Eric-Jorgenson The-Almanack-of-Naval-Ravikant indd

Total Freedom: The Essential Krishnamurti by Jiddu 
Krishnamurti
I like this for someone who’s more advanced. A rationalist’s 
guide to the perils of the human mind. The “spiritual” book I 
keep returning to. [1]
Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
I love this as a classic book on philosophy, a good introduction 
for someone starting out. I’ve given out more copies of this 
book than any other. [1]
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214 · T H E A L M A N A C K O F N A V A L R A V I K A N T 
I’m pretty much always rereading something by either 
Krishnamurti or Osho. Those are my favorite philosophers. [4]
[Update: I’d now add Jed McKenna, Kapil Gupta, the Vashistha 
Yoga, and Schopenhauer to that list.]
The Book of Secrets: 112 Meditations to 
Discover the Mystery Within by Osho
Most meditation techniques are con-
centration methods, and there are many, 
many meditation techniques. If you 
want to run through a bunch of them, you can pick up a book 
called The Book of Secrets by Osho. I know he’s gott en a bad rap 
recently, but he was a prett y smart guy. It’s actually a transla-
tion of an old Sanskrit book with 112 diff erent meditations. You 
can try each one and see which one works for you. [74]
The Great Challenge: Exploring the World Within by Osho
The Way to Love: The Last Meditations of Anthony de Mello by 
Anthony de Mello
The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael 
Singer
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius was absolutely life-
changing for me. It’s the personal diary 
of the emperor of Rome. Here’s a guy 
who was probably the most powerful 
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N A V A L ’ S R E C O M M E N D E D R E A D I N G · 215
human being on Earth at the time he lived. He’s writing a diary 
to himself, never expecting it to be published. When you open 
this book, you realize he had all the same issues and all the 
same mental struggles; he was trying to be a bett er person. 
Right there, you fi gure out success and power don’t improve 
your internal state—you still have to work on it. [6]