Recommended Reading

Start Here

(Integral Theory) A Brief History of Everything, Ken Wilber - This book is Ken Wilber's short, accessible introduction to Integral Theory.

(Zen) The Method of No-Method: The Chan Practice of Silent Illumination, Chan Master Sheng Yen - A translation of the meditation instructions given by Chan (Zen) Master Sheng Yen at two retreats in 1998-1999. The topic is the practice of Silent Illumination (aka mozhao or shamata vipashyana), originally created by Master Hongzhi Zhengjue in the 12th century. This translation is very readable, and is an excellent practical guide for the western reader.

(Trauma) The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel van der Kolk M.D. - The go-to book on trauma and traumatic stress.

Zen Books

(Zen) Wild Ivy: The Spiritual Autobiography of Zen Master Hakuin, Norman Waddell - Written by Zen Master Hakuin in the 17th century, Wild Ivy Is a translation of his spiritual autobiography. In addition to stories and lessons from his life, it contains a description of Introspective Meditation, which includes the "soft butter method" of meditation.

Zen Mind, Beginners Mind, Shunryu Suzuki
What the Buddha Taught, Walpola Rahula
The Dhammapada, Thomas Cleary
The Zen Teaching of Bodhidharma, Red Pine
The Record of Linji, Ruth Fuller Sasaki
The Zen Koan, Ruth Fuller Sasaki
The Diamond Sutra, Red Pine
The Platform Sutra: The Zen Teaching of Hui-Neng, Red Pine
Platform Sutra – The Zen Doctrine of No-Mind (the Significance of the Sutra of Hui-Neng), D.T. Suzuki
Poison Blossoms from a Thicket of Thorns, Hakuin Zenji
Kensho: The Heart of Zen, Hakuin Zenji, translated by Cleary
Hakuin on Kensho: The Four Ways of Knowing, Albert Low
Discourse on the Inexhastible Lamp: Torei Enji Zenji, comments by Daibi Zenji
Introduction to Zen Buddhism, D.T. Suzuki
The Lankatavara Sutra, D.T Suzuki
Understanding our Mind, Thich Nhat Hanh
Points of Departure: Zen Buddhism With a Rinzai View, Eido Tai Shimano
Two Arrows Meeting in Mid-Air, John Daido Loori, Roshi
Dropping Ashes on the Buddha, Zen Master Seung Sahn and Stephen Mitchell
The Heart of Zen, JunPo Denis Kelly Roshi and Keith Martin-Smith
The Junpo Roku, Daju Suzanne Friedman
Being with Dying: Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death, Joan Halifax, Roshi

Chan (Chinese Zen) Books

There is No Suffering: A Commentary on the Heart Sutra, Chan Master Sheng Yen
Shattering the Great Doubt: The Chan Practice of Huatou, Chan Master Sheng Yen
The Hoofprint of the Ox, Master Sheng Yen
Complete Enlightenment, Master Sheng Yen
Cultivating the Empty Field: The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi, Honghzhi Zhengue (Author), Taigen Dan Leighton (Translator), Yi Wu (Translator)
Chan and Zen Teaching, Charles Luk

Zen of no Zen Books

Awareness: The Perils and Opportunities of Reality, by Anthony de Mello
The Way to Love, by Anthony de Mello
Mystics and Zen Masters, by Thomas Merton
The Way of Chuang Tzu, by Thomas Merton
Zen and the Birds of Appetite, by Thomas Merton
Reflections on the Unknowable, by Thomas Keating
Journeys into Emptiness: Dogen, Merton, Jung and the Quest for Transformation, Robert Jingen Gunn

Tibetan Books

Cutting through Spiritual Materialism, Chogyam Trungpa
Transcending Ego: Distinguishing Consciousness from Wisdom, Thrangu Rinpoche
Journey of the Mind: teachings on the bardo, Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche
Everyday Consciousness and Primordial Awareness, Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche
Stilling the Mind: Shamatha Teachings from Dudjom Lingpa’s Vajra Essence, B. Alan Wallace
Tibetan Zen: Discovering a Lost Tradition, Sam van Schaik
Contemplative Science: Where Buddhism and Neuroscience Converge, B. Alan Wallace

Integral Books

Essential Spirituality, Roger Walsh
Wicked and Wise, Alan Watkins and Ken Wilber
Integral Spirituality, Ken Wilber
Integral Meditation, Ken Wilber
A Brief History of Everything, Ken Wilber - This book is Ken Wilber's short, accessible introduction to Integral Theory.
A Theory of Everything, Ken Wilber
Religion of Tomorrow, Ken Wilber - One of Wilber's most recent and most advanced books. A very in-depth survey of the entirety of Integral Theory that assumes at least some familiarity with the basic concepts.

© 2024 Integral Zen All rights reserved.