Books I Recommend
Over the years I've read a lot of books on Buddhism and related topics. Here are the ones I recommend most often. Books marked with a are personal favorites.
My Books
I've written three books on Buddhism and mindfulness.
Top 5 to Get Started
If you're new to Buddhism, start with these.
No-Nonsense Buddhism for Beginners
Noah Rasheta
Buddha
Karen Armstrong
Buddhism Without Beliefs
Stephen Batchelor
Rebel Buddha
Dzogchen Ponlop
Why Buddhism is True
Robert Wright
Recommended Books
For anyone interested in learning more, these are my favorite books. The full list, alphabetical by title.
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 Douglas 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
Great Courses / Lecture Series
Available on Audible and similar platforms.
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
Additional resources worth exploring.
American Buddhism
Gyomay M. Kubose
Maha Prajna Paramita Hridaya Sutra (Paramita Sutra) with commentary
Gyomay Kubose
Tan Butsu Ge
Gyomay Kubose
You’re It!: On Hiding, Seeking, and Being Found
Alan Watts
Non-Buddhist Influences
Books outside of Buddhism that have shaped my thinking.
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
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