If you’ve ever conscientiously tried to attain any degree of enlightenment, then you probably already know that it’s no easy task. Rather, it’s a lifelong process filled with gradual steps and profound self-reflection. And it requires a great deal of reading and rumination to even begin to approach something that resembles such a state. To aid you in your journey of transcendental self-discovery, here are three of the most enlightening eBooks you’ll probably ever have the pleasure of reading.
Fear: Essential Wisdom For Getting Through the Storm
According to Fear: Essential Wisdom for Getting Through the Storm, fear is a problem that is fundamentally inherent to the human condition — although destructive and pervasive, humanity’s ultimate goal lies in facing and eventually overcoming it. The book is written by Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist Zen Master who’s recognized worldwide as a scholar, peace activist, and poet.
Nhat Hanh, in fact, is among the most venerated spiritual leaders and thinkers in the world — not only did he teach at Columbia University, but his open letter to Martin Luther King Jr. is widely read as one of the most pivotal treatises on non-violence ever written. King himself subsequently tried to nominate Nhat Than for the Nobel Peace Prize.
In this book, Nhat Hanh has penned a moving yet practical tactical guidebook to surmounting our crippling apprehensions and personal demons. According to the New York Times, Hanh is “second only to the Dali Lama” when it comes to his spiritual presence and ability to distill the core human experience. Throughout this book, Hanh delves into the root of human fear and lays forth a path to achieving tranquility and freeing ourselves from anxiety. As such, it’s an invaluable tool for removing fear from our lives and moving forward to a meaningful state of enlightenment.
What Gandhi Says
Norman Finklestein’s book, What Gandhi Says, is a fascinating look at the part that Gandhi’s philosophy played in the tactics of the Occupy Movement. Specifically, Finklestein postulates that a re-examination is necessary regarding Gandhi’s beliefs in nonviolence, human courage, and political resistance.
The book itself looks at a copious cross-section of Gandhi’s written works, and it speculates on how the underlying philosophy could be applied to the ever-present crisis in the Middle East. Finklestein argues that Gandhi, in fact, was not necessarily the unmitigated pacifist that history has drawn him to be. Instead, the author sees a Gandhi who believes that victims have the right to fight back, and he argues that Gandhi looked down on human cowardice as being a worse transgression than tyranny. In this sense, Finklestein says, Gandi’s tactics of bringing shame to oppressors by the sacrifice of the oppressed are downright Machiavellian in their approach.
However, Finklestein’s book also argues that Gandi’s particular brand of peaceful resistance was incredibly effective, and that its role is less to motivate people to do what is intrinsically accepted as right. In the end, the author suggests it’s a philosophy that could have deep ramifications for the conflict in the Middle East. Even if you aren’t fully convinced of Finklestein’s argument, this book is a compelling and fascinating read that gets to the core of the non-violent resistance movement.
Becoming Enlightened
In Becoming Enlightened, the Dalai Lama journeys deep into the roots of Buddhism. His goal is nothing less than laying bare a comprehensible approach to humanity’s most fundamental questions about overcoming suffering and achieving happiness and peace.
Although the book is based on Buddhists’ traditional meditations, it’s a piece of writing that ultimately transcends dogma. Using examples from real life and recent history, the Dalai Lama outlines an exhaustive set of exercises to enhance readers’ spiritual journeys. He even specifies various achievements to signify the progress one has achieved.
Overall, Being Enlightened is like a spiritual guidebook for both the uninitiated and the spiritually aware as they set out on their journey to attain true enlightenment and shed the impulses responsible for human suffering. eBooks are available to purchase and read on tablets, laptops and T-Mobile’s best phones. In no time at all, you too can access the wonderful world of electronic reading!
Check out these three eBooks for an enlightening and spiritually stimulating read. Have you read any of these books? What other works do you feel should be on this list? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
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