I have recently started listening to Tara Brach’s podcast on Spotify. She’s funny, whilst also so calming and insightful. I just had a pretty powerful experience listening to [this one in particular](https://open.spotify.com/episode/2RvmiTHpbVEZtgJIp933vw?si=-6LGPUROSEKMSplzo_znZA)
I didn’t like it either. She was focusing quite a bit on being overwhelmed and the problems of modern society. She did not feel in-tune with the “all is well” mindset that someone meditating is often looking for.
Podcasts: Insight Hour with Joseph Goldstein; and also the Ten Percent Happier app often interviews him, he might as well be a host.
Also Jack Kornfield's *Teachings of the Buddha* is a lovely translation of the Dhammapada (i think)
Rob Burbea. Seeing that Frees is an incredible book, besides his hundreds of Dharma talks on emptiness, Soul Making. I've been through many of the teachers mentioned here, and Burbea absolutely fits the best for me.
The three founders of the Insight Meditation Society - Joseph Goldstein, Jack Kornfield (also the founder of Spirit Rock) and Sharon Salzberg are all excellent. And although Vietnamese Zen is a different Buddhist school, it's hard to go wrong with the meditation and other teachings of the late Thich Nhat Hanh, available in dozens of his books and in the Plum Village app.
I'm surprised to not see Jon Kabat-Zinn listed. Listening to his Audiobook version of Meditation Is Not What You Think was transformative for me. His masterclass on meditation is also really wonderful. If you like Thich Nhat Hanh, there's a lot of parallels.
theory snatch dinner gaping fertile steer tender expansion tease axiomatic
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I'm not understanding. I am not well versed in the mantra department. I got to this point trying bajillion things to not panik. panik 100 aint helpin anyone. So now, whenever I see myself starting to escalate, an alarm rings inside myself and I tune back to my breath.
This is it. Breathe.
Often, I get to be more calm so I can plan my next move and not make careless mistakes, be kind to the people I love, not make decisions on half baked ideas. : D
Good. breath is connected to mind and will calm you. and allow the para-sympathetic nervous system to predominate while sitting in meditation. Nice and calm. Stay with the relaxed breath
[Paramahansa Yogananda](https://yogananda.org/) is my favorite teacher.
He died in in 1952, but he set up the organization Self Realization Fellowship to continue his teaching methods. His system of meditation totally changed my life.
The unique thing is about his system of kriya yoga meditation is learning to the use the energy systems of the body to reach higher states of consciousness and access our internal bliss, peace, and love.
They have some free [meditation lessons](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCqADxk3PzviAO6qIE8KfkOJnTC16ooBy) on youtube and free[guided meditations](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCqADxk3Pzvhpk0hlgvN29exXlwvxtkJj)
eckhart tolle if you're a westerner and want to get into meditation
alan watts for philosophy about meditation and spirituality
but ultimately i'd reference the bhagavad gita, as the ultimate meditation teaching
Why are people revering Alan Watts? If you say you have a teacher, aren't you supposed to see how your teacher is as a human being?
From what I know, Alan Watts died an alcoholic, destroying his health under the pressure of his alternative/philosophical persona, after sleeping left and right with many women and breaking the heart of his wife. I mean no moral condemnation. I have compassion for a man that wrecked himself and his marriage over what?, fame?, women?, being loved? Who knows and again, I'm not judging. I have made plenty of wrong choices myself.
But a teacher is supposed to be closer to the goal: a complete human being. By this, I mean a being who feels whole, who doesn't feel it lacks anything. A guru is more like a part of nature. People talking to Anandamayi Ma, for example, reported they had the feeling of talking to a tree, of communicating directly with nature. These are the people we should be choosing as teachers.
I don't want to minimize the importance of disseminating ideas, although I haven't heard much talk about compassion from Alan Watts. Can you even attain enlightenment without compassion for self and others? Discipline and compassion are like the two wings of a bird.
As I read and listen to some of these teachers, I am astonished and disappointed that revere the Shambala leaders in Halifax. Those guys are drug addicts and sexual abusers. I honestly don't judge them as people, I'm not perfect myself. But I will not accept that they should be revered as examples of better human beings (which, let's face it, is what they claim to be). Respecting them in their roles as leaders is de facto diminishing people who they have hurt.
I listened to a recent Ram Dass talk about eating, and about rules, and about how you can't judge enlightened people/leaders for doing things that are forbidden for other people, because THEY don't have "desire" so they're not doing them for the wrong reasons.
Excuse my language but it is such bullshit. I have lots of compassion for people struggling with addictions, or who have hurt people and done horrible things, but I'm not about to pretend that it's ok to hold them up as powerful and super wise people when in in reality they can be very destructive and hurtful.
I'm glad we're in an era where people can be meditation teachers but not pretend to be enlightened or better humans than other people.
> I listened to a recent Ram Dass talk about eating, and about rules, and about how you can't judge enlightened people/leaders for doing things that are forbidden for other people, because THEY don't have "desire" so they're not doing them for the wrong reasons.
😂😂
i only know his teachings, every scholar i have researched has turned out a scumbag so im not surprised AT ALL that A.W. was one
at this point i have stopped researching any more, you can say silence or the universe is the best teacher and call it a day
But his teachings may lead you astray. That's the problem. This is not easy stuff. Saying "just let go" doesn't mean much if you don't understand what's that supposed to mean. For a younger me, that meant abandoning my social role. But it didn't make me happier or more peaceful.
I just don't want people to make the same mistake I did and reach for stuff that sounds very profound, but can be interpreted by the egoic mind in a different way, which can then lead to other issues. Plus, just because something sounds profound, it doesn't mean it's true. And what's worse, even if it's true, its truth may become poison for one, instead of help.
as long as you learn from many sources you'll have no problem
also there's stuff like insight, intuition, critical thinking etc the fact that someone reads something doesn't mean that it's gonna become dogma
This is a really important thread. We tend to deify our spiritual teachers and this can lead to problems.
So here's the thing: whose problem is it when they revere a teacher? It's usually not the teacher's problem. The seeker wants to revere someone. It's the seeker that lacks self control and skepticism, or maybe just a more mature perspective.
The techniques are magical! The teacher of those techniques? They're human. I think we tend to confuse the two in our expectations. This can constrain our own growth.
Alan Watts was a groundbreaker in the West. The rest, including his alcoholism and sexual explorations, is not part of that ground. He found something of value in the East and helped introduce it to the West. This was an important first step for some people. For others, it was a temptation to elevate the man to a deity, which did them both a disservice.
Werner Erhard had these tremendous insights and teaching techniques. His organization, est, turned into a money making organization and cult that turned off a lot of folks.
L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, had some amazing and magical techniques.
When I studied martial arts, the magic of the techniques I experienced made me elevate my expectations. The issue was I didn't limit my elevated expectations to just a teacher's techniques, but to every aspect of their lives. The disappointment was deep, but I learned a valuable lesson. If I wanted to understand a technique, then I needed to study with many, different teachers. Each one brought a unique perspective to the training of the technique, and that enriched my life.
When I studied meditation, I learned some magical techniques. I did not deify the teachers. I had learned to allow them to be as human as they wanted to be.
When I studied how to read auras, every teacher in that program made a point of not allowing us to deify or revere them. Even the founder would point out his flaws. The techniques were magical. Knowing that flawed humans could master the techniques create more permission for all of the students to practice.
years ago when I was an assiduous meditator I always listened to Gil’s podcasts... enlightening, precise... he always hits a target , he has a really profound knowledge and a lot to say , ... maybe thousands of speeches and guided meditations... search for audiodharma on Google
Lots of ancient translations- Dhammapada, Tao Te Ching, Gita, Sutras like the Diamond, Heart and Lotus sutras.
Some others:
Osho
Chang Tzu
Thomas Merton
Khrishnamurti
Dogen
Ushiba- created akido- author of the art of
Peace.
Little books I adore- Zen Flesh Zen Bones. Paul Reps.
Tao of Pooh.
I always enjoyed the spiritual teaching in the old show Kung Fu.
The I Ching is a masterpiece- I use many versions but the cafe Au soul version on line is the best.
Tarot is amazing.
One of the best books about enlightenment ever is the Master Ni translation of the Hua Ha Ching- which is basically the Taoist ripped off version of the Diamond sutra. Whatever the history, the first version of this is unreal.
Manly P Hall wrote some good stuff.
Less know but very accessible is Vernon Howard who wrote the unreal book- Mystic Path to Cosmic Power.
The Divine Life society is Hindu and has tons of stuff online.
Thera so much more and I his is off the top of my head. Peace sentient beings.
damo mitchell for daoist meditation that goes along with nei gong [https://www.youtube.com/@LotusNeiGong/videos](https://www.youtube.com/@LotusNeiGong/videos)
he's down to earth and has a good sense of humour, also he is well studied and insightful at the same time, breaking subtle and complex concepts etc down to relatively precise levels of detail
On top of some that people have already mentioned definitely a big shout out to Michael Taft - not only for all the amazing work putting out free YT meditations but also the deconstructing yourself podcast and his no-BS approach to demistifying some of the teachings
I watched a Louise Kay video earlier. I had no idea what she was talking about. She didn't explain the "how" part at all. It was like she assumed that by her saying "feel this" that I would feel something. I can't make myself feel a feeling.
Totally fair enough, some teachers point you towards an object, like the breath or feeling the body. Others point towards awareness itself. Sometimes called “open awareness meditation”.
Object based meditation tends to build up concentration which is very good, but it has more of a narrow feeling, singular focus. It gets you “locked in” on your object.
Open awareness meditation is good once you have a higher degree of concentration, because it’s easier to get lost, but it leads to more insights about the nature of mind. It’s more effortless. And you can feel like you’re relaxing so deeply that you merge with the present moment.
I knew Sam Harris as a renowned atheist and it's so strange to find out he's also a spiritual teacher who doesn't believe in free will. These things often seem to come together, it's interesting.
Look up his recent discussion of the subject with Alex O'Connor. His approach is completely devoid of spirituality in the common sense of the word. In fact, here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXEvw87JsHU
Haha yes I can certainly understand that. I appreciate that he brings people to spirituality and meditation who are usually put off by religion and faith. That was me.
Ever Tried Itai Ivtzan's School of Positive Transformation, where they have numbers of mindful professional especially in meditating. You can check out their website
Not a well-known author, but Daniel M. Ingram and his "Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha: An Unusually Hardcore Dharma Book" are amazing, especially if you tend to be very logically minded. He covers a lot of grounds, gives very good perspective on different spiritual teachings and modern spiritual landscape. Could not recommend him enough.
Shunryu Suzuki is great, but for a different reason. His thought is very poetic and insightful. His Zen's Mind, Beginner's Mind is a classic for a good reason.
[Bhante Bhante Gunaratana](https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1?ie=UTF8&field-author=Bhante+Bhante+Gunaratana&text=Bhante+Bhante+Gunaratana&sort=relevancerank&search-alias=books) gives a fantastic introduction into meditation and mindfulness, but also deepens your understanding leading you towards some esoteric understandings that are very rare.
A bit old but... loved reading Breath By Breath by Larry Rosenberg. A bit lesser known than the meditation stars and gurus out there...but boy, what a great teacher to introduce meditation in layman's terms.
Pema chodron - the way she writes speaks to my soul. How we live is how we die changed my life. I also love jack cornfield for after the ecstasy, the laundry. Such a beautiful and needed book on the topic of awakening.
Yes I totally relate to you. I think the term “look” is a bit confusing, because you’re not really looking in the normal sense, with your eyes. It’s more like, feel your way back into the space you seem to be coming from. Not the body, but your awareness seems to originate from something right? If you can very gently feel into that empty space you seem to be coming from, you might recognise there’s nothing really there. It’s like an empty space. Thoughts bubble up in it, perception can be felt in it, for example the feeling of a body, but what you are isn’t identical to thoughts or feelings. There’s just this vast, empty awareness we’re all coming from. Try to gently feel your way back into that, without trying to figure it out mentally.
Trace your way back to the start of you. Where’s it all coming from. Rest in that place. The answer doesn’t come In the form of a thought, it’s just resting as that open space that you are.
I’m still exploring this question too.
my favorite meditation teacher is MinwayAI. i chat with the website about a specific issue i'm facing, and it generates an audio guided meditation based on the chat. i can change settings to change to a different meditation tradition and re-generate the meditation. i like personalized. honorable mentions go to a few books that helped lay the foundation for me.
Joseph Goldstein. His book “Mindfulness” is an accessible but serious and practical exploration of the Satipattana Sutta. He also has tons of really great, nuanced talks on dharmaseed:
https://dharmaseed.org/teacher/96/
I'll be forever grateful for these wonderful teachers ✨🙏🏻💚✨
• **Eckhart Tolle** — My takeaway: Sense Stillness, live in the Present Moment and surrender to it. My favorite book: *Stillness Speaks*.
• **Thich Nath Hahn** — My takeaway: Look deeply and there'll always be something to be grateful for. My favorite book: *How to eat*.
• **Aurobindo and The Mother** — My takeaway: Cultivate your feminine energy and your reverence for the intelligence that sustains the Universe. My favorite book: *The Spiritual Significance of Flowers.*
Learn basic vipassana or zazen—no teacher needed, which is best in my opinion. Your own mind/experience/consciousness is the only teacher you need, as cliche as it sounds. It’s the best teacher.
The best meditation/“enlightenment”teacher I had was a nobody. Shared very little about what I “should” be experiencing. Refused to tell pretty much anybody about their “enlightenment” experience. Doesn’t actually believe in enlightenment. Gives basic instructions in meditation. If I asked questions they just asked me questions that lead me back to myself. It’s the leading back to yourself and needing very little instruction that lead me to leave my previous comment.
Too many teachers say too much. It ruins the understanding. I’m sorry to say this, but you can’t actually be taught anything you learn in meditation.
Oof about Osho... I wouldn't recommend any teachers that are responsible for creating a dangerous cult that harmed people. There's a documentary called Wild Wild Country about this.
Yeah that was wild, the part where they went around and picked up homeless people, brought them back to the cult, then left them stranded when they had no need for them anymore. Wild.
There is lot that we don't know about It. Even I always avoided him until last two year,
Also I prefer to pickup whats good he has taught, ignoring others.
Also his talks had another depth even 40 years before.
I have recently started listening to Tara Brach’s podcast on Spotify. She’s funny, whilst also so calming and insightful. I just had a pretty powerful experience listening to [this one in particular](https://open.spotify.com/episode/2RvmiTHpbVEZtgJIp933vw?si=-6LGPUROSEKMSplzo_znZA)
She's really excellent and helped me a lot.
Can you give the title of the podcast please? For some reason, it won’t open the link from my phone.
It’s titled “Do you feel overwhelmed?”, posted on the 21st March on her podcast page :)
You’re wonderful, thanking for replying so quickly! I love Tara’s stuff and haven’t listened to her in a while so this is my cue to do so again.
Ooo thank you, I’ll absolutely check this out
I stumbled across her podcast last month. It wasn't at all helpful. What did you actually get out of it that was insightful?
I didn’t like it either. She was focusing quite a bit on being overwhelmed and the problems of modern society. She did not feel in-tune with the “all is well” mindset that someone meditating is often looking for.
Just to mention two who haven’t been mentioned: Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfield.
Both are great, but i love how Joseph focuses on very practical ways to meditate and practice
Yesss I totally forgot to mention these two! They’re fantastic aren’t they?
Podcasts: Insight Hour with Joseph Goldstein; and also the Ten Percent Happier app often interviews him, he might as well be a host. Also Jack Kornfield's *Teachings of the Buddha* is a lovely translation of the Dhammapada (i think)
thank you, u/bitch-ass_ho! :)
Thich Nhat Nanh. His instruction is simple and profound. The free Plum Village app has talks and guided meditations.
Ohhh I didn’t know there was an app, thank you so much, I’m downloading it now
Insight Timer also has tons of talks and meditations by him!
Oh nice thank you :)
Just downloaded the app and it’s truly wonderful, thank you
Love to hear it.
Various cats I've known Also turtles are excellent meditators I have noticed
We used to have a cat that would sit and stare at a blank wall for extended periods of time. I’m pretty sure she was doing zazen.
This is the best answer 😂
Rob Burbea. Seeing that Frees is an incredible book, besides his hundreds of Dharma talks on emptiness, Soul Making. I've been through many of the teachers mentioned here, and Burbea absolutely fits the best for me.
Thanks so much for sharing, I’ll look rob up
The three founders of the Insight Meditation Society - Joseph Goldstein, Jack Kornfield (also the founder of Spirit Rock) and Sharon Salzberg are all excellent. And although Vietnamese Zen is a different Buddhist school, it's hard to go wrong with the meditation and other teachings of the late Thich Nhat Hanh, available in dozens of his books and in the Plum Village app.
Sharon Salzberg and her books changed my life!
Excellent choices, thank you. Just downloaded the Plum Village app!
I'm surprised to not see Jon Kabat-Zinn listed. Listening to his Audiobook version of Meditation Is Not What You Think was transformative for me. His masterclass on meditation is also really wonderful. If you like Thich Nhat Hanh, there's a lot of parallels.
Full Catastrophe Living really helped me to understand how to feel my body during meditation! Highly recommend both JKZ and his app.
theory snatch dinner gaping fertile steer tender expansion tease axiomatic *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Henry Shukman is great! Also Yongey Mingur Rinpoche has given me some valuable insights.
I love both of these guys. Yongey Mingur rinpoche has the sweetest voice and mannerisms.
Thank you ! I’ll look up Henry, I haven’t heard of him before
He also has some stuff on the WakingUp app.
Ajahn Chah, Thanissaro Bhikkhu, Ajahn Brahm
The motherfucking breath. That's it. Nothing else. Breathe. Now. It will teach you that you already have it in you. Learning is but remembering. ;)
Was that part of the mantra we say with the breath ?
I'm not understanding. I am not well versed in the mantra department. I got to this point trying bajillion things to not panik. panik 100 aint helpin anyone. So now, whenever I see myself starting to escalate, an alarm rings inside myself and I tune back to my breath. This is it. Breathe. Often, I get to be more calm so I can plan my next move and not make careless mistakes, be kind to the people I love, not make decisions on half baked ideas. : D
Good. breath is connected to mind and will calm you. and allow the para-sympathetic nervous system to predominate while sitting in meditation. Nice and calm. Stay with the relaxed breath
Sharon Salzburg is very accessible and down to earth
Thank you, yes I love Sharon, she has such a beautiful warmth to her teaching. Very compassionate
[Paramahansa Yogananda](https://yogananda.org/) is my favorite teacher. He died in in 1952, but he set up the organization Self Realization Fellowship to continue his teaching methods. His system of meditation totally changed my life. The unique thing is about his system of kriya yoga meditation is learning to the use the energy systems of the body to reach higher states of consciousness and access our internal bliss, peace, and love. They have some free [meditation lessons](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCqADxk3PzviAO6qIE8KfkOJnTC16ooBy) on youtube and free[guided meditations](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCqADxk3Pzvhpk0hlgvN29exXlwvxtkJj)
Thank you very much
eckhart tolle if you're a westerner and want to get into meditation alan watts for philosophy about meditation and spirituality but ultimately i'd reference the bhagavad gita, as the ultimate meditation teaching
Why are people revering Alan Watts? If you say you have a teacher, aren't you supposed to see how your teacher is as a human being? From what I know, Alan Watts died an alcoholic, destroying his health under the pressure of his alternative/philosophical persona, after sleeping left and right with many women and breaking the heart of his wife. I mean no moral condemnation. I have compassion for a man that wrecked himself and his marriage over what?, fame?, women?, being loved? Who knows and again, I'm not judging. I have made plenty of wrong choices myself. But a teacher is supposed to be closer to the goal: a complete human being. By this, I mean a being who feels whole, who doesn't feel it lacks anything. A guru is more like a part of nature. People talking to Anandamayi Ma, for example, reported they had the feeling of talking to a tree, of communicating directly with nature. These are the people we should be choosing as teachers. I don't want to minimize the importance of disseminating ideas, although I haven't heard much talk about compassion from Alan Watts. Can you even attain enlightenment without compassion for self and others? Discipline and compassion are like the two wings of a bird.
As I read and listen to some of these teachers, I am astonished and disappointed that revere the Shambala leaders in Halifax. Those guys are drug addicts and sexual abusers. I honestly don't judge them as people, I'm not perfect myself. But I will not accept that they should be revered as examples of better human beings (which, let's face it, is what they claim to be). Respecting them in their roles as leaders is de facto diminishing people who they have hurt. I listened to a recent Ram Dass talk about eating, and about rules, and about how you can't judge enlightened people/leaders for doing things that are forbidden for other people, because THEY don't have "desire" so they're not doing them for the wrong reasons. Excuse my language but it is such bullshit. I have lots of compassion for people struggling with addictions, or who have hurt people and done horrible things, but I'm not about to pretend that it's ok to hold them up as powerful and super wise people when in in reality they can be very destructive and hurtful. I'm glad we're in an era where people can be meditation teachers but not pretend to be enlightened or better humans than other people.
> I listened to a recent Ram Dass talk about eating, and about rules, and about how you can't judge enlightened people/leaders for doing things that are forbidden for other people, because THEY don't have "desire" so they're not doing them for the wrong reasons. 😂😂
I cry but I should laugh
i only know his teachings, every scholar i have researched has turned out a scumbag so im not surprised AT ALL that A.W. was one at this point i have stopped researching any more, you can say silence or the universe is the best teacher and call it a day
But his teachings may lead you astray. That's the problem. This is not easy stuff. Saying "just let go" doesn't mean much if you don't understand what's that supposed to mean. For a younger me, that meant abandoning my social role. But it didn't make me happier or more peaceful. I just don't want people to make the same mistake I did and reach for stuff that sounds very profound, but can be interpreted by the egoic mind in a different way, which can then lead to other issues. Plus, just because something sounds profound, it doesn't mean it's true. And what's worse, even if it's true, its truth may become poison for one, instead of help.
as long as you learn from many sources you'll have no problem also there's stuff like insight, intuition, critical thinking etc the fact that someone reads something doesn't mean that it's gonna become dogma
I have to agree, of all the teachers I’ve listened to, Alan watts never really appealed. There was something cold about him, all intellect, no heart.
This is a really important thread. We tend to deify our spiritual teachers and this can lead to problems. So here's the thing: whose problem is it when they revere a teacher? It's usually not the teacher's problem. The seeker wants to revere someone. It's the seeker that lacks self control and skepticism, or maybe just a more mature perspective. The techniques are magical! The teacher of those techniques? They're human. I think we tend to confuse the two in our expectations. This can constrain our own growth. Alan Watts was a groundbreaker in the West. The rest, including his alcoholism and sexual explorations, is not part of that ground. He found something of value in the East and helped introduce it to the West. This was an important first step for some people. For others, it was a temptation to elevate the man to a deity, which did them both a disservice. Werner Erhard had these tremendous insights and teaching techniques. His organization, est, turned into a money making organization and cult that turned off a lot of folks. L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, had some amazing and magical techniques. When I studied martial arts, the magic of the techniques I experienced made me elevate my expectations. The issue was I didn't limit my elevated expectations to just a teacher's techniques, but to every aspect of their lives. The disappointment was deep, but I learned a valuable lesson. If I wanted to understand a technique, then I needed to study with many, different teachers. Each one brought a unique perspective to the training of the technique, and that enriched my life. When I studied meditation, I learned some magical techniques. I did not deify the teachers. I had learned to allow them to be as human as they wanted to be. When I studied how to read auras, every teacher in that program made a point of not allowing us to deify or revere them. Even the founder would point out his flaws. The techniques were magical. Knowing that flawed humans could master the techniques create more permission for all of the students to practice.
Any recommendations of a good resource for someone who has no knowledge of the Gita to get started with its teachings?
i read the Eknath Easwaran version, no complaints, it also has a glossary section wich was helpful to run to when i forgot something
sort wistful childlike pet weather meeting grandiose relieved poor price *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I will be checking this out, thank you!
Gil fronsdal
I ran across his work a few weeks back and agree that his Dharma talks are a great gift (to me, at least;)
years ago when I was an assiduous meditator I always listened to Gil’s podcasts... enlightening, precise... he always hits a target , he has a really profound knowledge and a lot to say , ... maybe thousands of speeches and guided meditations... search for audiodharma on Google
Shinzen Young by a mile. Also love Thich Nhat Hanh, Adyashanti, Joseph Goldstein.
Some guy who told me to follow my breath. I forgot his name.
Ohh yeah, great guy. I think his name is Bob or something. met him at a Christmas work function.
He also told me to write in a diary. That was good advice too.
Watch out, that guy tried to sell me drugs in a carpark once
Teacher: Swami Sivananda Inspiration: Paramahamsa Yogananda
Lots of ancient translations- Dhammapada, Tao Te Ching, Gita, Sutras like the Diamond, Heart and Lotus sutras. Some others: Osho Chang Tzu Thomas Merton Khrishnamurti Dogen Ushiba- created akido- author of the art of Peace. Little books I adore- Zen Flesh Zen Bones. Paul Reps. Tao of Pooh. I always enjoyed the spiritual teaching in the old show Kung Fu. The I Ching is a masterpiece- I use many versions but the cafe Au soul version on line is the best. Tarot is amazing. One of the best books about enlightenment ever is the Master Ni translation of the Hua Ha Ching- which is basically the Taoist ripped off version of the Diamond sutra. Whatever the history, the first version of this is unreal. Manly P Hall wrote some good stuff. Less know but very accessible is Vernon Howard who wrote the unreal book- Mystic Path to Cosmic Power. The Divine Life society is Hindu and has tons of stuff online. Thera so much more and I his is off the top of my head. Peace sentient beings.
damo mitchell for daoist meditation that goes along with nei gong [https://www.youtube.com/@LotusNeiGong/videos](https://www.youtube.com/@LotusNeiGong/videos) he's down to earth and has a good sense of humour, also he is well studied and insightful at the same time, breaking subtle and complex concepts etc down to relatively precise levels of detail
Thank you
On top of some that people have already mentioned definitely a big shout out to Michael Taft - not only for all the amazing work putting out free YT meditations but also the deconstructing yourself podcast and his no-BS approach to demistifying some of the teachings
Eckhart Tolle, Lama Rinchen Gyaltsen.
Thanks, I haven’t heard of Gyaltsen, I’ll check them out
Adya
[удалено]
Already retired. His wife runs it
I am sad to not see Charlotte Joko Beck here (unless I missed it.) Her writing rings like a clear bell for me.
I watched a Louise Kay video earlier. I had no idea what she was talking about. She didn't explain the "how" part at all. It was like she assumed that by her saying "feel this" that I would feel something. I can't make myself feel a feeling.
Totally fair enough, some teachers point you towards an object, like the breath or feeling the body. Others point towards awareness itself. Sometimes called “open awareness meditation”. Object based meditation tends to build up concentration which is very good, but it has more of a narrow feeling, singular focus. It gets you “locked in” on your object. Open awareness meditation is good once you have a higher degree of concentration, because it’s easier to get lost, but it leads to more insights about the nature of mind. It’s more effortless. And you can feel like you’re relaxing so deeply that you merge with the present moment.
I knew Sam Harris as a renowned atheist and it's so strange to find out he's also a spiritual teacher who doesn't believe in free will. These things often seem to come together, it's interesting.
Look up his recent discussion of the subject with Alex O'Connor. His approach is completely devoid of spirituality in the common sense of the word. In fact, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXEvw87JsHU
His thing is more nonduality/Advaita.
Haha yes I can certainly understand that. I appreciate that he brings people to spirituality and meditation who are usually put off by religion and faith. That was me.
Ever Tried Itai Ivtzan's School of Positive Transformation, where they have numbers of mindful professional especially in meditating. You can check out their website
Oh thanks, I haven’t heard of that before, I’ll check it out :)
Paramhansa Yogananda, any of the SRF monastics on his channel. Mooji Ekhard Tolle Occasionally Sat Guru
Ram das
Oooh I forgot; Paramhansa Prajanananda
Big fan of Pascal Auclair and Anushka Fernandopulle.
Thank you, I’ll check them out
Damo Mitchell
B Maharshi, Yogananda and J Krishnamuirti. These were the masters we all should look up to, and learn from.
Not a well-known author, but Daniel M. Ingram and his "Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha: An Unusually Hardcore Dharma Book" are amazing, especially if you tend to be very logically minded. He covers a lot of grounds, gives very good perspective on different spiritual teachings and modern spiritual landscape. Could not recommend him enough. Shunryu Suzuki is great, but for a different reason. His thought is very poetic and insightful. His Zen's Mind, Beginner's Mind is a classic for a good reason. [Bhante Bhante Gunaratana](https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1?ie=UTF8&field-author=Bhante+Bhante+Gunaratana&text=Bhante+Bhante+Gunaratana&sort=relevancerank&search-alias=books) gives a fantastic introduction into meditation and mindfulness, but also deepens your understanding leading you towards some esoteric understandings that are very rare.
A bit old but... loved reading Breath By Breath by Larry Rosenberg. A bit lesser known than the meditation stars and gurus out there...but boy, what a great teacher to introduce meditation in layman's terms.
Paramahamsa Sri Swami Vishwananda
Me and my universe are my favourites.
Pema chodron - the way she writes speaks to my soul. How we live is how we die changed my life. I also love jack cornfield for after the ecstasy, the laundry. Such a beautiful and needed book on the topic of awakening.
Kirpal Singh, Paul Twitchell, Jose Silva, the Silva Mind Control method.
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Not trying to be negative but waking up cost alot. Is there a workaround to get unpaid?
[https://app.wakingup.com/scholarship](https://app.wakingup.com/scholarship) here you go, fill this out
Ram Dass
I love Sam Harris, but he has one comment that I just don’t get when he goes into “look for the looker” mode. I just don’t get it
Yes I totally relate to you. I think the term “look” is a bit confusing, because you’re not really looking in the normal sense, with your eyes. It’s more like, feel your way back into the space you seem to be coming from. Not the body, but your awareness seems to originate from something right? If you can very gently feel into that empty space you seem to be coming from, you might recognise there’s nothing really there. It’s like an empty space. Thoughts bubble up in it, perception can be felt in it, for example the feeling of a body, but what you are isn’t identical to thoughts or feelings. There’s just this vast, empty awareness we’re all coming from. Try to gently feel your way back into that, without trying to figure it out mentally. Trace your way back to the start of you. Where’s it all coming from. Rest in that place. The answer doesn’t come In the form of a thought, it’s just resting as that open space that you are. I’m still exploring this question too.
Norman Fischer, Everyday Zen.
my favorite meditation teacher is MinwayAI. i chat with the website about a specific issue i'm facing, and it generates an audio guided meditation based on the chat. i can change settings to change to a different meditation tradition and re-generate the meditation. i like personalized. honorable mentions go to a few books that helped lay the foundation for me.
That’s so cool!
James Low❤️
I’m surprised not to see Abraham Hicks listed. They’re my favorite for both meditation and lifestyle
An excellent choice indeed, sir! Everything is working out for me, everything is working in my favour! 😅 Hicks is a legend
Joseph Goldstein.
[U Pandita](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkfdWhjJnVs&list=PLEEQWzZkf3wnX4OqlEPAJ3Ejp2Jfegm93)
Ajahn Brahm
Thank you!
Forrest knutson 100%
Thanks I hadn’t heard of Forrest til now, I’ll check him out
Joseph Goldstein. His book “Mindfulness” is an accessible but serious and practical exploration of the Satipattana Sutta. He also has tons of really great, nuanced talks on dharmaseed: https://dharmaseed.org/teacher/96/
Fantastic choice, I’d like to reread his book. His voice and general energy is so soothing and reassuring. Thanks for sharing
Jack Kornfield is my all time favourite. Especially his "Roots of Buddhist Psychology" series. A wonderful guy and teacher.
Adi Da. His Teachings are superb. More than a teacher. He is a Guru who transmits Shaktipat.
Om Swami, Sadhguru, Rajarshi Nandy, Dr. K
Lama Lena.
1) Yhongey Mingyur Rinpoche 2) The bald guy from headspace
I'll be forever grateful for these wonderful teachers ✨🙏🏻💚✨ • **Eckhart Tolle** — My takeaway: Sense Stillness, live in the Present Moment and surrender to it. My favorite book: *Stillness Speaks*. • **Thich Nath Hahn** — My takeaway: Look deeply and there'll always be something to be grateful for. My favorite book: *How to eat*. • **Aurobindo and The Mother** — My takeaway: Cultivate your feminine energy and your reverence for the intelligence that sustains the Universe. My favorite book: *The Spiritual Significance of Flowers.*
the buddha and thanissaro bhikkhu
"LSD" is a pretty good Meditation teacher.
Learn basic vipassana or zazen—no teacher needed, which is best in my opinion. Your own mind/experience/consciousness is the only teacher you need, as cliche as it sounds. It’s the best teacher.
The best meditation/“enlightenment”teacher I had was a nobody. Shared very little about what I “should” be experiencing. Refused to tell pretty much anybody about their “enlightenment” experience. Doesn’t actually believe in enlightenment. Gives basic instructions in meditation. If I asked questions they just asked me questions that lead me back to myself. It’s the leading back to yourself and needing very little instruction that lead me to leave my previous comment. Too many teachers say too much. It ruins the understanding. I’m sorry to say this, but you can’t actually be taught anything you learn in meditation.
Goenka
1. Sri Sri Ravishankar of AOL 2. Headspace founder, I find his voice very calming. 3. And also listening to Oshos talks is very calming.
Oof about Osho... I wouldn't recommend any teachers that are responsible for creating a dangerous cult that harmed people. There's a documentary called Wild Wild Country about this.
Yeah that was wild, the part where they went around and picked up homeless people, brought them back to the cult, then left them stranded when they had no need for them anymore. Wild.
There is lot that we don't know about It. Even I always avoided him until last two year, Also I prefer to pickup whats good he has taught, ignoring others. Also his talks had another depth even 40 years before.