A Basic Theravada Buddhist Library & Website Linksby Victor Bradford
No matter how far you advance, you can use these good solid basic sources for many years.
In my humble opinion, the best conceptual introduction to Buddhism is Rupert Gethin’s Foundations of Buddhism.
Compassion is also vital in Buddhism, and two books – Jack Kornfield’s A Path with Heart and Sharon Salzbeg’s Lovingkindess – develop Buddhism’s “heart.”
In the Buddha’s Words (ed. Bhikku Bodhi) is a solid book, and Wings to Awakening, translated by the highly respected Thanisaaro Bhikkhu, is another.
The Dhammapada (a literary summary of Buddhism) is a beautiful addition to any library, and good free translations are available at accestoinsight.org.
Good meditation authors include Bhante Gunaratana (Eight Mindful Steps), Jack Kornfield (Buddhist Meditation for Beginners audio), and Larry Rosenberg (Breath By Breath).
You can learn about Buddhism from a written or audio source, but there is no substitute for a good teacher, community, or retreat for learning meditation.
Buddhist and Meditation Websites
If I were marooned on a desert island and only had access to six Buddhist-related website, they would be:
Theravadin Buddhist books and audio:
Colorado Dharma groups:
Theravadin Buddhist retreat centers:
- Insight Meditation Society Dharma.org,
- Barre Center for Buddhist Studies https://www.buddhistinquiry.org/
- Spirit Rock Meditation Center SpiritRock.org,
- Rocky Mountain EcoDharma Retreat Center https://rockymountainecodharmaretreatcenter.org/
- The Mountain Hermitage https://mountainhermitage.org/
- Vallecitos Meditation Retreat Center https://www.vallecitos.org/
- Cloud Mountain Retreat Center https://www.cloudmountain.org/
- Abhayagiri abhayagiri.org
- Bhavana Society https://bhavanasociety.org/
- Southern Dharma Retreat Center https://www.southerndharma.org/
- The Teachings of Ajahn Chah ajahnchah.org
- Buddhist Society of Western Australia https://bswa.org/
Retreats and General Information
- AbhiDhamma Vipassana AbhiDhamma.org (blog site)
- Washington DC Buddhist site: Imcw.org
- Events and issues in religion: Bbc.co.uk/religion, onbeing.org
- Leigh Brasington’s website, excellent resource for meditation: Leighb.com
- Program focuses on joy, happiness, and their links to the dharma: Awakeningjoy.info
- Mind and Meditation: WiseBrain.org
- Cushions and supplies:
–You’ll find other good websites in the links and Buddhist or Yogic journals.
Buddhist & Meditation Books
The following is a short list of must-read books for all levels:
Pathway To Freedom: Applying the Teachings of the Buddha – Dr. Lucinda T. Green
The Enlightenment Deck: Pathway to Freedom – Dr. Lucinda T. Green
Wherever You Go There You Are – Jon Kabat-Zinn
The Experience of Insight – Joseph Goldstein
Insight Meditation: A Psychology of Freedom – Joseph Goldstein
Seeking the Heart of Wisdom: The Path of Insight Meditation – Joseph Goldstein, Jack Kornfield
A Path with Heart: – A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life – Jack Kornfield
A Gradual Awakening – Stephen Levine
Mindfulness – Joseph Goldstein
The Noble Eightfold Path: Way to the End of Suffering – Bhikkhu Bodhi
Mindfulness in Plain English – Venerable Henepola Ganaratana
What the Buddha Taught – Walpola Rahula
The Heart of Buddhist Meditation: The Buddha’s Way of Mindfulness – Nyanaponika Thera
Lovingkindess: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness – Sharon Salzberg
Real Love – Sharon Salzberg
Real Happiness – Sharon Salzberg
The Mind and the Way: Buddhist reflections on Life – Ajahn Sumedho
The Pali Canon
Swallowing the River Ganges: A Practice Guide to the Path of Purification – Matthew Flickstein
Heartwood of the Bodhi Tree: The Buddha’s Teaching on Voidness – Buddhadasa Bhikkhu
Satipatthana: The Direct Path to Realization – Bhikkhu Analayo
Satipatthana Meditation: A Practice Guide – Bhikkhu Analayo
Compassion and Emptiness in Early Buddhist Meditation – Bhikkhu Analayo
Being Nobody, Going Nowhere: Revised Meditations on the Buddhist Path – Ayya Khema
When the Iron Eagle Flies: Buddhism for the West – Ayya Khema
Be an Island: The Buddhist Practice of Inner Peace – Ayya Khema
Who is My Self?: A Guide to Buddhist Meditation – Ayya Khema
Right Concentration: A Practical Guide to the Jhanas – Leigh Brasington
The First Buddhist Women: Poems and Stories of Awakening – Susan Murcott