About Buddhism

Some Buddhist Book Recommendations

There are innumerable books about Buddhism available now. These are just a few of my favorite books - let me know if you find the list helpful.

1. Ceaseless Echoes of the Great Silence, by Khenpo Palden Sherab Rinpoche. This book is a very clear and lucid commentary on the Heart Sutra.
2. Dzogchen Primer, edited and compiled by M. Schmidt. This is a wonderful book for anyone interested in Tibetan Buddhism or Dzogchen. There are teachings by many Tibetan Dzogchen masters included in this text, and each one is brilliant.
3. Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life, Shantideva. There are several translations of this available; my personal preference is for the one translated by the Padmakara Group.
   
   This is the ancient teaching by Shantideva and one of the great classics of Mahayana Buddhism. It is about living the Bodhisattva way of life, living a life focused on compassion, benefiting others, and obtaining enlightenment in order to free all beings from suffering.
4. Masters of Meditation and Miracles, by Tulku Thondup. This book has biographies of the Tibetan Masters of the Longchen Nyingthig lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. It contains fascinating descriptions of the lives and accomplishments of these great masters.
5. Progressive Stages of Meditation on Emptiness, by Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche. This was the most helpful text I have read about emptiness. It is only 81 pages, but each word is filled with wisdom. It combines an intellectual overview of the different philosophical schools of emptiness, and includes meditations to develop further understanding. It is really worth working with this book, reading it again and again, and doing the meditations again and again.
6. The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, the classic by Sogyal Rinpoche. This is a wonderful introduction to Tibetan Buddhism and meditation. This is the core book studied at Rigpa centers around the world.
7. The Tibetan Book of Yoga, by Geshe Michael Roach - I find this book and the overall subject fascinating. A western lama teaching Tibetan Yoga, and describing the physical postures and specific visualizations to do while doing the Yoga.
8. White Sail, by Thinley Norbu. Although I have never actually managed to finish this book (this has nothing to do with book, this only reflects my intellectual laziness), I know many people who found this book, profound, amazing, and one of the best dharma books they ever read, so it is included in this list.
9. The Wish-Fulfilling Jewel, by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. This book describes guru yoga in great detail. It has explanations of the 7-line prayer, Guru yoga, and the Guru Rinpoche mantra.
10. Words of My Perfect Teacher, by Patrul Rinpoche, translated by the Padmakara Translation Group. This text comes highly recommended by many Tibetan Lamas. It is a commentary of the Longchen Nyinthig preliminary practices (Ngondro), but it is full of helpful information for anyone doing Ngondro in any lineage of Tibetan Buddhism.
11. Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, by Suzuki Roshi, the classic book about meditation.