Richard Shankman
Richard Shankman
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Recommended Reading

 

Vipassana (Insight) Meditation and Theravada Teachings:

Seeking the Heart of Wisdom  by Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfield.

Insight Meditation  by Joseph Goldstein.

The Experience of Insight  by Joseph Goldstein.

Breath by Breath by Larry Rosenberg.

The Experience of Samadhi by Richard Shankman.

Mindfulness With Breathing: A Manual for Serious Beginers by Buddhadasa Bhhikkhu.

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

A Path With Heart by Jack Kornfield.

Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Gunaratana.

What the Buddha Thought by Richard Gombrich.

One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism  by Joseph Goldstein.

Lovingkindness  by Sharon Salzberg.

Living Dharma  by Jack Kornfield.

Food for the Heart: The Collected Teachings of Ajahn Chah  

What the Buddha Taught  by Walpola Rahula.

The Heart of Buddhist Meditation  by Nyanaponika Thera.

Heartwood of the Bodhi Tree  by Buddhadasa Bhikkhu.


Buddhist History, Development and Teachings


The Buddhist Handbook  by John Snelling. Subtitle is “A Complete Guide to Buddhist Schools, Teaching, Practice and History”. Very good overview of history and development of Buddhism.

The World of Buddhism  by Heinz Bechert and Richard Gombrich, eds. Published by Thames and Hudson Ltd., 1984. Explores the entire 2500 year old history of Buddhism. Includes many photos of Buddhist art and contemporary life in Buddhist countries.

Buddhism, An Outline of its Teachings and Schools  by Hans Wolfgang Schumann. Published by Quest Books, The Theosophical Publishing House. An introduction to the basic teachings, history and development of Buddhism.

Entering the Stream  by Samuel Bercholz and Sherab Chodzin Kohn, eds. Published by Shambhala Publications, 1993. Four parts: 1) Life of the Buddha and spread of Buddhism 2) Basic Teachings 3) Teachings of the Great Vehicle (Mahayana) 4) The Tantric Teachings.

The Life of the Buddha  by Bhikkhu Nanamoli. Published by BPS Pariyatti Editions (Seattle, Washingtion), 2001, contact www.pariyatti.com (originally published by Buddhist Publication Society (Kandy, Sri Lanka), 1992).

A History of Indian Buddhism: From Sakyamuni to Early Mahayana  by Hirakawa Akira. Published by University of Hawaii Press, 1990. Very complete although more academically oriented.

Forest Recollections: Wandering Monks in Twentieth-Century Thailand  by Kamala Tiyavanich. Published by University of Hawaii Press, 1997.

The World of Tibetan Buddhism  by The Fourteenth Dalai Lama. Published by Wisdom Publications, 1995.

Mahayana Buddhism  by Paul Williams. Published by Routledge, 1989.


Buddhist Texts:

In The Buddha’s Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon.  Edited and translated by Bhikkhu Bodhi. Published by Widsom Publications, 2005.

The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha.  A translation of the Majjhima Nikaya, translated, edited and revised by Bhikkhu Bodhi from an original translation by Bhikkhu Nanamoli. Published by Wisdom Publications, 1995.

The Connected Discourses of the Buddha.  A translation of the Samyutta Nikaya, translated by Bhikkhu Bodhi, in 2 volumes. Published by Wisdom Publications, 2000.

The Long Discourses of the Buddha.  . A translation of the Digha Nikaya. Translated by Maurice Walsh. Published by Wisdom Publications, 1995.

Numerical Discourses of the Buddha.  An anthology of Suttas from the Anguttara Nikaya. Translated and edited by Nyanaponika Thera and Bhikkhu Bodhi. Published by Alta Mira Press.

Dhammapada.  Translated by Gil Fronsdal. Published by Shambhala Publications, 2005.

The Sutta Nipata by H. Saddhatissa.

Handful Of Leaves.  Four volume anthology from the Pali Suttas, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Available on a dana basis from the Sati Center for Buddhist Studies, www.sati.org.

A Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma.  by Bhikkhu Bodhi, ed. A translation of “The Abhidhammattha Sangaha of Acariya Anuruddha”. Published by Buddhist Publication Society (Kandy, Sri Lanka), 1993. ISBN 955-24-0103-8. This is the book to read if you want to study Abhidhamma.

Satipatthana: The Direct Path to Realization.  By Analayo. Published by Windhorse Publications, 2003. An in-depth analysis of the important Foundations of Mindfulness Discourse (Satipatthana sutta).