Best Zen Buddhism Books

1) The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching

In this book Thich Nhat Hanh covers the basic themes common to all types of Buddhism from a truly human and Zen perspective.

The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation

by: Thich Nhat Hanh

Amazon Price: $8.13 (as of 02/15/2012)

2) Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life

Thich Nhat Hanh's writing is deceptive in its subtlety. He'll go on and on with stories about tree-hugging or metaphors involving raw potatoes; he'll tell you how to eat mindfully, even how to breathe and walk; he'll suggest looking closely at a flower and to see the sun as your heart.

Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life

by: Thich Nhat Hanh

Amazon Price: $7.91 (as of 02/15/2012)

3) Buddhism Plain and Simple

This book is perhaps responsible for much of today's popularity of Buddhism. Whether real life Buddhism can live up to these ideals is another matter. However, as 5 star ratings by readers testify: it's sure to inspire you and help you live a calmer life.

Buddhism Plain and Simple

by: Steve Hagen

Amazon Price: $5.39 (as of 02/15/2012)

4) True Love: A Practice for Awakening the Heart

A poetic booklet to help you look at your relationships in a fresh light.

True Love: A Practice for Awakening the Heart

by: Thich Nhat Hanh

Amazon Price: $5.56 (as of 02/15/2012)

5) The Miracle of Mindfulness

One of the best available introductions to the wisdom and beauty of meditation practice.

The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation

by: Thich Nhat Hanh

Amazon Price: $7.89 (as of 02/15/2012)

6) Happiness: Essential Mindfulness Practices

Encouraging readers to be intelligent and skillful in their practice, this new collection by Thich Nhat Hanh outlines the essential steps by which we can all obtain real and lasting happiness. Each day, we perform the tasks of everyday life without thought or awareness - walking, sitting, working, eating, driving, and much more. But Hanh points out that if we remain truly aware of our actions, no matter the task we're performing, we can stay engaged in our lives and better our outlook through mindfulness. This key practice is the foundation for this accessible, easy-to-understand volume, and an invaluable tool for change for both seasoned Buddhist practitioners and lay readers interested in bettering their lives through full awareness.

Happiness: Essential Mindfulness Practices

by: Thich Nhat Hanh

Amazon Price: $8.21 (as of 02/15/2012)

7) The Three Pillars of Zen: Teaching, Practice, and Enlightenment

Philip Kapleau Roshi

"The Three Pillars of Zen heralded the end of armchair Buddhism. With this practical guide to Zen meditation, Roshi Kapleau ushered in the first wave of American zazen practitioners. It was extraordinarily inspiring. It still is."--Helen Tworkov, founding editor of Tricycle: The Buddhist Review and author of Zen in America

The Three Pillars of Zen: Teaching, Practice, and Enlightenment

by: Philip Kapleau Roshi

Amazon Price: $9.10 (as of 02/15/2012)

The first specifically ZEN BUDDHIST book on this list.

8) Call Me By My True Names: The Collected Poems of Thich Nhat Hanh

While Thich Nhat Hanh's voice as an author is always poetic, in this book you'll find his actual poetry. Well worth the read and the ponder.

Call Me By My True Names: The Collected Poems of Thich Nhat Hanh

by: Thich Nhat Hanh

Amazon Price: $9.55 (as of 02/15/2012)

9) Old Path White Clouds: Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddha

Buddha's life story retold

Drawn from original sources, Old Path White Clouds is the beautiful classic recounting of the life and teachings of Gautama Buddha over the course of eighty years. It is retold alternately through the eyes of Svasti, the buffalo boy who provided kusa grass for the Buddha's enlightenment cushion, and the Buddha himself.

Old Path White Clouds: Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddha

by: Thich Nhat Hanh

Amazon Price: $15.55 (as of 02/15/2012)

10) You Are Here: Discovering the Magic of the Present Moment

Based on a retreat that Thich Nhat Hanh led for Westerners, this book offers a range of simple, effective practices for cultivating mindfulness, including awareness of breathing and walking, deep listening, and skillful speech. You Are Here also offers guidance on healing emotional pain and manifesting real love and compassion in our relationships with others.

You Are Here: Discovering the Magic of the Present Moment

by: Thich Nhat Hanh

Amazon Price: $8.12 (as of 02/15/2012)

Zen Training: Methods and Philosophy

Shambhala Classics, Katsuki Sekida

This manual for Zazen (Zen Buddhist meditation) is a good introduction to its practice and the many pitfalls along the way.

Zen Training: Methods and Philosophy (Shambhala Classics)

by: Katsuki Sekida

Amazon Price: $9.00 (as of 02/15/2012)

Not Always So: Practicing the True Spirit of Zen

Shunryu Suzuki, Edward Espe Brown, Zen Center San Francisco

an edited collection of talks by beloved Zen Master Shunryu Suzuki, who died in 1971. It is impossible to overestimate the sustained impact of Suzuki's 1970 classic, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, a world-renowned bestseller. Brown, ordained by Suzuki in 1971 after six years of study under him, has edited transcriptions that both read well on the page and capture the style, humor and solid grasp evident in the first volume. But this is no Zen Mind sequel, and will prove highly valuable to anyone, rank novice or zazen master. These 35 talks, delivered shortly before Suzuki's death from cancer, sparkle with simple freshness and familiarity: "Our tendency is to be interested in something that is growing in the garden, not in the bare soil itself. But if you want to have a good harvest, the most important thing is to make the soil rich and cultivate it well. The Buddha's teaching is not about the food itself but about how it is grown, and how to take care of it." Suzuki's messages are like deceptive pools of water, shimmering with surface possibilities that provoke stronger swimmers to aim for the depths.

Not Always So: Practicing the True Spirit of Zen

by: Shunryu Suzuki, Edward Espe Brown, Zen Center San Francisco

Amazon Price: $6.92 (as of 02/15/2012)

The Way of Zen, Alan Watts

After D.T. Suzuki, Alan Watts stands as the godfather of Zen in America. Often taken to task for inspiring the flimsy spontaneity of Beat Zen, Watts had an undeniably keen understanding of his subject. Nowhere is this more evident than in his 1957 classic The Way of Zen, which has been reissued. Watts takes the reader back to the philosophical foundations of Zen in the conceptual world of Hinduism, follows Buddhism's course through the development of the early Mahayana school, the birth of Zen from Buddhism's marriage with Chinese Taoism, and on to Zen's unique expression in Japanese art and life. As a Westerner, Watts anticipates the stumbling blocks encountered with such concepts as emptiness and no-mind, then illustrates with flawlessly apt examples. Many popular books have been written on Zen since Watts' time, but few have been able to muster the rare combination of erudition and clarity that have kept The Way of Zen in readers' hands decade after decade. --Brian Bruya

The Way of Zen

by: Alan W. Watts

Amazon Price: $7.64 (as of 02/15/2012)

More Top books about Zen Buddhism

Zen Buddhism, Daisetz T. Suzuki

The premier metaphysician of the 20th century, Martin Heidegger, once said in regard to D. T. Suzuki, "If I understand this man correctly, this is what I have been trying to say in all my writings." Roman Catholic writer Thomas Merton, analytical psychologist Carl Jung, social psychologist Erich Fromm, avant-garde musician John Cage, writer and social critic Alan Watts, poet Gary Snyder -- all influential in their own rights, claim a debt to Mr. Suzuki and his writings, the most representative of which are gathered here in Zen Buddhism. An intellectual understanding of Zen begins with this book.

Zen Buddhism

by: Daisetz T. Suzuki, William Barrett

Amazon Price: $8.18 (as of 02/15/2012)

An Introduction to Zen Buddhism

D.T. Suzuki (Author), Carl Jung (Foreword)

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. Suzuki provides a complete vision of Zen, which emphasizes self-understanding and enlightenment through many systems of philosophy, psychology, and ethics. With a foreword by the renowned psychiatrist Dr. Carl Jung, this volume has been generally acknowledged a classic introduction to the subject for many years. It provides, along with Suzuki's Essays and Manual of Zen Buddhism, a framework for living a balanced and fulfilled existence through Zen.

An Introduction to Zen Buddhism

by: D. T. Suzuki

Amazon Price: $5.49 (as of 02/15/2012)

Thich Nhat Hanh, the most famous Zen teacher right now

Books by Thich Nhat Hanh

Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, Shunryu Suzuki

A respected Zen master in Japan and founder of the San Francisco Zen Center, Shunryu Suzuki has blazed a path in American Buddhism like few others. He is the master who climbs down from the pages of the koan books and answers your questions face to face. If not face to face, you can at least find the answers as recorded in Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, a transcription of juicy excerpts from his lectures. From diverse topics such as transience of the world, sudden enlightenment, and the nuts and bolts of meditation, Suzuki always returns to the idea of beginner's mind, a recognition that our original nature is our true nature. With beginner's mind, we dedicate ourselves to sincere practice, without the thought of gaining anything special. Day to day life becomes our Zen training, and we discover that "to study Buddhism is to study ourselves." And to know our true selves is to be enlightened. --Brian Bruya

Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind (Shambhala Library)

by: Shunryu Suzuki

Amazon Price: $11.60 (as of 02/15/2012)

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Zen Living

Gary R. McClain, Eve Adamson

Presenting innovative ideas on incorporating Zen thinking and action into even the most Western lifestyle, this book focuses on living Zen in a post-9/11 world. It also offers updated information on meditation and its many benefits and new exercises for families to promote Zen living at home, as well as new exercises to help readers combat their dissatisfaction with life and unfulfilled desires.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Zen Living, 2nd Edition

by: Gary R. McClain Ph.D., Eve Adamson

Amazon Price: $3.99 (as of 02/15/2012)

The Beginner's Guide to Zen Buddhism

Smith, author of several anthologies of Buddhist writings, sets out in her latest work to equip the curious beginner with the basics needed to practice Zen. She successfully anticipates a novice's questions and problems by including sections not only on how to meditate but on what to expect and how to behave when visiting a Zen practice center. This book has the potential to bring Zen to a wider audience; Smith excels at providing simple, clear explanations and packs a parcel of basic information into a small book. However, this work also epitomizes some of the problems attending Zen's recent popularity in America. Smith shies away from calling Zen a religion, sugarcoating the more religious aspects of Zen practice, such as making offerings or paying respect to one's teacher, in an effort to make them palatable to the Zen consumer. She eschews literal translations of Buddhist verses for liberal ones and skims over the differences between Zen and other Buddhist traditions, leaving readers with a Zen whose complexities and contradictions have been neatly rationalized. One hopes that readers will not be disappointed by the actual practice of Zen communities after digesting the idealized portrait presented here. The book's strong point is its popularization of Zen, but here popularization flirts with oversimplification.

The Beginner's Guide to Zen Buddhism

by: Jean Smith

Amazon Price: $5.32 (as of 02/15/2012)

Zen And the Art of Happiness

Chris Prentiss

Cutting-edge science and spirituality tell us that what we believe, think, and feel actually determine the makeup of our body at the cellular level. In Zen and the Art of Happiness, you will learn how to think and feel so that what you think and feel creates happiness and vibrancy in your life rather than gloominess or depression. You ll learn how to adapt to life s inevitable changes, how to deal with stress in a healthy way, and how to nurture a mindful happiness in your daily life. Most importantly, the gentle wisdom of Zen and the Art of Happiness will show you how to invite magnificent experiences into your life and create a personal philosophy that will sustain you through anything. A timeless work about the art of happiness, the way of happiness, the inner game of happiness.

Zen And the Art of Happiness

by: Chris Prentiss

Amazon Price: $6.20 (as of 02/15/2012)

Zen books recommended by readers

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Zen of Seeing: Seeing/Drawing as Meditation by Frederick Franck

A Dutch artist offers his concept of seeing and drawing as a discipline by which the world may be rediscovered, a way of experiencing Zen.0 points

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Zen Seeing, Zen Drawing: Meditation in Action by Frederick Franck

Franck, the author of Zen of Seeing, the classic guide, returns with more teachings and instructions.0 points

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Two Zen Classics: The Gateless Gate and The Blue Cliff Records

The strange verbal paradoxes called koans have been used traditionally in Zen training to help students attain a direct realization of truths inexpressible in words. The two works translated in this book, Mumonkan (The Gateless Gate ) and Hekiganroku (The Blue Cliff Record), both compiled during the Song dynasty in China, are the best known and most frequently studied koan collections, and are classics of Zen literature. They are still used today in a variety of practice lineages, from tradition...0 points

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Zen Meditation Plain and Simple by Albert Low

First published by Tuttle in 1989 as An Invitation to Practice Zen, it has gone on to sell nearly 20,000 copies. Now, with a new preface and updated instructional photographs, it's perfect to help a new generation of readers looking to learn the basics of zazen, zen meditation. With a concise overview of the basics and clear photographs illustrating the proper positions and postures, this comprehensive guidebook demystifies the age-old practice of zazen and brings its numerous benefits into the....0 points

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Zen and the Sutras (Tuttle Library of Enlightenment Series) by Albert Low

In this book, Low provides insight into reading and practicing with sutras from the Prajnaparamita School and the Mahayana texts. His insights and conclusions about spirituality and humanity will both enlighten readers and inspire them, in the way of Zen, on their own spiritual search.0 points

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Iron Cow of Zen by Albert Low

A commentary on some classical Zen koans.0 points

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Zen: Talks, Stories and Commentaries by Albert Low

Albert Low, teacher and director of the Montreal Zen Center and dharma heir of Roshi Philip Kapleau, here provides an engaging collection of talks, stories and commentaries on Zen. Though the entries range from dharma talks on koans to discussions on Buddhism and Christianity, they all address concrete concerns of our lives and reveal the author's profound insights. This eBook was originally published in print as "To Know Yourself: talks, stories and articles on Zen.0 points

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Shobogenzo-zuimonki by Assisted By Tom Wright Zenji (Author) Eihei Dogen;

Recorded By Koun Ejo; Translated By Shohaku Okumura0 points

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The Undying Lamp of Zen: the Testament of Zen Master Torei: There is zen and there is Zen. There is Zen Buddhism, and then there is Zen Buddhism. That may sound like a Zen koan, but the point is that Zen comes in many flavors an shapes. There’s the Zen of
Beyond Happiness: The Zen Way to True Contentment, Ezra Bayda: Happiness, that illusive quality, has become the subject of lots of books lately. I’ve been given several by hopeful publishers lately… hopeful that I’d review them. Well, this one is worth the review for sure. I could start at the

What books did I forget?

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elynmac Jan 2, 2012 @ 6:07 pm | delete

The Zen Teachings of Jesus by Ken Leong is a good book for the Zen and Christian dialogue. And any book by Red Pine.

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earthybirthymama Oct 30, 2011 @ 10:41 pm | delete

Crooked Cucumber is one of my favourite books about Shunryu Suzuki. Great Lense

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yourgoldenfuture Jan 6, 2011 @ 6:58 am | delete

the basic teaching book...Shobogenzo by Dogen Zenji...two ways with it...get enlightened or go crazy .....

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Stemcat Aug 26, 2010 @ 8:53 pm | delete

Albert Low's "Zen Meditation Plain and Simple", "Zen and the Sutras", "The Iron Cow of Zen", and "Zen: Talks, Stories and Commentaries"

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Reverend Daito Zenei Thompson, ordained Soto Zen Buddhist Priest Jul 11, 2010 @ 7:37 am | delete

Throw the books away! JUST SIT! You can no more learn Zen from reading a book than you fill your belly by reading a food menu.
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Contents at a Glance

Contents at a Glance

1) The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching

2) Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life

3) Buddhism Plain and Simple

4) True Love: A Practice for Awakening the Heart

5) The Miracle of Mindfulness

6) Happiness: Essential Mindfulness Practices

7) The Three Pillars of Zen: Teaching, Practice, and Enlightenment

Philip Kapleau Roshi

8) Call Me By My True Names: The Collected Poems of Thich Nhat Hanh

9) Old Path White Clouds: Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddha

Buddha's life story retold

10) You Are Here: Discovering the Magic of the Present Moment

Zen Training: Methods and Philosophy

Shambhala Classics, Katsuki Sekida

Not Always So: Practicing the True Spirit of Zen

Shunryu Suzuki, Edward Espe Brown, Zen Center San Francisco

The Way of Zen, Alan Watts

More Top books about Zen Buddhism

Zen Buddhism, Daisetz T. Suzuki

An Introduction to Zen Buddhism

D.T. Suzuki (Author), Carl Jung (Foreword)

Thich Nhat Hanh, the most famous Zen teacher right now

Books by Thich Nhat Hanh

Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, Shunryu Suzuki

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Zen Living

Gary R. McClain, Eve Adamson

The Beginner's Guide to Zen Buddhism

The Beginner's Guide to Zen Buddhism

Zen And the Art of Happiness

Chris Prentiss

Zen books recommended by readers

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