Dharma Book List

The following is a list of 16 essential books that can be used as an introduction to the Buddhist and Shambhala paths. They include works by a number of teachers in various Buddhist traditions. Any one of these books will give you a good introduction and grounding for the path of Buddhist meditation as practiced and taught at the Ottawa Shambhala Centre.

  1. Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche
  1. The Wisdom of No Escape (and the Path of Loving-Kindness) by Pema Chodron
  1. Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind (Informal talks on Zen meditation and practice) by Shunryu Suzuki
  1. Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche
  1. Natural Wakefulness (Discovering the Wisdom We Were Born With) by Gaylon Ferguson
  1. The Places That Scare You (A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times) by Pema Chodron
  1. Sacred World (The Shambhala Way to Gentleness, Bravery and Power) by Jeremy and Karen Hayward
  1. The Myth of Freedom by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche
  1. The Rain of Wisdom (The Vajra Songs of the Kagyu Gurus)
  1. The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche
  1. Making Friends with Death (A Buddhist Guide to Encountering Mortality) by Judith L. Lief
  1. The Path of Individual Liberation by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche
  1. The Heart Of The Buddha’s Teaching: Transforming Suffering Into Peace, Joy, And Liberation by Thich Nhat Hanh
  1. How to Practice by His Holiness the Dalai Lama
  1. Planting Seeds by Thich Nhat Hanh and the Plum Village community
  1. Being Peace by Thich Nhat Hanh