Many people are seekers looking for answers to life questions. The ultimate goal of spiritual growth is to reach enlightenment or a state of higher consciousness. There are several spiritual books that can help answer some of these questions. Through meditation and yoga, you begin to realize that you are not your mind. There is something more to you, an awareness beyond the mind and body. Each of these books can give you some insight into your path to enlightenment and spiritual growth. This path can be very personal, and you must create your own.
Reach Enlightenment With These Spiritual Books
These spiritual books are in no particular order. Each of the books helped me gain a greater understanding of the mind, body, and enlightenment. I find that starting with one book will lead you to another. Your curiosity is awakened, and you will want to gain greater insight. All of these spiritual books have slightly different teachings and wisdom, but they all contain the same core message. Try reading one of the books and see where it takes you. One book may resonate more than another.
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
The Power of the Now is where it all started for me. Once I read this book, something changed or awoken in me. The author Eckhart Tolle is able to break down the mind and its repetitive nature. He shows you how the mind works and how much suffering it can cause. This book demonstrates how to break those patterns and be free of the mind. Once you realize the role that your thoughts play in everyday life and how it shapes your conditioned mind you become liberated. Eckhart gives you techniques on how to be present and in your body. He references many of the old teachings of the Buddha and others, which all contain the same core message. I have reread this book many times and always gained greater insight into life. I also have this book in audio format on my iPhone. I play it in the car often; it helps me from slipping back to my old condition patterns. This book opened my door to spirituality and enlightenment.
The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying
The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying is a must-read for anyone looking for greater insight into life and death. It is filled with inspiring stores and wise teachings of the Buddha. The book touches on the nature of mind, body, and reincarnation. This book talks about the importance of meditation and a good teacher on your quest for a spiritual path. Karma, compassion, love are consistent themes throughout this book. You will look at people and the world very differently after you read this book. Realizing nothing is permanent in the world of form. Death is a process of life, and we should treat all beings with love and compassion while we are on this earth.
Tao Te Ching
The Tao Te Ching is an ancient Chinese book of wisdom. It has been translated into many languages. It basically consists of passages on how to live life. It gives guidance on balance and perspective on life. I found it helpful to read a passage and then reflect on it. Some sections resonated more than others, depending on what state you are in currently. The book is small and easy to carry. This book is great for stuffing in your bag or backpack to read and take with you through your day.
The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself
In the Untethered Soul author, Michael A. Singer teaches you to step back from your mind. This spiritual book will give you a greater understanding of yourself. Michael teaches you to be more open to life by keeping your heart open to what life is presenting you. Life is full of experiences that are good and bad. Michael shows you that you must be open to these moments in your life for true growth. He shows you how to let go of your ego. The book delves into the inner workings of the mind. He talks about how meditation can help calm the mind and free yourself from your inner dialogue. He offers helpful exercises to gain higher states of consciousness. Overall this book is about letting go, overcoming fear, and surrendering to the present moment. You are not the voice in your head; you are the one experiencing the voice.
The Surrender Experiment: My Journey into Life’s Perfection
The Surrender Experiment is another good book by Michael A. Singer. This book is about his life and surrendering to what is. It chronicles moments in his life where his mind would tell him to say “no,” but instead he said “yes.” He allowed what was presented to him in life to guide him. He did not resist and just went with the flow. Through his continued practice of meditation and yoga, it gave him the strength to stay fully present. By saying yes to life, it opened up unlimited doors to new experiences and people that changed the course of his life. He started several successful businesses and opened up a meditation temple. He shows us to say yes to life and not be run by fear in the mind. Don’t be so guarded and closed off to what life is presenting to you. This book will give you a new perspective on how to live your life and be more open to what life has to offer.
A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose
A New Earth is another inspiring spiritual book by Eckhart Tolle. Many of the messages of his first book, the Power of Now, ring true. This book talks about how the thinking mind has created much destruction in this world. For millions of years, we continue to kill each other and ruin our environment; as a society, we need to drop the self-made ego. By doing this, we can end a lot of suffering in this world. Eckhart gives you pointers or signposts to delve into your inner awareness or stillness. This is where true intelligence can be found. I still find new insight each time I reread this book.
Going to Pieces without Falling Apart: A Buddhist Perspective on Wholeness
In Going to Pieces without Falling Apart, author Mark Epstein trained as a psychotherapist who looks at the ego from both a psychiatrist and Buddhist perspective. He offers insight from his patients and personal experiences. The western world has spent so much time on marketing and building up the ego and self-esteem that we have lost touch with our true selves. This book teaches us to let go and embrace the emptiness that many of us feel. He emphasizes the use of meditation to reach that awareness. He gives you some understanding of the Buddhist teachings. Mark makes many references to a Freudian view of the mind and some of the differences and similarities between the two teachings.
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is based on the yoga teachings of over four thousand years ago. This book also teaches you how to reach enlightenment through meditation. It gives you principles of living life. You will learn how to separate from identification to the mind and body. You will gain great insight into the history of yoga and the different limbs or branches. I found this book helped me to go deeper into meditation. The sutras help to explain the conscious awareness we all possess and how we can reach that state. This book teaches you that by quieting the mind to a pure reflective state without thought, judgment, and labels, you can see the true self, which is calm, tranquil, loving, and omnipresent.
The First and Last Freedom
J. Krishnamurti is a profound teacher of life, the thinking mind, and the human condition. Many of his teachings are how to free mankind from the thinking mind and its lifetime of conditioning. Through his teachings, he explains how to be totally aware of the mind’s thoughts and its repetitive nature. The First and Last Freedom is one of Krishnamurti’s early books. This book cuts to the real truth. It examines the mind and its conditioning throughout time. He looks at how mankind just keeps repeating the same mistakes. Krishnamurti explains how the individual and society are connected. He delves into fear, simplicity, and awareness. J. Krishnamurti’s books should be on everyone’s reading list.
You can learn more about J. Krishnamurti and his teachings here.
Feature image courtesy of JanPietruszka at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Conclusion
All of these spiritual books have helped me in my path to higher consciousness. They have given me a greater understanding of spirituality and the workings of the mind. The books in this article keep me engaged in practicing meditation and staying present. I hope you will find these books as inspirational as I did!
What spiritual books do you recommend to gain enlightenment?
Ville A says
After two years of intense meditation and a handful of books later I finally feel like I am starting to understand what this life is about. Some of the books on this list I have actually already powered through but I still feel that I am only in the beginning of my journey and would like to find more literature on this subject. Thanks for the list!