Some Recommendations for Further Study & Understanding
It has been a difficult task to cull through the many books I have read, read again, and continue to use as resources in my personal practice and group practice leading. I have found that once you come to understand the way the mind works and have a sense of the nature of your mind (your innate wisdom and compassion), then almost anything you read seems to offer its own wisdom.
What you select to read should be based on your needs and desires at this point on your spiritual path, not necessarily on what I have connected with in the past. However, since we are all one in our experience of suffering and since we all share a the same essence of aware being, there will be readings that tend to connect us all in our common desire to be free of suffering and be helpful to others in their struggles as well. So, I offer some suggestions from my current library.
I feel I should include a description of the focus of each book below to help you choose where to start (or continue) your exploration. The brief descriptions have some text borrowed from reviews of the books online. The titles are linked to sites where you can purchase the books. Other options may be available.
Awakening Through Love: Unveiling Your Deepest Goodness by John Makransky
This book is a root text in a lineage of applied social intelligence, offering us practical methods for cultivating empathy and compassion – not in some remote mountain hermitage, but in the midst of life. John Makransky has learned that the power of real and enduring love lies within every one of us. Awakening Through Love is his guide to finding it.
Buddhism without Beliefs: A Contemporary Guide to Awakening by Stephen Batchelor
In this simple but important volume, Stephen Batchelor reminds us that the Buddha was not a mystic who claimed privileged, esoteric knowledge of the universe, but a man who challenged us to understand the nature of anguish, let go of its origins, and bring into being a way of life that is available to us all. The concepts and practices of Buddhism, says Batchelor, are not something to believe in but something to do—and as he explains clearly and compellingly, it is a practice that we can engage in, regardless of our background or beliefs, as we live every day on the path to spiritual enlightenment.
After the Ecstasy, the Laundry by Jack Kornfield
Most accounts of spiritual enlightenment end at the moment of illumination. But what happens after that? What is life like after the ecstasy? How do we live our understanding with a full heart? “Enlightenment does exist. Unbounded freedom and joy, oneness with the divine . . . these experiences are more common than you know, and not far away.” But even after achieving such realization—after the ecstasy—we are faced with the day-to-day task of translating that freedom into our imperfect lives. We are faced with the laundry. Drawing on the experiences and insights of leaders and practitioners within the Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, and Sufi traditions, this book offers a uniquely intimate and honest understanding of how the modern spiritual journey unfolds—and how we can prepare our hearts for awakening.
You are the Happiness You Seek: Uncovering the Awareness of Being by Rupert Spira
In this book, Rupert Spira, a teacher in the Non-Dual tradition, distills the message of all the great religious and spiritual traditions into two essential truths: happiness is the very nature of our self or being, and we share our being with everyone and everything. Drawing on numerous examples from his own experience, Spira demonstrates that to seek lasting happiness through objects, situations and relationships is destined for failure and disappointment, and skillfully guides the reader to recognize that we are already the happiness we seek. This book is for anyone who yearns for lasting happiness and is open to the possibility that it is continuously available within ourselves, irrespective of our circumstances.
When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times by Pema Chodron
This book is a collection of talks Pema gave between 1987 and 1994. The book is a treasury of wisdom for going on living when we are overcome by pain and difficulties. Chödrön discusses:
· Using painful emotions to cultivate wisdom, compassion, and courage
· Communicating so as to encourage others to open up rather than shut down
· Practices for reversing habitual patterns
· Methods for working with chaotic situations
· Ways for creating effective social action
Loving-Kindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness by Sharon Salzberg
In this book, Sharon Salzberg, one of America’s leading spiritual teachers, shows us how the Buddhist path of lovingkindness can help us discover the radiant, joyful heart within each of us. This practice of lovingkindness is revolutionary because it has the power to radically change our lives, helping us cultivate true happiness in ourselves and genuine compassion for others. The author draws on simple Buddhist teachings, wisdom stories from various traditions, guided meditation practices, and her own experience from twenty-five years of practice and teaching to illustrate how each one of us can cultivate love, compassion, joy, and equanimity.
Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World by The Dalai Lama
With Beyond Religion, the Dalai Lama returns to the conversation of Ethics for a New Millenium at his most outspoken, elaborating and deepening his vision for the nonreligious way—a path to lead an ethical, happy, and spiritual life. Transcending the religion wars, he outlines a system of ethics for our shared world, one that makes a stirring appeal for a deep appreciation of our common humanity, offering us all a road map for improving human life on individual, community, and global levels.
Old Path White Clouds by Thich Nhat Hanh
Old Path White Clouds presents the life and teachings of Gautama Buddha. Drawn directly from 24 Pali, Sanskrit, and Chinese sources, and retold by Thich Nhat Hanh in his inimitably beautiful style, this book traces the Buddha’s life slowly and gently over the course of 80 years, partly through the eyes of Svasti, the buffalo boy, and partly through the eyes of the Buddha himself. This book reads more like a beautiful and complete novel than a compilation of texts ages past.
Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana
Author Bhante Gunaratana, a renowned meditation master, takes us step by step through the myths, realities, and benefits of meditation and the practice of mindfulness. The book showcases Bhante’s trademark clarity and wit, as he explores the tool of meditation, what it does, and how to make it work. For anyone who is new to meditation, this is a great resource for learning how to live a more productive and peaceful life.
Befriending the Mind: Easing into the Heart of Awakening by Doug Kraft
Author Doug Kraft acknowledges the kindness and intelligence that imbues our heart and mind. He describes our job on the spiritual path as discovering the clarity and wisdom in the mind-heart. Wise effort on the path is about revealing rather than ruling. Awakening begins with befriending the mind.
Without Buddha I Could Not Be a Christian by Paul F. Knitter
Without Buddha I Could Not Be a Christian narrates how esteemed theologian, Paul F. Knitter overcame a crisis of faith by looking to Buddhism for inspiration. From prayer to how Christianity views life after death, Knitter argues that a Buddhist standpoint can encourage a more person-centred conception of Christianity, where individual religious experience comes first, and liturgy and tradition second. Moving and revolutionary, this book will inspire both Christians and Buddhists.
The Buddha’s Map by Doug Kraft
Doug Kraft breaks down the Buddha’s original teachings and provides a meditation practice and path based on those teachings. He goes into the practices associates with the 4 Noble Truths and the principles of Dependent Origination as outlined by the Buddha and how they can enlighten our practice. For those who want to connect more deeply with the Buddha’s teachings, this a great resource.
Again, this is by no means a full and complete list. If you asked me five years ago (or five years hence), I am sure I would offer a different list. If you don’t see something that stirs your heart or piques your interest, then let me know, and I will see what else I have on my bookshelf that may offer you a way to better understand the nature of our suffering and how to ease it.
Standing at the Edge: Finding Freedom Where Fear and Courage Meet by Joan Halifax
Standing at the Edge is an evocative examination of how we can respond to suffering, live our fullest lives, and remain open to the full spectrum of our human experience. Halifax has identified five psychological territories she calls Edge States: altruism, empathy, integrity, respect, and engagement—that epitomize strength of character. Yet each of these states can also be the cause of personal and social suffering. In this way, these five psychological experiences form edges, and it is only when we stand at these edges that we become open to the full range of our human experience and discover who we really are. Recounting the experiences of caregivers, activists, humanitarians, politicians, parents, and teachers, incorporating the wisdom of Zen traditions and mindfulness practices, and rooted in Halifax’s groundbreaking research on compassion, Standing at the Edge is a powerful guide on how to find the freedom we seek for others and ourselves.
Leaves Falling Gently by Susan Bauer-Wu
A life-limiting illness may have taken hold of your body, but you can still live more fully and openly than ever before. You can enrich your life by exploring ways to make peace with yourself and deepen connections with friends and family. This book will help you reap the benefits of mindfulness and acceptance, one day at a time.
Leaves Falling Gently is a comforting guide to the mindfulness and compassion practices that will help you embrace the present moment, despite your illness. With each simple practice, you’ll deepen your appreciation for the experiences that bring you joy and enhance your capacity for gratitude, generosity, and love. As you work through each personal reflection and guided meditation, you’ll regain the strength to live fully, regardless of the changes and challenges that come.
Die Wise: A Manifesto for Sanity and Soul by Stephen Jenkinson
Die Wise does not offer seven steps for coping with death. It does not suggest ways to make dying easier. It pours no honey to make the medicine go down. Instead, with lyrical prose, deep wisdom, and stories from his two decades of working with dying people and their families, Stephen Jenkinson places death at the center of the page and asks us to behold it in all its painful beauty. Die Wise teaches the skills of dying, skills that have to be learned in the course of living deeply and well. Die Wise is for those who will fail to live forever.
Dying well, Jenkinson writes, is a right and responsibility of everyone. It is not a lifestyle option. It is a moral, political, and spiritual obligation each person owes their ancestors and their heirs. Die Wise dreams such a dream, and plots such an uprising. How we die, how we care for dying people, and how we carry our dead: this work makes our capacity for a village-mindedness, or breaks it.
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