Recommended Books

These are some of my favorite books:

I’ve been asked on multiple occasions to recommend my favorite books on Buddhism or Mindfulness. This is a list of the books I’ve read that I would place on my “recommended” list of books. These are listed in Alphabetical order. I placed a * near the title of the books that are on my list of “personal favorites”. If you have any other recommendations for a good book, please let me know and I’ll add it to me “to read” list! Thanks!

These 5 are my top favorites to get started:

1) No-Nonsense Buddhism for Beginners by Noah Rasheta. I recommend my book as a starter because it really helps the reader to understand all the basics of Buddhist teaching, concepts, and practices. It’s a great way to understand the big picture and then it makes it easier as you dive in deeper in all the other books that come next.

2) Buddha by Karen Armstrong. This is a great book to understand the overview of the story of the Buddha. I believe it helps to know the story of the Buddha as you then dive in deeper to each of the ideas and concepts that he taught.

3) Buddhism Without Beliefs by Stephen Batchelor. This is a great book to dive in a bit deeper into Buddhist concepts and ideas. Stephen does a great job explaining these ideas.

4) Rebel Buddha by Dzogchen Ponlop. This is one of my favorite books on Buddhism. I’ve read it multiple times and will continue to revisit it from time to time. It really helps me to get to the heart of a lot of what Buddhism teaches.

5) Why Buddhism is True by Robert Wright. This is a book that really tackles the question: Does Buddhism work? Robert explains the science behind why Buddhism works.

Next read any of the following:

• *After Buddhism – Stephen Batchelor
• *Altruism – Matthieu Ricard
• Awakening is Real – Jack Kornfield
• Basic Buddhist Concepts – Mizuno
• *Become What you Are – Alan Watts
• *Beyond Religion – Dalai Lama
• *Bright Dawn – S.K. Kubose
• *Bring me the Rhinoceros – John Tarrant
• *Buddha – Karen Armstrong
• *Buddha’s Brain – Rick Hanson
• *Buddhism Without Beliefs – Stephen Batchelor
• Ethics for the New Millennium – Dalai Lama
• *Everyday Suchness – Gyomay Kubose
• Fail, Fail Again, Fail Better – Pema Chodron
• Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skill – Matthieu Ricard
• How to Practice: The way to a Meaningful Life – Dalai Lama
• In the Buddha’s Words – Bhikkhu Bodhi
• Living Buddha, Living Christ – Thich Nhat Hanh
• No-Nonsense Buddhism for Beginners – Noah Rasheta
• *No Self, No Problem – Anam Thubten
• *Old Path White Clouds – Thich Nhat Hanh
• *On the Path to Enlightenment – Matthieu Ricard
• Peace is Every Step – Thich Nhat Hanh
• *Rebel Buddha – Dzogchen Ponlop
• *Secular Buddhism – Noah Rasheta
• *Secular Buddhism – Stephen Batchelor
• The Art of Communicating – Thich Nhat Hanh
• The Art of Happiness – Thich Nhat Hanh
• *The Book of Joy – Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, with Douglass Abrams
• *The Buddha is Still Teaching – Jack Kornfield
• *The Center Within – Kubose
• The Essence of Buddhism – Traleg Kyabgon
• The Essential Dogen – Dogen
• The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching – Thich Nhat Hanh
• *The Magic of Awareness – Anam Thubten
• The Universe in a Single Atom – Dalai Lama
• The Way of the Bodhisattva – Shantideva
• The Way of Zen – Alan Watts
• Thoughts Without a Thinker – Mark Epstein
• *Untangling Self – Olendzki
• *Why Buddhism is True – Robert Wright
• You are Here – Thich Nhat Hanh
• Zen Koans – Gyomay Kubose

The Great Courses – Lecture Series (These are available on Audible):

• *Buddhism – Malcolm David Eckel
• Great Minds of the Eastern Intellectual Tradition – Grant Hardy
• *Practicing Mindfulness: An Introduction to Meditation – Mark W. Muesse
• The Science of Mindfulness – Ronald Siegel
• Your Deceptive Mind – Stephen Novella

Other Reading Materials:

• American Buddhism – Gyomay M. Kubose
• Maha Prajna Paramita Hridaya Sutra – (Paramita Sutra) with commentary by Gyomay Kubose
• Tan Butsu Ge – Translation by Gyomay Kubose
• *You’re It!: On Hiding, Seeking, and Being Found – (Available on Audible) Alan Watts

Other non-Buddhist books that have influenced me:

• Daring Greatly – Brene Brown
• The End of Faith – Sam Harris
• The Gifts of Imperfection – Brene Brown
• The God Delusion – Richard Dawkins
• The Happiness Hypotheses – Jonathan Haidt
• The Moral Landscape – Sam Harris
• The Power of Vulnerability – Brene Brown
• The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Religion and Politics – Jonathan Haidt
• Skepticism 101 – Michael Shermer
• Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion – Sam Harris