I usually give out book recommendations based on the person's interest. So I'll give my best shot for making a generic recommendation.
The first thing to understand is that books on meditation are not going to help you all that much. This is not something you try to understand intellectually. It is experiential. You are much better off attempting to practice. If you need help with practice, there are various groups and flavors of mindfulness meditation: vipassana, zen, insight, etc. There's going to be a flavor, and a group of people with whom it will feel right.
Barring that, hacker_9's suggestion of the Meditation sub-reddit is not bad. My suggestion though is to ignore the people talking about theory -- practice, find people who practice, and allow the issues and observations to surface up from there. It's a kind of empirical inquiry into yourself where you drive the discussion through your observations, rather than the other way around.
Now having said that, the most generic book on helping you practice meditation that I recommend is Mindfulness in Plain English. You can find this for free online.
I have also heard about Calm and Headspace apps and knew people who tried it. They are probably not a bad way to start -- though like all things, it comes and goes, and there will come a time to drop it and move on.
Traditional Buddhist teachings don't necessarily get into the psychological aspects of it. Or let me be more precise: the psychological descriptions don't seem to resonate well with Westerners, and is typically dismissed as part of empty ceremonies, or pre-modern descriptions of psychology. (For example: what does the Padme Family or the element of Air have anything to do with your day-to-day life?)
So a meditation practice can be paired with therapy, and will work very well if the therapist also practices.
That leads to the other book I would recommend, since people are interested in healing their neurotic patterns. There is a great book whose technique complements mindfulness meditation: Tsultrim Allione's "Feeding Your Demons: Ancient Wisdom for Resolving Inner Conflict". This book distilled out an older practice in a way that combines with gestalt therapy and presented in a way that is much more accessible for people who grew up in the West. Like the tradition it comes from, although the full method uses visualization methods, it ends with mindfulness meditation. Along with a regular practice of meditation, it's a great way to deliberately gain some insight into your subconscious.
I was reading through your posts and saw this:
"The second is this: when Shakti pierces the 4th chakra and/or the hrit padma (below it) ... you'll gain a kind of "compass". From there on out, you'll always have a way of checking which path to go. It might mean staying with kundalini yoga, it might not be.
The journey getting to the center involves piercing through the 2nd ganthri, learning to surrender. It will be like peeling an onion. You'll cry. A lot. And you'll know it is worth it."
This is related to kundalini yoga? Any recommendations on how to get started there?
I was speaking specifically to that person, not for the general case. Kundalini yoga is not the only way to awaken and work with the Kundalini. For example, a martial art enthusiast might check out Scott Meredith and Damo Mitchell's books to develop refined power and connect with Shakti through their martial arts.
Believe or not, you can get in touch with this heart experience that going to evangelical Christian revivals (there are some severe shadow sides related to this, however, there are Christian mystics around) or go attend kirtans. There are shamanic methods. Or just go to a rave and really open up your heart while dancing. Mindful prayers, asking to be guided into this will be heard.
Email me sometime. Maybe in the course of talking, what you say will remind me of a path that may really resonate with you.
The first thing to understand is that books on meditation are not going to help you all that much. This is not something you try to understand intellectually. It is experiential. You are much better off attempting to practice. If you need help with practice, there are various groups and flavors of mindfulness meditation: vipassana, zen, insight, etc. There's going to be a flavor, and a group of people with whom it will feel right.
Barring that, hacker_9's suggestion of the Meditation sub-reddit is not bad. My suggestion though is to ignore the people talking about theory -- practice, find people who practice, and allow the issues and observations to surface up from there. It's a kind of empirical inquiry into yourself where you drive the discussion through your observations, rather than the other way around.
Now having said that, the most generic book on helping you practice meditation that I recommend is Mindfulness in Plain English. You can find this for free online.
I have also heard about Calm and Headspace apps and knew people who tried it. They are probably not a bad way to start -- though like all things, it comes and goes, and there will come a time to drop it and move on.
Traditional Buddhist teachings don't necessarily get into the psychological aspects of it. Or let me be more precise: the psychological descriptions don't seem to resonate well with Westerners, and is typically dismissed as part of empty ceremonies, or pre-modern descriptions of psychology. (For example: what does the Padme Family or the element of Air have anything to do with your day-to-day life?)
So a meditation practice can be paired with therapy, and will work very well if the therapist also practices.
That leads to the other book I would recommend, since people are interested in healing their neurotic patterns. There is a great book whose technique complements mindfulness meditation: Tsultrim Allione's "Feeding Your Demons: Ancient Wisdom for Resolving Inner Conflict". This book distilled out an older practice in a way that combines with gestalt therapy and presented in a way that is much more accessible for people who grew up in the West. Like the tradition it comes from, although the full method uses visualization methods, it ends with mindfulness meditation. Along with a regular practice of meditation, it's a great way to deliberately gain some insight into your subconscious.
Hope that helps.