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Buddhist Groups in Montana

Books

These books have been read and appreciated by members of the Bozeman Zen Group, and we recommend them to those new to Zen Buddhism. Most are available for check out through the library at the Bozeman Dharma Center.

Introductory Book Suggestions

  • Aitken, Robert. 1985. Taking the Path of Zen. **
  • Anderson, Reb. 2001. Being Upright: Zen Meditation and the Bodhisattva Precepts.
  • Anderson, Reb. 2012. The Third Turning of the Wheel: Wisdom of the Samdhinirmocana Sutra.
  • Beck, Charlotte Joko. 1989. Everyday Zen: Love and Work. **
  • Caplow, Florence & Moon, Susan, eds., The Hidden Lamp: Stories from Twenty-Five Centuries of Awakened Women
  • Connelly, Ben, Inside Vasubandhu’s Yogacara
  • Cook, Francis, trans., The Record of Transmitting the Light: Zen Master Keizan’s Denkoroku
  • Dōgen, Eihei, Moon in a Dewdrop.
  • Fischer, Norman, The World Could Be Otherwise (and other titles)
  • Fischer, Norman and Moon, Susan, What is Zen? Plain Talk for a Beginner’s Mind **
  • Kapleau, Philip. 1989. The Three Pillars of Zen: Teaching, Practice, and Enlightenment.
  • Leighton, Taigen Dan, Cultivating the Empty Field: The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi
  • Leighton, Taigen Dan, Just This is It: Dongshan and the Practice of Suchness
  • Magid, Barry, Nothing is HIdden
  • Nhat Hanh,Thich. 1974. Zen Keys. **
  • Nhat Hanh, Thich. The Heart of Buddha’s Teaching **
  • Nhat Hanh, Thich. Transformation and Healing: The 4 Foundations of Mindfulness. **
  • Reps, Paul. 1957. Zen Flesh, Zen Bones. **
  • Rizetto, Diane. Waking Up to What You Do. **
  • Suzuki, Shunryu. 1971. Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind
  • Suzuki, Shunryu. 2002. Not Always So
  • Tanahanshi, Kazuaki. The Heart Sutra: A Comprehensive Guide to the Classic of Mahayana Buddhism
  • Yampolsky, Philip, trans., The Zen Master Hakuin, Selected Writings

Books from other Buddhist Traditions

  • Batchelor, Stephen, Living with the Devil  (and other titles)
  • Chödrön, Pema, When Things Fall Apart (and other titles)
  • Gunaratana, Henepola. 2002. Mindfulness in Plain English. (Vipassana)
  • Rahula, Walpola. 1986. What the Buddha Taught. (General Buddhism)
  • Salzberg, Sharon. 1997. Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness. (Vipassana)
  • Surya Das, Lama. 1998. Awakening the Buddha Within: Tibetan Wisdom for the Western World. (Tibetan)
  • Trungpa, Chögyam, The Myth of Freedom
  • Trungpa, Chögyam, Cutting Through Material Spiritualism

Memoirs from American Zen Students

  • Chadwick, David. 1994. Thank You and OK!: An American Zen Failure in Japan.
  • Chadwick, David, Crooked Cucumber – a biography of Zen Master Shunryu Suzuki 
  • Goldberg, Natalie. 1994. Long Quiet Highway: Waking Up in America.
  • Shainberg, Laurence. 1997. Ambivalent Zen: One Man’s Adventures on the Dharma Path.
  • Tollifson, Joan. 1996. Bare-bones Meditation: Waking Up from the Story of My Life.
  • Winson, Robert and Miriam Sagan. 1999. Dirty Laundry: 100 Days in a Zen Monastery.

Contemporary titles about trauma and self-compassion

  • Germer, Christopher, The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion
  • Hanson, Rick, Hardwiring Happiness
  • Levine, Peter, Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma
  • Siegel, Dan, Aware
  • Treleaven, David, Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness