Buddhist discussion

I was curious, What books were your favorites? This would be a great way to see what books are out there that others have found inspiring, understandable, and motivating.

I'm really an Alan Watts fan because he's such a scholar and he explains it so well to Westerners. I read somewhere he was called the Rosetta Stone of Eastern philosophy or something. But not everybody is into scholarly like I am. Outside of that one of my favorites is The Feeling Buddha, by ?? Can't remember!

To balance out your scholarliness, Rebecca, I'm going to go for Tezuka's "Buddha" series of manga novels! They're a graphical biography of Gautama's life and do a good job of portraying the cultural and political climate of the Buddha's India whilst communicating the fundamentals of buddhist thought in a way a beginner can easily understand. It is told with a tone that can switch from irreverant humour to something much more serious and moving at the drop of a hat, not too unlike the mood of Buddhism itself. If I hadn't read Tezuka's work, I might not have become interested in Buddhism in the first place.

And because it's impossible to pick just one piece of work...the audiobook Buddhism for Beginners by Jack Kornfield. It's a series of lectures recorded at one of Kornfield's retreats and explains Buddhism though the use of anecdotes, parables and quotations from various sources (both buddhist and non-buddhist), all with an excellent sense of humour and helped me to realise how I was hurting myself It completely changed my outlook on life.

As I'm concious that I havn't actually mentioned a print book and people might assume I can't read, I'll also mention A Buddhist Case for Vegetarianism by Philip Kapleau. It might be a controversial choice for some, but it makes convicing arguements on the subject. I chose to become vegetarian before getting into Buddhism, but I still found Kapleau's book facinating.

Hi Daren - The Lama Surya Das book also was big for me. In fact, it is the one I keep extra copies of around and give to people who ask me for recommendations about Buddhism - beginners who want to know more. It is such a great book! Everyone I have given it to also loves it. Have you read any of his other books? I've gotten them but not read - they're on my stack :)

Right now, Matthieu Ricard (http://www.ted.com/talks/matthieu_ric...). A lot of wisdom you can find there... imho.

"The path of oneness".It's my bible.

Amanda - At the age of 62 I just last year accidentally ordered a graphic novel. Can't remember the name but it was a young American Iranian woman visiting Iran and blew me away. I was shocked by the intensity of emotions and experience conveyed by the artwork. I'm a convert. Next one I read was a coming out story by a young woman - very powerful. Then I discovered a Buddha graphic novel bio and picked it up - don't think it was the one you mentioned so I have ordered Vols 1 -3 from my library. Thanks for mentioning those.
I thought every book nominated for the March reading was a winner and we couldn't lose with any of them. Looking forward to participating.

Re: my practice - I came to Buddhism through professional training in mindful awareness practice. had a strong practice for a few years, lately have had problem meditating. What saves me is walking meditation. When I can do nothing else, I an walk. I have a lovely trail on my property with acouple of Buddhas to keep me focused and it helps the rest of my day - keeps me aware.

Was the iranian book Persepolis, by any chance Merrikay? Persepolis is an amazing graphic novel. People often get snobbish about graphics and although there is a lot of chaff out there, there is also a core of absolute masterclass works to be discovered by those who give it a chance. I'm curious about this other graphic Buddha bio you mention if you have any details?

Regarding my practice, my meditation has been all but abandonned, but I do make time for some yoga from time to time. I'm hoping that this group will help me get back on the path!

Favorite Buddhist books so far:

General-
The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching-Thich Nhat Hanh
A Path with Heart-Kornfield

Zen-
Taking the Path of Zen-Robert Aitken

Vipassana-
A Gradual Awakening- Stephen Levine

did everyone see that Noah Levine has a new book out!?! I went out and got it last night, and it's looking pretty cool so far. Here it is:

The Heart of the Revolution: The Buddha's Radical Teachings of Forgiveness, Compassion, and Kindness

I also picked up Work, Sex, Money: Real Life on the Path of Mindfulness by Chögyam Trungpa last night. It looks like a fabulous resource for anyone who wants to know more about combining Buddhim and everyday life.

Work, Sex, Money: Real Life on the Path of Mindfulness

Glad I've found this group! I haven't heard of Alan Watts before but I will definitely check him out, as well as some of the others suggested here.

Some of my favorites are
True Love, by Thich Nhat Hanh
and A New Earth, by Eckhart Tolle

Meryl
--
Meryl Davids Landau
author of the new spiritual women's novel,
Downward Dog, Upward Fog
"An inspirational gem"--ForeWord Reviews

Ah,so many good readings out there it's hard to make a choice. But I've enjoyed reading almost anything by Thich Nhat Hanh plus;
Buddhism Plain and Simple
Awakening the Buddha Within : Tibetan Wisdom for the Western World
The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology

and Mountains Are Mountains, Rivers Are Rivers-by Rabinowitz and Kabit-Zinn

but I'm sure there are many more out there I haven't even begun to explore

Daren wrote: "I like Alan Watts too. Also, I'm currently reading Meditation in Action by Chogyam Trungpa. The first book that really had a big impact on my thinking was Lama Surya Das' Awaken the Buddha Within."

after the exctasy the laundry by jack kornfield,should give it a thought.

I'm currently reading Plant Seed, Pull Weed: Nurturing the Garden of Your Life I enjoy this book since it gives insight into how to put a "practice" into daily activity. Afterall that's why it's called a practice. Too often people who profess to adhere to a religion or a philosophy fail to put all those good ideas into their daily interaction with others.

to babs, mindfullness is truly a beautiful thing.

Gotta go with Jack (Kornfield not Daniels) : ) Especially his recorded books.

I second that Stacy - his audio is REALLY good.

You should go to his dharma talks at http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/85/ E- mail if wrong address. thanks Alex Hopper

What a brilliant link, Alex! Thank you! I'll be checking some of these teachers out.

My Favorite Buddhist books:

Samana
Acariya Mun Bhuridatta Thera - A Spiritual Biography
Patipada
Acariya Khao Analayo - True Spiritual Warior
Mae Chee Kaew - Her Journey to Spiritual Awakening and Enlightenment

None of the books are being sold though. It is for freely distributed. You can download it in www.forestdhamma.org

It's the Thai Theravadhan Tradition!

I am currently reading Bringing Home the Dharma: Awakening Right Where You Are by Jack Kornfield, and I am really enjoying it. It is very down to earth and understandable....I would really recommend it!

It's difficult to narrow them down, there are so many wonderful Buddhist books out there. However, my favourites so far seem to be: (1) "A Flash of Lightning in the Dark of Night" by HH The Dalai Lama, which is a commentary on Shantideva; (2) "Finding our True Home" by Thich Nhat Hanh; and (3) "The Lotus-Born: The Life Story of Padmasambhava" by Yeshe Tsogyal. And another that comes to mind is "Awakening the Sacred Body" by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche.

I just finished Turning the Mind Into an Ally and really enjoyed the insightful and compassionate instructions and insights...great book!