Meditation is a practice with a long history, one that keeps our inner and outer worlds at peace, cultivating harmony between the individual and their environment, spirit, and even the metaphysical. Meditation needn’t be grounded in any particular faith, and can still ultimately bring about a sense of completeness between a person and what surrounds them. It is precisely this kind of tradition — one that can be either religious or secular — that offers people a sense of calm, of understanding, of freedom, and of eternity. (Excerpted and translated from the preface.)

This book (click here to open) leads readers gently into the vast and sprawling forest of knowledge about meditation. Nor is it a dry, purely academic read — the author introduces his own views on meditation, along with his personal experience of it, in plain, warm, and heartfelt language.

This book, combining both scholarship and practice, is truly an essential companion for staying at home, traveling, or getting through long, sleepless nights — one that can give you an entirely fresh perspective on meditation.