The Quiet Mind by John E. Coleman

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The Quiet Mind by John E. Coleman, a former CIA-officer, is a classic story of a search – the personal experience and the discoveries which led one man to a state of mind which has increased the joy of living and the ability to cope effectively with many of life´s problems.

Part of the mystery of the Far East lies in the fact that in that part of the world the kind of questions to which I wanted answers do not bring raised eyebrows and impatient protests of “nonsense.” Meditation, strange religious practices designed to free the mind even faith in occult powers which throw light on the more obscure mental processes, are not dismissed as unfruitful areas of research.

The Way to the Beyond By Ānandajoti Bhikkhu

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You must remove all attachment to craving, above, below, and across the middle, for with whatever they are attached to in the world, with just that Māra follows a man. Therefore knowing this, the mindful monk should not be attached to anything in the world, seeing that with what is called attachment and clinging, these people are clinging to the realm of Death.

The Meditations By Marcus Aurelius

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It is a series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 CE, recording his private notes to himself and ideas on Stoic philosophy.

Marcus Aurelius wrote the 12 books of the Meditations in Koine Greek as a source for his own guidance and self-improvement. It is possible that large portions of the work were written at Sirmium, where he spent much time planning military campaigns from 170 to 180.

Some of it was written while he was positioned at Aquincum on campaign in Pannonia, because internal notes tell us that the first book was written when he was campaigning against the Quadi on the river Granova (modern-day Hron) and the second book was written at Carnuntum

Bill Clinton reads it every year, and so have countless other leaders, statesmen, and soldiers. It is a book written by one of the most powerful men who ever lived on the lessons that power, responsibility, and philosophy teach us. This book will make you a better person and better able to manage the success you desire.

What the bleep do we know!? Study guide and manual for navigating rabbit holes By The Institute of Noetic Sciences and Captured Light Industries

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The questions that have drawn you into this adventure are as deep as questions get. Philosophers, scientists, and mystics have been asking these questions for thousands of years, and after all this time, what is known is still dwarfed by the vastness of what is not known. What we have gained from all our studies is the capacity to ask more precise questions and a greater appreciation for the depth of the mystery. We offer this study guide with the intent not to satisfy your curiosity about existence but to enrich your capacity to explore and participate in those mysteries with an open mind and spacious heart.

Zen Culture By Thomas Hoover

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This teaching of meditation and vast emptiness shared very little with other branches of Chinese Buddhism. Ch'an had no sacred images because it had no gods to worship, and it de-emphasized the scriptures, since its central dogma was that dogma is useless. Handed down from master to pupil was the paradoxical teaching that nothing can be taught. According to Ch'an (and Zen), understanding comes only by ignoring the intellect and heeding the instincts, the intuition. Thus Zen became the religion of the antirational, what might be called the counter mind.

The counter mind has taken on more concrete significance in recent years with the discovery that the human mind is not a single entity but is divided into two quite different functional sections. We now know that the left hemisphere of the brain governs the logical, analytical portion of our lives, whereas the right hemisphere is the seat of our intuitive, nonverbal perception and understanding. As far back as the ancient Greeks, we in the West have maintained an almost unshakable belief in the superiority of the analytical side of the mind, and this belief may well be the most consistent distinguishing quality of Western philosophy.

By contrast, the East in general and Zen in particular have advanced the opposite view. In fact, Zen masters have deliberately developed techniques (like illogical riddles or koan) to discredit the logical, verbal side of the mind so that the intuitive perceptions of the right hemisphere, the counter mind, may define reality.

What is the counter mind really is?