Reading List: Meditation, Buddhism and more

A selection of books and CDs are available for sale at the Wednesday night class. IMCW does not sell these materials o­n the website and we can not take mail orders.

The following books are recommended by IMCW’s teachers. We hope that you enjoy them.

* Denotes books that are good as an introduction to Buddhist practice and teachings.

** Denotes books that are good for more experienced students.

• Vipassana-Mindfulness or Insight Meditation
• Zen
• Tibetan
• Grieving, Death and Dying
• Racism, Equity, Inclusivity
• Engaged Buddhism
• Mindfulness for Children and Teens
• Other

Vipassana-Mindfulness or Insight Meditation

Analayo, Satipatthana: The Direct Path to Realization**

Ajahn Amaro, Small Boat, Great Mountain (link to free copy in .pdf) – (Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery, 2003)**

James Baraz, Awakening Joy: 10 Steps That Will Put You on the Road to Real Happiness

Sylvia Boorstein, It’s Easier Than You Think: The Buddhist Way to Happiness

Bhikkhu Bodhi, In the Buddha’s Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon (Teachings of the Buddha)**

Tara Brach, Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha *

Tara Brach, True Refuge: Finding Peace and Freedom in Your Own Awakened Heart *

Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfield, Seeking the Heart of Wisdom: The Path of Insight Meditation (Shambhala Classics)*

Joseph Goldstein, Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening

Joseph Goldstein, One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism

Henepola Gunaratana, Mindfulness in Plain English, Updated and Expanded Edition*

Henepola Gunaratana, Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness: Walking the Buddha’s Path

Jon Kabat-Zinn, Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life

Mirka Knaster, Living This Life Fully: Stories and Teachings of Munindra

Jack Kornfield, A Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life*

Jack Kornfield, with Gil Fronsdal, Teachings of the Buddha

Jack Kornfield, The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology

Wes Nisker, Buddha’s Nature: A Practical Guide to Enlightenment Through Evolution

Walpola Rahula, What the Buddha Taught: Revised and Expanded Edition with Texts from Suttas and Dhammapada

Larry Rosenberg, Breath by Breath: The Liberating Practice of Insight Meditation*

Sharon Salzberg, Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness*

Ajahn Sumedho, The Sound of Silence: The Selected Teachings of Ajahn Sumedho**

Thich Nhat Hanh, The Miracle of Mindfulness*

Nyanaponika Thera, The Heart of Buddhist Meditation: Satipatthna: A Handbook of Mental Training Based on the Buddha’s Way of Mindfulness**

William Tuttle, Buddhism and Veganism: Essays Connecting Spiritual Awakening and Animal Liberation

Zen

Charlotte Joko Beck, Nothing Special: Living Zen

Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind

Tibetan

Pema Chodron, When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times (Shambhala Classics)

Pema Chodron, The Places That Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times (Shambhala Library)

Lama Surya Das, Awakening the Buddha Within: Tibetan Wisdom for the Western World

Sogyal Rinpoche, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying: The Spiritual Classic & International Bestseller; Revised and Updated Edition

Tsoknyi Rinpoche, Fearless Simplicity: The Dzogchen Way of Living Freely in a Complex World**

Tsoknyi Rinpoche, Open Heart, Open Mind: Awakening the Power of Essence Love

Tsultrum Allione, Feeding Your Demons: Ancient Wisdom for Resolving Inner Conflict

Tulku Urgyen Rimpoche, As It Is, Vol. 2**

Grieving, Death and Dying

Bhikkhu Analayo, Mindfully Facing Disease and Death — Compassionate Advice from Early Buddhist Texts (2016)

Joan Halifax, Being with Dying: Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death

Joan Halifax, Standing At the Edge

Thich Nhat Hanh, No Death, No Fear: Comforting Wisdom for Life

Edie Hartshorne, Light in Blue Shadows

Sameet M. Kumar, PhD, Grieving Mindfully — A Compassionate and Spiritual Guide to Coping with Loss (2005)

Stephen Levine, A Year to Live

Stephen Levine, Healing into Life and Death

Frank Ostaseski, Five Invitations: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully

Kathleen Dowling Singh, The Grace in Dying : How We Are Transformed Spiritually as We Die

Francis Weller, The Wild Edge of Sorrow: Rituals of Renewal and the Sacred Work of Grief

Racism, Equity, Inclusivity

Hilda Gutierrez Baldoquin, Dharma, Color, and Culture: New Voices in Western Buddhism

Ta-Nehisi Coates, Between the World and Me

Robin DiAngelo, White Fragility (link to pdf)

Gary R. Howard, We Can’t Teach What We Don’t Know: White Teachers, Multiracial Schools (Multicultural Education Series)

Debby Irving, Waking Up White: and Finding Myself in the Story of Race

Charles R. Johnson, Taming the Ox: Buddhist Stories and Reflections on Politics, Race, Culture, and Spiritual Practice

Ruth King, Mindful of Race Training – A Stimulus for Social Healing & Leadership

Kittisaro & Thanissara, Listening to the Heart: A Contemplative Journey to Engaged Buddhism

Zenju Earthlyn Manuel, The Way of Tenderness: Awakening through Race, Sexuality, and Gender

California Newsreel, “Race: the Power of an Illusion” (film series)

Pax Christi Anti-Racist Team, Building Accountable Relationships with Communities of Color (online resource)

Rev. Dr. Rebecca Parker, “Not Somewhere Else, But Here” (essay)

Bryan Stevenson, Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption

Thanissara, Time to Stand Up: An Engaged Buddhist Manifesto for Our Earth — The Buddha’s Life and Message through Feminine Eyes (Sacred Activism)

Barbara Trepagnier, Silent Racism: How Well-Meaning White People Perpetuate the Racial Divide

Engaged Buddhism

Fred Eppsteiner, The Path of Compassion: Writings on Socially Engaged Buddhism

Joanna Macy, World as Lover, World as Self: Courage for Global Justice and Ecological Renewal

Donald Rothberg, The Engaged Spiritual Life: A Buddhist Approach to Transforming Ourselves and the World

Mindfulness for Children and Teens

James Baraz, Awakening Joy for Kids

Lee-Anne Gray, Self-Compassion for Teens: 129 Activities & Practices to Cultivate Kindness

Thich Nhat Hanh, A Handful of Quiet: Happiness in Four Pebbles

Thich Nhat Hanh, Mindful Movements: Ten Exercises for Well-Being

Thich Nhat Hanh, Planting Seeds: Practicing Mindfulness with Children

Mitchell Hoffsteader and Betsy Thomson, Meditation, My Friend: Meditation for Kids and Beginners of all Ages

Shauna Shapiro and Chris White, Mindful Discipline: A Loving Approach to Setting Limits and Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child

Diana Winston, Wide Awake: A Buddhist Guide for Teens

Other

Adyashanti, Emptiness Dancing**

Adyashanti, Falling into Grace

Rezvan Ameli, 25 Lessons in Mindfulness: Now Time for Healthy Living

John Amodeo, Dancing with Fire: A Mindful Way to Loving Relationships

Marc Ian Barasch, Field Notes on the Compassionate Life: A Search for the Soul of Kindness

Stephen Batchelor, Buddhism Without Beliefs: A Contemporary Guide to Awakening

Toni Bernhard, How to Be Sick: A Buddhist-Inspired Guide for the Chronically Ill and Their Caregivers

Toni Bernhard, How to Wake Up: A Buddhist-Inspired Guide to Navigating Joy and Sorrow

Richard Brown and Patricia Gerbarg, The Healing Power of the Breath: Simple Techniques to Reduce Stress and Anxiety, Enhance Concentration, and Balance Your Emotions

Darlene Cohen, Turning Suffering Inside Out

Mark Epstein, Going to Pieces without Falling Apart: A Buddhist Perspective on Wholeness

Chris Germer, The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion: Freeing Yourself from Destructive Thoughts and Emotions

Daniel Gottleib, Letters to Sam: A Grandfather’s Lessons on Love, Loss, and the Gifts of Life

Linda Graham, Bouncing Back: Rewiring Your Brain for Maximum Resilience and Well-Being

Rick Hanson and Richard Mendius, Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom

Barry Heermann, Noble Purpose: Igniting Extraordinary Passion for Life and Work

Stephen Josephs, Dragons At Work

Jonathan Kaplan, Urban Mindfulness: Cultivating Peace, Presence, and Purpose in the Middle of It All

Loch Kelly, Shift into Freedom: The Science and Practice of Open-Hearted Awareness

Jean Kristeller, The Joy of Half a Cookie: Using Mindfulness to Lose Weight and End the Struggle with Food

Robert Lesoine & Marilynne Chophel, Unfinished Conversation: Healing from Suicide and Loss

Nisargadatta Maharaj, I Am That: Talks with Sri Nisargadatta

Phillip Moffitt, Dancing with Life: Buddhist Insights for Finding Meaning and Joy in the Face of Suffering

Dan Morhaim, The Better End: Surviving (and Dying) on Your Own Terms in Today’s Modern Medical World

Kristin Neff, Self-Compassion: Stop Beating Yourself Up and Leave Insecurity Behind

Mary O’Malley, What’s in the Way Is the Way

Lewis Richmond, Aging as a Spiritual Practice

Lorin Roche, Ph.D.,The Radiance Sutras

Marshall B. Rosenberg, Ph.D., Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life

Brenda Salgado (edited by), Real World Mindfulness for Beginners: Navigate Daily Life One Practice at a Time

Dan Siegel, Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation

Ronald D. Siegel and Christopher Germer (editors), Wisdom and Compassion in Psychotherapy: Deepening Mindfulness in Clinical Practice

Susan Stone, The Kosambi Intrigue; A Tale in the Time of Buddha – NOTE: This is fiction.

Congressman Tim Ryan, A Mindful Nation: How a Simple Practice Can Help Us Reduce Stress, Improve Performance, and Recapture the American Spirit

Eckhart Tolle, New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose

Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment

Bessel van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma

Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Spiritual Ecology: The Cry of the Earth

Sherrie Vavrichek, The Guide to Compassionate Assertiveness: How to Express Your Needs and Deal with Conflict While Keeping a Kind Heart

John Wellwood, Perfect Love, Imperfect Relationships: Healing the Wound of the Heart

Jo Weston, Mastering Respectful Confrontation: A Guide to Personal Freedom and Empowered, Collaborative Engagement

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