Buddhism Books

August 24, 2016

Buddhism No Comments

Here are some books on Buddhism I have read and recommend for visitors who are interested in furthering their knowledge and understanding of Buddhism. I’ve formatted this list as a table with a clickable link to the book offering on Amazon.com.
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Title	Author	ISBN #	Description	Amazon URL
Journey to the Center	Matthew Flickstein	0861711416	This is your guide to deeper insight and contentment. Using hands-on exercises, journal entries, guided meditations, and stories, Matthew Flickstein combines Eastern meditation techniques and methods of Western psychotherapy to offer you this practical workbook for realizing your greatest potential.	Amazon Link to “Journey to the Center”
A Path with Heart	Jack Kornfield	0553372114	One of my favorite books. Based on Jack Kornfield’s dharma talks: full of great stories, insights, observations, and recommendations about living in the modern world and living an authentic life, following the path with connections to our heart.	Amazon link to “A Path With Heart”
After the Ecstasy, the Laundry	Jack Kornfield	0553378295	This book offers a uniquely intimate and honest understanding of how the modern spiritual journey unfolds – and how we can prepare our hearts for awakening.	Amazon link to “After the Ecstasy, the Laundry”
A Heart as Wide as the World	Sharon Salzberg	1570624283	Sharon Salzberg reveals how our own happiness is found in the capacity to open our hearts to others – and shows that this capacity is far more vast than we may ever have thought possible. Through meditation and the practice of lovingkindness, Salzberg shows how we can discover our intimate connection to those around us and to the world as a whole.	Amazon link to “A Heart as Wide as the World”
Lovingkindness : The Revolutionary Art of Happiness	Sharon Salzberg	1570621764	Sharon Salzberg shows us how we might systematically cultivate lovingkindness in our lives. Given the pain and turmoil that we often experience, the endemic misperceptions of the human mind regarding who and what we are, and how we relate to the stress and pain of our lives, practicing lovingkindness is an arduous discipline – no less so than attending to one’s breathing or observing the stream of one’s thought.	Amazon link to “Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness”
Swallowing the River Ganges	Matthew Flickstein	0861711785	A practical guide to the Path of Purification	Amazon link to “Swallowing the River Ganges”
The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching	Thich Nhat Hanh	0965856267	One of my favorite dharma teachers, Thich Nhat Hanh. Transforming suffering into peace, joy, and liberation.	Amazon link to “The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching”
Awakening the Buddha Within : Tibetan Wisdom for the Western World	Lama Surya Das	0767901576	Lama Surya Das shows how we can awaken to who we really are in order to lead a more compassionate, enlightened, and balanced life.	Amazon link to “Awakening the Buddha Within”
Selling Water by the River	Jiyu Kennet	0394718046	Here is a fascinating inside view of the religious side of Zen through a comprehensive manual of instruction for trainees.	Amazon link to “Selling Water by the River”
How to Meditate : A Practical Guide	Kathleen McDonald	0861710096	What is meditation? Why practice it? Which technique is best for me? How do I do it? The answers to these often-asked questions are contained in this down-to-earth book.	Amazon link to “How to Meditate”
Phra Farang	Phra Peter Pannapadipo	0099484471	Tells the story of Peter Robinson, a successful businessman, who at forty five, gave up his comfortable life in London to ordain as a Buddhist monk in Bangkok. But the new path he had chosen was not always as easy or as straightforward as he hoped it would be.	Amazon link to “Phra Farang”
Buddhism: A Way of Life and Thought	Nancy Wilson Ross	0394747542	A great book that provides a clear, concise overview of Buddhism, the different traditions and locations. Highly recommended.	Amazon link to “Buddhism – A Way of Life and Thought”
Bearing Witness: A Zen Master’s Lessons in Making Peace	Bernie Glassman	0609803913	A wonderful book rich with practical and spiritual wisdom for making peace in our hearts and in the world. How Glassman Roshi was moved to start the Zen Peacemaker Order.	Amazon link to “Bearing Witness”
The Three Pillars of Zen: Teaching, Practice, and Enlightenment	Philip Kapleau Roshi	0385260938	This rich source book on Zen Buddhism includes Yasutani Roshi’s Introductory Lectures on Zen practice and his private instructions to ten Westerners studying Zen.	Amazon link to “The Three Pillars of Zen”
Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind	Shunryu Suzuki	0834800799	The mind of the beginner is needed throughout Zen practice. It is the open mind, the attitude that includes both doubt and possibility, the ability to see things always as fresh and new. It is needed in all aspects of life. Beginner’s mind is the practice of Zen mind.	Amazon link to “Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind”
Returning to Silence	Dainin Katagiri	0877734313	Offers a basic understanding of Zen Buddhism. Special emphasis on discovering the experience of enlightenment in the midst of everyday life.	Amazon link to “Returning to Silence”
Opening the Lotus: A Woman’s Guide to Buddhism	Sandy Boucher	0807073083	Do women take a unique approach to spirituality? What are the elements of the Buddhist path, and what particular challenges might a Western woman face in beginning a Buddhist practice? What profound benefits does Buddhist practice offer to contemporary women?	Amazon link to “Opening the Lotus”
Everyday Zen	Charlotte Joko Beck	0060607343	Offers a warm, engaging, uniquely American approach to using Zen to deal with the problems of daily living – love, relationships, work, fear, ambition, suffering. Beck shows how to live each moment to the fullest.	Amazon link to “Everyday Zen”
The Miracle of Mindfulness	Thich Nhat Hanh	0807012394	This lucid and beautiful guide to Eastern meditation provides Westerners with a method of learning the skills of mindfulness – of being awake and fully aware.	Amazon link to “The Miracle of Mindfulness”
Touching Peace	Thich Nhat Hanh	0938077570	Thich Nhat Hanh continues to develop the teachings on practicing the art of mindful living begun in Being Peace.	Amazon link to “Touching Peace”
Nine-Headed Dragon River	Peter Matthiessen	1570623678	This moving, highly personal story attempts to convey the essence of the Zen experience as the journal shuttles between an account of modern Zen masters in America, details of the Buddha’s life, lyrical introspection and poetic recollections of Nepal, Tibet, India and Japan.	Amazon link to “Nine-Headed Dragon River”
Zen Flesh Zen Bones	Paul Reps, Nyogen Senzaki	0804831866	The essence of Zen–as a way of life, a religion, an aesthetic–can be found in the works of the Zen canon. Reps draws short stories and vignettes from such classic works as The Gateless Gate and 101 Zen Stories to help listeners come closer to answering the question: What is Zen?	Amazon link to “Zen Flesh Zen Bones”
Buddha’s Little Instruction Book	Jack Kornfield	0553373854	Buddha’s simple instructions have helped people to find wholeness and peace amid life’s crises and distractions for more than 2,500 years.	Amazon link to “Buddha’s Little Instruction Book”
Awakening Loving-Kindness	Pema Chodron	1570622590	Small, pocket (abridged) edition that contains great lessons and methods of practicing. This book, and any of Pema Chodron’s books are highly recommended.	Amazon link to “Awakening Loving-Kindness”
The Jewel in the Lotus	Stephen Batchelor	0861710487	This is the first book in English to bring together a clear and down to earth introduction to Tibetan Buddhism with selections of teachings from each of the traditions that have flourished in Tibet, and now in the West, for more than a thousand years.	Amazon link to “The Jewel in the Lotus”
Introduction to Buddhism	Geshe Kelsang Gyatso	0948006277	An explanation of the Buddhist way of life, a compelling introduction to the life and teachings of Buddha. Those new to Buddhism and meditation will find this book an ideal guide to the Buddhist way of life.	Amazon link to “Introduction to Buddhism”
Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior	Chogyam Trungpa	0877732647	Drawing from the teachings of Tibet’s age-old warrior culture, Chogyam Trungpa shows us how to use the principles of enlightened warriorship in our own lives to conquer the self-doubt, negativity, and aggression that keep us from genuine happiness and total fulfillment.	Amazon link to “Shambhala-The Sacred Path of the Warrior”
Taking the Path of Zen	Robert Aitken	0865470804	Robert Aitken presents the practice, lifestyle, rationale, and ideology of Zen Buddhism with remarkable clarity. Taking the Path of Zen will serve as orientation and guide for anyone who is drawn to the ways of Zen.	Amazon link to “Taking the Path of Zen”
Only Don’t Know	Seung Sahn	0942795032	The first Korean Zen Master to teach in the West, Seung Sahn challenges his students with kong-ans, encourages them in their practice, and teaches them by holding before them the clear mirror of his own mind.	Amazon link to “Only Don’t Know”
Imagine All The People	Tenzin Gyatso, The XIV Dalai Lama	0861711505	If you could sit down with The Dalai Lama and talk with him about anything, what would you discuss? Fabien Ouaki, a prominent French businessman, was granted such an opportunity and asked The Dalai Lama what he thinks about the everyday issues that fill our newspapers and lives.	Amazon link to “Imagine All The People”
Beyond Dogma	Tenzin Gyatso, The XIV Dalai Lama	1556432186	His Holiness responds to a wide range of contemporary social, political, and religious issues during a series of public lectures and question-and-answer sessions with political activists, religious leaders, students, scientists, Buddhist practitioners, and interfaith organizations.	Amazon link to “Beyond Dogma”
Gesture of Balance	Tarthang Tulku	091354616X	Gesture of Balance urges us to directly experience our own natures and to find their surprising ways of living full and worthwhile lives.	Amazon link to “Gesture of Balance”
Zen: Dawn in the West	Roshi Phillip Kapleau	0385142730	This book draws upon Roshi Kapleau’s experience in conducting intensive retreats, introductory workshops, and lectures, and in guiding hundreds of Zen students of all ages at the Rochester Zen Center.	Amazon link to “Zen: Dawn in the West”
The Mind of Clover	Robert Aitken	0865471584	Robert Aitken addresses the world beyond the zazen cushions, illuminating issues of appropriate personal and social action through an exploration of the philosophical complexities of Zen ethics.	Amazon link to “The Mind of Clover”
Bring Me the Rhinoceros	John Tarrant	1400047641	This book offers an unusual path to happiness. It doesn’t encourage you to strive for things or manipulate people or change yourself into an improved, more polished version of you. Instead, it deftly shows that, rather than laboriously building happiness, you can just unbuild, unmake, toss overboard, and generally subvert unhappiness.	Amazon link to “Bring Me the Rhinoceros”
The Gateless Barrier	Robert Aitken	0856474427	The Gateless Barrier is generally acknowledged to be the fundamental koan collection in the literature of Zen. Gathered together by Wu-men (Mumon), a thirteenth-century master of the Lin-chi (Rinzai) school, it is composed of forty-eight koans, or cases, each accompanied by a brief comment and poem by Wu-men. Aitken has translated Wu-men’s text, supplementing the original with his own commentary – making the profound truths of Zen Buddhism accessible to serious contemporary students and relevant to current social concerns.	Amazon link to “The Gateless Barrier”
The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying	Sogyal Rinpoche	0062507931	In this timely book, Sogyal Rinpoche focuses on how to understand the true meaning of life, how to accept death, and how to help the dying, and the dead. … This book offers readers not just a theoretical account of death and dying, but also practical measures for understanding, and for preparing themselves and others in a calm and fulfilling way.	Amazon link to “The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying”
Teachings of the Buddha	Jack Kornfield, editor	0877738602	Included here are some of the earliest recorded sayings of the historic Buddha on the practice of freedom, selections from later Indian Buddhist scriptures on the perfection of wisdom, verses from the Tibetan masters on the enlightened mind, and songs of praise by Zen teachers on the great value of meditation.	Amazon link to “Teachings of the Buddha”
The Dhammapada	translated The Venerable Balangoda Ananda Maitreya	0938077872	The Dhammapada holds a special place of distinction in Buddhist literature. It is often characterized as the most representative example of the teachings of the Buddha. It provides, beautifully and simply, a key to the fundamentals of early Buddhist philosophy…	Amazon link to “The Dhammapada”
One Dharma	Joseph Goldstein	0062517015	Goldstein’s intention is twofold. First, it is to leave readers with a path of practice that integrates various teachings and methods of these several traditions – from the first steps of entering the path to the transformative experience of sudden awakening. And second, it is to show that, beneath the differences of method and philosophy, there is a deep common vein of liberating wisdom that runs through all the lineages of Buddhism.	Amazon link to “One Dharma”
Mountain Record of Zen Talks	John Daido Loori	0877734453	Based on dharma talks given by John Daido Loori, the book explores the seven areas of study that are the focus of training at Zen Mountain Monastery in New York State: meditation, study with the teacher, liturgy, art practice, body practice, the study of scriptures, and work practice.	Amazon link to “Mountain Record of Zen Talks”
The Long Road Turns to Joy: A Guide to Walking Meditation	Thich Nhat Hanh	9781935209928	One of the few books focused completely on mindful walking and walking meditation. This revised edition of the best-selling title (nearly 80,000 copies sold to date) includes over 30 percent new material—including new walking meditation poems and practices—and provides a practical and inspirational introduction to this important practice.	Amazon link to “The Long Road Turns to Joy”

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