10 Good Books About Buddhism That Will Open Your Mind

“A simple and reliable introduction to the complexities” of Buddhism (Journal of the Buddhist Society), this “succinct, clear overview of Buddhist concepts has never been surpassed. It is the standard” (Library Journal). Addressed to the “educated and intelligent reader,” this compact yet authoritative “exposition of Buddhism conceived in a resolutely modern spirit” (from the foreword) covers the specific teachings of the Buddha, including selections from illustrative texts newly translated by the author.

Perhaps no other spiritual leader of modern times is as well-known as the 14th Dalai Lama. In this, his most intimate and approachable book, “readers both well versed in and new to the Dalai Lama’s teachings will make invaluable discoveries as the Dalai Lama emphasizes our common humanity, our interdependence, and the need for us to ‘cultivate a greater sense of universal responsibility’” (Booklist). The result is an “intriguing portrait” (Los Angeles Times) that is equal parts autobiography and spiritual guidebook.

One of the world’s most revered spiritual leaders and a pioneer in the field of psychology find that there is much that they can learn from one another in this “fresh, unique exploration of many subtle issues” (Shambhala Sun). The Dalai Lama needs no introduction, while Paul Ekman is a professor emeritus and a leading researcher into the psychology of emotions. In a wide-ranging series of conversations, they touch on topics of anger, compassion, and emotional balance in this volume that led Library Journal to rave that “a brief review can hardly do justice to the range and depth of this fine book.”

A student of Japanese Zen master Dainin Katagiri, Steve Hagen is a Zen Buddhist and a longtime teacher who brings the lessons of both the ancient masters and his own life to this direct, no-nonsense guide that “will appeal to readers interested in what true Zen practice is supposed to be about beyond all the popular images and colorful stories” (Robert M. Pirsig, author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance). Across 43 short chapters, Hagen presents various aspects of Buddhist practice in a clear and direct way for readers both new and old.

“Intelligent and informative, Toomey’s book reveals the hidden lives of women who have been neglected by Buddhist discourse,” raves Kirkus Reviews of this book by an award-winning journalist as she “travels around the world staying with [Buddhist] nuns from Burma to California, drawing the reader inside their unexpectedly fascinating lives” (Wall Street Journal). Hailing from all walks of life, these women are united by their commitment to slow down and seek enlightenment in our fast-paced world.

A Professor of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of San Diego, Karma Lekshe Tsomo’s new history of Buddhism traces the ways in which the religion has interacted with women and indigenous groups in the various lands where it has taken root, written by a “noted authority who not only chronicles the progress but has been instrumental in it” (Water Women’s Alliance). The result is a “fundamental and comprehensive study of Buddhist traditions, showing a profound understanding of gender aspects and their contemporary relevance” (Religious Studies Review).

This “tenderly crafted study that is equal parts love letter, traditional history, and oral history” (Publishers Weekly) begins with journalist Thomas Laird, who spent three years conducting more than 60 hours of interviews with the Dalai Lama. Those interviews form the backbone of this “memorable and vivid history lesson about a remote and mysterious place” (The Times-Picayune) that provides “captivating reading” (Tricycle) covering both the history of Tibet and the story of the Dalai Lama himself.

Three distinguished professors bring the tools of contemporary continental philosophy and critical studies to a “rich and well researched” (Choice) dissection of modern Buddhism, focusing on the concept of nothing. The result is a wide-ranging book that offers a “serious and significant engagement with critical theory and Buddhism” (Speculative Non-Buddhism), through lenses that have often been applied to other forms of spiritual practice, but have been more rarely used to approach Buddhism, at least in Western scholarship.

In the year 721, a relatively unknown Buddhist monk named Hyecho began a pilgrimage that would take him across the Korean peninsula, through what is now China, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Iran, and more. Reconstructing that journey with the help of the surviving fragments of Hyecho’s own journals as well as other visual and textual sources, this “beautifully produced book” (Reading Religion) presents a “unique and invaluable contribution to the growing library of Buddhist History” (Midwest Book Review) as it depicts a rich and vibrant world of Buddhism in the 8th century.

Drawing on interviews with 40 Black Buddhist teachers and practitioners, this engrossing book examines how Black-identifying Buddhist practitioners interpret Buddhist teachings in ways that are congruent with Black radical thought and informed by their own experiences with racism and oppression. Read it to see why Religion hailed that it “stands to become a classic ethnographic study for the field of Buddhist studies and should be consulted by those looking to do further research on Black Buddhists in America and elsewhere.”