Updating My Spiritual Reading List, Category 4, Buddhism (Zen)

In my two nonfiction books (“Beyond the Power of Now” and “Electrical Christianity”), I provide a Spiritual Reading List (of Highly Recommended and Recommended texts in the “Great Traditions”). I made a few changes to the List between “Beyond the Power of Now” and “Electrical Christianity,” and there will be more changes to the List in my forthcoming book “The Power of Now Meditation Guide” (which should be published later this year).

My Spiritual Reading List is divided into nine categories – Advaita Vedanta, Buddhism (Original), Buddhism (Tibetan), Buddhism (Zen), Christianity, Judaism, and Gnosticism, Daism, Hinduism (Yoga), Kashmir Shaivism, and Miscellaneous. In a nine-part series, I will, in turn, consider each category and provide its latest edition.

Herewith is the fourth, Buddhism (Zen), followed by my consideration.

Buddhism (Zen)

Highly Recommended

The Diamond Sutra and the Sutra of Hui Neng, trans. A.F. Price. (Other translations of these timeless sutras also available.)

Tracing Back the Radiance: Chinul's Korean Way of Zen, Robert Buswell, Jr. (Outstanding account of a great Zen master’s spiritual evolution.)

The Zen Teaching of Huang Po, John Blofeld. (Easily the best book on Zen.)

Recommended

Kensho, The Heart of Zen, Thomas Cleary. (My favorite Cleary text on Zen.)

The Lankavatara Sutra, trans. D.T. Suzuki. (Avoid Red Pine’s “butchered” translation.)

The Practice of Zen, Gharma C.C. Chang. (Great autobiographical accounts of enlightenment. Out of print.)

The Way of Zen, Alan Watts. (Classic introductory text by the godfather of American Zen.)