Additional Resources
Below are additional ways to learn about meditation and Buddhism, in no particular order of importance. They include guided meditations, dharma talks (lectures), podcasts and sutta study.
This is a collection of suggestions from members of our community, and is by no means a comprehensive list of resources. Also, different approaches appeal to different types of people. Explore what interests you and ignore the rest.
Guided Meditations
Mindful Meditation Audio from the Mindful Awareness Research Center
Guided Meditations at Audio Dharma
Dharma Talks
There are many websites with collections of dharma talks. The following first three are representative of the Theravada tradition, with Dharma Seed being particularly extensive. The rest are taken from Zen, Tibetan and inclusive traditions.
Audio Dharma
"Audio Dharma is an archive of Dharma talks given by Gil Fronsdal, Andrea Fella, and various guest speakers at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, CA. Each talk illuminates aspects of the Buddha's teachings. The purpose is the same that the Buddha had for his teachings, to guide us toward the end of suffering and the attainment of freedom."
Dharma Seed
"Since the early 1980's, Dharma Seed has collected and distributed dharma talks by teachers transmitting the Vipassana or Insight practices of Theravada Buddhism, the oldest Buddhist tradition still actively pursued in the 21st century."
Dhamma Talks
Dhamma Talks offers downloads of Dhamma talks, books and essays by Thanissaro Bhikkhu of Metta Forest Monastery in various audio and text formats. Thanissaro Bhikkhu (Taan Ajaan Geoff) is a senior monk in the Thai Forest Tradition of Theravada Buddhism."
Shinzen Young
Shinzen Young is one of the foremost meditation teachers of our time, with over 50 years experience. As a synthesist he draws from all spiritual traditions and is free of dogma. The video talks on his website offer a brief introduction. For more extensive teaching visit the youtube channels Shinzen Young Teachings and Shinzen Videos. He's also been on the Deconstructing Yourself Podcast multiple times.
Upaya Zen Center
Upaya Zen Center, located in New Mexico, is a Zen residential and retreat center led by Joan Halifax that also offers several social engagement programs.The center’s website contains hundreds of hours of dharma talks, spanning over a decade, given by a wide variety of teachers. The talks can be found under the teachings/dharma podcast tab and are searchable by topic or by teacher.
Dharma Ocean
Reggie Ray of Dharma Ocean teaches somatic meditation within the Vajrayana tradition - the indestructible path. Somatic meditation connects us to the "inherent, self-existing wakefulness that is already present in the body."
Journey of Authentic Becoming (duration 15:49)
Inherent Perfection (duration 16:58)
Unfettered Mind
Established by Ken McLeod, Unfettered Mind is a Buddhist service organization that provides instruction, training programs, and guidance in Buddhist methods for being awake and present in your life.
Pema Chödrön
Beloved Buddhist teacher, author, nun and mother, Pema Chodron has inspired millions of people from around the world who have been touched by her example and message of practicing peace in these turbulent times. The Pema Chodron Foundation is dedicated to preserving and sharing Pema’s inspiration and teachings in order that they might help us all awaken wisdom and compassion in ourselves and the world around us.
Podcasts
Deconstructing Yourself Podcast
The Deconstructing Yourself podcast passionately investigates awakening, meditation, mindfulness, neuroscience, and more. Michael Taft interviews some of the most interesting thinkers, authors, teachers, and radical practitioners in the world.
"A witty and wise exploration of the deep end of the consciousness ocean. Fun, fascinating and wonderful."
Ten Percent Happier Podcast
Ten Percent Happier podcast is hosted by Dan Harris, a fidgety, skeptical ABC newsman who had a panic attack live on Good Morning America. This led him to something he always thought was ridiculous: meditation. He wrote the bestseller 10% Happier, and in this podcast talks with smart people about whether there's anything beyond 10%.
Buddhist Geeks Podcast
Started in 2007 by Buddhist meditation teachers, Vincent Horn and Ryan Oelke, Buddhist Geeks podcast is "Dharma in the Age of the Network."
Guru Viking Podcast
Guru Viking Podcast specializes in in-depth interviews with remarkable figures in the world of meditation, spirituality and self development.
BodhiHeart Podcast
Khenpo Sherab Sangpo, a professor of Tibetan Buddhism in the Nyingma Lineage (bodhicittasangha.org), offers essential teachings on Buddhist philosophy and meditation in an audio format via the BodhiHeart Podcast.
Sutta Study
Sutta Readings
Sutta Readings is a library of free audio recordings of English translations of Pali suttas, selected and read aloud by respected Dhamma teachers within the Theravada Buddhist tradition.
Pali Audio
Pali Audio includes readings of the Digha Nikaya, Samyutta Nikaya, Majjhima Nikaya, and the Anguttara Nikaya in English.
Access to Insight
Access to Insight remains the most accessible entry to studying the words of the Buddha. It is easy to navigate and also provides offline and mobile formats.
The Path to Freedom
The Path to Freedom: A Self-guided Tour of the Buddha's Teachings is an invitation "to explore some of the Buddha's basic teachings as they are presented in the Pali canon. Each page in this section contains a selection of short passages from the suttas (discourses or sermons) that introduce or illustrate different aspects of a single topic."
Study the Majjhima Nikaya
A Systematic Study of the Majjhima Nikaya by Bhikkhu Bodhi is "a series of lectures that explore the direct teachings of the Buddha himself as preserved in some of the oldest records of his discourses. The first part of the series, covering fifty-two of the discourses (Parts I to IX), constitutes a systematic study program in the teachings of Early Buddhism. The later part of the series (Part X) takes selected discourses from the book in sequence, explaining their meaning and practical relevance."
Pali Language Course
A Course in the Pali Language by Bhikkhu Bodhi is "designed to help you to learn the basics of Pali grammar and vocabulary through direct study of selections from the Buddha’s discourses. It thus aims to enable you to read the Buddha’s discourses in the original as quickly as possible."