I have read a lot of books on
meditation. In fact, I have a shelf full of titles looking at or teaching meditation for relaxation,
awareness, contemplation, and
spiritual enlightenment from various religious, spiritual, scientific, health, and interfaith perspectives. Really, I should have saved all my money and just bought Luminous Mind:
Meditation and Mind Fitness. If you are interested in meditation, no matter what your purpose (enlightenment, spiritual contemplation, relaxation, pain therapy, increasing awareness, becoming more creative, etc) Luminous Mind: Meditation and Mind Fitness is THE book to read. It is packed full of all sorts of meditation exercises, from various contemporary, religious, and spiritual sources. Detailed instructions and helpful hints are included for each. The reader has several options on how to use this text. Those new to meditation can go through the chapters systematically trying a new exercise for a few weeks and then going onto the next one until they find what works best for their needs. For those individuals looking for meditations for a specific purpose or those having troubles getting past particular problems (such as getting fixated, not being able to concentrate, or getting bored), they can skim through the associated chapters to quickly find what they want. Personally, I enjoyed going through the various exercises to come up with new suggestions, creative techniques, and ways to enhance my mediation experience.