Reddit reviews Breath by Breath: The Liberating Practice of Insight Meditation (Shambhala Classics)

Larry Rosenberg, although more of a meditation teacher than a Buddhist scholar has a nice take on the Anapanasati Sutta http://www.amazon.com/Breath-Liberating-Practice-Meditation-Shambhala/dp/1590301366/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_7?ie=UTF8&refRID=07XAVP5X1QQ9JRCZ5JZE

Hey everybody, Check out Larry Rosenberg's book https://www.amazon.com/Breath-Liberating-Practice-Meditation-Shambhala/dp/1590301366

The Jhanas are discussed and internal "signs" are pointed out and what to do with them etc... have fun!

Since the course is for beginners, I think it should be fine to sign up. It will help you establish a regular practice, ask questions, and meet other people who meditate. You'd probably be able to do the course just fine without having a copy of TMI, but I'd still recommend that you get a copy for your own benefit. It's very comprehensive and Culadasa's mind model is worth the price of admission alone.

Other books I recommend, which are easy to find used on the cheap:

Breath By Breath, by Larry Rosenberg
https://www.amazon.com/Breath-Liberating-Practice-Meditation-Shambhala/dp/1590301366/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483032245&sr=8-1&keywords=breath+by+breath

Mindfulness in Plain English, by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana
https://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-English-Bhante-Henepola-Gunaratana/dp/0861719069/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483032359&sr=8-1&keywords=mindfulness+in+plain+english

I suggest the Satipatthana Sutta with a practice-oriented commentary. It's probably the most comprehensive sutta.

Here are a couple good ones:

Transformation and Healing: Sutra on the Four Establishments of Mindfulness (Thich Nhat Hanh)

Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening (Joseph Goldstein)

Then there's the Anapanasati Sutta, which is also considered to be very authentic and comprehensive. In it the Buddha shows how he used the breath to practice the four establishments of mindfulness to achieve full awakening. Here are a couple good commentaries:

Breathe, You Are Alive: The Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing (Thich Nhat Hanh)


Breath by Breath: The Liberating Practice of Insight Meditation (Larry Rosenberg)

Well there's this: http://www.amazon.com/Breath-Liberating-Practice-Meditation-Shambhala/dp/1590301366/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1413819204&sr=1-7&keywords=anapanasati

And this: http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/anapanasati.pdf