Recommended Books
Revised March 30, 2013
The books listed below represent a small selection of some of the key texts in each category. The name(s) provided below each title designate either the primary author, editor, or translator.
Introductions
Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction Damien Keown
Taking the Path of Zen Robert Aitken
Everyday Zen Charlotte Joko Beck
Start Where You Are Pema Chodron
The Eight Gates of Zen John Daido Loori
Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind Shunryu Suzuki
Buddhism Without Beliefs: A Contemporary Guide to Awakening Stephen Batchelor
The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation Thich Nhat Hanh
Buddhism For Beginners Thubten Chodron
The Buddha and His Teachings Sherab Chödzin Kohn and Samuel Bercholz
The Spirit of the Buddha Martine Batchelor
1 Meditation and Zen Practice
Mindfulness in Plain English Bhante Henepola Gunaratana
The Four Foundations of Mindfulness in Plain English Bhante Henepola Gunaratana
Change Your Mind: A Practical Guide to Buddhist Meditation Paramananda
Making Space: Creating a Home Meditation Practice Thich Nhat Hanh
The Heart of Buddhist Meditation Thera Nyanaponika
Meditation for Beginners Jack Kornfield
Being Nobody, Going Nowhere: Meditations on the Buddhist Path Ayya Khema
The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation Thich Nhat Hanh
Zen Meditation in Plain English John Daishin Buksbazen and Peter Matthiessen
Beyond Thinking: A Guide to Zen Meditation Eihei Dogen
On Zen Practice: Body, Breath, and Mind Hakuyu Taizan Maezumi
Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life Jon Kabat-Zinn
How to Train a Wild Elephant Jan Chozen Bays
Breathing through the Whole Body: The Buddha's Instructions on Integrating Mind, Body, and Breath Will Johnson
Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism Chogyam Trungpa
2 Encouraging Words: Zen Buddhist Teachings for Western Students Robert Aitken
Life of the Buddha
Buddha Karen Armstrong
Old Path White Clouds: Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddha Thich Nhat Hanh
Path of Compassion: Stories from the Buddha's Life Thich Nhat Hanh
The Buddha: A Very Short Introduction Michael Carrithers
Walking the Buddhist Path
The Heart of Being John Daido Loori
For a Future to Be Possible: Buddhist Ethics for Everyday Life Thich Nhat Hanh
Being Upright Reb Anderson
Friends on the Path: Living Spiritual Communities Thich Nhat Hanh
Stepping into Freedom: An Introduction to Buddhist (Monastic) Training Thich Nhat Hanh
The Heart Is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out The Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje
The Mind of Clover: Essays in Zen Buddhist Ethics Robert Aitkin
Being Good: Buddhist Ethics for Everyday Life Venerable Master Hsing Yun
Chanting from the Heart: Buddhist Ceremonies and Daily Practices Thich Nhat Hanh
Living by Vow: A Practical Introduction to Eight Essential Zen Chants and Texts Shohaku Okumura
3 The Six Perfections: Buddhism and the Cultivation of Character Dale Wright
Taking Our Places: The Buddhist Path to Truly Growing Up Norman Fischer
Buddhist Pali Canon (Entry Level Studies)
In the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon Bhikkhu Bodhi and The Dalai Lama
The Dhammapada Eknath Easwaran
Turning the Wheel of Truth: Commentary on the Buddha's First Teaching Ajahn Sucitto
First Buddhist Women: Poems and Stories of Awakening Susan Murcott
Great Disciples of the Buddha: Their Lives, Their Works, Their Legacy Nyanaponika Thera and Hellmuth Hecker
Buddhist Pali Canon (Advanced Scriptural Studies)
The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha: Anguttara Nikaya Bhikkhu Bodhi
The Long Discourses of the Buddha: Digha Nikaya Maurice Walshe
The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha: Majjhima Nikaya Bhikkhu Nanamoli and Bhikkhu Bodhi
The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: Samyutta Nikaya Bhikkhu Bodhi
A Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma Bhikkhu Bodhi
Collegiate Level Textbooks
The Experience of Buddhism: Sources and Interpretations John S. Strong
4 An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and Practices Peter Harvey
Buddhist Religions: A Historical Introduction Richard H. Robinson
Introducing the Buddhist Experience Second Edition Donald W. Mitchell
Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations Paul Williams
Reference
The Shambhala Dictionary of Buddhism and Zen
Encyclopedia of Buddhism Damien Keown and Charles S. Prebish
The Buddhist World John Powers
A Dictionary of Buddhism Damien Keown
A Concise Encyclopedia of Buddhism John Powers
Faces of Compassion: Classic Bodhisattva Archetypes and Their Modern Expression - An Introduction to Mahayana Buddhism Taigen Dan Leighton
Buddhist Sutras: Origin, Development, Transmission Kogen Mizuno
The Social Organization of Zen Practice: Constructing Transcultural Reality David L. Preston
Mahayana Sutras and Literature
The Lotus Sutra Burton Watson
The Sutra of Hui-Neng: Grand Master of Zen Thomas Cleary
The Diamond Sutra: Transforming the Way We Perceive the World Mu Soeng
5 The Diamond That Cuts Through Illusion Thich Nhat Hanh
Cultivating the Empty Field: The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi Taigen Dan Leighton
The Way of the Bodhisattva Shantideva
Zen Flesh, Zen Bones: A Collection of Zen and Pre-Zen Writings Paul Reps and Nyogen Senzaki
The Sayings of Layman P’ang: A Zen Classic of China James Green
The Zen Teachings of Bodhidharma Red Pine
The Lankavatara Sutra: Translation and Commentary Red Pine
The Vimalakirti Sutra (Burton Watson) OR (Robert Thurman)
The Flower Ornament Scripture: A Translation of The Avatamsaka Sutra Thomas Cleary
The Heart of Understanding: Commentaries on the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra Thich Nhat Hanh
The Heart of the Universe: Exploring the Heart Sutra Mu Soeng
There Is No Suffering: A Commentary on the Heart Sutra Sheng Yen
Awakening of the Heart: Essential Buddhist Sutras and Commentary Thich Nhat Hanh
Hsin-Hsin Ming: Verses on the Faith-Mind , Richard B. Clark
Treasury of the True Dharma Eye: Zen Master Dogen's Shobo Genzo Eihei Dogen
The Shurangama Sutra: Sutra Text and Supplements Hsuan Hua
A Buddha from Korea: Zen Teachings of Taego Thomas Cleary
The Zen Monastic Experience Robert Buswell
The Compass of Zen Seung Sahn
Wonhyo's Philosophy of Mind A. Charles Muller
Dropping Ashes on the Buddha Zen Master Seung Sahn
Wanting Enlightenment Is a Big Mistake Seung Sahn and Hyon Gak Sunim
The Mirror of Zen: The Classic Guide to Buddhist Practice by Zen Master So Sahn Boep Joeng
No River to Cross: Trusting the Enlightenment That's Always Right Here Zen Master Daehaeng
Currents and Countercurrents: Korean Influences on the East Asian Buddhist Traditions Robert E. Buswell
The Way of Korean Zen Kusan Sunim
Don't-Know Mind: The Spirit of Korean Zen Richard Shrobe
Thousand Peaks Mu Seong
Tracing Back the Radiance: Chinul's Korean Way of Zen Robert Buswell
Makers of Modern Korean Buddhism Jin Y. Park
Sermon of One Hundred Days Venerable Seongcheol
7 Philosophy and Theology (Advanced Studies)
What the Buddha Taught Walpola Rahula
Basic Buddhist Concepts Kogen Mizuno
Buddhist Philosophy: Essential Readings William Edelglass and Jay Garfield
An Introduction to Zen Buddhism D.T. Suzuki
Essential Buddhism: A Complete Guide to Beliefs and Practices Jack Maguire
Philosophical Meditations on Zen Buddhism Dale S. Wright
Zen Philosophy, Zen Practice Thich Thien-An
Toward a Philosophy of Zen Buddhism Toshihiko Izutsu
A Companion to Buddhist Philosophy Steven M. Emmanuel
Classics of Buddhism and Zen: Volumes 1-5 Thomas Cleary
Ethics
The Great Compassion: Buddhism and Animal Rights Norm Phelps
To Cherish All Life: A Buddhist Case for Becoming Vegetarian Philip Kapleau
Food of Bodhisattvas: Buddhist Teachings on Abstaining from Meat Shabkar
Buddhist Ethics: A Very Short Introduction Damien Keown
Ethics for the New Millennium Dalai Lama
8 Destroying Mara Forever: Buddhist Ethics Essays In Honor Of Damien Keown John Powers and Charles S. Prebish
Buddhism and Bioethics Damien Keown
Buddhism and Abortion Damien Keown
An Introduction to Buddhist Ethics: Foundations, Values and Issues Peter Harvey
The Nature of Buddhist Ethics Damien Keown
Contemporary Buddhist Ethics Damien Keown
Sustainability and Consumption
Bicycles and Buddhists: Encounters with a Sustainable Living Community Roberta Palmer
Mindfulness in the Marketplace: Compassionate Responses to Consumerism Allan Hunt Badiner
The Wisdom of Sustainability: Buddhist Economics for the 21st Century Sulak Sivaraksa
Hooked!: Buddhist Writings on Greed, Desire, and the Urge to Consume Stephanie Kaza
Environmental Consciousness
Dharma Rain: Sources of Buddhist Environmentalism Kenneth Kraft
Mindfully Green: A Personal and Spiritual Guide to Whole Earth Thinking Stephanie Kaza
Dharma Gaia: A Harvest of Essays in Buddhism and Ecology Allan Hunt Badiner
The Attentive Heart: Conversations with Trees Stephanie Kaza
9 The World We Have: A Buddhist Approach to Peace and Ecology Thich Nhat Hanh
Teachings of the Earth: Zen and the Environment John Daido Loori
Love Letter to the Earth Thich Nhat Hanh
Buddhism and Ecology: The Interconnection of Dharma and Deeds Mary Evelyn Tucker
World as Lover, World as Self: Courage for Global Justice and Ecological Renewal Joanna Macy
Sexuality and Gender
The Red Thread: Buddhist Approaches to Sexuality Bernard Faure
The Power of Denial: Buddhism, Purity, and Gender Bernard Faure
Buddhism After Patriarchy: A Feminist History, Analysis, and Reconstruction of Buddhism Rita M. Gross
Shoes Outside the Door: Desire, Devotion, and Excess at San Francisco Zen Center Michael Downing
Meeting The Great Bliss Queen: Buddhists, Feminists, And The Art Of The Self Anne Carolyn Klein
Queer Dharma: Voices of Gay Buddhists Vol. 1 & 2 Winston Leyland
A Bull of a Man: Images of Masculinity, Sex, and the Body in Indian Buddhism John Powers
Buddhism, Sexuality, and Gender Jose Ignacio Cabezon
The Narrow Way: A Memoir Of Coming Out, Getting Clean and Finding Buddha Chris Lemig
Women in Korean Zen: Lives and Practices Martine Batchelor
Buddhist Women on the Edge: Contemporary Perspectives from the Western Frontier Marianne Dresser
Turning The Wheel: American Women Creating the New Buddhism Sandy Boucher
Women's Buddhism, Buddhism's Women -- Tradition, Revision, Renewal Ellison Banks Findly
Meetings with Remarkable Women: Buddhist Teachers in America Lenore Friedman
Women Living Zen: Japanese Soto Buddhist Nuns Paula Kane Robinson Arai
Women of the Way: Discovering 2,500 Years of Buddhist Wisdom Sallie Tisdale
Buddhism Through American Women's Eyes Karma Lekshe Tsomo
Women Under Primitive Buddhism: Laywomen and Almswomen I. B. Horner
Zen Women: Beyond Tea Ladies, Iron Maidens, and Macho Masters Grace Schireson and Miriam Levering
Ties That Bind: Maternal Imagery and Discourse in Indian Buddhism Reiko Ohnuma
A Gathering of Spirit: Women Teaching in American Buddhism Ellen S. Sidor
Daughters of Emptiness: Poems of Chinese Buddhist Nuns Beata Grant
Women in Buddhism: Images of the Feminine in the Mahayana Tradition Diana Y. Paul
Korean Buddhist Nuns and Laywomen: Hidden Histories, Enduring Vitality Cho Eun-Su
11 Right View, Right Life: Insights of a Woman Buddhist Priest Jiko Kohno
Blossoms of the Dharma: Living as a Buddhist Nun