[mrose]

Alan Watts is a great resource on this subject, particularly in translating eastern philosophy for the western world. That is to say, he "sums it up" and puts into context the concepts of Tao/Zen Buddhism/etc, which would be tricky if analyzed based on English translation of the literature alone.

With regards to meditation, his 'How to Meditate' video is an excellent place to start: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4Qkgmm5qQM

A good quote from that video: "The essence of the whole art is to feel, to experience what is, what happens, without saying anything to yourself about it."