In the spirit of eclectic inspiration and giving credit where credit is due, I offer you the following list of some of the books and albums that kept me inspired while writing Everything Mind. May some of them inspire you as well:
Books
Adam Bucko and Matthew Fox, Occupy Spirituality: A Radical Vision for a New Generation
Adyashanti, The End of Your World: Uncensored Straight Talk on the Nature of Enlightenment
Aldous Huxley, The Perennial Philosophy: An Interpretation of the Great Mystics, East and West
Alex Grey, Net of Being
Andrew Harvey, The Direct Path: Creating a Personal Journey to the Divine Using the World’s Spiritual Traditions
Anne Lamott, Stitches: A Handbook on Meaning, Hope and Repair
Bo Lozoff, We’re All Doing Time: A Guide for Getting Free
Brad Warner, There Is No God and He Is Always with You: A Search for God in Odd Places
Charles Bukowski, Love Is a Dog from Hell
Chris Stedman, Faithiest: How an Atheist Found Common Ground with the Religious
Dan Harris, 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works—A True Story
Dana Sawyer, Huston Smith: Wisdomkeeper: Living the World’s Religions: The Authorized Biography of a 21st Century Spiritual Giant
David Ross Komito, Nāgārjuna’s Seventy Stanzas: A Buddhist Psychology Of Emptiness
don Jose Ruiz and Tami Hudman, My Good Friend the Rattlesnake: Stories of Loss, Truth, and Transformation
don Miguel Ruiz Jr., The Five Levels of Attachment: Toltec Wisdom for the Modern World
Gen Lamrimpa, How to Realize Emptiness
H.P. Lovecraft, Necronomicon: The Best Weird Tales of H.P. Lovecraft
His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Essence of the Heart Sutra: The Dalai Lama’s Heart of Wisdom Teachings
Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72
Jarvis Jay Masters, Finding Freedom: Writings from Death Row
Jeff Bridges and Bernie Glassman, The Dude and the Zen Master
John Dupuy, Integral Recovery: A Revolutionary Approach to the Treatment of Alcoholism and Addiction
Jon Wiederhorn and Katherine Turman, Louder Than Hell: The Definitive Oral History of Metal
Ken Wilber, Grace and Grit: Spirituality and Healing in the Life and Death of Treya Killam Wilber and The Simple Feeling of Being: Embracing Your True Nature
Khensur Jampa Tegchok, Insight into Emptiness
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Science of Being and Art of Living: Transcendental Meditation
Matthew Fox, Meister Eckhart: A Mystic-Warrior for Our Times
Mirabai Starr, Caravan of No Despair: A Memoir of Loss and Transformation
Noah Levine, Refuge Recovery: A Buddhist Path to Recovering from Addiction
Pema Chödrön, When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times
Ram Dass, Miracle of Love: Stories about Neem Karoli Baba and Polishing the Mirror: How to Live from Your Spiritual Heart (with Rameshwar Das)
Sera Beak, Red Hot & Holy: A Heretic’s Love Story
Sharon Salzberg, A Heart as Wide as the World: Stories on the Path of Lovingkindness
Sri Munagala Venkataramiah, Talks with Ramana Maharshi
Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood, trans., Shankara’s Crest-Jewel of Discrimination and Bhagavad Gita: The Song of God
Swami Vivekananda, Jnana-Yoga
Tara Brach, Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life with the Heart of a Buddha
Thich Nhat Hanh, The Diamond That Cuts through Illusion: Commentaries on the Prajnaparamita Diamond Sutra and No Death, No Fear: Comforting Wisdom for Life
Thomas Cleary, Kensho: The Heart of Zen
Tommy Rosen, Recovery 2.0: Move Beyond Addiction and Upgrade Your Life
Tsem Rinpoche, Compassion Conquers All: Teachings on the Eight Verses of Mind Transformation
Tulku Pema Rigtsal, The Great Secret of Mind: Special Instructions on the Nonduality of Dzogchen
Venerable Lobsang Gyatso and Tsong Khapa, The Harmony of Emptiness and Dependent-Arising
Music
A Tribe Called Quest, Midnight Marauders
Anthrax, Among the Living
Atmosphere, Southsiders
Bear vs. Shark, Terrorhawk
Black Sabbath, Black Sabbath
Bloodlet, Entheogen
Blueprint, 1988
Burn, Cleanse
Cable, The Failed Convict
Cannibal Ox, The Cold Vein
Cave In, Until Your Heart Stops
Cavity, Supercollider
Converge, Petitioning the Empty Sky
Cursive, The Ugly Organ
De La Soul, Stakes Is High
Deadguy, Fixation on a Coworker
Deafheaven, Sunbather
Deltron 3030, Event 2
Down, Down III: Over the Under
Earth, Primitive and Deadly
Empty Flowers, Four
Eyehategod, Eyehategod
Fucked Up, David Comes to Life
Ghostface Killah, 36 Seasons
Helmet, Meantime
High On Fire, De Vermis Mysteriis
His Hero Is Gone, Monuments to Thieves
Hot Water Music, Fuel for the Hate Game
J Mascis, Tied to a Star
Jesu, Everyday I Get Closer to the Light from Which I Came
Johnny Cash, Unchained
Krishna Das, Kirtan Wallah
Mogwai, Rave Tapes
múm, Loksins Erum Við Engin
My Bloody Valentine, m b v
Nas, Illmatic
Neurosis, Honor Found in Decay
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Push the Sky Away
Om, Advaitic Songs
Overcast, Reborn to Kill Again
P.O.S., Never Better
Palms, Palms
Pelican, Forever Becoming
Propagandhi, Supporting Caste
Public Enemy, Fear of a Black Planet
Queens of the Stone Age, . . . Like Clockwork
Quicksand, Slip
Red House Painters, Songs for a Blue Guitar
Russian Circles, Memorial
Scott Kelly, Steve Von Till, Wino, Songs of Townes Van Zandt
Shellac, 1000 Hurts
Sigur Rós, Takk . . .
Souls of Mischief, There Is Only Now
Sparklehorse, It’s a Wonderful Life
Suicidal Tendencies, Lights . . . Camera . . . Revolution!
Swans, To Be Kind
Tears for Fears, Spotify Session
The Dillinger Escape Plan, One of Us Is the Killer
The Pharcyde, Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde
Today Is the Day, Animal Mother
Viktor Vaughn, Vaudeville Villain
YOB, Clearing the Path to Ascend