Books on Buddhism: An Annotated Guide to Buddhist Literature for Western Readers
Introduction | General | Theravada | Tibetan | Zen
Introduction
"When the iron eagle flies and horses run on wheels, the Tibetan people will be scattered over the earth and the dharma will go to the land of the red man." - Tibetan Prophecy
"When the iron bird flies, the red-robed people of the East who have lost their land will appear, and the two brothers from across the great ocean will be reunited." - Hopi Prophecy
from The Book of Tibetan Elders by Sandy Johnson (Permission to use quotation pending.)
This list is not comprehensive. It aims to provide an introduction to the wealth of new and classic literature on Buddhism for Western readers with high quality, well-written, readable books. Content level spans introductory, intermediate, and some advanced material that is presented in an accessible style. An additional aim of this list is to assist small to medium-sized libraries that wish to develop a collection on Western Buddhist literature, but lack knowledge of the subject area.
The titles are grouped into four sections: general, Theravada, Tibetan, and Zen. The general section includes reference material, historical surveys, surveys of Buddhist thought, general teachings, and biographies that broadly focus on multiple traditions. The remaining sections explore more deeply the writings of three traditions that have taken root in the West. Each section contains approximately fifteen annotated titles that make a good core collection. The titles of some additional books of interest are supplied without annotations. These include books of historical interest that have been superseded by newer works, more advanced material, important books that do not fall precisely within the subject outlined, or additional material of a specific treatment type (e.g. biographies).
Whether you are looking for a short introduction to Buddhism, an anthology of translations of important Buddhist writings, or just a good biographical story, you should find something here.
Introduction | General | Theravada | Tibetan | Zen
This work was developed for an independent study class in Information Sciences at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Special thanks are extended to Dr. N. Douglas Raber with the School of Information Science for overseeing the work and to Dr. Miriam Levering with the Religious Studies Department for providing generous expert advice and guidance. August 1999