repressed for years. It can feel like the mind and body is clearing out old patterns to make room for a more open and present way of being.

This phase affects everyone differently. It all depends on your psychological makeup, personal history, what led you there, and the context and guidance you have. It took me about five months to fully move through it, but some people take much longer, while others fly through it. If you’re experiencing this now, know that it’s a normal stage of psychological and spiritual growth, and it will get better. To quote Jeanne Zadie, “After accompanying a number of clients through the dark night and out the other side, I have not met one who would have traded the experience and its outcome for anything. And yet, during the experience, it’s another story.”

The resources below give you everything you need to understand the dark night, and the tools and support to help guide you through. I also recommend exploring some of the Heart-centred or grounding practices which you can find in both the Heart or Body section, these can be extremely beneficial for people struggling with adverse effects.

Websites

Cheetah House - Resources for meditators in distress

For anyone experiencing adverse effects from meditation or other spiritual practice, this is the best all around resource. They’ve been working for years with teachers and students to gain an understanding of the wide range of effects people can experience during the Dark Night. The website offers an extensive symptoms list, and provide access to teachers, support groups, and other resources for people in crisis.

Jeannie Zandi - The Breakdown of the Mythology of Me (Article)

This article is intended for psychotherapists but I’d highly recommend reading it for anyone curious about spiritual awakening or spiritual crisis. Whether you’ve gone through one yourself, you’re in the middle of it now, or you’re just curious, I think It’s one of the most clear descriptions of the process I’ve come across.

Spiritual Crisis Network UK - Resources page

This website is less about meditation related difficulties and more about the connection between mental health crisis and spiritual transformation. On their resource page you'll find books and other web resources related to awakening, as well as some simple grounding and self care practices.

Dharma Overground - Online forum

Here you can find a wide range of discussions around the dark night. This forum is full of meditation practitioners who have traversed this territory many times, so you’re very likely to find discussions relevant to your situation.

Reddit Streamentry- Health, Balance, and Difficult Territory

The specific post I linked has a good overview of the dark night territory. It covers some of the difficulties people can face, offers some perspectives from different teachers, and has a list of relevant books and other therapeutic resources. This is also a very active community so if you’re ever in need of specific practice advice or other meditators to talk to, I’ve found it to be a very welcoming place.

Podcast Episodes & Books

Buddhist Geeks #301: Varieties of Contemplative Experience

A discussion on helping mindfulness practitioners through episodes of the contemplative Dark Night, how mental disease does and doesn’t get addressed in the community, and some shared characteristics of people that experience the Dark Night.

Buddhist Geeks #302: Mental Illness and the Dark Night

This is part two of the discussion linked above.

Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha - Daniel Ingram

Daniel Ingram offers an in depth description of the psychological states people predictably pass through during the Dark Night, explained from the perspective of the “progress of insight”. The link above will take you directly to a chapter in his book about these stages.

A Path With Heart - Jack Kornfield

Chapter 10 covers some of the difficult aspects of the meditation path.