The list below—while neither comprehensive or definitive—includes books that we have found useful in learning about the Dharma and helpful in some way towards deeper understanding. We use many of these titles as the starting point in our classes and discussions to cultivate an intellectual understanding of Buddhism and Buddhist practice.

Like the example of Manjusuri, however, our practice is made up of both the scroll of knowledge and the sword of wisdom. This points us towards a middle path of practice where the need for knowledge is balanced by the wisdom that is gained by living a life centered on practice. After all, Buddhism is a religion of doing, not thinking of doing!

While it is true that much knowledge can be gained by reading books, it is a far richer path to work with a teacher and/or study with a group, where the wisdom of others enriches and strengthens all in a way that is impossible when studying alone. Nearly all the titles listed below are still in print and can be found at a local library or for sale online. Suggestions for new additions are always welcome.

  • Basic Buddhist Concepts, Kogen Mizuno
  • What the Buddha Taught, Walpola Rahula
  • Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, Shunryu Suzuki
  • Moon in a Dewdrop: Writings of Zen Master Dogen, Eihei Dogen (Author), Kazuaki Tanahashi (Editor)
  • Appreciate Your Life: The Essence of Zen Practice, Taizan Maezumi
  • Enlightenment Unfolds, Kazuaki Tanahashi
  • Everyday Zen, Charlotte Joko Beck
  • Mind of Clover, Aitken Roshi
  • Beyond Thinking: A Guide to Zen Meditation, Eihei Dogen
  • Opening the Hand of Thought: Foundations of Zen Buddhist Practice, Kosho Uchiyama Roshi
  • How to Cook Your Life, Eihei Dogen with commentary by Uchiyama Roshi
  • Bendowa, Eihei Dogen with commentary by Uchiyama Roshi
  • Dogen’s Pure Standards for the Zen Community, Eihei Dogen
  • Dogen’s Extensive Record: A Translation of the Eihei Koroku
  • Realizing Genjokoan: The Key to Dogen’s Shobogenzo, Okumura
  • Living by Vow, Shohaku Okumura and Dave Ellison
  • Dhammapada, Dharma Publishing
  • Returning to Silence, Dainin Katagiri
  • Did Dogen Go to China? What He Wrote and When He Wrote It, Steven Heine
  • Soto Zen in Medieval Japan, William M. Bodiford
  • Master Dogen's Shinji Shobogenzo,301 Koan Stories, Gudo Nishijima
  • Dogen and the Koan Tradition, A Tale of Two Shobogenzo, Steven Heine
  • Book of Serenity, translated by Thomas Cleary
  • Zen Ritual, Studies of Zen Buddhist Theory in Practice, Steven Heine & Dale Wright
  • The Other Side of Soto Zen Buddhism in Tokugawa Japan, Duncan Ryuken Williams
  • Shambala Dictionary of Buddhism and Zen, Shambala Publications
  • Eihei Dogen, Mystical Realist, Hee-Jin Kim
  • Hua-yen Buddhism: The Jewel Net of Indra, Francis H. Cook
  • The Buddhist Teaching of Totality: The Teaching of Hwa-yen Buddhism, Garma Chang
  • Dogen's Formative Years in China: Translation of the Hokyo-ki, James Kodera