Personal Buddhist Reading List
Personal Buddhist Reading List
For now, this page will remain unbuilt. However, here is a brief list of Buddhist texts I have read and texts I plan to read. From here, I will begin to develop and write notes to ensure that I am engaging with my practice.
A quick thought: while learning and intelligence are not the same as wisdom, learning does offer exposure. If I do not know of something, I cannot properly assess it. I do not rely on this reading or learning to give me the kindness and compassion that I can exhude and practice daily. I also do not rely on this reading to ensure I maintain my path and stick to my practice. However, I do see value in the rigorous study of anything. Why? Because the study of it, itself, is valuable.
No Mud, No Lotus by Thich Naht Hanh
The Diamond that Cuts through Illusion, Thich Naht Hanh Translation
The Art of Happiness by The Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler
Moon in a Dewdrop: Writings of the Zen Master Dōgen by Zen Master Dōgen
Lalitavistara Sutra, Gwendolyn Bays Translation
Introduction to Buddhism by the Dalai Lama
Anger by Thich Naht Hanh
Zen Buddhism by D. T. Suzuki
In Love with the World: A Monk's Journey Through the Bardos of Living and Dying by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche and Helen Tworkov
The Dhammapada – Trans. Gil Fronsdal or Eknath Easwaran
The Heart Sutra – Translations by Red Pine or Thich Nhat Hanh
The Lotus Sutra – Trans. Gene Reeves or Burton Watson
The Bodhicaryāvatāra (Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life) – Śāntideva; Trans. Crosby & Skilton or Wallace & Wallace
Nagarjuna’s Mulamadhyamakakarika (Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way) – Trans. Jay Garfield
The Essence of the Heart Sutra – Dalai Lama
How to See Yourself As You Really Are – Dalai Lama
The Life of the Buddha – Bhikkhu Nānamoli (or Lalitavistara Sūtra trans. by the 84000 Project)
Opening the Hand of Thought – Kōshō Uchiyama (Zen, Dōgen-influenced)
The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching – Thich Nhat Hanh
What the Buddha Taught – Walpola Rahula
Written July 8, 2025
Last Edited July 8, 2025