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natural awareness

relaxed presence, unfabricated, flowing, just as it is,
at ease, unrestrained, abundant, suffuse 

Berzin

Alexander

Relating to Spiritual Teachers: Building a Healthy Relationship

Analyzes psychological and spiritual dynamics.

Robinson

Richard, Willard Johnson, and Thanissaro Bhikkhu

The Buddhist Religions: A Historical Introduction. 5th edition.

The best single historical survey of Buddhist schools and cultures.

Reat

Noble Ross

Buddhism: A History

Shambhala Dictionary of Buddhism and Zen

Essential reference work for Theravada, Tibetan, Zen, and Pure Land terms. Shambhala’s Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion adds Hindu and Taoist terms.

Thich Nhat Hanh

Old Path White Clouds

Dramatic version of the Buddha's life.

Buddha

Magga-vibhanga Sutta (An Analysis of the Path) and Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta (Setting the Wheel of Dhamma in Motion)

Theravada summaries of the eightfold path.

Thanissaro Bhikkku

Refuge

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/refuge.html

McLeod

Ken

Refuge section of Unfettered Mind website

http://unfetteredmind.com/refuge/refuge.php

Buddhaghosa

The Path of Purification (Visuddhimagga)

For a similar but briefer version see Upatissa’s Vimuttimagga.

Brahm, Ajahn

Mindfulness, Bliss, and Beyond: A Meditator's Handbook

Dezhung Rinpoche

A Lamp for the Path of Liberation: The Way to Cultivate the Profound Absorption of Tranquil Resting and Clear Insight

wakeupwiki.jot.com

Gedun Lodro

Calm Abiding and Special Insight: Achieving Spiritual Transformation Through Meditation

(This is a revised edition of the earlier Walking Through Walls). Gedun Lodro’s approach is similar to Jam-yang-shay-ba’s classic Great Exposition of the Concentrations and Formless Absorptions. See also the teachings in Lati Rinbochay’s Meditative States in Tibetan Buddhism.

Gen Lamrimpa

Shamatha Meditation

Goldstein

Joseph and Jack Kornfield

Seeking the Heart of Wisdom

Gunaratana Henepola

The Path of Serenity and Insight

Johnson

Will

Aligned, Relaxed, Resilient: The Physical Foundations of Mindfulness

Excellent introduction to how to sit and the importance of awareness of body sensations.

Johnson

Will

The Posture of Meditation: A Practical Manual for Meditators from All Traditions

Excellent introduction to how to sit and the importance of awareness of body sensations.

Kamalashila

The Stages of Meditation (Bhavanakrama)

Maitreya

Discrimination of the Middle Way and the Extremes (Madhyantavibhanga)

Rosenberg

Larry

Breath by Breath: The Liberating Practice of Insight Meditation

Instruction on the 16 objects of the four foundations of mindfulness in the Anapanasati Sutra.

Thrangu Rinpoche

The Practice of Tranquility and Insight: A Guide to Tibetan Buddhist Meditation. Snow Lion, 2nd ed 1998

Thrangu Rinpoche's commentary on the 8th chapter of Jamgon Kongtrul's the Treasury of Knowledge.

U Pandita

In This Very Life

Review of the Theravada path of insight.

Upatissa

The Path of Freedom (Vimuttimagga)

Classic meditation manual, briefer than Buddhaghosa’s Visuddimagga.

Wallace

B. Alan

The Attention Revolution: Unlocking the Power of the Focused Mind

Detailed discussion and instruction on the nine stages of shamatha, natural settling, shamatha without an object, the four immeasurables, taking and sending, and lucid dreaming.

Wallace

B. Alan

Balancing the Mind: A Tibetan Buddhist Approach to Refining Attention

Becker

Ernest

Denial of Death

Classic discussion of the psychology of the fear of death, including the construction of social reality.

Buddhaghosa

Path of Purification (Visuddhimagga)

Classic Theravada meditation manual that ncludes the reflection on death from eight points of view.

Kapleau

Philip

The Wheel of Life and Death: A Practical and Spiritual Guide

Longaker

Christine

Facing Death and Finding Hope.

McLeod

Ken

Death is the Mother of Beauty

Essay connecting death and creativity. http://www.artandbuddhism.org/papers/wp3_km.html

Mullin

Glenn H

Living in the Face of Death: The Tibetan Tradition

Translates nine Tibetan texts.

Padampa Sangye

Dilgo Khyentse

The Hundred Verses of Advice: Tibetan Buddhist Teachings on What Matters Most

Root text with commentary discusses impermanence, karma, and practice.

Rosenberg

Larry

Living in the Light of Death: On the Art of Being Truly Alive

Smith

Rodney

Lessons from the Dying

Written by vipassana teacher who worked in hospice.

Sogyal Rinpoche

The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying

Buddha

Subjects for Contemplation (Upajjhatthana Sutta)

Includes the five Theravada reflections on aging, illness, death, grief, and karma. Translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.

Deshung Rinpoche

The Three Levels of Spiritual Perception: A Commentary on the Three Visions. 2nd ed, 2003.

Kalu Rinpoche

Writings of Kalu Rinpoche

Traditional Tibetan description of six realms.

 Preece

Rob

The Wisdom of Imperfection: The Challenge of Individuation in Buddhist Life

Discussion of the parallels and differences between the Buddhist spiritual path and psychological growth from a Western perspective.

Ngakpa Chogyam

Khandro Dechen

Spectrum of Ecstasy: The Five Wisdom Emotions According to Vajrayana Buddhism

Discussion of five elements practice. Previously published as Rainbow of Liberated Energy.

Norbu

Thinley

Magic Dance

Five elements.

Rockwell

Irini

The Five Wisdoms Energies: A Buddhist Way of Understanding Personalities, Emotions, and Relationships

The five elements as taught in Shambhala’s Maitri Space Awareness program.

Ladner

Lorne

The Lost Art of Compassion: Discovering the Practice of Happiness in the Meeting of Buddhism and Psychology

Lasher

Margot

The Art and Practice of Compassion and Empathy

Quotes and exercises.

Nyanaponika Thera,

Natasha Jackson, C.F. Knight, and L.R. Oates

Mudita: The Buddha's Teaching on Unselfish Joy: Four Essays

Buddhist Publication Society, The Wheel Publication No. 170. http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/various/wheel170.html

Salzberg

Sharon

Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness

Wallace

Alan

The Four Immeasurables: Cultivating a Boundless Heart

Kalu Rinpoche

Eight Thoughts of Great Individuals

Translated by Ken McLeod. http://unfetteredmind.com/trans/eight.php

Sopa

Geshe Lhundub

Peacock in the Poison Grove: Two Buddhist Texts on Training the Mind

Translations of and commentaries on two Kadampa texts, the Wheel-Weapon and the Poison-Destroying Peacock.

Tog-me Zong-po

The 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva: A Summary of How an Awakening Being Behaves

Translated by Ken McLeod. http://unfetteredmind.com/trans/37.php

Wallace

Alan

A Passage from Solitude: A Modern Commentary on Tibetan Buddhist Mind Training

Wallace

Alan

Buddhism with an Attitude: The Tibetan Seven-Point Mind-Training

 Ashtavakra Gita

Advaita Vedanta poem of insight and presence, translated as The Heart of Awareness by Thomas Byrom.

Barth

Peter

Piercing the Autumn Sky: A Guide to Discovering the Natural Freedom of Mind

Dakpo Tashi Namgyal

Clarifying the Natural State: A Principal Guidance Manual for Mahamudra

Natsok Tsele Rangdrol

Lamp of Mahamudra 

Wangchuk Dorje

Mahamudra Eliminating the Darkness of Ignorance 

The 9th Karmapa’s pointing out instructions covering preliminaries, shamatha, vipashyana, and enhancements, with commentary by Beru Khyentze Rinpoche.

mahamudra root texts

Hongzhi Zhenjue

Cultivating the Empty Field

A 12th century ancestor of Dogen gives sparkling descriptions of presence, where stability and clarity are integrated and phenomena are unrestricted. Translated by Taigen Daniel Leighton and Yi Wu.

Lao Tzu

Tao te Ching

Lao Tzu is uncompromising. For a humane and humorous collection of the implications of Lao Tzu’s principles, read Chuang Tzu.

Uchiyama Roshi

How to Cook Your Life: From the Zen Kitchen to Enlightenment

Dogen’s root text Tenzo Kyokun (Instructions for the Zen Cook) with commentary by Kosho Uchiyama Roshi.

Whitman

Walt

Song of Myself

The 19th century American poet’s spontaneous celebration of presence and compassion.