Buddhism Books

This is the first-ever complete and unabridged translation of the Bardo Thodrol, popularly known as the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Created in close cooperation with a remarkable range of contemporary Tibetan masters, including guidance from Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Zenkar Rinpoche, and Garje Khamtrul Rinpoche, this new translation represents a major step in the understanding of the Tibetan Buddhist vision of our journey through life and death.

Find peace and calm amid the busyness of your life with this new book by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.

Thich Nhat Hanh brings his gifts of clarity and poetry to an explication of the basic teachings of Buddhism--the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. These teachings are the time-tested means to transform our suffering into mindfulness and joy. Original and very accessible, The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching is a profound introduction to the practice and insights of Buddhism. For longtime practitioners or those newly interested in the way of understanding and love, as presented by one of today's most beloved teachers.

This user’s guide to Buddhist basics takes the most commonly asked questions—beginning with “What is the essence of the Buddha’s teachings?”—and provides simple answers in plain English. Thubten Chodron’s responses to the questions that always seem to arise among people approaching Buddhism make this an exceptionally complete and accessible introduction—as well as a manual for living a more peaceful, mindful, and satisfying Life. Buddhism for Beginners is an ideal first book on the subject for anyone, but it’s also a wonderful resource for seasoned students, since the question-and-answer format makes it easy to find just the topic you’re looking for.

When the Buddha was asked to sum up his teachings in a single word he said "awareness"—experiencing the whole of reality, seeing what is, and being entirely in the present. In this way, the mind is made free. 

In Buddhism Plain and Simple, Zen priest and longtime teacher Steve Hagen presents this heart of Buddhist teaching, pared down to its essence and explained in simple, everyday language. This best-selling beginner's guide to Buddhism text has served international readers at all levels of study and practice since it was originally published over a decade ago. More than 300,000 copies in various formats have sold to date, and now it's available in this brand new, high-quality paperback edition. 

Merging Buddhist mindfulness practices with the Twelve Step program, this updated edition of the bestselling recovery guide One Breath at a Time will inspire and enlighten you to live a better, healthier life.

Many in recovery turn to the Twelve Steps to overcome their addictions, but struggle with the spiritual program. But what they might not realize is that Buddhist teachings are intrinsically intertwined with the lessons of the Twelve Steps, and offer time-tested methods for addressing the challenges of sobriety.

In what is considered the cornerstone of the most significant recovery movement of the 21st century, Kevin Griffin shares his own extraordinary journey to sobriety and how he integrated the Twelve Steps of recovery with Buddhist mindfulness practices. With a new foreword by William Alexander, the author of Ordinary Recovery, One Breath at a Time takes you on a journey through the Steps, examining critical ideas like Powerlessness, Higher Power, and Moral Inventory through the lens of the core concepts of Buddhism—the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, mindfulness, loving-kindness, and more. The result is a book that presents techniques and meditations for finding clarity and awareness in your life, just as it has for thousands of addicts and alcoholics.

The works of the Buddha can feel vast, and it is sometimes difficult for even longtime students to know where to look, especially since the Buddha never explicitly defined the framework behind his teachings. Designed to provide just such a framework, In the Buddha's Words is an anthology of the Buddha's works that has been specifically compiled by a celebrated scholar and translator.

This book contains:

• Clear translations of the Buddha’s original teachings
• Thoughtfully curated selections from the Pali Canon
• Chapters on the Buddha’s life, rebirth, suffering, liberation, and practice
• A foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama

In the Buddha's Words allows even readers unacquainted with Buddhism to grasp the significance of the Buddha's contributions to our world heritage. Taken as a whole, these texts bear eloquent testimony to the breadth and intelligence of the Buddha's teachings, and point the way to an ancient yet ever-vital path. Practitioners and scholars alike will find this systematic presentation indispensable.

Fueled by the music of revolution, anger, fear, and despair, we dyed our hair or shaved our heads. Eating acid like it was candy and chasing speed with cheap vodka, smoking truckloads of weed, all in a vain attempt to get numb and stay numb. This is the story of a young man and a generation of angry youths who rebelled against their parents and the unfulfilled promise of the sixties. As with many self-destructive kids, Noah Levine's search for meaning led him first to punk rock, drugs, drinking, and dissatisfaction. But the search didn't end there. Having clearly seen the uselessness of drugs and violence, Noah looked for positive ways to channel his rebellion against what he saw as the lies of society. Fueled by his anger at so much injustice and suffering, Levine now uses that energy and the practice of Buddhism to awaken his natural wisdom and compassion.

Lama Surya Das, the most highly trained American lama in the Tibetan tradition, presents the first comprehensive book of Western Buddhism for the modern-day spiritual seeker. Buddhism offers a profound yet practical path to enlightenment. In this loving and generous book, the American-born and Tibetan-trained Lama Surya Das offers at once a definitive and nonsectarian guide to the wisdom found in ancient Tibetan teachings and a tried and true path of spiritual transformation.

A huge international success, the Dalai Lama's books are bestsellers all over the world. Now, for the first time, we are able to discover the personal feelings and thoughts of this highly respected spiritual figure on subjects ranging from how the experience of profound spiritual insight actually feels, to how he has learned to love people who anyone else would consider an enemy, and under what circumstances he believes he would be capable of violence.

Ever feel trapped in the same old habits and painful emotions time and time again? These are patterns we all face, and sometimes they feel impossible to shake. So how can we get unstuck? Drawing on time-honored Buddhist teachings on shenpa (all the attachments and compulsions that cause us suffering), Pema Chödrön shows how certain habits of mind tend to “hook” us and get us stuck in states of anger, blame, self-hatred, addiction, and so much more—and, most of all, how we can liberate ourselves from them. “This path entails uncovering three basic human qualities,” explains Pema. “They are natural intelligence, natural warmth, and natural openness. Everyone, everywhere, all over the globe, has these qualities and can call on them to help themselves and others.” Pema shares insights and exercises from her lifetime of practice that we can immediately put to use in our lives to awaken these essential qualities and help us to take a bold leap toward a new way of living—one that will bring about positive transformation for ourselves and for our troubled world.

One of the world's leading authorities on Zen Buddhism, D. T. Suzuki was the author of more than a hundred works on the subject in both Japanese and English, and was most instrumental in bringing the teachings of Zen Buddhism to the attention of the Western world. Written in a lively, accessible, and straightforward manner, An Introduction to Zen Buddhism is illuminating for the serious student and layperson alike.

Through explorations of the three pillars of Zen--teaching, practice, and enlightenment--Roshi Philip Kapleau presents a comprehensive overview of the history and discipline of Zen Buddhism. An established classic, this 35th-anniversary edition features new illustrations and photographs, as well as a new afterword by Sensei Bodhin Kjolhede, who has succeeded Philip Kapleau as spiritual director of the Rochester Zen Center, one of the oldest and most influential Zen centers in the United States.

The World of Tibetan Buddhism is the definitive explanation of Tibetan Buddhism by the world's ultimate authority, His Holiness the Dalai Lama. First providing a general overview of the most elemental Buddhist concepts and terms, the Dalai Lama then goes into reasonable depth on Buddhist values and the Tibetan practice of Vajrayana Buddhism, with a focus on Tantra. 

In the rush of modern life, we tend to lose touch with the peace that is available in each moment.

World-renowned Zen master, spiritual leader, and author Thich Nhat Hanh shows us how to make positive use of the very situations that usually pressure and antagonize us. For him a ringing telephone can be a signal to call us back to our true selves. Dirty dishes, red lights, and traffic jams are spiritual friends on the path to “mindfulness”—the process of keeping our consciousness alive to our present experience and reality. The most profound satisfactions, the deepest feelings of joy and completeness lie as close at hand as our next aware breath and the smile we can form right now.

Lucidly and beautifully written, Peace Is Every Step contains commentaries and meditations, personal anecdotes and stories from Nhat Hanh’s experiences as a peace activist, teacher, and community leader. It begins where the reader already is—in the kitchen, office, driving a car, walking a part—and shows how deep meditative presence is available now. Nhat Hanh provides exercises to increase our awareness of our own body and mind through conscious breathing, which can bring immediate joy and peace. Nhat Hanh also shows how to be aware of relationships with others and of the world around us, its beauty and also its pollution and injustices. The deceptively simple practices of Peace Is Every Step encourage the reader to work for peace in the world as he or she continues to work on sustaining inner peace by turning the “mindless” into the mindFUL.

How To Practice is a major inspirational work, by one of the world's greatest spiritual teachers. It is broken down into the basic steps to enlightenment: how to practice morality, how to practice meditation, and how to practice wisdom, whilst simultaneously delving deeper into His Holiness' more general teachings, his spirit, wisdom and sense of humor. The book, meant to be used as part of daily practice, is easy to understand and filled with anecdotes. It includes guidance on peace of mind, generosity, compassion, and much more besides. Beautifully packaged, this is the ultimate gift from the Dalai Lama, and a wonderful gift to give to anyone interested in having a richer, more fulfilled life.