Reccomended Reading:
(all are reccomended equally)
Mind In Comfort And Ease: The vision of enlightenment in the Great Perfection
His Holiness The Dalai Lama
Questions To A Zen Master
Taisen Deshimaru
Heartwood of the Bodhi Tree
Buddhadasa Bhikkhu
Sun Face Buddha: The Teachings of Ma-tsu and the Hung-chou school of Chan
Cheng Chien Bhikshu
Voices Of Our Ancestors
Venerable Dhyani Ywahoo
Glimpses Of Abhidharma
Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche
The Method Of No Method: The Chan Practice of Silent Illumination
Chan Master Sheng Yen
The Way Of The Bodhisattva (Bodhicharyavatara)
Shantideva
A work of art by a Buddhist master, a field guide to exposing our natural innate compassion.
The Tao Te Ching
Lao Tzu
The Taoist masterpiece that, like all of these books, needs pondering not reading. Meant to guide you further and further within yourself until you see what inside and outside really mean. There are many excellent translations; Benjamin Hoff’s is my current favorite.
The Tao Of Poo
Benjamin Hoff
Who knew that Poo Bear was really a Taoist monk! A great explanation of Taoism that still allows and creates the opportunities for you to make the discoveries of truth!
Only Don’t Know
Seung Sahn
Come on a journey with a Korean Zen Master, it may leave you scratching your head and wondering if there aren’t other resources available to us besides thought.
Awakening The Buddha Within
Lama Surya Das
This book is on par with The Tibetan Book Of Living And Dying in terms of a broad and comprehensive introduction to Tibetan Buddhism. Lots of meditation instruction.
Celebrating Silence
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Short, simple and to the point, let each message resonate within before reading on.
The Cloud Of Unknowing
Anonymous fourteenth century author
Christian mysticism, which points and elucidates and guides to that same wondrous truth.
Not Always So
Shunryu Suzuki
Japanese Zen Buddhist master brilliantly guides us in meditation and the nature of reality.
The Power Of Now
Eckhart Tolle
A New Earth
Eckhart Tolle
Both of these books are modern masterpieces spoken by one who lives the same truth all mystics have spoken of. The teachings are delivered in a very suitable way to the western mind.
Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism
Chogyam Trungpa
What!? Ego involved in the spiritual path? Of course! This message delivered by the venerable Rinpoche is a must for anyone actively engaged in a "spiritual" path.
Peace Is Every Step
Thich Nhat Hanh
Nothing more is needed than the application of this message.
True Love, A Practice For Awakening The Heart
Thich Nhat Hanh
True Love, needs no "other", in fact true Love cannot exist while there is an "other."
The Art Of Happiness.
H.H. The Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler M.D.
A fantastic introduction to Buddhist philosophy through the eyes of a western trained psychiatrist. Very practical tools which applied bring very positive results. Great beginning meditation instruction. Western psychology meets eastern philosophy.
The Tibetan Book Of Living and Dying.
Sogyal Rinpoche
An interpretation and explanation of the Tibetan Book Of The Dead, the common name for the Bardo Thodol, a more accurate translation being Liberation Through Hearing During The Intermediate State . It's a deeper, comprehensive look at Tibetan Buddhism. Practices, explanations and meditations.
On Love And Lonliness
J.Krishnamurti
(everything by Jiddu Krishnamurti is reccomended, have mentioned a small selection to chose from)
This modern master spent his life traveling the world sharing the message of meditation, and Love. His "books" are primarily collections of his "talks", sometimes compiled by theme. He challenges the listener to radically examine every aspect of life.
On God
J. Krishnamurti
Does the religious mind directly percieve the sacred, or adhere to religious dogma?
The Limits Of Thought.
J. Krishnamurti and David Bohm
A dialouge, delving into the heart of the matter.
Mindfulness In Plain English.
Bhante Henepola Gunaratana
One of the best beginning meditation books out there. Lucid, and very accessible to all.
Thoughts Without A Thinker: Psychotherapy From A Buddhist Perspective
Mark Epstein
Epstein has a way of delivering the meditative perspective in a fashion that is highly digestable to the western psyche. This book pulls no punches and leaves the illusory stories we all tell ourselves and shape our lives by, little room to hide.