Insight Meditation Practice and Teachings

Boorstein, Sylvia. Don’t Just Do Something, Sit There: A Mindfulness Retreat (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1996). The experience of meditation on a retreat, shared with practicality and down-to-earth humor.

Boorstein, Sylvia. It’s Easier Than You Think: The Buddhist Way to Happiness (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1995). A delightful presentation of major Buddhist teachings.

Goldstein, Joseph. The Experience of Insight: A Simple and Direct Guide to Buddhist Meditation (Boston: Shambhala, 1987). Unusually clear instructions on the practice of and hindrances to meditation by this master teacher and cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA.

Goldstein, Joseph. Insight Meditation: The Practice of Freedom (Boston: Shambhala, 1993). Succinct and clear essays on key aspects of Insight Meditation practice and how they can be integrated into daily life.

Goldstein, Joseph, and Jack Kornfield. Seeking the Heart of Wisdom: The Path of Insight Meditation (Boston: Shambhala, 1987). A rare blending of wisdom and practicality, presenting the keys to meditation and the practice of mindfulness, by two cofounders of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA.

Gunaratana, Venerable Henepola. Mindfulness in Plain English (Boston: Wisdom Publications, 1991). A simple guide to Insight Meditation whose conversational style complements the depth of wisdom of Venerable Gunaratana’s teachings.

Kornfield, Jack. A Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life (New York: Bantam Books, 1993). A practical and moving guide to living a spiritual life through the practices of Insight Meditation, by the founder of Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, CA, and cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA.

Kornfield, Jack. The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology (Bantam Books, 2008). A definitive guide to Buddhist spiritual life and psychology through the teachings of the Buddha and insight meditation, by the founder of Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, CA, and cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA.

Salzberg, Sharon, ed. Voices of Insight (Boston: Shambhala, 1999). A rich anthology of writings by teachers who lead retreats at the Insight Meditation Society, in Barre, MA.

Salzberg, Sharon. A Heart as Wide as the World: Living with Mindfulness, Wisdom, and Compassion (Boston: Shambhala, 1997). Stories, anecdotes, and brief teachings that show how to live this spiritual practice in the everyday world, by a cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA.

Salzberg, Sharon. Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness (Boston: Shambhala, 1995). This inspiring book by a cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA, introduces the West to the practice of metta, or lovingkindness, practice.

Smith, Jean. The Beginner’s Guide to Walking the Buddha’s Eightfold Path (New York: Bell Tower, 2002). An exploration of how the concepts central to practicing the Buddha’s teachings can be applied in daily life in such areas as environmental consciousness and interpersonal relations.

Weisman, Arinna, and Jean Smith. The Beginner’s Guide to Insight Meditation (New York: Bell Tower, 2001). Clear explanations of the Buddha’s teachings with personal stories highlighting some of the challenges and insights of practice.

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