These books offer several points of entry into Zen, including meditation instruction, contemporary teaching, ethical practice, Dōgen study, and the classical koan tradition. Some are approachable introductions, while others are best read slowly and revisited over many years.
Foundations of Zen Practice
- The Three Pillars of Zen: Teaching, Practice, and Enlightenment by Philip Kapleau
- Opening the Hand of Thought: Foundations of Zen Buddhist Practice by Kōshō Uchiyama
- Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind: 50th Anniversary Edition by Shunryu Suzuki
- The Flowing Bridge: Guidance on Beginning Zen Koans by Elaine MacInnes
Practice in Everyday Life
- The Mind of Clover: Essays in Zen Buddhist Ethics by Robert Aitken
- Waking Up to What You Do: A Zen Practice for Meeting Every Situation with Intelligence and Compassion by Diane Eshin Rizzetto
- Infinite Circle: Teachings in Zen by Bernie Glassman
- The Zen Teaching of Homeless Kōdō by Kōshō Uchiyama, with commentary by Shōhaku Okumura
- Realizing Genjōkōan: The Key to Dōgen’s Shōbōgenzō by Shōhaku Okumura
- Being-Time: A Practitioner’s Guide to Dōgen’s Shōbōgenzō Uji by Shinshu Roberts
Classical Koan Collections
- The Gateless Gate: The Classic Book of Zen Koans by Kōun Yamada
- The Blue Cliff Record, translated by Thomas Cleary and J. C. Cleary
Books by Brad Warner
Brad Warner writes about Sōtō Zen, zazen, Dōgen, ethics, sexuality, religion, death, and contemporary practice in a direct and personal style.
- Hardcore Zen: Punk Rock, Monster Movies, and the Truth About Reality
- Sit Down and Shut Up: Punk Rock Commentaries on Buddha, God, Truth, Sex, Death, and Dōgen’s Treasury of the Right Dharma Eye
- Zen Wrapped in Karma Dipped in Chocolate
- Sex, Sin, and Zen: A Buddhist Exploration of Sex from Celibacy to Polyamory and Everything in Between
- Hardcore Zen Strikes Again!
- There Is No God and He Is Always with You: A Search for God in Odd Places
- Don’t Be a Jerk: And Other Practical Advice from Dōgen, Japan’s Greatest Zen Master
- It Came from Beyond Zen!: More Practical Advice from Dōgen, Japan’s Greatest Zen Master
- Letters to a Dead Friend About Zen
- The Other Side of Nothing: The Zen Ethics of Time, Space, and Being
Online Resources
- Zen Peacemakers
A global community rooted in the Three Tenets of Not-Knowing, Bearing Witness, and Taking Action. Its website includes teachings, programs, retreats, training opportunities, and resources related to socially engaged Zen practice. - The Zen Studies Podcast with Domyo Burk
A wide-ranging podcast exploring Zen practice, Buddhist teachings, history, ethics, meditation, and the application of the Dharma in everyday life. The website also includes episode transcripts and organized study resources.
