dAVE's List of Great Books on Contemplative Practice

dAVE’s List of Great Books on Contemplation

Folks often reach out to me to ask for book recommendations on topics ranging from Buddhism to Meditation to Poetry and other contemplative practices.

I love when this happens, partly because it’s so honoring and flattering, and partly because it gives me a chance to talk about books and spirituality, which are two of my biggest interests.

So the other day when I got request, I decided to look through my bookshelves and see what jumped out.  Here’s a list of my favorite books on the general topic of contemplative practices.

I am using the great Parker Palmer’s definition: Contemplation is any way one has of penetrating illusion and touching reality.

So here goes. Each title has a short description with it.

General:

Essential Spirituality:  The Seven Practices to Awaken Heart and Mind by Roger Walsh, M.D. Ph.D.  In this amazing book, Dr. Walsh surveys the world’s religions to find the powerful and common practices that run through them all (to some extent.)

A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life by Parker Palmer.  Parker Palmer is a wise and eloquent man Elder who speaks of the importance of community in finding spiritual growth.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo.  A classic and mythic story of awakening.

The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer.  Along with Eckart Tolle's Power of Now, this is book was pivotal in my shift six years ago from cynical skepticism to finding a path to liberation.  He eloquently discusses the voice in your head, and how to free oneself from it, along with lots of other powerful insights.

Buddhism:

The Heart of Zen: Enlightenment, Emotional Maturity, and What It Really Takes for Spiritual Liberation by JunPo Denis Kelly and Keith Martin-Smith. This is by my teacher and fellow priest in the Hollow Bones Rinzai Zen Order. It is in the form of a conversation, and the concepts are presented simply and clearly.  This book changed my life, and led to me becoming a Zen priest.

Buddhism Without Beliefs: A Contemporary Guide to Awakening by Stephen Batchelor.  This concise book (100 quick pages) is the best I have read explaining Buddhism in simple clear terms, and without relying upon metaphysical theories like karma and rebirth. If you are a skeptic at heart, and curious about Buddhism, this is the THE BOOK!!!  I have bought many copies of this and then given them away!

Zen Mind, Beginners Mind by Shunryu Suzuki.  A concise masterpiece by one of the four teachers who brought Zen to America (and who founded the San Francisco Zen Center.)

The Hidden Lamp: Stories from 25 Centuries of Awakened Women. Edited by Florence Caplow and Susan Moon.  This is a book of koans, enigmatic questions designed to induce insight into pure awareness, specially selected because they all feature women.  Each koan is accompanied by an essay by an esteemed woman practitioner.  This is a good one to read every day:  koan and essay at a time.  I am on my third time through.

Become What You Are by Alan Watts.  Alan Watts was brilliant and eloquent man who transcended boundaries.  Trained in Christianity and Buddhism, his words cut to the heart of the matter of human existence and experience.  You can find lots of short pieces of his work featured and re-produced on YouTube as well.

Everyday Zen by Charlotte Joko Beck.  This a series of short dharma talks given by a wonderfully human and eloquent teacher.  This is another good one to read every day.

Siddhartha by Herman Hesse.  A concise fictiionalized account of the life of the Buddha.  Great literature as well as a good story.

Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Gunaratana.  This is a very accessible and clear tutorial on meditation, and the one I recommend the most to beginners.

Christianity:

The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen.  Henri Nouwen was a Dutch Catholic priest, professor, writer and theologian. His interests were rooted primarily in psychology, pastoral ministry, spirituality, social justice and community. In this short and exquisite book, he tells how his experience of Rembrandt’s masterpiece changed his understanding of himself and God. One of my all time favorite spiritual books.

Contemplative Prayer by Thomas Merton O.C.S.O.  Thomas Merton was a Trappist Monk and a prolific writer.  I love all his work.  This is a concise essay on Christian prayer which turns out to apply to all aspects of contemplative practice.

Poetry:

Ten Poems to Change Your LIfe by Roger Housden.  Roger Housden is a great curator of poetry and does collections like this one, which feature wonderfully accessible poetry, along with lovely essays discussing each one.

Extravagaria by Pablo Neruda, trans. By Alastair Reid.  What can I say, I love this man’s work.  This edition is cool because it has the spanish alongside the english!  Reading the work in spanish (which I don’t really speak), is wonderful to get the rhythm and sound of his wordsmithing.

A Year with Rilke, trans. and edited by Joanna Macy and Anita Barrows.  This is another great one to read every day.  They curate the greatest gems of this incredbile German poet’s work, in short little bites.  The translations are brilliant and accessible.

Given Sugar, Given Salt by Jane Hirshfield.  Jane Hirshfield trained for a long time as a Zen priest, and is one of my very favorite poets. I recommend any of her books.

The Essential Rumi, trans. By Coleman Barks.  Rumi was a 13th century Persian poet and mystic and I can’t get enough of his work.  Luckily, he wrote over 26,000 poems so I’ll never see them all. This is another great one for daily visitation.

A Year with Hafiz:  Daily Contemplations, trans. By Daniel Ladinsky.  Hafiz was a 14th century Persian poet and mystic and I love his work with all my heart.  This is a great one for daily reading.