IANNOTATED BOOK LIST
GENERAL
Taizan Maezumi and Bernie Glassman. On Zen Practice, Body, Breath and Mind. Excellent on presenting the fundamentals of sitting and practice, koan work, etc.
Thich Nhat Hanh. Being Peace, The Miracle of Mindfulness, and The Other Shore (about the Heart Sutra). All his books are poetic and clear. Highly recommended.
Harada, Shodo. Moon by the Window, Summerville, Ma: Wisdom Publications, 2011. Short essays accompany his calligraphy. Wonderful.
Roshi Robert Kennedy. Zen Spirit, Christian Spirit, The Place of Zen in Christian Life, Revised and Edited Second Edition, Bloomsbury Press, 2020 (edited by Susan Kodo Efird). Interfaith. Highly recommended.
Tisdale, Sally. Women of the Way: Discovering 2,500 Years of Buddhist Wisdom. New York: HarperCollins. 2007.
Ellen Birx (dharma heir of Roshi Kennedy). Healing Zen: Awakening to a Life of Wholeness and Compassion, Viking Compass,2002. Interfaith. Excellent for beginning students (and for all of us).
Pat Enkyo O’Hara. Most Intimate: A Zen Approach to Life’s Challenges. Boston: Shambhala, 2014. By the prominent abbot of the Village Zendo. Practical and helpful.
Angel KoDo Williams. Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love, and Liberation. North Atlantic Books, 2016. An urgent call to action outlines a new dharma that takes into account the ways that racism and privilege prevent our collective awakening. Excellent.
Zenju Earthlyn Manuel. Shamanic Bones of Zen: Revealing the Ancestral Spirit and Mystical Heart of Zen. Shambhala: February 2022 Exploration of connections between contemporary Zen practice and indigenous spirituality. Author relates her personal journey with the black church.
Shunryu Suzuki. Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. A classic for beginners and everyone.
Beck, Charlotte Joko. Ordinary Wonder, Boston: Shambhala, 2021. Excellent and accessible.
Norman Fischer and Susan Moon. What Is Zen: Plain Talk for a Beginner’s Mind. A very
readable question-and-answer format by two highly regarded teachers.
Taizan Maezumi Roshi. Appreciate Your Life: The Essence of Zen Practice. Highly
recommended. Maezumi Roshi is the founder of the White Plum lineage.
Glassman, Bernie. The Infinite Circle and Instructions to the Cook: A Zen Master’s Lessons in Living a Life that Matters. By one of the most revered Zen masters, known for his socially engaged Buddhism.
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ZAZEN
Uchiyama, Kosho. Opening the Hand of Thought: Foundations of Zen Buddhist
Practice. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications. 2004. A classic. Particularly helpful on zazen.
Leighton, Taigen Daniel. Cultivating the Empty Field: The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi. Clarendon, VT: Tuttle. 2000. Poetic classic on silent illumination.
Thich Nhat Hanh. Breathe, You Are Alive! Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing. Parallax Press. A treasure of a book on the importance of conscious breathing.
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KOANS
Koun Yamada. The Gateless Gate. Probably the most classic collection of koans. Other
collections include The Book of Equanimity and The Blue Cliff Record.
James Ismael Ford. Introduction to Zen Koans: Learning the Language of the Dragons.
Foreword by Joan Halifax. Excellent book for those who enjoy koans.
Roshi Janet Abels (dharma heir of Roshi Kennedy). Making Zen Your Own: Giving Life to Twelve Key Golden Age Ancestors. An excellent book on the lives of early Zen masters and their koans.
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SUTRAS
Pine, Red. The Heart Sutra. Emeryville, CA: Shoemaker and Hoard. 2005.
Pine, Red. The Diamond Sutra: The Perfection of Wisdom, Text and Commentaries Translated from Sanskrit and Chinese.
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DOGEN STUDIES
Okumura, Shohaku. Realizing Genjokoan. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2018. Superb.
Tanahashi, Kazuaki. Enlightenment Unfolds: Writings of Zen Master Dogen. Boston: Shambhala, 2000. Masterful.
Tanahashi, Kazuaki. Moon in a Dewdrop: Writings of Zen Master Dogen. New York: North Point Press. 1995. Masterful.
Cook, Francis H. Sounds of Valley Streams: Enlightenment in Dogen’s Zen Translation of Nine Essays from the Shobogenzo. State University of New York: 1988. Particularly good on the Genjokoan.
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POETRY
Tanahashi, Kazukai. Sky Above Great Wind: The Life and Poetry of Zen Master Ryokan. Boston: Shambhala, 2012. Highly recommended.
Okamura, Shohaku. Ryokan Interpreted. Dogen Institute, 2021. A study of Ryokan by one of most highly regarded Zen masters today.
Stevens, John. Dewdrops on a Lotus Leaf: Zen Poems of Ryokan. Boston: Shambhala, 2004. Excellent translations.
Stevens, John. Three Zen Masters: Ikkyu, Hakuin, Ryokan. Tokyo: Kodansha Int’l., 1993. Highly engaging.
Grant, Beata. Daughters of Emptiness: Poems of Chinese Buddhist Nuns. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2005. Superb.
___________________________________________________
GENERAL
Taizan Maezumi and Bernie Glassman. On Zen Practice, Body, Breath and Mind. Excellent on presenting the fundamentals of sitting and practice, koan work, etc.
Thich Nhat Hanh. Being Peace, The Miracle of Mindfulness, and The Other Shore (about the Heart Sutra). All his books are poetic and clear. Highly recommended.
Harada, Shodo. Moon by the Window, Summerville, Ma: Wisdom Publications, 2011. Short essays accompany his calligraphy. Wonderful.
Roshi Robert Kennedy. Zen Spirit, Christian Spirit, The Place of Zen in Christian Life, Revised and Edited Second Edition, Bloomsbury Press, 2020 (edited by Susan Kodo Efird). Interfaith. Highly recommended.
Tisdale, Sally. Women of the Way: Discovering 2,500 Years of Buddhist Wisdom. New York: HarperCollins. 2007.
Ellen Birx (dharma heir of Roshi Kennedy). Healing Zen: Awakening to a Life of Wholeness and Compassion, Viking Compass,2002. Interfaith. Excellent for beginning students (and for all of us).
Pat Enkyo O’Hara. Most Intimate: A Zen Approach to Life’s Challenges. Boston: Shambhala, 2014. By the prominent abbot of the Village Zendo. Practical and helpful.
Angel KoDo Williams. Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love, and Liberation. North Atlantic Books, 2016. An urgent call to action outlines a new dharma that takes into account the ways that racism and privilege prevent our collective awakening. Excellent.
Zenju Earthlyn Manuel. Shamanic Bones of Zen: Revealing the Ancestral Spirit and Mystical Heart of Zen. Shambhala: February 2022 Exploration of connections between contemporary Zen practice and indigenous spirituality. Author relates her personal journey with the black church.
Shunryu Suzuki. Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. A classic for beginners and everyone.
Beck, Charlotte Joko. Ordinary Wonder, Boston: Shambhala, 2021. Excellent and accessible.
Norman Fischer and Susan Moon. What Is Zen: Plain Talk for a Beginner’s Mind. A very
readable question-and-answer format by two highly regarded teachers.
Taizan Maezumi Roshi. Appreciate Your Life: The Essence of Zen Practice. Highly
recommended. Maezumi Roshi is the founder of the White Plum lineage.
Glassman, Bernie. The Infinite Circle and Instructions to the Cook: A Zen Master’s Lessons in Living a Life that Matters. By one of the most revered Zen masters, known for his socially engaged Buddhism.
_______________________________________________
ZAZEN
Uchiyama, Kosho. Opening the Hand of Thought: Foundations of Zen Buddhist
Practice. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications. 2004. A classic. Particularly helpful on zazen.
Leighton, Taigen Daniel. Cultivating the Empty Field: The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi. Clarendon, VT: Tuttle. 2000. Poetic classic on silent illumination.
Thich Nhat Hanh. Breathe, You Are Alive! Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing. Parallax Press. A treasure of a book on the importance of conscious breathing.
_________________________________________________
KOANS
Koun Yamada. The Gateless Gate. Probably the most classic collection of koans. Other
collections include The Book of Equanimity and The Blue Cliff Record.
James Ismael Ford. Introduction to Zen Koans: Learning the Language of the Dragons.
Foreword by Joan Halifax. Excellent book for those who enjoy koans.
Roshi Janet Abels (dharma heir of Roshi Kennedy). Making Zen Your Own: Giving Life to Twelve Key Golden Age Ancestors. An excellent book on the lives of early Zen masters and their koans.
___________________________________________________
SUTRAS
Pine, Red. The Heart Sutra. Emeryville, CA: Shoemaker and Hoard. 2005.
Pine, Red. The Diamond Sutra: The Perfection of Wisdom, Text and Commentaries Translated from Sanskrit and Chinese.
___________________________________________________
DOGEN STUDIES
Okumura, Shohaku. Realizing Genjokoan. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2018. Superb.
Tanahashi, Kazuaki. Enlightenment Unfolds: Writings of Zen Master Dogen. Boston: Shambhala, 2000. Masterful.
Tanahashi, Kazuaki. Moon in a Dewdrop: Writings of Zen Master Dogen. New York: North Point Press. 1995. Masterful.
Cook, Francis H. Sounds of Valley Streams: Enlightenment in Dogen’s Zen Translation of Nine Essays from the Shobogenzo. State University of New York: 1988. Particularly good on the Genjokoan.
___________________________________________________
POETRY
Tanahashi, Kazukai. Sky Above Great Wind: The Life and Poetry of Zen Master Ryokan. Boston: Shambhala, 2012. Highly recommended.
Okamura, Shohaku. Ryokan Interpreted. Dogen Institute, 2021. A study of Ryokan by one of most highly regarded Zen masters today.
Stevens, John. Dewdrops on a Lotus Leaf: Zen Poems of Ryokan. Boston: Shambhala, 2004. Excellent translations.
Stevens, John. Three Zen Masters: Ikkyu, Hakuin, Ryokan. Tokyo: Kodansha Int’l., 1993. Highly engaging.
Grant, Beata. Daughters of Emptiness: Poems of Chinese Buddhist Nuns. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2005. Superb.
___________________________________________________