Although reading about the Dharma is no substitute for practicing it, a good book on Zen or Buddhism can set you on the course of practice or, when you feel stalled, kick-start it. The following list is not meant to be comprehensive; there are just too many good books on Zen and Buddhism, with more published every year. But this offers a sampling of some of our current favorites. In bold print are those we see as particularly helpful. |
Title |
Author/Translator |
Comment |
Contemporary Zen Teachings
|
Finding Your Seat: A Zen Handbook |
Sensei Amala Wrightson, Kathryn Argetsinger |
|
Illuminating Silence: Insights on the Path of Chinese Zen |
Chinese Zen master Sheng-yen, (John H. Crook, Ed.) |
|
The Mind of Clover: Essays in Zen Buddhist Ethics |
Robert Aitken, Roshi |
|
Opening the Hand of Thought: Foundations of Zen Buddhist Practice |
Kosho Uchiyama, Roshi, (Jisho Warner, Shohaku Okumura, & Thomas Wright, eds.) |
|
Sweeping Changes: Discovering the Joy of Zen in Everyday Tasks |
Gary Thorp |
|
Taking the Path of Zen |
Robert Aitken, Roshi |
|
The Three Pillars of Zen: Teaching, Practice, Enlightenment |
Philip Kapleau, Roshi |
Roshi Kjolhede’s Afterword |
The Way of Korean Zen |
Master Kusan Sunim, (Martine Batchelor, tr. & Stephen Batchelor, ed.) |
|
Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice |
Shunryu Suzuki, Roshi, (Trudy Dixon, ed.) |
|
Zen: Merging of East and West |
Philip Kapleau, Roshi |
|
Zen: Tradition and Transition |
Kenneth Kraft, ed. |
|
Introduction to General Buddhism
|
Buddha |
Karen Armstrong |
|
Buddhism: A Concise Introduction |
Huston Smith & Philip Novak |
|
Buddhism: A Way of Life and Thought |
Nancy Wilson Ross |
|
What the Buddha Taught |
Walpola Rahula, tr. & ed. |
|
Zen Teaching Classics
|
Dream Conversations on Buddhism and Zen |
Muso Kokushi, (Thomas Cleary, tr.) |
14th-century Japaneses Zen master |
The Essential Teachings of Zen Master Hakuin |
Norman Waddell, tr. |
18th-century Japanese Zen master |
The Hidden Lamp: Stories from Twenty-Five Centuries of Awakened Women |
Zenshin Florence Caplow and Reigetsu Susan Moon, eds. |
|
How to Cook Your Life: From the Zen Kitchen to Enlightenment |
Zen Master Dogen & Kosho Uchiyama-roshi, (Thomas Wright, tr.) |
|
Instant Zen: Waking Up in the Present |
Foyan, (Thomas Cleary, tr.) |
11th to 12th-century Chinese Zen master |
Mud and Water: A Collection of Talks by the Zen Master Bassui |
Arthur Braverman, tr. |
Japanese, 14th-century |
The Original Face: An Anthology of Rinzai Zen |
Thomas Cleary, tr. |
Japanese masters, 13th to 18th centuries |
Swampland Flowers: The Letters and Lectures of Zen Master Ta Hui |
Christopher Cleary, tr. |
Chinese, 12th-century |
Tracing Back the Radiance: Chinul’s Korean Way of Zen |
Robert E. Buswell, Jr., tr. |
12th-century father of Korean Zen |
The Unborn: The Life and Teachings of Zen Master Bankei |
Norman Waddell, tr. |
Japanese, 17th-century |
Zen Essence: The Science of Freedom |
Thomas Cleary, tr. and ed. |
Chinese Zen masters of the Tang and Sung dynasties (8th to 14th centuries) |
Zen Letters: Teachings of Yuanwu |
J.C. Cleary & Thomas Cleary, trs. |
11th to 12th-century Chinese Zen master |
The Zen Teaching of Bodhidharma |
Red Pine, tr. |
the Indian-born Founder of Zen |
The Zen Teaching of Huang Po on the Transmission of Mind |
John Blofeld, tr. |
9th-century Chinese Zen master |
Zen’s Chinese Heritage: The Masters and Their Teachings |
Andy Ferguson, tr. |
a Tang Dynasty compilation |
Other Non-Zen Buddhist Teachings
|
Being Dharma: The Essence of the Buddha’s Teaching |
Ajahn Chah |
Theravada Buddhism |
Dhammapada |
Buddha, (Eknath Easwaran, tr.) |
pre-Zen Buddhism |
Dipa Ma: The Life and Legacy of a Buddhist Master |
Amy Schmidt |
Indian woman master |
Faces of Compassion: Classic Bodhisattva Archetypes and Their Modern Expression – An Introduction to Mahayana Buddhism |
Taigen Dan Leighton |
Mahayana Buddhism |
Fundamentals of Buddhist Ethics |
Gunapala Dharmasiri |
Theravada Buddhism |
Mindfulness in Plain English |
Bhante Gunaratana |
Theravada Buddhism |
When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times |
Pema Chödrön |
Tibetan Buddhism |