100 books like The Religion of Tomorrow

By Ken Wilber,

Here are 100 books that The Religion of Tomorrow fans have personally recommended if you like The Religion of Tomorrow. Shepherd is a community of 11,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Entheogenic Liberation: Unraveling the Enigma of Nonduality with 5-MeO-DMT Energetic Therapy

Wade Richardson Author Of The Psychedelic Mindmeld: Telepathically Exploring Shared Consciousness

From my list on advanced use of psychedelics.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am passionate about exploring consciousness using psychedelics, meditation, and the dreamscape because it leads us toward our greatest human potential. Psychedelics have been my main tool for exploring consciousness, and I want to share how they can be safely used to access our greatest psychic gifts and, in particular, to lovingly share consciousness telepathically with others to explore the infinite living cosmos together.

Wade's book list on advanced use of psychedelics

Wade Richardson Why did Wade love this book?

This book is at the leading edge of providing expert insights and techniques for advanced use of psychedelics, particularly 5-MeO-DMT. Martin Ball validated the profundity of my years of working with psychedelics and fractal energetic yoga. He provided me with new techniques and thought forms for working one-on-one with others in sharing consciousness, clearing energetic blockages, and delving into the infinitude of nonduality.

I found his description of the ego as an energetic construct particularly valuable for understanding how we navigate the physical world and its positive and negative impact on the body's energetics. I also benefited from his knowledge of the opportunities and challenges associated with using psychedelics.

By Martin W. Ball,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

From the author of the groundbreaking book, Being Human, comes a radical newguide to personal liberation and transformation. Written by one of the world’sleading authorities on nonduality and psychedelic experience, Martin W. Ball, Ph.D.,Entheogenic Liberation is the definitive work on 5-MeO-DMT and its applicabilityto genuine enlightenment and freedom from the illusory prison of the ego. With wisdom and guidance culled from years of direct therapeutic work, this book laysout precise and detailed instructions and methodologies for working with the world’s most powerful entheogenic medicine for the purpose of achieving liberationinto the fundamental unitary state of being. Presented as a form…


Book cover of The Way of the Psychonaut Vol. 1: Encyclopedia for Inner Journeys

Wade Richardson Author Of The Psychedelic Mindmeld: Telepathically Exploring Shared Consciousness

From my list on advanced use of psychedelics.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am passionate about exploring consciousness using psychedelics, meditation, and the dreamscape because it leads us toward our greatest human potential. Psychedelics have been my main tool for exploring consciousness, and I want to share how they can be safely used to access our greatest psychic gifts and, in particular, to lovingly share consciousness telepathically with others to explore the infinite living cosmos together.

Wade's book list on advanced use of psychedelics

Wade Richardson Why did Wade love this book?

I loved how this book provided me with the most expansive maps of the territory of consciousness to be explored using psychedelics. In the two-volume set, Stanislav Grof summarizes his lifetime’s wisdom of personal discovery and working with thousands of people using high-dose psychedelics and Holotropic Breathwork.

I learned about the paramountcy of set and setting and how my biography, including prenatal and ancestral roots, can influence my psychonautical exploration. I further learned about how trauma is stored in the body as systems of condensed experience (COEXs), how it can be released when using psychedelics, other benefits and challenges of using psychedelics, and the nature of the spiritual emergency. Grof also taught me more about navigating archetypes and the cosmos and connecting to the powers of synchronicity.

By Stanislav Grof,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Way of the Psychonaut Vol. 1 as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Way of the Psychonaut, Volume 1 is one of the most important books ever written about the human psyche and the spiritual quest. 

The new understandings were made possible thanks to Albert Hofmann’s discovery of LSD―the microscope and telescope of the human psyche―as well as other psychedelic substances. 

This comprehensive work is a tour de force through the worlds of psychology and psychotherapy, Holotropic Breathwork, maps of the psyche, birth, sex, and death, psychospiritual rebirth, the roots of trauma, spiritual emergency and transpersonal experiences, karma and reincarnation, higher creativity, great art, and archetypes. Written in his late eighties, at…


Book cover of LSD and the Mind of the Universe: Diamonds from Heaven

Wade Richardson Author Of The Psychedelic Mindmeld: Telepathically Exploring Shared Consciousness

From my list on advanced use of psychedelics.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am passionate about exploring consciousness using psychedelics, meditation, and the dreamscape because it leads us toward our greatest human potential. Psychedelics have been my main tool for exploring consciousness, and I want to share how they can be safely used to access our greatest psychic gifts and, in particular, to lovingly share consciousness telepathically with others to explore the infinite living cosmos together.

Wade's book list on advanced use of psychedelics

Wade Richardson Why did Wade love this book?

This book chronicles the heroic journey of Christopher Bache’s 73 high-dose LSD sessions over twenty years and how these sessions impacted his life.

His story was a testament to me of the incredible hard work and persistence required to clear the body of energetic blockages when using psychedelics to reach the highest states of consciousness, including tapping into the cosmic creative principle of the living universe, exploring hell and heavenly realms, and nonduality. I loved how compelling and inspiring Bache’s story is.

By Christopher M. Bache,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked LSD and the Mind of the Universe as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A professor of religious studies meticulously documents his insights from 73 high-dose LSD sessions conducted over the course of 20 years

* Chronicles, with unprecedented rigor, the author's systematic journey into a unified field of consciousness that underlies all physical existence

* Makes a powerful case for the value of psychedelically induced spiritual experience and discusses the challenge of integrating these experiences into everyday life

* Shows how psychedelic experience can take you beyond self-transformation into collective transformation and help birth the future of humanity

On November 24, 1979, Christopher M. Bache took the first step on what would become…


Book cover of Otherwhere: A Field Guide for Astral Travelers

Wade Richardson Author Of The Psychedelic Mindmeld: Telepathically Exploring Shared Consciousness

From my list on advanced use of psychedelics.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am passionate about exploring consciousness using psychedelics, meditation, and the dreamscape because it leads us toward our greatest human potential. Psychedelics have been my main tool for exploring consciousness, and I want to share how they can be safely used to access our greatest psychic gifts and, in particular, to lovingly share consciousness telepathically with others to explore the infinite living cosmos together.

Wade's book list on advanced use of psychedelics

Wade Richardson Why did Wade love this book?

While this book is not about the use of psychedelics, I loved how this book on astral travel provided me with expansive maps of what realms and beings can be explored in the infinitude of consciousness when using psychedelics.

Leland provided me insights into a long list of energetically advanced beings, whom he defines by their function, who can be called into psychedelic sessions for guidance and help. He also taught me how my biography and cultural beliefs can create the visual personal experience of cosmic energies experienced during psychonautical explorations.

Learning the nuances of using thought forms to create my immediate reality and experience was of the greatest value to me: awareness follows thought, and when out of the body, thought manifests itself instantly.

By Kurt Leland,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

REVISED AND ENLARGED EDITION* I wrote Otherwhere: A Field Guide to Nonphysical Reality for the Out-of-Body Traveler in the early 1990s to sum up nearly twenty years of out-of-body adventures that began when I was fifteen years old.

These adventures took me into nonphysical realms in which time and space behaved differently, "quite other" than we normally experience them--hence the name Otherwhere. I explored the locations where our dreams occur and where we find ourselves after death. It took me nearly ten years to find a publisher, but when Otherwhere came out in 2001, it sold well and went into…


Book cover of Buddhist Moral Philosophy: An Introduction

Mark Siderits Author Of Buddhism as Philosophy

From my list on Indian Buddhist philosophy.

Why am I passionate about this?

I began studying philosophy, both western and Asian, as a college freshman, and I never stopped. Much of my career in philosophy was devoted to building bridges between western and Buddhist traditions. The best philosophers try to make their ideas as clear as possible. But standards of clarity can differ across traditions, and this sometimes makes it difficult to present the theories and arguments of one philosophical tradition to those who think in terms of another. I have struggled with this in my own efforts at bridge-building, and I am always appreciative when I see other scholars of Buddhism achieve the sort of clarity I aim for.

Mark's book list on Indian Buddhist philosophy

Mark Siderits Why did Mark love this book?

Buddhist philosophers had much to say about how we should live our lives and how we should treat others. Modern scholars of Buddhist moral thinking have presented these ideas in a number of different ways. Gowans’ book is a fair and balanced discussion of what Indian Buddhist moral philosophers had to say about ethics and the different ways in which recent scholars have interpreted their claims.

By Christopher W. Gowans,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The first book of its kind, Buddhist Moral Philosophy: An Introduction introduces the reader to contemporary philosophical interpretations and analyses of Buddhist ethics. It begins with a survey of traditional Buddhist ethical thought and practice, mainly in the Pali Canon and early Mahayana schools, and an account of the emergence of Buddhist moral philosophy as a distinct discipline in the modern world. It then examines recent debates about karma, rebirth and nirvana, well-being, normative ethics, moral objectivity, moral psychology, and the issue of freedom, responsibility and determinism. The book also introduces the reader to philosophical discussions of topics in socially…


Book cover of Buddhism Plain and Simple: The Practice of Being Aware Right Now, Every Day

Wendy Thomas Russell Author Of Relax It's Just God: How and Why to Talk to Your Kids about Religion When You're Not Religious

From my list on finding your own philosophy of life.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m drawn to the intersection of psychology, philosophy and pragmatism — a dynamic that can be found in the books I write, the conversations I enjoy, and the ways I choose to spend my down time. By getting in touch with my personal psychology (influenced by my brain chemistry, temperament and upbringing) and studying various philosophies (from the Stoics to Alain de Botton), I have begun to find my own truth and formulate my own best practices in life. I don’t always nail it — not by a long shot — but that’s why it’s called a practice. There are so many different ways to live a contented life. It can be awfully rewarding to locate your own.

Wendy's book list on finding your own philosophy of life

Wendy Thomas Russell Why did Wendy love this book?

This was the first book I ever read that changed my life. It came along at a time when I felt I was missing something. I didn’t know a lot about Buddhism at the time, and therefore didn’t recognize that what I was feeling was a universal phenomenon and that the Noble Eightfold Path was a secular template for contentment. I have read many other Buddhist books since then, but none of them have spoken to me like this one did. I have a notebook that contains entire passages of Buddhism Plain and Simple, and regularly refer back to those passages today.

By Steve Hagen,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Buddhism Plain and Simple as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"This is the clearest and most precise exposition of Buddhism I have ever read. If you're looking for enlightenment rather than just scholarly knowledge, you'd better read this."
-Robert Pirsig, author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

In Buddhism Plain and Simple, Zen priest and longtime teacher Steve Hagen presents the heart of Buddhist teachings, pared down to its essence and explained in simple, everyday language. This best-selling book is the perfect guide to Buddhism for beginners; the text has served international readers at all levels of study and practice since it was originally published over a decade…


Book cover of Illuminating the Mind: An Introduction to Buddhist Epistemology

Mark Siderits Author Of Buddhism as Philosophy

From my list on Indian Buddhist philosophy.

Why am I passionate about this?

I began studying philosophy, both western and Asian, as a college freshman, and I never stopped. Much of my career in philosophy was devoted to building bridges between western and Buddhist traditions. The best philosophers try to make their ideas as clear as possible. But standards of clarity can differ across traditions, and this sometimes makes it difficult to present the theories and arguments of one philosophical tradition to those who think in terms of another. I have struggled with this in my own efforts at bridge-building, and I am always appreciative when I see other scholars of Buddhism achieve the sort of clarity I aim for.

Mark's book list on Indian Buddhist philosophy

Mark Siderits Why did Mark love this book?

Buddhist philosophers try to construct rational defenses of those claims about the nature of ourselves and the world that are central to the Buddhist project. So clarity about how we obtain knowledge is important to Buddhist thinkers. In this book Stoltz presents some of the fruits of their efforts, the epistemological theories of the tradition. What I most like about this book is the clarity with which Stoltz connects Buddhist theorizing about knowledge with trends in more recent western epistemology, bringing out both important overlaps and significant discontinuities. 

By Jonathan Stoltz,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Illuminating the Mind puts the field of Buddhist epistemology in conversation with contemporary debates in philosophy. Jonathan Stoltz provides readers with an introduction to epistemology within the Buddhist intellectual tradition in a manner that is accessible to those whose primary background is in the "Western" tradition of philosophy. The book examines many of the most important topics in the field of epistemology, topics that are central
both to contemporary discussions of epistemology and to the classical Buddhist tradition of epistemology in India and Tibet. Among the topics discussed are Buddhist accounts of the nature of knowledge episodes, the defining conditions…


Book cover of What Is Zen?

Cheri Huber Author Of There Is Nothing Wrong with You: Going Beyond Self-Hate

From my list on Zen awareness practice.

Why am I passionate about this?

These books attempt to describe the indescribable, pointing to the unknowable, only the living of which makes living living. What they have in common is that they invite us to practice along with the author, not giving any answers, but inviting us to look. I fell in love with Awareness Practice in my youth and through the decades that love has only deepened. I continue to love this journey of exploration and I hope the books that I have written contribute to that same experience for others. There is nothing more magical than having a direct experience of encountering who we really are, beyond ego’s dualistic world of opposites.

Cheri's book list on Zen awareness practice

Cheri Huber Why did Cheri love this book?

As I began my search to make some kind of sense of my life, I started with philosophy and moved to religion. When I came across this book, I intuitively sensed that the author knew what I wanted to know. I had no idea what he was talking about but my heart sang with every page. This was my first experience of being taken to the “place” from which the author wrote. Reading it was like sitting at the feet of the Master, aware of a lack of comprehension while witnessing a living example of what the heart intuitively knows.

By D.T. Suzuki,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked What Is Zen? as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From one of the most influential books ever written on Zen Buddhism: A fascinating study of this ancient discipline.

One of the leading twentieth-century works on Zen,D.T. Suzuki's Zen and Japanese Culture is an invaluable source for those wishing to understand Zen concepts in the context of Japanese life and art.

What is Zen offers a general introduction to the concepts and philosophy of Zen, including Mr. Suzuki's observations of its effects on Japanese art culture, and his explorations of Zen and the study of Confucianism.

In simple, often poetic language, enhanced by anecdotes and poetry, D.T. Suzuki describes what…


Book cover of Luminous Darkness: An Engaged Buddhist Approach to Embracing the Unknown

Diana Winston Author Of The Little Book of Being: Practices and Guidance for Uncovering Your Natural Awareness

From my list on Buddhist stories from lesser-known women authors.

Why am I passionate about this?

There are so many good spiritual books out there that get little attention, especially books by women and women of color. I have been a meditation practitioner for three decades, running a mindfulness center at UCLA, and been teaching and sharing Buddhist and mindfulness teaching for 20+ years. I need my sources of inspiration too! Each of these books forced me to think—and brought new depth to my own meditation practice. I am interested in how the Buddhist and mindfulness teachings, which I love so deeply, can help us build resiliency and weather the challenges of the intersecting, current ecological, political and social crises. These books are a great start.

Diana's book list on Buddhist stories from lesser-known women authors

Diana Winston Why did Diana love this book?

Follow Eden on a journey into all the fecundity of darkness—into the body, nature, silence, world challenges. She is an amazing guide to a shadow side of the Buddhist practice that I have not seen elsewhere. She shows how these neglected aspects of ourselves are actually a path to awakening and healing. It’s a pretty remarkable and unusual book and it just came out!

By Deborah Eden Tull,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

A resonant call to explore the darkness in life, in nature, and in consciousness—including difficult emotions like uncertainty, grief, fear, and xenophobia—through teachings, embodied meditations, and mindful inquiry that provide us with a powerful path to healing.

Darkness is deeply misunderstood in today’s world; yet it offers powerful medicine, serenity, strength, healing, and regeneration. All insight, vision, creativity, and revelation arise from darkness. It is through learning to stay present and meet the dark with curiosity rather than judgment that we connect to an unwavering light within. Welcoming darkness with curiosity, rather than fear or judgment, enables us to access…


Book cover of Stoicism Today: Selected Writings Volume IV

Patrick Ussher Author Of Stoicism & Western Buddhism: A Reflection on Two Philosophical Ways of Life

From my list on modern-day adaptations of Buddhism and Stoicism.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve long been interested in what different traditions have to say about how to live our best lives. While a graduate student, I naturally drifted towards studying both Stoicism and Buddhism and wrote my MA dissertation on a comparison of both (which ultimately, much later, became the basis for my book). During my time as a Ph.D. student, I was actively involved in the Modern Stoicism project. As well as running the blog for the project, I was also involved, along with a team of academics and psychotherapists, in creating adaptations of that ancient philosophy for the modern world. I also draw on both philosophies in coping with chronic illness.

Patrick's book list on modern-day adaptations of Buddhism and Stoicism

Patrick Ussher Why did Patrick love this book?

I think this is probably one of the most interesting, albeit lesser-known, books about the modern Stoic revival. Modern Stoicism is a dynamic movement that comprises many different voices and potential applications of the philosophy.

I love how this varied collection of essays, under the skillful editorial eyes of Greg Sadler and Leah Goldrick, has us thinking one minute about how Stoicism and mindfulness can intertwine and the next about what a Stoic would make of Jordan Peterson, all the while never losing sight of the power of the philosophy for personal transformation.

I highly recommend this book, a comprehensive ‘snapshot’ of all the different ways Stoicism can enrich our personal and collective lives. 

5 book lists we think you will like!

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