100 books like Evolving Beyond Thought

By Gary Weber,

Here are 100 books that Evolving Beyond Thought fans have personally recommended if you like Evolving Beyond Thought. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Happiness Beyond Thought: A Practical Guide to Awakening

Anthony Metivier Author Of The Victorious Mind: How to Master Memory, Meditation and Mental Well-Being

From my list on improve your memory, focus, and concentration.

Why am I passionate about this?

Memory techniques saved my life, but I still struggled with depression. When I learned how to combine memory techniques with meditation, I was finally able to experience peace with many aspects of the disease, particularly the unwanted thoughts it placed in my mind. Much good research demonstrates just how powerful memory and meditation are for people who are suffering. Combined, the two practices create even more beneficial outcomes.

Anthony's book list on improve your memory, focus, and concentration

Anthony Metivier Why did Anthony love this book?

Happiness Beyond Thought gives practical guidance on experiencing mental peace that lasts. It isn't caught up in mysticism, but manages to show how some of the wisdom in ancient spiritual traditions make solid scientific sense. As a scientist himself, Weber wanted a secular means of experiencing mental clarity. Since clearing his own mind of unwanted thoughts, he has helped many others do the same.

Although it might seem like it is impossible to rid your mind of unwanted thoughts, Weber is careful to explain that he is focused on a particular kind of thought. Once you understand this genre of thinking, it's much easier to reduce its energy-draining impact on your life. The exercises are simple, but not too simple. When your mind is clear, your memory improves because you have more space for reflective thinking. It's that simple and I highly recommend this book.

By Gary Weber,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Happiness Beyond Thought as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Praise for Happiness Beyond Thought"Husband, father, scientist, military officer, and senior executive in industry and academia, Gary Weber has led a full and successful worldly life. Throughout all of this, Gary has relentlessly pursued a path of practice and inquiry in order to understand life and achieve enlightenment. It is rare to find one who has reached this goal, and rarer still to find such a one who has been so immersed in worldly life.With this book, Gary has successfully integrated his profound realization with traditional non-dualistic teachings, as well as insights from Zen Buddhism and modern brain research, into…


Book cover of The Essence of Enlightenment: Vedanta, the Science of Consciousness

Anthony Metivier Author Of The Victorious Mind: How to Master Memory, Meditation and Mental Well-Being

From my list on improve your memory, focus, and concentration.

Why am I passionate about this?

Memory techniques saved my life, but I still struggled with depression. When I learned how to combine memory techniques with meditation, I was finally able to experience peace with many aspects of the disease, particularly the unwanted thoughts it placed in my mind. Much good research demonstrates just how powerful memory and meditation are for people who are suffering. Combined, the two practices create even more beneficial outcomes.

Anthony's book list on improve your memory, focus, and concentration

Anthony Metivier Why did Anthony love this book?

One of the most direct spiritual movements is actually philosophical. In The Essence of Enlightenment, James Swartz discusses the concepts that underly a deeply misunderstood tradition called Advaita Vedanta.

Although he retains some of the unhelpful mysticism, the book is still great for its discussion of using philosophical knowledge to reduce your head trash and live more fully in the moment. One of the strengths of the book is its discussion of how to prepare yourself for being able to use the philosophy in everyday life. Although it can be strange to think that you have to be "qualified" to use philosophy, it does make sense and it is a very practical means of cleansing your mind.

A clean mind is better able to remember.

By James Swartz,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Essence of Enlightenment as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The counterintuitive, radical message of Vedanta, the ancient science of self-inquiry, is that reality is non-dual consciousness. What this means and how it benefits people in their quest for freedom from limitation is the subject of this inspirational book.

In an accessible style, James Swartz's new book develops teachings introduced in his popular first one, How to Attain Enlightenment, covering topics such as values and the enlightened person, dharma and the essence of enlightenment, and the relationship between consciousness, the individual, and the total. Demystifying enlightenment, Swartz makes Vedanta understandable to all.


Book cover of On the Shadows of the Ideas: Comprising an art of investigating, discovering, judging, ordering, and applying, set forth for the purpose of inner writing, and not for vulgar operations of memory

Anthony Metivier Author Of The Victorious Mind: How to Master Memory, Meditation and Mental Well-Being

From my list on improve your memory, focus, and concentration.

Why am I passionate about this?

Memory techniques saved my life, but I still struggled with depression. When I learned how to combine memory techniques with meditation, I was finally able to experience peace with many aspects of the disease, particularly the unwanted thoughts it placed in my mind. Much good research demonstrates just how powerful memory and meditation are for people who are suffering. Combined, the two practices create even more beneficial outcomes.

Anthony's book list on improve your memory, focus, and concentration

Anthony Metivier Why did Anthony love this book?

Giordano Bruno was a great memory master who refined a meditation technique he learned from Ramon Llull. The technique involves using a "memory wheel." Different parts of the wheel contain problems, and an inner wheel contains solutions. Bruno gives many tips on how to use memory techniques so that you can meditate using the memory wheels.

Although very challenging, John Michael Greer's translation is clear and the illustrations help make your use of the memory techniques easy. The book also offers fantastic ideas for developing the best possible mindset for pursuing your meditation and learning goals over the long term.

By Giordano Bruno, John Michael Greer (translator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked On the Shadows of the Ideas as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

ON THE SHADOW OF THE IDEAS: Comprising an art of investigating, discovering, judging, ordering, and applying, set forth for the purpose of inner writing, and not for vulgar operations of memory.

by Giordano Bruno translated by John Michael Greer

LOST SECRETS OF THE ART OF MEMORY

One of the forgotten traditions of Western occultism, the Art of Memory was a set of disciplines dating from ancient times that enabled the scholars and mages of the Renaissance to upgrade their own brains, storing vast amounts of data in their own memories. In 1592, Giordano Bruno, the greatest master of the Art…


Book cover of The Hermetic Art of Memory

Anthony Metivier Author Of The Victorious Mind: How to Master Memory, Meditation and Mental Well-Being

From my list on improve your memory, focus, and concentration.

Why am I passionate about this?

Memory techniques saved my life, but I still struggled with depression. When I learned how to combine memory techniques with meditation, I was finally able to experience peace with many aspects of the disease, particularly the unwanted thoughts it placed in my mind. Much good research demonstrates just how powerful memory and meditation are for people who are suffering. Combined, the two practices create even more beneficial outcomes.

Anthony's book list on improve your memory, focus, and concentration

Anthony Metivier Why did Anthony love this book?

As a student of Giordano Bruno,  Alexander Dicsone keenly observed the problems his students had with Bruno's meditative memory techniques. In two commentaries, he unfolded the memory tradition from another angle, including how to use the moon as a Memory Palace.

The book is not only instructional but humorous and the translation is a delight to read. It is also annotated for the more serious reader who wishes to go deeper into the references in the text and follow up with additional resources.

By Alexander Dicsone,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Hermetic Art of Memory as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A compendium of The Shadow of Reason and Judgement (1583) & Thamus - The Virtue of Memory (1597) By Alexander Dickson Translated by Paul Ferguson Introduced by Martin Faulks


Book cover of A Search in Secret India

Srikumar Rao Author Of Modern Wisdom, Ancient Roots: The Movers and Shakers' Guide to Unstoppable Success

From my list on spiritual dynamite.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am Srikumar Rao – best selling author, TED speaker, and elite coach. I have spent more than five decades studying the teachings of the world’s greatest masters and distilling them into exercises that enable successful individuals to reach entirely new orbits of accomplishment while remaining serene as a Zen monk. My course, Creativity and Personal Mastery, was among the highest-rated and most popular at many of the world’s top business schools and is the only one to have its own alumni association. My work has been covered by major media worldwide and my talks have been viewed by tens of millions on all six continents.

Srikumar's book list on spiritual dynamite

Srikumar Rao Why did Srikumar love this book?

This is the book that introduced the Indian sage Ramana Maharshi to the Western world.

An enlightened being, Ramana Maharshi’s teachings have transformed the lives of millions and his influence is growing around the world.

Brunton was a spiritual seeker who came to India in colonial times and toured widely. His accounts of meetings with holy men and charlatans comprise about two-thirds of the book and they are entertaining.

The final third is about his meeting with Ramana Maharshi and the impact the silent sage had on him and how his fevered, relentlessly restless mind finally became quiescent. This book is required reading for my course.

By Paul Brunton,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked A Search in Secret India as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'He found many marvelous things...But now and then a man of real spirituality set his feet on the way that finally led him to what he had looked and hoped for.' New York Times Book Review

The late Paul Brunton was one of the twentieth century's greatest explorers of and writers on the spiritual traditions of the East. A Search in Secret India is the story of Paul Brunton's journey around India, living among yogis, mystics and gurus, some of whom he found convincing, others not. He finally finds the peace and tranquility which come with self-knowledge when he meets…


Book cover of The Perfume of Silence

Elizabeth Reninger Author Of Taoism for Beginners: Understanding and Applying Taoist History, Concepts, and Practices

From my list on change who you think you are in the best way.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve long been fascinated by how we know what we know, how objective knowledge differs from subjective knowing, and how we can validate knowledge as reliable vs. deceptive or distorted. These questions eventually led to encounters with nondual spiritual traditions such as Advaita Vedanta, Taoism, and the Dzogchen and Mahamudra lineages of Tibetan Buddhism. These teachings bring feelings of happiness and joyful contentment—a sense of “coming home.” I love how they fiercely and compassionately challenge some of my most cherished assumptions about myself and the world. Like a skilled surgeon expertly repairing a broken bone, the nondual teachings dissolve mistaken beliefs and reveal my unbounded wholeness. 

Elizabeth's book list on change who you think you are in the best way

Elizabeth Reninger Why did Elizabeth love this book?

I love how Francis Lucille’s teaching stays rooted in the most essential question—“Who am I, really?—in ways that are, in turn, serious and playful, gentle and fierce. Love and Beauty and Truth are deeply honored throughout this lovely book, which presents a series of dialogues between Francis and students asking questions about him.

As Francis is fond of saying, “A true answer dissolves not only the question but also the questioner.” I appreciate the opportunity to witness this process, again and again, as Francis so skillfully points (like the proverbial finger to the moon) to “that which can’t be spoken”—but can be most intimately known. 

By Francis Lucille, Rupert Spira (editor),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Perfume of Silence as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This book is about enlightenment, spiritual awakening, self realization, meditation, awareness, consciousness, happiness, love, relationships, psychological suffering and human predicament. Based largely on actual dialogues between Francis Lucille, a spiritual teacher of non-duality, and some of his disciples, the music of freedom that it conveys resonates between the words, and gives the reader an inkling of the peace and happiness that are experienced in the presence of an authentic master. Francis Lucille was for over twenty years a close friend and disciple of Jean Klein, a well recognized French teacher of non-duality. They both belong to a lineage of Advaita…


Book cover of Mudras for Healing and Transformation

Laura Staton Author Of Yoga Bones: A Comprehensive Guide to Managing Pain and Orthopedic Injuries Through Yoga

From my list on helping you reflect and reset.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a lifelong asthmatic I’ve been working with the body for as long as I can remember. Childhood activities included getting lost in the woods, camping, and roller-skating, and grown-up life has included the professions of a modern dancer, choreographer, yoga therapist, and occupational therapist. If you can learn to slow down and find safety in your body, you can always manage to find your way home.

Laura's book list on helping you reflect and reset

Laura Staton Why did Laura love this book?

Mudras is the only book you will ever need if you want to explore using a mudra practice, which I highly recommend. Mudras describes the physical, energetic, psycho-emotional, and spiritual properties of over 100 mudras and explains how they are performed and their mind/body effects. Mudra practice is a great addition to a breath and meditation practice and this book is a treasure trove of the inner workings of mudras.

By Joseph Le Page, Lilian Le Page,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Mudras for Healing and Transformation as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

spiritual guide


Book cover of Mudras: Yoga in Your Hands

Annie Buckley Author Of The Kids Yoga Deck

From my list on yoga books to inspire creativity and joy.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm an artist, writer, teacher, and longtime yoga practitioner. I started practicing yoga in my early twenties during a difficult time in my life and the peace, grounding, and community that I discovered in yoga have stayed with me over the years, growing and evolving over time. One of my favorite experiences was the opportunity to teach children and teens who had never even heard of yoga before. Now I'm a professor at San Diego State University and also started and run a statewide program called Prison Arts Collective, bringing art programs to people who are incarcerated. We often include mindfulness and breathing exercises along with art. 

Annie's book list on yoga books to inspire creativity and joy

Annie Buckley Why did Annie love this book?

This book can be enjoyed by adults and children alike and provides a guide to a lesser-known aspect of yoga, mudras, or yoga for the hands. The author explains the spiritual history of mudras and provides guidelines for how to practice 52 distinct mudras, including the name, an overview of the meaning, and what it is intended to support in the body or mind. The back of the book also includes some basic yoga postures and several helpful indices. When approaching lightly and playfully, I find it relaxing, empowering, and anxiety-reducing to practice mudras.

By Gertrud Hirschi,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Mudras as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

With a foreword by Shelley von Strunkel.

Mudras - also playfully called 'finger power points' are yoga positions for your hands and fingers. they can be practiced sitting, lying down, standing or walking, at any time and place!

Schooled in the traditional knowledge of this Eastern art of healing, Gertrud Hirschi, the well-known Swiss yoga teacher and author of Basic Yoga for Everybody, shows you how these easy techniques can recharge your personal energy reserves and improve your quality of living. Use these mysterious healing gestures to calm the stress, aggravations and frustrations of every day life. In Mudras: Yoga…


Book cover of Nine Perfect Strangers

Nancy Nau Sullivan Author Of A Deathly Irish Secret

From my list on mysteries served with a side of humor.

Why am I passionate about this?

As an author, teacher, and newspaper journalist, my reading pattern has been eclectic; I’ve been enthralled with War and Peace and laughed at Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum—and it all started when my mother introduced me to Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House in the Big Woods when I was seven. How I ended up writing mysteries is something of a mystery to me, but I love writing setting, character, and the puzzle of it. With its fourth installment, A Deathly Irish Secret, the Blanche Murninghan mysteries keep on. I also wrote a suspense novel, The Boys of Alpha Block, about my years of teaching at a boys’ prison in Florida. The latter is not so funny.

Nancy's book list on mysteries served with a side of humor

Nancy Nau Sullivan Why did Nancy love this book?

Nine Perfect Strangers, with an Agatha Christie twist, finds these characters holed up at an exclusive spa with a looney-tune leader, and they are more or less held captive while the truth unfolds.

I chose this book because Frances, the failing writer, struck such a note of humor, I almost fell out of my chair reading of her mental state and ambivalence toward a doofus she meets at the spa. While she laments her shortcomings, she is irresistibly drawn to this guy. (Do I empathize?)

Moriarty has a facile ability to draw distinct features in her characters and pull them along until they work themselves out. A favorite author of mine. 

By Liane Moriarty,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Nine Perfect Strangers as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
Now a Hulu original series

“If three characters were good in Big Little Lies, nine are even better in Nine Perfect Strangers.” ―Lisa Scottoline, The New York Times Book Review

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Big Little Lies

Could ten days at a health resort really change you forever? In Liane Moriarty’s latest page-turner, nine perfect strangers are about to find out...

Nine people gather at a remote health resort. Some are here to lose weight, some are here to get a reboot on life, some are here for reasons they can’t…


Book cover of Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life

Jackie Jarvis Author Of Go Slow to Grow: How to Stop Stressing and Start Living

From my list on help you reduce stress.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a busy businesswoman and coach, I felt like I had always been pushing for what I thought represented success, racing from task to task, project to project almost without stopping to take a breath. Eventually that caught up with me and I found myself feeling over-stressed and unfulfilled. This was the catalyst that ignited a need to make some changes in my own life. I read these books to both learn and heal myself. They are all now books I refer to–to keep focused on a more mindful way of being and maintain my own self -awareness. 

Jackie's book list on help you reduce stress

Jackie Jarvis Why did Jackie love this book?

I loved the way this book spoke to me. I found the messages deep and meaningful. Reading it ignited a lot of healing. I have been able to dip back in from time to time to remind myself of the important mindful lessons.

This book has helped me let go of a lot of stress that I have been attached to for many years. 

By Jon Kabat-Zinn,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Wherever You Go, There You Are as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Explains how anyone can use mindfulness--the art of living each moment fully as it happens--to reduce anxiety, achieve inner peace, and enrich life.


Book cover of Happiness Beyond Thought: A Practical Guide to Awakening
Book cover of The Essence of Enlightenment: Vedanta, the Science of Consciousness
Book cover of On the Shadows of the Ideas: Comprising an art of investigating, discovering, judging, ordering, and applying, set forth for the purpose of inner writing, and not for vulgar operations of memory

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