12 Buddhist Books To Read On Your Path
To Enlightenment
03/01/2016 Antonia BlumbergAssociate Religion Editor, The Huffington Post
Dive in to this ancient spiritual tradition.
Buddhism
is one of the world's oldest
religions. Founded
by Siddhartha Gautama, later known as the Buddha, circa
the 5th
century BCE,
Buddhism outlines a path ofpersonal
spiritual enrichment through
meditation and insight. Following in the Buddha's footsteps,
Buddhists seek to reach nirvana, or enlightenment, a state of
transcendence free from suffering, desire and the cycle of death
and rebirth.
Unlike
Christianity or Islam, Buddhism does not have one central text that
sums up the religion's basic tenets. What people call "Buddhism"
today is really a collection of
different philosophies and schools of thought, ranging from Zen to
Mahayana to Theravada.
If you're seeking to explore Buddhism more deeply, here are 12
books that both practitioners and religious seekers can use to
learn more about this ancient tradition.
Are
there any books that we missed? Tell us in the comments below. And
check out our other ReligionReads lists
on Sikhism, Paganism and Seeker
Spirituality.
'The Heart Of The Buddha's
Teaching'
The Heart of the Buddha's
Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh introduces
the core teachings of Buddhism. The book explores concepts like
the four noble
truths, theeightfold path, the three doors of
liberation and demonstrates their
power to transform lives.
'Real
Happiness'
Real
Happiness, by renowned Buddhist teacher
Sharon Salzberg, is a must-read for those interested in learning
about the life-changing effects of starting a meditation
practice.
'On The Path To
Enlightenment'
On the Path to
Enlightenment by renowned Buddhist monk
Matthieu Ricard is an anthology of key teachings from some of
the most famous Buddhist teachers in history. The teachings
touch on topics like the qualities of the
mind, altruism, meditation and how to remove obstacles in
your path.
'Zen Mind, Beginner's
Mind'
Zen Mind, Beginner's
Mind by Shunryu Suzuki presents a
clear, relatable exploration of Zen practice, from breathing
techniques to the concept of non-duality. The book explains the
importance of "beginner's mind," starting off with the line: "In
the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the
expert's there are few."
'When Things Fall
Apart'
Written by
renowned Buddhist nun Pema Chödrön, When Things Fall
Apart offers wisdom for dealing
with pain and life's difficulties from a Buddhist
perspective. Chödrön shows how we may cultivate compassion and
courage through painful experiences.
'Radiant
Mind'
Radiant
Mind is a collection of
essential Buddhist teachings and texts edited by Jean Smith. In
addition to the texts, the book includes commentaries and
interpretations from Buddhist leaders like the Dalai Lama,
Thich Nhat Hanh and Jack Kornfield.
'Being
Upright'
Being
Upright by Reb Anderson
introduces the fundamental concepts of Zen Buddhism and
explores its ten basic precepts, including not killing,
not stealing and not lying. The book offers a new kind of ethics
based in compassion.
'The Poetry Of
Zen'
Translated
and edited by Sam Hamill and J.P.
Seaton, The Poetry of
Zen is a collection of Chinese and
Japanese Zen poetry spanning from the tradition's early
days to the twentieth century.
'After The Ecstasy, The
Laundry'
After The Ecstasy, The
Laundry by American vipassana teacher
Jack Kornfield explains the everyday realities of being on a
spiritual path. The book draws heavily from Kornfield's own
Buddhist tradition, while also exploring wisdom
from Christian, Jewish, Hindu and Sufi traditions.
'The Illustrated Encyclopedia
Of Buddhist Wisdom'
Written
by Gill Farrer-Halls, this illustrated
introduction to Buddhism is great for
beginners. The book includes the story of Prince Siddhartha
and the spread of Buddhism, basic beliefs of Buddhism, quotes from
teachers, practical instruction on how to meditate
and more.
'Nothing Holy About
It'
Tim
Burkett's Nothing Holy About
It explores Zen teaching and aims to show readers that, as
Amazon writes,
"you don’t need to go looking for something holy— buddha nature is
right here in front of you."
'Mindfulness In Plain
English'
We've all
heard of mindfulness, but do we really understand what it means or
how it works? Mindfulness In Plain
English by Bhante
Gunaratana explains this important concept for those
interested in experiencing
its transformative Potential.