Reading List
Recommended Reading
Books chosen by IMH teachers to support your practice at every stage — from curious beginner to dedicated practitioner. These are the books we return to.
IMH Reading List
True Refuge
In times of difficulty, this book offers practical guidance for finding safety and peace in the present moment. Brach explores the Buddhist concept of the Three Jewels — Buddha, Dharma, Sangha — as real, accessible refuges in everyday life.
Real Life
When confronted with pain and obstacles, we often shrink back and contract out of fear and disappointment. That can become a way of life. In Real Life, Sharon Salzberg lets us know it doesn’t have to be that way. When we feel alone, cut off, or trapped, we can let those difficulties steer us onto a path toward an authentic, flourishing life―living in a way that allows us to find the wholeness that lies within. Even when we’re alone, a sense of community can accompany us through the stormy times. Our words, hearts, and actions can line up with a larger vision, rather than the smaller views our anxious, fearful thoughts arouse in us.
A Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life
A Path with Heart is filled with practical techniques, guided meditations, stories, koans, and other gems of wisdom that can help ease your journey through the world. The author’s own profound—and sometimes humorous—experiences and gentle assistance will skillfully guide you through the obstacles and trials of spiritual and contemporary life to bring a clarity of perception and a sense of the sacred into your everyday experience.
When Things Fall Apart
Heart advice for difficult times. Drawn from traditional Buddhist wisdom, Pema’s radical and compassionate advice for what to do when things fall apart in our lives goes against the grain of our usual habits and expectations.
One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism
Joseph Goldstein explores how a distinct Western Buddhism is taking shape as Asian traditions — from Theravada to Tibetan to Zen — converge in American practice. Rather than favoring one lineage, he distills the common thread running through all of them: the pragmatic question of what actually frees the mind from suffering. Drawing on personal experience more than doctrine, Goldstein traces a path from early Buddhist history through the core teachings of liberation, showing how the great masters across traditions converge on the same essential freedom. Accessible to beginners yet substantive for experienced practitioners, the book offers practical guidance for cultivating an awakened mind while honoring the depth of its Asian roots.
8 Minute Meditation
This book is a practical, approachable guide for anyone who feels too busy to start meditating. Davich lays out an eight-week program of simple practices — following the breath, noting thoughts, attending to sound, and cultivating lovingkindness — designed to fit into just eight minutes a day. Written in clear, humorous, nonsectarian language, it's an ideal entry point for beginners looking to build a daily sitting practice without the overwhelm.
This is a great book to get started on the path and to discover techniques that may fit you better. This is my to go book to recommend to someone interested in meditation.
-Jerod
Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life
In this book, the author maps out a simple path for cultivating mindfulness in one's own life. It speaks both to those coming to meditation for the first time and to longtime practitioners, anyone who cares deeply about reclaiming the richness of his or her moments.
Looking for a specific book recommendation? Ask at Monday sitting — our community loves talking about dharma books.