How can we incorporate books into the main site?

[Gareth]

This section of the forum started off very slow, so it's nice to see it gaining momentum now.

There is some really good stuff on here, and I want to incorporate it into the main site eventually. Books are an excellent way to get into mindfulness, and they are indeed what started me.

I think it would be a good idea to have a section of the site that acts as a reference to all the different mindfulness books out there. Different books appeal to different people so I want the site to provide a method for people to find the book that is right for them. I had thought about putting a link to the book on the site with the official description, and then links to discussions about the book here in the forum.

But as ever, I am open to suggestions from the community about how to present this particular kind of resource. What do you all think?

[Jenna]

Gareth

It may be an idea to split them into books with audio and just books.

Just a suggestion; also some books are more advanced than others so it is probably worth flagging these up as well

[JonW]

Needs pondering, this one. There are so many books about mindfulness out there. It can be confusing both for the beginning and the more advanced meditator.
I'm away to ponder.

[BioSattva]

Maybe different sections for core MBSR, Zen, Psychotherapy, Hobbies & Arts, Buddhism, Religions, etc.

[JonW]

And poetry.

[JonW]

Religion, of course, is a potential hot potato. How could that section be set up in such a way that there's no chance of squabbling among ourselves? How can we justify the inclusion of one religion and not another? How would atheists feel about it?
Might it be enough to feature a small section on Zen/Buddism "starter" books as a point of reference for those who wish to explore the "roots" of mindfulness?
Or do we follow Kabat-Zinn's lead and keep the whole thing as secular as we possibly can?
I'd be interested to hear what others feel on the subject.

[Vixine]

If there is a section on buddhism or mindfulness in buddhism, there could also be a section for 'secular' books on mindfulness or western mindfulness (we all know mbsr is not tied with buddhism not everyone knows that)

[Vixine]

I think you would have to leave out a lot of good books not to include books with a buddhist nature

[Gareth]

Religion is indeed a hot potato, but then, there are many people who do believe, so my instinct is that it would be best to include it without promoting it in any way. Whatever one thinks about religion is largely irrelevant in my opinion. This site is going to be about mindfulness which can be in a religious context or not.

[BioSattva]

There is Tim Ryan the Ohio Congressman who uses a Catholic Rosary, but has written a book called 'A Mindful Nation'. It would be a shame to miss out on peoples' perspective based on the fact that they have religious leanings.

I think it's good (and essential in fact) to keep the clear secular tone, however.