Top 25 Transformational Titles

Top 25 Transformational Books
#1 Bhaghavad-Gita (The Song of God)
	Swami Prabhavananda & Christopher Isherwood (1944) (1972). This key translation is a great gift which Christopher Isherwood and Swami Prabhavananda have bestowed upon the English-speaking world. The Bhaghavad-Gita is the most concise statement of Hindu cosmology in existence, and has been the leading spiritual guide for countless generations in India. Although prior English translations had been available for decades, Isherwood and Prabhavananda's translation was the first ever to be truly accessible to Westerners, and due to its popularity and perennial readership, has become the main vehicle through which the English-speaking world has apprehended the philosophical and religious traditions of ancient India, which are still observed in the modern world.
#2 Mahabharata
	William Buck (1973). Most of the scriptural literature within Hinduism appears in the form of puranas, mythology-filed stories of key avatars - incarnations of God on Earth. Of the two major puranas, Mahabharata is the most recent, and is the purana from which the Bhaghavad-Gita is taken. William Buck admits that his rendition of the Mahabharata is a "re-telling" of the original lyrical classic, rather than a translation. However described, Buck's rendition of the Mahabharata is the most accessible version ever produced in English, with the subsequent result that native English-speakers can access the full mystical imagery and spiritual power contained in the ancient epic.
#3 Ramayana
	William Buck (1976). William Buck's unique approach to rendering the major Hindu puranas in English is flawlessly executed in this retelling of the Ramayana. The Ramayana is focused on the life and activities of Rama, the avatar immediately preceding Krishna. Set in a historical epoch much earlier than the Mahabharata, the appearance of demons and their interactions with Gods and humans is a commonplace event. The Ramayana chronicles the scourge of the Earth of demons, and the subsequent dominance of the human race.
#4 Studies in the Middle Way
	Christmas Humphreys (1940) (1984). One of the chief questions addressed by Krishna in his discourse to Arjuna in the Bhaghavad-Gita has to do with the relative merits of enlightenment attained by right action versus enlightenment achieved by abstaining from action. Christmas Humphreys describes the philosophy of living according to a "middle path", the correct middle ground incorporating both pathways to enlightenment. Humphreys integrates Indian, Buddhist, and Theosophical knowledge in his essays on this perennial theme.
#5 How To Know God: The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali
	Swami Prabhavananda & Christopher Isherwood (1953). Every bit as much a masterpiece as their translation of the Bhaghavad-Gita, Prabhavananda & Isherwood's translation of Patanjali's classic text expands and explains the concepts presented in the Gita, and also provides fundamental teachings on the philosophy and methodology of concentration and meditation. Easily the second most helpful volume within all of Hindu literature.
#6 The Psychological Attitude of Early Buddhist Philosophy
	Lama Anagarika Govinda (1961). One of the most clearly written expositions on classical Buddhism, with detailed coverage of the Abhidamma, The Four Noble Truths, The Eightfold Path of Liberation, the structure and classification of consciousness, and the "curve of progress" over successive existences. This volume is the second part of Govinda's master treatise on Buddhism, following the authoritative Foundations of Tibetan Mysticism (see #16 below). Containing more esoteric knowledge of Buddhism than any other known source, one could easily devote a complete career or lifetime to fully master what Govinda has laid out, representing the culmination of his own life's work.
#7 Conjugial Love
	Emanuel Swedenborg (1768) (1980). It has been suggested that Emanuel Swedenborg was to the 19th century what Sigmund Freud was to the 20th century - top expert and interpreter of the hidden side of the human mind. Swedenborg's influence on the fields of psychology and consciousness is profound, and yet analysis of Swedenborg's life and influence is omitted from most historical accounts. Of special importance is Swedenborg's philosophy of marriage and true marital love, which he termed "conjugial love". For Swedenborg, the achievement of true conjugial love is the chief purpose of human life, and the sole methodology for transforming the human soul into divinity His chapter "Causes of colds, separations, and divorce" remains the single best guide ever written to healthy marriage.
#8 Heaven and Hell
	Emanuel Swedenborg (1758) (1980). John Wesley, renaissance theologian and founder of the Methodist church, is quoted as having said " Whatever it is that man needs to know about heaven or hell Swedenborg has already written down". Emanuel Swedenborg believed that he had been granted a unique skill by God . . . the power to travel to the realms referred to as "heaven" and "hell", and to interact with the inhabitants of each of these regions. His obligation as recipient of this gift was to document an exhaustive tour through the heaven-world, and through the lower domains as well, with full attention to the spiritual successes or failures associated with assignment of an individual to either of these spheres.Conversations with angels and other ascended spirits on the nature of spiritual life and the afterlife are plentiful throughout the text, as are Swedenborg's revelations of spiritual wisdom.
#9 Studies in Occultism
	Helene Blavatsky (1891) (1987). Helene Blavatsky was the first of a series of key contributors to the consciousness literature, founding both a Society and a Movement dedicated to the use and mastery of the accumulated wisdom of the ages, especially wisdom regarding the human spirit, and the spiritual mysteries of the Orient. The school of thought known as "Theosophy" was formed out of her followers, who also refer to the movement as the "wisdom-religion," or as the "science of spirituality". Studies in Occultism is the most accessible of all her works - clearly written, conversational, and informational. In contrast, her more substantial works require much more devotion and study, and have a much higher level of difficulty. Studies in Occultism is the clear choice for first reading of Blavatsky's original writings.
#10 Isis Unveiled
	Helene Blavatsky (1877) (1976). Of Blavatsky's many contributions, Isis Unveiled is her greatest achievement. Spanning a tract of ancient history almost unimaginable in its scope, Blavatsky's encyclopedic coverage of all knowledge spiritual and esoteric provides a resource that is indispensable as a reference, but which is beyond the ability of most readers and scientists to read through and digest. However, even the reading of short sections or individual chapters is likely to provide the reader with substantial knowledge. Blavatsky's writings have suffered many challenges, and there is indeed no way to verify many of the historical propositions which she advances regarding the spiritual practices of antiquity. Therefore, while nothing she reports should necessarily be regarded as fact, we know that the ongoing leadership of the Theosophical movement following Madame Blavatsky, Including C.W. Leadbeater, Annie Besant, and Rudolph Steiner, all accepted Blavatsky's expertise, and devoted their careers to explaining and developing the knowledge contained in Blavatsky's teachings.
#11 The Voice of the Silence
	Helene Blavatsky (1880). The most well-known of Blavatsky's printed works, representing her best known ideas. Inspirational and readable.
#12 The Devachanic Plane
	C. W. Leadbeater (1896) (1963). Bishop C.W. Leadbeater was a key leader and teacher within the early days of the first Theosophical Society following Blavatsky's founding directorship. Leadbeater authored books on a wide variety of esoteric topics, in addition to authoring several brief Theosophy manuals, along with Annie Besant. These manuals, concise expositions written with great clarity, each deals with a key concept within Theosophy. In this manual, Leadbeater describes the Devachanic plane, a plane of existence through which humans pass following bodily death, according to Theosophy. Best read in conjunction with Leadbeater's The Astral Plane.
#13 The Monad
	C. W. Leadbeater (1920) (1997). Written in the style of the Theosophy manuals, this book is actually a short anthology containing five separate articles. The leading article, The Monad, contains key insights necessary for complete understanding of the Theosophy model. The Monad represents the level of individualization occurring in the plane just above the causal plane, which follows the mental and astral planes. Human existence is understood as a partial representation of the complete consciousness which resides in the Monad. All of Leadbeater's works reflect his unique possession of esoteric knowledge, which makes reading of his works indispensable.
#14 Man And His Bodies
	Annie Besant (1896) (1975). The concept that humans have much more to their nature than the physical body is one of the fundamental tenets of Theosophy, which allows for separate interpenetrating bodes composed of progressively finer "particles", including the physical, etheric, astral, mental, causal, and intuitional bodies. The concept of multiple bodies existing as a system of interpenetrating "sheaths" is drawn from identical Tibetan concepts. Besant's presentation is clear, concise, and laden with esoteric insights. While all of Besant's writings possess an uncanny clarity, The Bodies of Man is among her best writings.
#15 The Ancient Wisdom
	Annie Besant (1897) (1992). One of several works by Annie Besant that could be considered encyclopedic in terms of depth of coverage. However, unlike the convoluted difficulty to be encountered in Blavatsky's encyclopedic works, Annie Besant maintains in her longer writings the same vision and clarity found in her short Theosophy manuals. Ancient Wisdom is an unrivaled source of esoteric knowledge, delivered in a form accessible to any interested reader. One of the crown-jewels of the Theosophy tradition.
#16 Foundations of Tibetan Mysticism
	Lama Anagarika Govinda (1960). "The most important book ever written about Tibetan mysticism". This statement adorns the back cover of the first printing of this classic text, and while in any other case such a statement would constitute exaggeration, in this case the description seems justified. Lama Govinda's book "is the last living link that connects us with the civilizations of the past and with their knowledge of the hidden forces of the human soul". Govinda explains the meaning of the syllables of the supreme mantra OM MANI PADME HUM, and the association of each with the Dhyani-buddhas, Vairocana, Ratnasambhava, Aksobhya, Amitaba, and Amoghasiddhi.
#17 The Wisdom of Insecurity
	Alan Watts (1951) (1967). An ideal "first book" for newcomers to the area of Eastern studies, this book carries all of Watt's ability to translate Eastern concepts into the language and metaphors of Western culture. Many other of Watt's numerous contributions to the consciousness literature could be nominated to this list of top transformational titles as his best work, including Nature, Man, & Woman, This Is It, and Beyond Theology
#18 Grist for the Mill
	Ram Dass (1976). Harvard psychologist Richard Alpert became famous in the 1960s and '70s as a result of his close association with fellow faculty member Timothy Leary, psychopomp for the drug-aware counterculture of that era. Alpert emphasized Eastern studies as an approach to consciousness. Renamed Ram Dass by his Indian guru, Alpert has maintained a presence in the world of consciousness studies since his Harvard days, with several notable contributions to the literature, including Be Here Now, often considered to be the unofficial handbook of the countercultural revolution. Grist for the mill is his best writing, chronicling the course of his own personal quest for enlightenment.The original 1976 version reads much better than the revised version of 1986.
#19 Ramakrishna and His Disciples
	Christopher Isherwood (1965) (1980). The story of the life of Ramakrishna reveals much about Hinduism and Vedanta in particular. A great avatar of key historical significance, Ramakrishna's followers became the most influential teachers and authorities within the Hindu tradition. Isherwood's commitment to vivid description of the details of Ramakrishna's life and surroundings, coupled with Isherwood's flawless exposition and knowledge of Indian tradition, gives the reader a clear sense of participation in Ramakrishna's daily life and relationships.
#20 Nature Spirits: Selected Lectures
	Rudolph Steiner (1995). Rudolph Steiner is another author in this list who could easily have been credited with twenty great transformational titles instead of just one. So much of Steiner's content is absolutely unique that it is difficult to justify selecting one over the other. Nature Spirits is distinguished in that 100% of its content is unique as well as esoteric, literally being a continuous narrative of the experience of unseen dimensions of our everyday life. The definitive theosophical statement on the nature of fire spirits, earth spirits, water spirits, air spirits, ghosts, fairies, gnomes, and other nonhuman inhabitants of the subphysical planes.
#21 Freedom in Exile: The Autobiography of the Dalai Lama
	H. H. The Dalai Lama (1990) (1998). The life story of the current Chinese ruler-in-exile, His Holiness the Dalai Lama. In his own words, the Dalai Lama describes his struggle to function as the spiritual leader of his people, while in exile among the remote mountaintop monasteries of Tibet. While obstructed in relation to his own followers, the Dalai Lama has nevertheless functioned for 25 years as a key spiritual leader of the world.
#22 The Nature of Human Consciousness
	Robert A. Ornstein (Ed.) (1973). The single most comprehensive consciousness anthology. Originally designed as a resource textbook for undergraduates, it has more key articles and reading excerpts than any other single consciousness resource, including classic articles such as Deikman's The Meaning of Everything, excerpts from Kapleau's The Three Pillars of Zen, and Joseph Bogen's The Other Side of the Brain: An Appositional Mind.
#23 Altered States of Consciousness
	Charles Tart (Ed.) (1969) (1990). The classic consciousness anthology, associated more than any other single title with the surge of interest in consciousness studies during the 1970's. With 33 articles by the top consciousness scholars of that era, it includes Tart's keynote article on mutual hypnosis, and Kilton Stewart's extraordinary account of the dream analysis of the Senoi Indians of Malaya. The 1990 third edition's expanded bibliography adds an additional 20 years of new consciousness references.
#24 Handbook of States of Consciousness
	Benjamin Wolman & Montague Ullman (Eds.) (1986). The most advanced consciousness anthology yet published Twenty extraordinary articles of unusual rarity and quality, including articles from Samuel McLaughlin, Ernest Rossi, Claudio Naranjo, Roland Fischer, John & Helen Watkins, Mansell Pattison and Joel Kahan, Stanley Krippner, and J.M.H. Whiteman. A must for any serious consciousness researher, this volume contains original scientific contributions which preempt much of contemporary publishing in the area of consciousness studies.
#25 The Atman Project
	Ken Wilbur (1980). While some commentators have dubbed Ken Wilbur the "Einstein" of consciousness theory, Wilbur's actual participation in orthodox psychology is minimal. Wilbur's popularity is as an integrator of Eastern thought with Western science and medicine, where his recognition and diversity of publications exceed those of other contemporary contributors. The Atman Project is a concise elaboration and application of an interesting hypothesis also by Wilbur.
#25+1 Dimension of Miracles
	Robert Sheckley (1969). Although this list is presented as the top 25 transformational books, we have added one additional title which may be questionable as fitting in with the other selections, all serious, nonfiction books. Nevertheless, our master list of titles in The Consciousness Reader contains a section devoted to transformational fiction and science fiction. From all the best transformational fiction, we nominate this humorous novel from Robert Sheckley as most deserving of inclusion in the top 25 transformational titles. Sheckley is the undisputed King of comedic science fiction, who presents sublime insights within imaginative contexts which are irresistible for their humor and sci-fi novelty.
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