Buddhism category: 3907 books

A short guide to Buddhism for beginners, covering essential topics such as Buddha nature, the Three Jewels, the Guru or Lama and how to do meditation practice. It has clear and easy to follow instructions for beginners to practice meditation at home.

The Book of Equanimity contains the first-ever complete English language commentary on one of the most beloved classic collections of Zen teaching stories (koans), making them vividly relevant to spiritual seekers and Zen students in the twenty-first century. Continually emphasizing koans as effective...

This unique introduction to Zen teaching and practice takes the remarkably accessible form of question-and-answer—making it a most useful reference for looking things up. But whether you're a neophyte or a seasoned practitioner, you'll want to read the whole thing. The questioner (Susan Moon) and...

The Blue Cliff Record is a translation of the Pi Yen Lu, a collection of one hundred famous Zen koans accompanied by commentaries and verses from the teachings of Chinese Zen masters. Compiled in the twelfth century, it is considered one of the great treasures of Zen literature and an essential study manual for students of Zen.

This beautifully designed book will be cherished for generations. Written in the summer of 2013, Inside the Now contains the most recent, never before published commentaries and reflections of Thich Nhat Hanh on living in stillness and timelessness. The book begins with an autobiographical...

A jargon-free, plain language introduction to the basic concepts and styles of meditation and real-world applications. There's no mystical mumbo-jumbo involved, just useful tips that will help you incorporate short, easy-to-follow meditation sessions into your daily life. We'll cover Buddhist-inspired...

Enlightenment Unfolds is a sequel to Kaz Tanahashi's previous collection, Moon in a Dewdrop, which has become a primary source on Dogen for Western Zen students. Dogen Zenji (1200–1253) is unquestionably the most significant religious figure in Japanese history. Founder of the Soto school of Zen...

This clear and reliable introduction to Taoism (also known as Daoism) brings a fresh dimension to a tradition that has found a natural place in Western society. Examining Taoist sacred texts together with current scholarship, it surveys Taoism's ancient roots, contemporary heritage and role in daily...

Hakuin Ekaku (1685–1769) is one of the most influential figures in Zen Buddhism. He revitalized the Rinzai Zen tradition (which emphasizes the use of koans, or unanswerable questions, in meditation practice), and all masters of that school today trace their lineage back through him. He is responsible...

Discover how the mysterious, powerful form of the koan—known for bringing about sudden enlightenment—can disrupt and illuminate your everyday understanding of life. Traditionally, Zen koans—the teaching stories of Zen—are drawn from the words and teachings of ancient masters and primarily...

These thoughts are based on the "philosophy" of Zen Buddhism and day-to-day meditation practice. They should not be taken so seriously because they are not part of a dogma. They may be part of a way of life, a way of acting to make it simple and conscious. Meditation is the essence of this...

Because women have been conditioned to live according to traditional feminine values—conformity, passivity, and surrender of the self—they often feel powerless to transform their lives and afraid to lose their sense of worth. In Woman Awake, Christina Feldman suggests that it is possible for women...

A groundbreaking exploration of the “science of enlightenment,” told through the lens of the journey of Siddhartha (better known as Buddha), by Guardian science editor James Kingsland. In a lush grove on the banks of the Neranjara in northern India—400 years before the birth of Christ,...

An End to Suffering is a deeply original and provocative book about the Buddha's life and his influence throughout history, told in the form of the author's search to understand the Buddha's relevance in a world where class oppression and religious violence are rife, and where poverty and terrorism...