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Again and again, books have opened my eyes to the Dharma, shaken me out of superficial views and commonplace understanding, and even led me to good teachers. These experiences put the lie to the commonly heard notion that reading and study are at odds with Zen practice and with religious life generally.

- Robert Aitken roshi
from the Foreword of The Roaring Stream

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Robert Aitken Roshi's
Buddhist Titles In Paper Covers

Robert Aitken Roshi's short list from his 1982 book Taking the Path of Zen. Several books are out-of-print. Be on the look out for them when you browse used bookstores. Their links will take you to amazon.com's service for locating out-of-print books. ISBN and other information make the out-of-print pages useful even if you do not plan to use their locator service.

  . . .   more about Aitken Roshi

First Books
  1. Buksbazen, John Daishin. To Forget the Self. Los Angeles: Center Publications, 1977. The teachings of Maezumi Hakuyu Roshi for beginners. out of print

  2. Gard, Richard A. Buddhism. New York: Braziller, 1962. Not for reading and not a paperback. Valuable for reference. out of print

  3. Kapleau, Philip, ed. The Three Pillars of Zen. Boston: Beacon Press, 1980. Introduction to the Zen of Yasutani Hakuun Roshi.

  4. Reps Paul, ed. Zen Flesh, Zen Bones. New York: Doubleday, 1957. Includes "101 Zen Stories" by Nyogen Senzaki.
    Audio cassette. Peter Coyote Narrator

  5. [Sasaki, Shigetsu]. Cat's Yawn. New York: First Zen Institute, 1947. Bound issues of the first American Zen journal.

  6. Sato, Giei, and Nishimura, Eshin. Unsui: A Diary of Monastic Life.Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1973. Endearing illustrations.

  7. Suzuki, Shunryu. Zen Mind Beginner's Mind. New York: Weatherhill, 1970. Talks for beginners and old-timers.
    Audio cassette. Peter Coyote Narrator

  8. Watts, Alan. The Spirit of Zen. New York: Grove Press, 1958. D. T. Suzuki for the masses.
    Audio cassette. Peter Coyote Narrator



    Boxed edition: The Three Pillars of Zen - Instant Zen -
    Zen Mind Beginner's Mind
    Audio cassette. Peter Coyote Narrator


Commentaries, Essays,
and Translations by Contemporary Teachers
  1. Aitken, Robert. A Zen Wave: Basho's Haiku and Zen. New York: Weatherhill, 1979.

    Hasegawa, Seikan. The Cave of Poison Grass. Arlington, Va.: Great Ocean Publishing Co., 1975. A commentary on the Heart Sutrainsightful but poorly edited. paperback - out of print

  2. Leggert, Trevor. A First Zen Reader. Rutland, Vt.: Tuttle, 1960. An early anthology of essays and talks.

  3. Leggert, Trevor. Tiger's Cave. Boston: Routledge & Kegan, 1977. A commentary on the HeartSatra, etc., by Obora Rflsh i, another-wise unidentified 56t8 teacher.

  4. Maezumi, Hakuyu, and Glassman, Tetsugen, ed. On Zen Practice. Los Angeles: Center Publications, 1976. Essays, translations, and commentaries. out of print

  5. Maezumi, Hakuyu, and Glassman, Tetsugen, ed. The Foundations of Practice. Los Angeles: Center Publications, 1976.

  6. Maezumi, Hakuyu, and Glassman, Tetsugen, ed. Hazy Moon of Enlightenment. Los Angeles: Center Publications, 1978. out of print

  7. Mitchell, Stephen, ed. Dropping Ashes on the Buddha. New York: Grove Press, 1976. Talks and letters of the Korean teacher Seung Sahn.

  8. Nancy Wilson. The World of Zen. New York: Random House, 1960. Another early anthology.

  9. Sensaki, Nyogen, et al. Namu Diabosa: A Transmission of Zen to America. New York: Theatre Arts, 1976. Essays, letters, poems, and talks by Senzaki, Eido Shimano, and Soen Nakagawa.

  10. Shibayama, Zenkei. A Flower Does Not Talk. Rutland, Vt.: Tuttle, 1970. A commentary on Hakuin Zenji's "Song of Zazen"; and other pieces. publisher out of stock

  11. Shimano, Eido, ed. Like a Dream, Like a Fantasy: The Zen Writings of Nyogen Senzaki. New York: Japan Publications, 1978.


Dogen Zenji
  1. Cleary, Thomas. Records of Things Heard from the Eye of the True Teaching: A Translation of the Shobogenzo Zuimonki. Boulder: Great Eastern, 1980. An anthology of Dagen's short talks and sayings.

  2. Cook, Francis. How to Raise an Ox. Los Angeles: Center Publications, 1978. Ten practice oriented chapters of the Shahagenzo by Dogen Zenji.

  3. Kim, Hee-Jin. Dogen Kigen: Mystical Realist. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1975. Cogent scholarship.

  4. Maezumi, Taizan Hakuyu. The Way of Everyday Life. Los Angeles: Center Publications, 1978. Dogen Zenji's Genjo Koan with commentary. out of print

  5. Yokoi, Yuho, and Brian Victoria. Zen Master Dogen: An Introduction with Selected Writings. New York: Weatherhill, 1976. Generally does not duplicate Cook's work. out of print

Koan Study and Koan Collections
Including Commentaries

  1. Cleary, Thomas, and Cleary, J. C. The Blue Cliff Record. Boulder: Shambhala, 1977. The Pi Yen Lu (Biyanlu; Hekiganroku) with Sung period comments.

  2. Cleary, Thomas. The Book of Serenity. To be published by Shambhala. A translation of the Ts'ung Jung Lu (Congronglu; Shoyoroku). soon to be released

  3. Hoffman, Yoel. Every End Exposed: The 100 Perfrct Koans of Master Kido. Brookline, Mass.: Autumn Press, 1977. With comments by Hakuin Zenji. Professor Hoffman's own comments are of doubtful value.

  4. Miura, Isshu, and Sasaki, Ruth. The Zen Koan. New York: Harcourt Brace, 1966. This is Zen Dust, as published by Harcourt Brace, without the extensive notes of that more expensive book.

  5. Sekida, Katsuki. Two Zen Classics: Mumonkan and Hekiganroku. New York: Weatherhill, 1977. The Wu Min Kuan (Wumenguan) and the Pi Yen Lu (Biyanlu). Useful as a reference for the translations.

  6. Shibayama, Zenkei. Zen Comments on the Mumonkan. New York: Mentor, 1975. The first commentary written for Western students on the Wu Min Kuan. out of print

  7. Yamada, Koun. Gateless Gate: A Definitive Translation of the Mumonkan. Los Angeles: Center Publications, 1980. Teisho for Westerners by a modern teacher on the Wu Min Kuan.

Translations of Talks. Essays. Poems Letters
and Sayings of Chinese and Japanese Teachers

(See D. T. Suzuki, Manual of Zen Buddhism, below.)

  1. Blofield, John. The Zen Teaching Hui Hai. New York: Weiser, 1972. Talks by a T'ang period teacher.

  2. Blofield, John. Zen Teaching of Huang Po: On the Transmission ofMind.New York: Grove Press, 1959. Talks by aT'ang period teacher.
    Shambhala Pocket Classics

  3. Cleary, Christopher. Swampland Flowers: The Letters and Lectures. of Ta Hui. New York: Grove Press, 1977. Teachings of a Sung period teacher. out of print

  4. Cleary, Thomas. The Original Face: An Anthology of Rinzai Zen. New York: Grove Press, 1978. Talks by Japanese teachers. out of print

  5. Cleary, Thomas. Sayings and Doings of Pai-chang. Los Angeles: Center Publications, 1979.out of print

  6. Cleary, Thomas. Timeless Spring: A Soto Zen Anthology. New York: Weather-hill, 1980.out of print

  7. Hoffman, Yoel. Chinese Radical Zen: The Sayings Joshu. Brookline, Mass.: Autumn Press, 1978. A useful reference, despite the rough translation and dubious comments.

  8. Sasaki, Ruth, et al. A Man of Zen: The Recorded Sayings of Layman P'ang. New York: Weatherhill, 1976. Stories of the best known Chinese lay Zen student.

  9. Shigematsu, Soiku. A Zen Forest: Sayings of the Masters. New York: Weatherhill, 1981, An anthology of Zen quotations with the Chinese text.

  10. Wong, Mou-lam. The Sutra of Hui-neng. Boulder: Shambhala, 1969. Published with The Diamond Sutra (below). Outdated but useful.

  11. Yampolsky, Philip B. The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch. New York: Columbia, 1967. The accepted translation with Chinese text of Hui-neng's teachings.


Sutras
(See D. T. Suzuki, Manual Of Zen Buddhism, below)
  1. Chang, Garma C. C. The Buddhist Teaching of Totality: The philosophy of Hwa Yen Buddhism. University Park, Penn.: 1971. A commentary on the Hua-yen Sutra.

  2. Price, A. F. The Diamond Sutra. Published with The Sutra of Hui-neng (above). Boulder: Shambhala, 1969. Outdated, but uselul.


D. T. Suzuki
  1. Barrett, William, ed. Selected Writings of D. T. Suzuki. New York: Doubleday, 1956.

  2. Suzuki, D. T. Essays in Zen Buddhism, First Series. New York: Grove Press, 1961.

  3. Suzuki, D. T. Essays in Zen Buddhism. Second Series. New York: Weiser, 1970. out of print

  4. Suzuki, D. T. Essays in Zen Buddhism. Third Series. New York: Weiser, 1970.

  5. Suzuki, D. T. Manual of Zen Buddhism. New York: Grove Press, 1960. Outdated, but useful translations of the principal texts of Zen Buddhism, including the Heart Sutra and the DiamondSutra.

  6. Suzuki, D. T. Living by Zen. New York: Weiser, 1972. includes references to Christianity from a Zen viewpoint.