Buddhism Guides
Hidden Treasure - The Buddha and His Teachings
The Buddha and His Teachings Edited by Samuel Bercholz and Sherab Chodzin Kohn This book was inspired by Bernardo Bertolucci's movie Little Buddha back in 1993-and it was intended as a reference for viewers of the film who wanted to learn more about Buddhism. It worked, and it sold a lot of copies back then. But it's not dated. It still serves as an excellent introduction to the buddhadharma. It's an anthology of classic texts and works by modern teachers that conveys the whole range of tradition, history, and practice. A perfect gift for your friend who wonders why the Buddha always seems to have a smile on his face.
Learn moreHidden Treasure - The Eight Gates of Zen
The Eight Gates of Zen: A Program of Zen Training by John Daido Loori If you want to practice Zen but there's no zendo for miles around, this book may be the next best thing. It contains the complete, eight-phase program of training taught at Zen Mountain Monastery, Mt. Tremper, New York. It's a training that's not in any way limited to sitting meditation (that's only part one). It also includes training in teacher interaction, study, ritual, ethics, art, body practices, and work. It's a whole-life process... For more information: John Daido Loori (1931–2009) was one of the West's leading Zen masters. He was the founder and spiritual leader of the Mountains and Rivers Order and abbot of Zen Mountain Monastery. His work has been most noted for its unique adaptation of traditional Asian Buddhism into an American context, particularly with regard to the arts, the environment, social action, and the use of modern media as a vehicle of spiritual training and social change. Related Books
Learn moreHidden Treasure - What the Stones Remember
What the Stones Remember: A Life Rediscovered by Patrick Lane At age 62, after forty years spent in a haze of heavy drinking, the poet Patrick Lane got sober--and the beauty of the world knocked him off his feet. He spent a good deal of his time working in the garden and recording what arose in his heart from memory, dream, and nature. This memoir of his first fragile year of clear seeing can change the way you look at the world yourself.
Learn moreHidden Treasure - Enso
Enso: Zen Circles of Enlightenment by Audrey Yoshiko Seo These circular brushstrokes have become a kind of Zen cliché. Here's a chance to look past your preconceived ideas about them and appreciate their original energy, whimsy, and beauty. Each is a work of art that's executed in a split second-but the actual work in fact takes many years, for the enso is nothing other than an an expression of the whole life and practice of the person who brushes it. Audrey Yoshiko Seo, PhD, is an independent scholar and consultant on Japanese art. Her areas of research and publication include painting and calligraphy by Japanese Zen masters from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries, and contemporary Japanese fashion. She is the author of several books, including Zen No Sho: The Calligraphy of Fukushima Keido Roshi. Related Books
Learn moreHidden Treasure - The Attentive Heart
The Attentive Heart: Conversations with Trees by Stephanie Kaza People sometimes chuckle when they read the subtitle, but you have to read it to see why it's not a joke at all. Zen environmentalist Kaza spent quality time with a number of individual trees, meditating near them, getting to know them, and listening to their subtle messages. The result is this book of meditative essays on the environment that's like no other.
Learn moreHidden Treasure - The Practice of Lojong
The Practice of Lojong: Cultivating Compassion through Training the Mind, by Traleg Kyabgon The lojong slogans-those fabric-softeners of the heart-have been the focus of much attention in the West the past couple decades, with good reason. They're a particularly effective practice for disciplining the mind in a way that makes compassion bloom. But they're sometimes misunderstood as something akin to the "affirmations" that were popular a few years back. Such a misunderstanding can't easily survive a reading of this book. Traleg Kyabgon's commentary on them is extensive, clear, and shows how relevant they are to any time and place.
Learn moreHidden Treasure - Swampland Flowers
Swampland Flowers: The Letters and Lectures of Zen Master Ta Hui Translated by J. C. Cleary The writings of the twelfth-century Chan Buddhist master Ta Hui Tsung Kao are testimony to the timelessness of Zen teaching. His letters, sermons, and lectures, often addressed to laypeople, are utterly simple-and utterly effective in helping us to see and let go of discursive thinking. If you're inclined to think that, as a twenty-first-century person, you need a contemporary teacher to convey the buddhadharma to you, give Ta Hui a try. You'll see that he conveyed it marvelously well seven centuries ago. J. C. Cleary holds a Ph.D. in East Asian Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University. He has translated several books of Zen literature, including Zen Dawn. Related Books
Learn moreHidden Treasure - Mountain Record of Zen Talks
Mountain Record of Zen Talks By John Daido Loori This book, now more than a quarter-century old, is one of the best ways to get acquainted with the late esteemed Zen master John Daido Loori (1931-2009). He was a lineage holder in both Soto (a dharma heir of Taizan Maezumi) and Rinzai schools, and he was founder and abbot of Zen Mountain Monastery in the Catskill Mountainsof New York State. This early collection of his dharma talks shows how accessible and direct his teaching was. For more information: John Daido Loori (1931–2009) was one of the West's leading Zen masters. He was the founder and spiritual leader of the Mountains and Rivers Order and abbot of Zen Mountain Monastery. His work has been most noted for its unique adaptation of traditional Asian Buddhism into an American context, particularly with regard to the arts, the environment, social action, and the use of modern media as a vehicle of spiritual training and social change. Related Books
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