Suggestions for reading and
listening
Victor von der Heyde
I have some suggestions for
dharma books and online talks, but a caution first: reading and
listening go hand-in-hand with meditation practice. Just getting
an intellectual understanding doesn't quite do it. In my experience
going on retreats is very helpful if you get the chance. What's
said seems to become clearer and open up in a quiet retreat.
There are many good dharma
books and talks. These (below) are just some that stand out for
me. They're not in any particular order. I've put in links to
the Amazon pages for the books not because I'm encouraging you
to buy from Amazon but because you can usually read sections
of the book there and see a variety of reviews.
1. The introductory book that
I suggest to people now is Jack
Kornfield: The Wise Heart, A Guide to the Universal Teachings
of Buddhist Psychology (2008, Bantam). This book is in a
populist California style and while some people find that hard
to swallow, most people I know who've read the book have found
it helpful. Jack Kornfield is both an experienced meditation
teacher and a clinical psychologist.
2. Stephen Batchelor:
Life and Death of Siddhattha Gotama (set of 8 online audio
talks, free (dana)). The first of these talks is about meditation.
The other 7 talks are a reconstruction of the Buddha's life.
They're probably more interesting if you've been around Buddhist
teachings for a while. It's best to listen to the talks in order.
The talks are listed in date order and the first is 21-10-2005.
3. Stephen
Batchelor: Confession of a Buddhist Atheist (2010, Spiegel
& Grau). This is an account of Stephen's decades long journey
with Buddhist, first as a monk then as a layperson and teacher.
Stephen is very good at taking some of the mystique out of Buddhism
(and some people think he takes out more than the mystique).
Very readable.
4. Barry
Magid: Ending the Pursuit of Happiness, A Zen Guide (2008,
Wisdom). Barry Magid is a psychoanalyst, a psychiatrist and a
Zen teacher. He teases out background attitudes and dynamics
in meditation practice and has a very grounded approach.
5. Andrew
Olendzki: Unlimiting Mind, The Radically Experiential Psychology
of Buddhism (2010, Wisdom). Andrew Olendzki is a Buddhist
scholar and director of the Barre Centre for Buddhist Studies
in the US. He is able to explain Buddhist perspectives in a very
clear and succinct way and he covers a lot of ground that other
books don't.
6. Toni
Packer: The Wonder of Presence, and the Way of Meditative Inquiry
(2002, Shambhala). Toni Packer was once a Zen roshi but left
role that to become an independent teacher. While there is a
Buddhist flavour to her writing, it is not actually Buddhist.
Toni Packer was one of the teachers who influenced me a lot and
she has a lovely presence herself. What's distinctive about her
approach is that she writes directly from her own perspective,
not giving a view of something else (like what the Buddha meant).
7. Rodney
Smith: Stepping Out of Self-Deception, the Buddha's Liberating
Teaching of No-self (2010 Shambhala). This is not a quick
read but it's a very fresh presentation, is considered, has depth
and is a good book to work with in a contemplative way. Probably
not so much for people starting out with meditation but very
rich for people with a longer term practice.
8. Jack
Kornfield: Bringing Home the Dharma: Awakening Right Where You
Are (2011: Shambhala). Jack's most recent book is written
largely for people already involved in Buddhist practice. It's
a refined presentation of Jack's previous teachings, it compares
different approaches to Buddhism, it looks at parenting, legal
and illegal drugs and how they fit with practice, and gives some
good accounts of Jack's own experiences with teachers and teaching.
One general Buddhist publication
that I like is Tricycle Magazine.
It has a good breadth to it. Some issues are better than others.
It's not on the suggested reading list but still worth a mention.
This list will probably change
as other books come out.
Most of these books wouldn't
be in your local bookshop but they may get them in for you. Or
you could get them online at:
Booktopia An Australian
online store (may not be the cheapest but it's local);
Better World Books
free shipping and a share of the profits goes to literacy programs;
The Book Depository
maybe a little slower than Amazon but possibly cheaper with free
shipping; or Amazon.
If you'd like to email me in
relation to any of this, my address is
