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Forbes
32 minutes ago
- General
- Forbes
15 Enlightening Books About Spirituality
Exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama (center) presents a copy of book to a monk during ... More the inauguration of the International Conference on 'Mahayana Buddhism. We're constantly moving, scrolling, optimizing and performing, but rarely pausing long enough to ask what any of it means. These 15 powerful books about spirituality offer roadmaps, influenced by ancient traditions and modern wisdom, pointing toward love, suffering, belief and the meaning of it all. Some explore the meaning of life and others tackle grief, death or healing. A few offer hard-won wisdom on how to live with presence, compassion and clarity. Top Books About Spirituality While religion often answers through doctrine, spirituality tends to ask through experience. The books on this list span that spectrum. While some draw from Eastern mysticism, others from Western theology, and several combine both. Other could be shelved in 'self-help,' but their impact reaches deeper and is more transformative for how we think about being human. This list doesn't aim to be definitive but aims to be useful. It is subjective and therefore non-exhaustive. One of the world's most respected spiritual texts, Tao Te Ching remains widely relevant even now. More than two millennia old, the ancient text remains one of the most radical spiritual bodies of work ever written. In just 81 short verses, Lao Tzu sketches a worldview where effortlessness is strength, humility is leadership and being still is the greatest motion. The Tao, or 'The Way,' is less a destination than a current, something that a person yields to, not conquers. Its paradoxes go against the logic of ambition, which makes it an enduring counterpoint to Western models of striving. This is not a book you master; it's one that masters you over time. Who should read this book: Anyone trying to understand the nuances of power or readers drawn to wisdom that emphasizes simplicity over struggle. Where to read: Simon & Schuster The Bhagavad Gita begins on a battlefield, but it's really about an internal war, the one between duty and internal conflict, fear, soul and ego. The story itself is told as a dialogue between the warrior Arjuna and the god Krishna; Arjuna is paralyzed by the idea of fighting his own kin. Krishna responds not with comforting platitudes but with spiritual fire: do your duty, without attachment to the outcome. The Bhagavad Gita is compact. It skips theological debates and cuts straight to existential clarity. It distills Hindu philosophy into a dialogue about fear, identity and the soul's calling. The primary message here is one about courage, detachment and the eternal self, which has resonated far beyond its cultural origins and shaped great thinkers from Mahatma Gandhi to Ralph Waldo Emerson. Who should read this book: Anyone struggling with an ethical dilemma, trying to understand Eastern philosophy, or looking for guidance on living fully. Where to read: Simon & Schuster Paramahansa Yogananda's spiritual memoir introduced millions of Westerners to Eastern mysticism through stories that read like fiction but are presented as lived experience. The Indian yogi's journey from childhood meetings with saints to establishing the Self-Realization Fellowship in America bridges two worlds with clarity, while making the wisdom of ancient Vedantic teachings accessible to modern minds. Few memoirs bridge East and West as seamlessly as Yogananda's spiritual classic. More than a biography, it's a gateway into the mystical traditions of India, yet is translated for the analytic Western mind. Yogananda doesn't preach belief; he advocates experience. What results is less a chronicle of his life and more a user's manual for spiritual awakening. Who should read this book: Skeptics who are curious about mystical claims or anyone interested in the meeting point between Eastern spirituality and Western science. Where to read: Barnes & Noble People take part in a yoga session at Namo Ghat to mark the International Day of Yoga, in Varanasi, ... More India. Ram Dass' four-sectioned book Be Here Now follows the then Richard Alpert, a Harvard psychology professor who left his academic life in search of something more meaningful. Alpert was already successful, yet when he and Timothy Leary began their psychedelic research together, the research only heightened Dass' spiritual restlessness rather than resolving it. What followed was a trip to India that converted Alpert into Baba Ram Dass, a 'servant of God.' His encounter with Guru Neem Karoli Baba represents the moment when Western psychological training meets Eastern spiritual beliefs. The book is part autobiography, part free-form, while offering a manual that includes yoga, pranayama and meditation techniques. Who should read this book: High achievers who've checked all the conventional boxes yet still feel something important is missing. This also applies to those who are navigating a major life transition or an existential crisis and are seeking clarity. Where to read: Penguin Random House Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now offers a spiritual route from the mental prison most of us live in without realizing it. Tolle's central insight cuts through decades of self-help noise with surgical precision: our suffering isn't caused by our circumstances but by our relationship to our thoughts about those circumstances. Tolle shows how the voice in our heads often analyzes everything to create a parallel truth that only exists in our minds. By learning to step back and accept things as they are, Tolle argues that the hard parts of life can become more manageable. The book also uses Eastern wisdom traditions while referencing mysticism. Who should read this book: Anyone trapped in the cycle of overthinking will find relief in Tolle's approach. Where to read: Namaste Publishing Decades before anxiety became a public health issue, Alan Watts anticipated the crisis. His central premise is that modern life's obsession with certainty in the financial, emotional and spiritual, is itself the root of chronic unease. It's a prescient work for a generation that increasingly questions what is next. Watts is able to transcribe ancient Eastern wisdom into language that speaks to Western sensibilities. He also shows how our attempts to secure the future actually rob us of the only reality we can ever truly inhabit in this moment. Who should read this book: Philosophers and spiritual seekers will appreciate Watts' ability to make Eastern concepts accessible without diluting their depth. Where to read: Barnes & Noble Khalil Gibran's The Prophet is a poetic yet wise analysis about life's important experiences through the farewell speech of Al Mustafa, a prophet leaving after spending 12 years in the city of Orphalese. When the townspeople learn of his departure, they gather at the temple to see him one last time. Almitra, a seeress, asks Al Mustafa to share the wisdom he has gained during his time with them before he leaves. In response to their questions, Al Mustafa offers teachings on the fundamental aspects of life, love, work, joy, sorrow, freedom, friendship, and death. Gibran's background as both an Eastern mystic and Western artist allowed him to create a work that feels both ancient and contemporary, with language that maintains spiritual insight. Who should read this book: Readers drawn to poetic rather than analytical approaches to ancient wisdom. Where to read: Barnes & Noble Alan Watts makes another entry on this list with The Way of Zen, which traces how an ancient Indian philosophy traveled through China, observed Taoist wisdom and emerged as something entirely new. Watts doesn't just chronicle this evolution; he makes it feel inevitable, showing how Zen Buddhism represents the perfect marriage of Buddhist insight and Chinese practicality. Watts takes away the exotic trappings that often obscure Zen's core while preserving what makes it rather transformative. Instead of presenting another collection of cryptic koans and monastery stories, he shows Zen as a practical approach to living, one that permeates everything from tea ceremonies to martial arts and poetry to garden design. Who should read this book: Anyone seeking to understand Zen beyond Hollywood stereotypes and fortune cookie wisdom will find Watts' scholarly yet accessible approach helpful. Where to read: Barnes & Noble After losing her 16-year-old daughter to an equestrian accident, Martha Hickman decided to write Healing After Loss. The book has 365 brief meditations that guide readers through the unpredictable, messy parts of losing a loved one. Where Hickman doesn't promise grief will end, she demonstrates how it can evolve from devastating intrusion to remembrance. Hickman also offers something rare: permission to grieve messily and indefinitely while realizing that loss fundamentally changes people. At the same time, she does not offer false comfort but writes from the position of someone who knows that some losses never stop hurting; they just become part of who you are. The meditations can be read in any order, making it practical for people whose concentration has been affected by loss. Who should read this book: Anyone dealing with the confusing aftermath of losing a loved one. Where to read: Barnes & Noble Two Nobel Peace Prize winners, the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, spent a week together in the Dalai Lama's home in Dharamsala, India, in April 2015 to celebrate the Dalai Lama's 80th birthday. Leading up to that point, both men had carried decades of personal trauma: the Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959 during the Tibetan uprising and has lived in exile ever since, while Tutu fought apartheid and witnessed unspeakable cruelties during South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The Book of Joy explores happiness as both a philosophical concept and a practically necessary concept. They examine what they call the Eight Pillars of Joy while acknowledging the obstacles that prevent most people from accessing lasting contentment. Who should read this book: Anyone struggling to maintain hope during dark times will find encouragement in this book. Where to read: Penguin Random House Spiritual leader Dalai Lama to blow out candles on his birthday cake as retired Archbishop Desmond ... More Tutu looks on at the Tibetan Childrens Village School April 23, 2015 in Dharmsala, India. Post-World War I Europe inspires Hermann Hesse's 1922 masterpiece. Hesse engages with Eastern mysticism, Jung's emerging theories of the unconscious and European romanticism's authenticity, then welds them into something that feels both ancient and modern. By the time Siddhartha meets the humble ferryman who has somehow cracked the code of existence through simple attention to a river's flow, Hesse has constructed an entire philosophy around the idea that authentic knowledge can't be taught but only lived. The end result is that Siddhartha focuses more on universal spiritual themes and individual self-discovery, drawing from Eastern philosophy and spiritual traditions. Who should read this book: People who are spiritually curious but institutionally skeptical, or readers who are interested in the collision between Eastern and Western thought. Where to read: Penguin Random House In The Art of Happiness by Dalai Lama and Dr. Howard Cutler, the two men use millennia of Tibetan Buddhist wisdom and Cutler's psychiatric knowledge to create an ancient contemplative practice filtered through contemporary psychological understanding. The collaboration works because it refuses to treat enlightenment as some rarified state available only to monks. Instead, the Dalai Lama and Cutler study ordinary human struggles, romantic disappointment, professional frustration and family conflict to demonstrate how shifting perspectives can turn suffering into wisdom. Their approach combines rigorous mental training with practical psychology, creating a framework that speaks to both skeptical rationalists and spiritual seekers. The book does not settle for easy answers or spiritual bypassing but instead presents contentment as a learnable skill, developed through disciplined practice. Who should read this book: The Art of Happiness appeals to a surprisingly broad readership, united by their search for something more sustainable than fleeting pleasures or pharmaceutical fixes. Where to read: Penguin Random House Pema Chödrön's When Things Fall Apart reads like the book you reach for when life is difficult and advice about positive thinking feels like an insult. The primary message in this book is that spiritual practice isn't about ignoring human messiness but learning to sit with it, breathe through it and somehow find wisdom in the wreckage. Chödrön doesn't promise that meditation will make everything better. Instead, she asserts that it is possible that our human breakdowns might be breaking us open rather than breaking us down. Her 'heart advice' emerges from decades of wrestling with her own struggles, including a messy divorce. This isn't wisdom handed down from a soapbox, but feels authentic because it is from hard-won insights from someone who has learned to work with chaos rather than against it. Who should read this book: Anyone whose usual coping mechanisms are no longer as effective. Where to read: Barnes & Noble Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love is an accessible modern entry point on this list that led millions toward spiritual exploration. It successfully tapped into a growing cultural conversation about fulfillment, privilege and the limits of traditional success for women in the U.S. In Gilbert's memoir, the successful writer abandons her comfortable suburban marriage to eat carbs in Italy, meditate in an Indian ashram and experience personal growth and healing in Bali. The book's three-act structure represents a different approach to healing: sensual pleasure in Rome, disciplined spiritual practice in India and the integration of both in Bali. Gilbert's journey from a painful divorce to hard-won wisdom resonates because she never pretends the path is easy or that geographic solutions automatically solve psychological problems. Who should read this book: People recovering from a divorce or a major relationship change. Where to read: Penguin Random House Elizabeth Gilbert author of Eat, Pray, Love and Jayne Brown, a program host at QVC, pose for a photo ... More backstage during the Pennsylvania Conference for Women. This classic, written by St. John of the Cross, a 16th-century Spanish mystic, looks at the inevitable spiritual dryness that seekers often experience before spiritual maturity can happen. St. John of the Cross coined the phrase that has become shorthand for any period of spiritual crisis, but his original work offers something far more sophisticated: a detailed map of the soul's journey through dark times to experiencing growth. This point of view, combined with the psychological insight in the book, anticipates modern understanding of depression and existential crisis. St. John validates that spiritual suffering is necessary while offering hope that such dark times have a purifying outcome. Who should read this book: Anyone experiencing spiritual crisis or doubt, readers interested in Christian mysticism, or those trying to understand how suffering can help spiritual development. Where to read: Dover Publications Bottom Line These 15 books answer humanity's oldest questions and analyze them through different lenses, including ancient Buddhist wisdom, contemporary grief counseling and papal social criticism. They don't share the same doctrine but a recognition that material success alone leaves most people spiritually starved. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) What Is Spirituality? Spirituality is what happens when people stop accepting that paychecks and possessions constitute a complete life. It's the interest in consciousness, meaning and connection that goes beyond material things. Unlike academic philosophy, spirituality demands full engagement of the mind, body and soul, not just intellectual study. Most serious practitioners draw from both established wisdom traditions and individual exploration. What Are The Types Of Spirituality? Religious spirituality includes Christian contemplation, Jewish mysticism, Islamic Sufism and Buddhist meditation. These religions usually offer guidance and communal support while operating from worldviews developed over centuries. Nature-based spirituality finds its identity through direct engagement with the natural world. This includes indigenous earth-centered traditions, contemporary paganism and wilderness practices emphasizing seasonal awareness and ecological interdependence. Consciousness-focused approaches use meditation and mind-training practices as a core basis for their approach to spirituality. Other types include service-oriented spirituality, grounded primarily in compassion, philosophy and creative expression. What Are Good Self-Help Books? Atomic Habits by James Clear offers the most practical approach to behavior change available. Clear's framework explains why willpower fails and how environmental design succeeds, providing concrete techniques for building beneficial habits through tiny, sustainable adjustments. The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk changed how people viewed trauma treatment by showing that psychological wounds embed themselves in nervous system functioning. In this book, Van der Kolk uses evidence-based healing approaches like EMDR, neurofeedback, yoga and expressive arts to address trauma's physical dimensions outside of traditional talk therapy. Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab provides training for anyone struggling with toxic relationships or people-pleasing tendencies. Tawwab combines psychological principles with practical scripts for establishing healthy limits across all relationship contexts.
Skift
16 hours ago
- Business
- Skift
Planner Left Stranded After Hotel Changes Hands
No rooming lists, diagrams, or BEOs — and no responses to her calls or emails — left this planner on edge as her hotel went through a change of ownership just weeks before her meeting. For Evya Potts-Richards, using a Capitol Hill hotel that she had, in her words, 'broken up with before,' could have been a bad omen. But despite the fact that she had a negative experience in the past, the property was now part of a major chain. So last year, when her site specialist suggested using them for a June 2025 conference, she gave it the green light. 'I knew the property, and I also knew the conference services manager and that she would take care of me. So I decided I would go back again,' said Richards, who is the meeting manager at The Energy Council. The contract was signed in May 2024 and, as always, included a change of ownership clause. What Richards didn't know was that the property changed from corporate-owned to a franchise after the contract was signed. 'The service and everything, whether corporate-owned or franchised, should be seamless, because as a franchised property you're still flying that brand's flag,' she said. In this case, the franchise employees were not given any access to information, systems, or credentials. Then everyone she had been working with started leaving. Trouble Brewing The first sign of trouble was in March 2025, when she started noticing that she had no introductory emails from the hotel. She reached out to her sales manager, only to find that she was no longer there. 'Still, that wasn't a big alarm because I know salespeople tend to move on. So I reached out to the person who I thought was going to be my CSM, and she sent me back an email that she was moving on.' That's when she picked up the phone. During their conversation, the CSM never gave Richards any indication that the hotel was changing ownership and all the corporate employees were fleeing. Around that time, the issues started. Because of a mistake in the system, the registration cutoff date was listed a month earlier, so her attendees — high-profile state-appointed legislators and leaders in the private business sector energy from companies like Exxon Mobil and Shell — started reaching out saying they had tried to register for the meeting but the room black was full. 'I had at least four or five different rooms coordinators,' she said. 'Every time I'd reach out to somebody, they were no longer there. It was like the first time they'd ever heard about this.' Less than 30 days before the meeting, after numerous frustrated emails and calls, the sales manager finally called to tell her the hotel had been sold. She was assigned a new CSM, a 'task force' contractor who actually lived in Atlanta. These interim management professionals are brought in from all over the country to fill critical roles. 'I knew nothing of that world, but she was a seasoned professional,' Richards said. 'However, she was extremely overwhelmed, because we weren't the only group coming in.' The issues persisted. 'No BEOs, no diagrams, nothing.' That's when the hotel brought in additional contract task force employees: a banquet captain, a food and beverage director — and a new CSM to relieve the overworked one. Enter the Task Force The June 5-7 meeting went off without the 130 attendees having any issues or idea of what went on behind the scenes. Richards has decided not to pursue any legal action. She did hold a debrief meeting with the new general manager (the previous one also left) and her third CSM, to let them know how she felt about how they handled the situation. 'It would have been a professional courtesy for the previous GM to have contacted me to let me know what was happening, and the contract says that the hotel is supposed to do that. I told them that meeting planners talk to each other, and as a planner who has been doing this for many years I feel like we're getting a little disrespected.' She has asked that the hotel offer her the same rate as they did this year, and perhaps she would consider returning again in two years. She'll be sure to get that promise in writing. Her advice to fellow planners: Ask if a hotel is franchised or corporate-owned or -managed. There can be differences in flexibility, brand standards, and contracting. In her previous role, for example, her company would not work with franchise hotels. 'They were not as amenable to our addendums,' she said. 'Moving forward, we'll be putting this in future RFPs, along with a 90-day change of management clause. 'So many things went so terribly wrong,' she said. 'I think if I hadn't been more seasoned, it could have been even worse.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
GlobalData announce the Global Automotive Outlook Conference 2025
To help you keep ahead, GlobalData are excited to announce the Global Automotive Outlook Conference, to be held at the historic Gem Theatre, Detroit, Michigan, on October 21, 2025. At the event, held in one Detroit's most beautiful and dramatic locations, you can join industry experts from GlobalData and discover invaluable insights on key areas such as the economy, vehicle sales, production forecasts, and electrification trends. Interested? Mark your calendars and stay tuned for more details on registration and agenda. Don't miss this opportunity to network with industry leaders, gain strategic insights, and position yourself for success in the ever-changing automotive landscape. We look forward to welcoming you on October 21, 2025. Kind Regards, Amber HerrickVice President, Americas Business Development at GlobalData Our conferences are exclusive events for GlobalData customers, but we don't want you to miss out. and quote the conference title to find out how you can grab your place. "GlobalData announce the Global Automotive Outlook Conference 2025" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Bloomberg
2 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Julian Harris: Starmer Faces Business Chiefs as Tax Rise Bites
The British Chambers of Commerce told us a few weeks ago that a 'senior cabinet minister' would be addressing its annual conference, leading me to assume this was code for Rachel Reeves. Instead, it was the Prime Minister himself who rocked up at the QEII Centre in Westminster this morning to face a crowd of not-entirely-impressed business leaders. Reeves, meanwhile, made sure she was 130 miles away in Tutbury, which Google Maps tells me is a place in Staffordshire.
Zawya
2 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
RCA Mena announces Agenda for Annual Conference 2025
PRCA Mena – the regional arm of the world's largest professional body for PR and communications – has announced the agenda for its flagship Annual Conference 2025, taking place on Thursday, 11 September in Dubai. The full-day event will run from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM, followed by an exclusive members-only sundowner. The programme is structured around four key content streams — Industry & Influence, Innovation & Impact, Reputation & Responsibility and NextGen's Shifting Perspectives. Sessions will unpack everything from AI's evolving role in PR and emotional intelligence in leadership, to mental wellbeing, pitch fatigue, client-agency boundaries, purpose-washing, Gen Z-led change and brand resilience. Attendees will also hear the launch of three major publications: PRCA Mena Mental Health Report 2025, Pitch Forward Report 2025 and the AI in PR Report 2025 alongside a featured spotlight on the winners of the PRCA Mena Young Lions PR Competition. Conrad Egbert, Head of PRCA Mena, said: 'This agenda was built to reflect the actual conversations taking place inside agencies, client teams, and newsrooms across the region. It's about relevance over rhetoric—unpacking where we're going as an industry, and where we might be getting in our own way.' Early bird discounts on tickets end on 24 July at 5:00 PM GST. About PRCA Mena PRCA Mena is the regional arm of the largest public relations and communications association (PRCA) in the world. It was established in 2016 with the aim of raising standards in PR and communications. Representing more than 35,000 PR professionals in 82 countries worldwide, the PR authority is a global advocate for excellence in public relations. The PRCA's teams across Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific work with industry professionals around the world to co-ordinate operations across six continents.
