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Book List

Main Texts

Year 1

  • Old Path, White Clouds
    • Thich Nhat Hanh
  • Buddha
    • Karen Armstrong
  • Heart of the Buddha’s Teachings
    • Thich Nhat Hanh
  • The Four Noble Truths
    • Ajahn Sumedho
  • The Noble Eightfold Path
    • Bikkhu Bodhi
  • A Concise History of Buddhism
    • Andrew Skilton
  • History of Vietnamese Buddhism
    • A handout that will be made available
  • Zen Keys
    • Thich Nhat Hanh
  • Women in Buddhism
    • Diana Y. Paul

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

  • Understanding Our Mind: 50 Verses on Buddhist Psychology
    • Thich Nhat Hanh
    • Previously published under the title Transformation at the Base
  • Stepping into Freedom
    • Thich Nhat Hanh
  • Avatamsaka Sutra
  • Anger
    • Thich Nhat Hanh
  • The Way of the Bodhisattva
    • Shantideva, Padmakara Translation Group
  • The Heroic Heart: Awakening Unbound Compassion
    • Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo
  • A Heart Full of Peace
    • Joseph Goldstein, Wisdom Publications

Supplemental Texts

Year 1

  • Open Heart, Clear Mind: An Introduction to the Buddha’s Teachings
    • Thubten Chodron
    • Supplements The Heart of the Buddha’s Teachings
  • Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind
    • Shunryu Suzuki
    • Supplements Zen Keys
  • The Story of Buddhism: A Concise Guide to Its History and Teachings
    • Donald S. Lopez, Jr.
    • Supplements The Concise History of Buddhism
  • Master Tāng Hôi, first Zen Teacher in Vietnam and China
    • Thich Nhat Hanh
    • Supplements History of Vietnamese Buddhism
  • Learning True Love
    • Sister Chan Khong
    • Supplements Women in Buddhism
  • Other
    • Old Path, White Clouds and Buddha are complementary to each other so no additional reading is suggested
    • The Four Noble Truths and The Noble Eightfold Path are adequately supplemented by Heart Of The Buddha’s Teachings

Year 2

  • Breathe: You Are Alive
    • Thich Nhat Hanh
    • Supports main text: Anapanasati Sutra
  • The Miracle of Mindfulness
    • Thich Nhat Hanh
    • Supports main text: Anapanasati Sutra
  • Breath by Breath: The Liberating Practice of Insight Meditation
    • Larry Rosenberg
    • Supports main text: Anapanasati Sutra
  • Transformation and Healing
    • Thich Nhat Hanh
    • Supports main text: Satipatthana Sutra
  • The Four Foundations of Mindfulness in Plain English
    • Bhante Gunaratana
    • Supports main text: Satipatthana Sutra
  • Mindfulness, A Practical Guide to Awakening
    • Joseph Goldstein
    • Supports main text: Satipatthana Sutra
  • The Four Foundations of Mindfulness
    • Sayadaw U. Silananda
    • Supports main text: Satipatthana Sutra
  • What the Buddha Taught
    • Walpola Rahula
    • Supports main text: The Tree of Enlightenment
  • The Vision of Buddhism
    • Roger j. Corless
    • Supports main text: The Tree of Enlightenment
  • Buddhism in Daily Life
    • Nina Van Gorkom
    • Supports main text: The Tree of Enlightenment
  • The World of Tibetan Buddhism: An Overview of its Philosophy and Practice
    • HH the Dalai Lama
    • Supports main text: The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying
  • Essential Tibetan Buddhism
    • Robert A. F. Thurman
    • Supports main text: The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying
  • Tibetan Buddhism from the Ground Up: A Practical Approach for Modern Life
    • B. Alan Wallace and Steven Wilhelm
    • Supports main text: The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying
  • Luminous Passage, The Practice and Study of Buddhism in America
    • Charles S. Prebish
    • Supports main text: Buddhism in America
  • American Buddhism, Methods and Findings in Recent Scholarship
    • Duncan Ryuken Williams and Christopher S. Queen
    • Supports main text: Buddhism in America
  • The Faces of Buddhism in America
    • Charles S. Prebish and Kenneth K. Tanaka
    • Supports main text: Buddhism in America
  • The Long Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Digha Nikaya
    • Maurice Walshe and Ajahn Sumedo
    • Supports main text: In the Buddha’s Words
  • The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Majjhima Nikaya
    • Bhikkhu Nanamoli and Bhikkhu Bodhi
    • Supports main text: In the Buddha’s Words
  • The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha: A Complete Translation of the Anguttara Nikaya
    • Bhikkhu Bodhi
    • Supports main text: In the Buddha’s Words
  • The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Samyatta Nikaya
    • Bhikkhu Bodhi
    • Supports main text: In the Buddha’s Words

Year 3

  • The Dhammapada: A New Translation Of The Buddhist Classic With Annotations
  • Essence Of The Heart Sutra
  • Thunderous Silence – A Practical Guide To The Heart Sutra
    • Dosung Yoo
    • Supports main text: Heart Sutra
    • ISBN 1614290539
  • The Diamond That Cuts Through Illusion
    • Thich Nhat Hanh
    • Supports main text: Diamond Sutra
    • ISBN 1935209442
  • Awakening Of Faith In The Mahayana
  • Pure Land, Pure Mind
    • Chu-Hung And Tsung-Pen Translated By J.C. Cleary
    • Supports main text: Amitabha Sutra
    • An apparently free copy of various formats is available at https://archive.org/details/PureLandPureMind
  • The Platform Sutra: The Zen Teaching Of Hui-Neng
    • Red Pine
    • Supports main text: Sutra of Hui Neng
    • ISBN 1593761775
  • The Sutra Of Hui-Neng: Grand Master Of Zen
    • Thomas Cleary
    • Supports main text: Sutra of Hui Neng
    • ISBN 1570623481
  • The Lotus Sutra
    • Translated By Burton Watson
    • Supports main text: Lotus Sutra
    • ISBN 0231081618
  • The Ultimate Dimension
    • Thich Nhat Hanh (Sounds True Audio Cd)
    • Supports main text: Lotus Sutra
  • The Holy Teaching Of Vimalakirti
  • The Way Of Chuang Tzu
    • Thomas Merton
    • Supports main text: Tao Te Ching
    • ISBN 0811218511
  • Embracing Mind – The Common Ground Of Science And Spirituality
    • B. Alan Wallace
    • Supports main text: The Universe in a Single Atom: the Convergence of Science and Spirituality
    • ISBN 159030683X

Year 4

  • Buddha Mind, Buddha Body, Walking toward Enlightenment
    • Thich Nhat Hanh
    • Supports main text:  Understanding Our Minds: 50 Verses on Buddhist Psychology
    • ISBN 9781888375756
  • Transformation at the Base (Understanding our Mind)
    • Talks 1-8 by Norman Fischer commenting on Thich Nhat Hanh’s Transformation at the Base: Fifty Verses on the Nature of Consciousness.
    • Supports main text:  Understanding Our Minds: 50 Verses on Buddhist Psychology
    • Found at everydayzen.org Click on teachings, all teachings, then search for ‘transformation’. All 8 talks should then be available
    • Alternatively, use this link everydayzen.org/teachings. 
  • The Ultimate Dimension, an advanced retreat on the Avatamsaka and Lotus sutras
    • Thich Nhat Hanh, a 6 CD collection from Sounds True.
    • Supports main text:  Avatamsaka Sutra
  • Avatamsaka talks
    • Norman Fischer, talks 1-5
    • Supports main text:  Avatamsaka Sutra
    • Found at everydayzen.org Click on teachings, all teachings, then search for ‘avatamsaka’. All 5 talks should then be available
    • Alternatively, use this link everydayzen.org/teachings. 
  • Hua-yen Buddhism, the Jewel Net of Indra
    • Francis H. Cook
    • Supports main text:  Avatamsaka Sutra
    • ISBN 027102190x
  • Healing Anger: The Power of Patience from the Buddhist Perspective
    • HH the Dalai Lama
    • Supports main text:   Anger
    • ISBN 1559390735
  • The Cow in the Parking Lot, A Zen Approach to Overcoming Anger
    • Leonard Scheff and Susan Edmiston
    • Supports main text:   Anger
    • ISBN 9700761158158
  • No Time to Lose
    • Pema Chodron
    • Supports main text:  The Way of the Bodhisattva
    • ISBN 1590301358
  • A Flash of Lightning in the Dark of Night: A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life
    • HH the Dalai Lama
    • Supports main text:  The Way of the Bodhisattva
    • ISBN 0877739714
  • Practicing Wisdom: The Perfection of Shantideva’s Bodhisattva Way
    • HH the Dalai Lama
    • Supports main text:  The Way of the Bodhisattva
    • ISBN 9780861711826
  • Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening
    • Joseph Goldstein
    • Supports main text:  A Heart Full of Peace
    • ISBN 9781622030637
  • A Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life
    • Jack Kornfield
    • Supports main text:  A Heart Full of Peace
    • ISBN 998055337213
  • Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness
    • Sharon Salzberg
    • Supports main text:  A Heart Full of Peace
    • ISBN 9781570629037

Retired Books

The following books were, at one time, part of our curriculum. While the DTO still feels that these books have some valuable content, they are no longer included as primary or supplemental books because of the unethical conduct of their authors. This decision was made by the DTO leadership with the approval of Thay.

  • The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying
    • Sogyal Rinpoche
  • The Bodhisattva Ideal
    •  Sangharakshita