...The Urban Dharma Reading List...

The Complete Guide to Buddhist America ...by Don Morreale

Don Morreale has managed to compile a database of over a thousand Buddhist meditation centers throughout the United States and Canada, including for each a capsule description, address, phone, e- mail, lineage, spiritual head, date established, facilities, publications, meditation program, and retreats offered. And it is more than just a yellow pages of American Buddhism. Morreale has gathered together numerous essays by masters and by regular practitioners to get their take on this specific Zen center or that particular sangha.

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The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Buddhism ...by Gary Gach, Michael Wenger

Gary Gach is like that teacher you always wanted--easygoing, full of information, able to communicate in humorous and meaningful ways, and a little bit wacky. So he's the perfect author for The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Buddhism. In this trademark easy-to-read format, Gach introduces us to a very human Buddha, along with the rules for living that make a Buddhist a Buddhist.

Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction ...by Damien Keown

This accessible volume provides information about both the teachings of the Buddha and the integration of Buddhism into daily life. What are the distinctive features of Buddhism? Who is Buddha, and what are his beliefs? How has Buddhist thought developed over the centuries, and how can contemporary dilemmas be faced from a Buddhist perspective? It is clear, concise, accurate, and respectful.

Buddhism: Introducing the Buddhist Experience ...by Donald W. Mitchell

Buddhism: Introducing the Buddhist Experience focuses on the depth of Buddhist experience as expressed in the teachings and practices of a wide array of its religious and philosophical traditions. Taking a broad and inclusive approach, this unique work spans over 2,500 years, featuring chapters on Buddhism's origins in India; Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism; and Buddhism in Southeast Asia, Tibet, China, Korea, and Japan. It also includes an extensive discussion of modern, socially engaged Buddhism and a concluding chapter on the spread of Buddhism to the West. Mitchell provides substantial selections of primary text material throughout that illustrate a great variety of moral, psychological, meditative, and spiritual Buddhist experiences.

Landscapes of Wonder: Discovering Buddhist Dhamma in the World Around Us ...by Bhikkhu Nyanasobhano, Bhikkhu Bodhi

Bhikkhu Nyanasobhano teaches us the basics of Buddhism: Theravada Buddhism, the Sri Lankan storehouse of India's ancient tradition. Landscapes of Wonder is a primer on the basics of Buddhism: the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, karma, meditation, and such. But the lessons are to be discovered in fallen trees, soaring birds, and winter landscapes.

Teachings of the Buddha ...Edited by Jack Kornfield, Gil Fronsdal

A treasury of Buddhist writings drawing from the most popular sources of Indian, Tibetan, Chinese and Japanese literature, this book offers traditional instruction on how to practice sitting meditation, cultivate calm awareness, and live with compassion. Also included are a number of new selections on the role of women in early Buddhism.

Radiant Mind: Essential Buddhist Teachings and Texts ...Edited by Jean Smith

The selected writings draw fairly equally from the three major branches of Buddhism represented in the US today (Theravada, Zen and Tibetan) giving the reader a broad, balanced picture.

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Who Is My Self?: A Guide to Buddhist Meditation ...by Ayya Khema

Ayya Khema is a meditator's meditator, a real expert, as clear about the nuts and bolts of technique as she is about the basic sanity and profound peacefulness that is the goal of all technique. Who Is My Self? is a truly astonishing book. It discusses, the well-known eight stages of absorption, based not on textual sources but on personal experience.

The Experience of Insight: A Simple and Direct Guide to Buddhist Meditation ...by Joseph Goldstein

This is a book of gentle westernized Buddhist philosophy and rightful thinking. Stressing simple, easy to understand and follow instructions and thoughts. It is not filled with ponderous sayings. Simply mind healthy practices easily incorporated into daily life.

The Heart of Buddhist Meditation: Satipatthna ...Nyanaponika Thera

The book is subdivided into three parts : the first explains what Insight meditation is about, the second part is a text taken from the "Collection of Long Discourses" of the Buddha, and the third part is a set of various classical texts illustrating the principles explained in the previous parts.

Breath by Breath: The Liberating Practice of Insight Meditation ...by Larry Rosenberg

A must read for anyone who wants to take their meditation practice further. Larry Rosenberg explains indepth how to use the breath to be in the moment.

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The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living ...Howard Cutler

In this guide toward personal happiness, His Holiness the Dalai Lama offers daily meditations and stories to aid listeners in regaining lost happiness in their daily lives. Working closely with him is Dr. Howard C. Cutler, a renowned psychiatrist and neurologist, who takes a closer look at the psychology of our happiness and blocks that may keep us from it.

Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness: Walking the Buddha's Path ...by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana

Bhante Henepola Gunaratana has summarized all of the Buddha's path to happiness, everything we know about affecting change in our lives, and everything that psychology teaches us about healthy living into a single, easy to read, easy to apply manual for happiness. This book is a gem!

Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness ...by Sharon Salzberg, Jon Kabat-Zinn

Sharon Salzberg, a meditation teacher and the founder of the Insight Meditation Society in Massachusetts, focuses on a Buddhist practice that emphasizes feelings of love, happiness, and compassion.

The Way of the Bodhisattva: A Translation of the Bodhicharyavatara ...by Shantideva

The Bodhicharyavatara is a manual for the practice of compassion. It regards compassion, the foremost quality of a bodhisattva, as beneficial for both the recipient and the giver. By unselfishly aiding others, the giver not only improves the lives of others but his action helps him eliminate his own miseries. No doubt that it is hard to extend love in our society, but Shantideva anticipates the practitioner's reservations by providing several exercises that allieviate the dread of exploitation by others.

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The Life of the Buddha: According to the Pali Canon ...by Bhikkhu Nanamoli

Nanamoli was one of the best Pali translators and has produced an authentic and lucid account of the Buddha's life based on the Pali Cannon.

Great Disciples of the Buddha: Their Lives, Their Works, Their Legacy ...by Nyanaponika

Like Jesus's apostles...the main disciples of the historic Buddha were transformed by his awe-inspiring spiritual force!

The First Discourse of the Buddha ...by Ven. Rewata Dhamma

Includes a history of the Buddha's life, background on Buddhism, and a contemporary translation of and commentary on the Four Noble Truths that explain how to become free from suffering and gain insight into the truth of enlightenment.

The Path of Purification: Visuddhimagga ...by Bhadantacariya Buddhaghosa

The most esteemed commentary in all of Pali literature, the Path of Purification (or Visuddhimagga) is a systematic examination and condensation of Buddhist doctrine and meditation technique. The various teachings of the Buddha found throughout the Pali Canon are organized in a clear, comprehensive path leading to the final goal: Nibbana, the state of complete purification.

Swallowing the River Ganges: A Practice Guide to the Path of Purification ...by Matthew Flickstein

This book offers the reader gentle and illuminating guidance to the Path of Purification. Matthew Flickstein's style of writing is simple, yet direct. In the tradition of the great Buddhist teachers, he offers insightful and meaningful explanations of the important teachings contained in the Path of Purification in a timeless and relevant manner.

The Long Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Digha Nikaya ...by Maurice Walshe

Maurice Walshe was not only a master of languages but a practicing Buddhist -- and it certainly shows. This particular product of his knowledge and his faith is one of the most inspiring and elucidating volumes of Buddhist text available to the English-speaking reader.

The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha: A New Translation of the Majjhima Nikaya
...by Bhikkhu Nanamoli, Bhikkhu Bodhi

If there is one book in English that all Buddhists should read, this is the one. The Majjhima Nikaya (Middle-length Discourses) is, along with the other nikayas of the Pali Canon, probably as close as we can come today to reading the actual words of the Buddha.

The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A New Translation of the Samyutta Nikaya ...by Bhikkhu Bodhi

With painstaking care, the eminent Buddhist scholar monk, Bhikkhu Bodhi, has translated the 2889 discourses of the Buddha. No one is better qualified. Collected into their different themes, The Connected Discourses point the way to enlightenment. This book serves as one of the finest resources available for insight into the human condition. The Buddha addresses issues such as body/mind, daily life realities, suffering and joy, awareness and meditation. This book is rich in spiritual teachings, suitable for daily reflection, study, a manual for psychologists, a teaching guide at universities, and offering a wealth of benefits to anyone interested in the true heart of the Buddha's teachings.

Numerical Discourses of the Buddha ...by Nyanaponika Thera, Bhikkhu Bodhi

This book brings together teachings ranging from basic ethical observances recommended to the busy man or woman of the world, to the more rigorous instructions on mental training perscribed for monks and nuns.

Songs of the Sons & Daughters of Buddha ...by Andrew Schelling, Anne Waldman

In this volume Andrew Schelling teams with Anne Waldman to translate selections from the Therigatha (Songs of the Nuns) and Theragatha (Songs of the Monks) collections in the Pali Tripitaka (Buddhist Canon) into English. In some cases they include the prose which sets the scene in which the song/poem was created. They have found the true gems and given us translations which do not depend upon having detailed knowledge of the Theravadan Buddhist tradition.

Buddhist Dictionary: A Manual of Buddhist Terms and Doctrines ...by Nyanatiloka Mahathera

There is simply no other book like this one, and its importance cannot be overstated. It translates and clearly explains a lexicon of Pali terms that are of vital importance to a proper understanding of Buddhist philosophy. Anyone who aspires to a proper understanding of the Dhamma discovered and proclaimed by the Buddha should obtain this book and study it closely. It is one of the brightest jewels of modern Buddhist scholarship.

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Buddhist Cosmology: Philosophy and Origins ...by Akira Sadakata

This extensively researched and illustrated volume offers Western readers a rare introduction to Buddhism's complex and fascinating views about the structure of the universe. The book begins by clearly explaining classical cosmology, with its symmetrical, India-centered universe and multitudinous heavens and hells, and illuminates the cosmos's relation to the human concerns of karma, rebirth, and enlightenment.

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One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism ... Joseph Goldstein...

Insight Meditation cofounder Joseph Goldstein ponders the possibility that all Buddhist teachings could be distilled into One Dharma. As Buddhism continues to grow in the West, Goldstein shows us the value of uniting this movement rather than allowing it to become fractured by its subtle differences. He does not advocate a watering down or mixing up of the various traditions. Rather, "We can practice each of them in its own integrity and come to a genuine depth of understanding."

Buddhism in America ...by Richard Hughes Seager

The first comprehensive treatment of Buddhism in America to take seriously the experiences of immigrants, Buddhism in America is a fascinating road map to the contemporary Buddhist landscape, with Seager as the expert guide.

The Faces of Buddhism in America ...by Charles S. Prebish, Kenneth Kenichi Tanaka

Buddhism is the fastest growing religion in the United States, with adherents estimated in the several millions. But what exactly defines a "Buddhist"? This has been a much-debated question in recent years, particularly in regard to the religion's bifurcation into two camps: the so-called "imported" or ethnic Buddhism of Asian immigrants and the "convert" Buddhism of a mostly middle-class, liberal, intellectual elite.

Luminous Passage ...by Charles S. Prebish

Since the 1960s Buddhism in America has been viewed through the lens of idealism, generally associated with the spiritual quest of baby boomers. This portrayal has been accurate only to a degree. Charles Prebish's Luminous Passage is the first account in a new generation of commentary to demonstrate the complexity and variety of this tradition as it establishes roots in America.

The White Buddhist: The Asian Odyssey of Henry Steel Olcott ...by Stephen Prothero

Largely forgotten in his own country, the first American convert to Buddhism, Henry Steel Olcott, is still revered as a religious hero in Sri Lanka. Having played a key role in the revival of Buddhism there, he also championed Hinduism, Islam, and Zoroastrianism in India and was co-founder of the influential Theosophical Society.

Three Steps... One Bow - The Journal's of Heng Sure and Heng Ch'au  (in 9 volumes)

In May of 1977 American Buddhist monks Heng Sure and Heng Ch'au started their unique journey from downtown L.A. to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas in Talamage, California. A journey of more than 800 miles that took two years and nine months to complete. They bowed in peace, and for peace. Touching their foreheads to the ground, opening their hearts with one wish for the world. Peace. For everyone, everyday, everywhere.

Saffron Days in L.A.: Tales of a Buddhist Monk in America ...by Bhante Walpola Piyananda

Ven. Piyananda is a Theravadan Buddhist monk from Sri Lanka who came to Los Angeles almost 25 years ago and established a Buddhist center there. In this pleasant collection of 20 stories about his experiences in the U.S., Bhante weaves narrative, sacred texts and cultural observations into a serviceable whole cloth.

Dreaming Me: An African American Woman's Spiritual Journey ...by Janice Dean Willis

A self-described Baptist-Buddhist, Willis relates her fascinating personal journey from a small Alabama mining town to a life of teaching and writing about Buddhism. She took the first opportunity to leave behind the racism and poverty of her childhood. A student activist at Cornell University, she participated in demonstrations against war and racism, and she gravitated to Buddhism as a means of learning to overcome the anger, bitterness, and fear engendered by racial injustice.

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Making Friends With Death: A Buddhist Guide to Encountering Mortality ...by Judith L. Lief

This is an excellent down to earth guide to the various issues surrounding death. The first section is entitled "Cultivating a personal awareness of death." Many analogies and examples that we can all relate to are given about our views of the subject. Simple excercises at the end of each chapter give the reader a chance to illuminate his or her views.

Living in the Light of Death: On the Art of Being Truly Alive ...by Larry Rosenberg, David Guy

This book stands out from the crowded genre of authors dealing with loss, pain, and death. Most of the books on this subject seem to focus on the struggle against death and against pain, but while Larry Rosenberg certainly supports the idea that you should embrace life, he takes an honest look at what happens to people who will lose the fight--a group that, in the final analysis, includes everyone.

Graceful Exits: How Great Beings Die: Death Stories of Tibetan, Hindu & Zen Masters ...by Sushila Blackman

Graceful Exits offers guidance in the form of 108 stories recounting the ways in which Hindu, Tibetan, and Zen Buddhist masters, both ancient and modern, have confronted their own deaths. By directly presenting the grace, clarity, and even humor with which great spiritual teachers have met the end of their days.

Grace and Grit: Spirituality and Healing in the Life and Death of Treya Killam Wilber ...by Ken Wilber

The compelling story of the five-year journey of Ken Wilber (author of The Spectrum of Consciousness) and his wife Treya through marriage, illness, and, finally, Treya's death. Ken's brilliant and wide-ranging commentary is combined with Treya's journals to create an inspiring portrait of healing, suffering, wholeness and harmony.

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The Spectrum of Consciousness ...by Ken Wilber

This tour de force of the mapping of transcendental awareness is both brilliantly conceived and delivered by one of the foremost thinkers of our time. Anyone on the path of enlightenment can not afford to miss studying and assimilating the nondual seeing of Ken Wilber.

Up from Eden: A Transpersonal View of Human Evolution ...by Ken Wilber

Wilber develops in detail his model of consciousness as applied to human evolution from the earliest prehistoric levels, to levels beyond those attained by average human beings today. Typical of all his works, he incorporates insights from the anthropological, sociological, biological, physical and psychological sciences for his exposition of evolution in the body/mind realms, and the explanations provided by both Eastern and Western mysticism for the higher levels of consciousness.

No Boundary: Eastern and Western Approaches to Personal Growth ...by Ken Wilber,

A new, easy-to-grasp map of human consciousness against which the various therapies from both Western and Eastern sources are introduced. Designed to help individuals understand the practice of each therapy. Wilber presents a simple, elegant, well explained map of human concious development, all encapsulated by an understandable theory - our mind is divded up, separated by barriers, and by seeing through them we grow.

Sex, Ecology, Spirituality: The Spirit of Evolution

Ken Wilber wrote SEX, ECOLOGY, SPIRITUALITY during a "three-year silent retreat"--"I lived the hermit's life; I saw exactly four people in four years," he recalls (p. xii), and he lays the foundation for his integral philosophy, which he develops more fully in his subsequent books. Wilber was seeking "a world philosophy," he explains. "I sought an integral philosophy, one that would believably weave together the many pluralistic contexts of science, morals, aesthetics, Eastern as well as Western philosophy, and the world's great wisdom traditions. Not on the level of details--that is finitely impossible, but on the level of orienting generalizations: a way to suggest that the world really is one, undivided, whole, and related to itself in every way: a holistic philosophy for a holistic Kosmos: a world philosophy, an integral philosophy"

Boomeritis: A Novel That Will Set You Free ...by Ken Wilber...

"Ken Wilber. America's bad-ass bodhisattva, is the best philosopher-sage alive--- And now this! The great postmodern novel. Characters that are so alive, so outrageous, and most of all, so damn lovable! I had a dozen satoris reading this novel, and so will you. It's a manual for falling awake." --- Stuart Davis, singer/songwriter... Kid Mystic, Bright Apocalypse.

Audio CD... Speaking of Everything ...Ken Wilber...

This CD is extremely well done. It is educational, stimulating, entertaining, and fun. It brings out Wilber's human side and helps to flesh out many aspects of his theory. Jordan Gruber, the interviewer, keeps the tone fresh and interesting. While targeted to those who have read some of Wilber's work, I would still recommend the CD as a provacative introduction to Integral Theory.

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Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values ...by Robert M. Pirsig

Robert Pirsig's "Chautauqua," or traveling tale, takes the reader on a profound tour of ancient Greek philosophy, the steppes of Montana, and even a little bit of Zen Buddhism, with endless surprises and much original if not truly inspired thought along the way.

Guidebook to Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance ...by Ronald L. Disanto, Thomas J. Steele

For fans of ZMM, this is an incredible book that summarizes various aspects of the ZMM book. First and foremost, it gives you the necessary background on philosophy to get a better understanding of where Robert Pirsig is coming from.

Zen Driving ...by K. T. Berger

K. T. Berger (who's actually two brothers, journalist Kevin Berger and psychotherapist Todd Berger) lay out their meaning in understandble terms by applying the principles of Zen to something that all of us can relate to--driving. And by not even trying to exlpain Zen at all, they do a masterful job--a true example of wu-wei in action!

Zen Philosophy, Zen Practice ...by Thich Thien-An

A little-known gem in a sea of literature referring to Zen Buddhism. A Vietnamese Zen Master offers a concise and thorough teaching in Zen theory and technique, with simplicity and style.

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The World's Religions ...by Huston Smith

This book is the single best primer to the basic beliefs and tentets of the major world religions available. Smith's prose is accessible and a joy to read. He is able to distill some very complex theological principles down to their essence to allow their easy digestion by the reader.

Benedict's Dharma: Buddhists Reflect on the Rule of Saint Benedict ...edited by Patrick Henry

When four senior Buddhists sit down to discuss the rules of Christian monasticism, ideas fly. In Benedict's Dharma, Zen priest Norman Fisher, meditation teacher Joseph Goldstein, professor Judith Simmer-Brown, and Yifa, a nun of the Chinese Buddhist tradition, flesh out The Rule of Saint Benedict, which has guided the organization and daily life of the Western Christian monastic tradition since the ninth century.

The Gethsemani Encounter: A Dialogue on the Spiritual Life by Buddhist and Christian Monastics ...by Donald W. Mitchell, James Wiseman

The Gethsemani Encounter was perhaps one of the great overlooked religious moments in the past decade. In the hills of Kentucky, in the oldest Trappist monastery in the United States, monastics from all over the world gathered to dialogue, to learn, to agree and disagree. The meeting place was suggested by the Dalai Lama, who in a moving afterword says, "And so for the rest of my life, the impact of meeting him will remain until my last breath." The him is Thomas Merton, who met with the Dalai Lama on his final journey through the east in 1968. The talks in this book are broken up into sections... Journey and Dialogue, Prayer and Medidtation, Method and Expierence, Growth and Development, etc... with speakers from both the Buddhist and Christian monastic tradition sharing their expierence and strength.