Spiritual Books You Read Over and Over

[forestofclarity]

Every few years I find myself, inevitably, drawn to reading or receiving teachings on a few books over and over. They seem to expand every time I read them or receive teachings on them. Some of them are mysterious, like the Dao De Jing. Others are more straight forward, like the Path of Sri Ramana by Sadhu Om. Others are both, like Self Liberation Through Seeing With Naked Awareness. Each time I almost feel like I'm reading something quite different, which is of course a reflection of my own mind. 

 

I'd be curious to hear about specific books or teachings others return to over and again. 

[心神 ~]

I tend to return to the Dao De Jing, the Dhammapada, and the Gospel of Matthew. Lately I've also been revisiting The Wisdom of Florence Scovel Shinn, especially The Game of Life and How to Play It and Your Word Is Your Wand.

[markern]

I reread this book and listen to the lectures as if it was the Bible and always will. It is by a little known Norwegian awakened woman:

https://www.vigdisgarbarek.no/content_en.html

 

[Vajra Fist]

Zen Mind, Beginners Mind is one I return to time and again.

 

Currently halfway through Buddhism of Wisdom and Faith by Thich Thien Tam, and can see myself rereading it again.

 

 

[Mark Foote]

6 hours ago, Vajra Fist said:

Zen Mind, Beginners Mind is one I return to time and again.

 

Currently halfway through Buddhism of Wisdom and Faith by Thich Thien Tam, and can see myself rereading it again.

 

 

 

VajraFist, you might want to look up the lectures in "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind", and see what Suzuki actually said.

 

I do some comparison, here:

 

What Shunryu Suzuki Actually Said

 

More of What Shunryu Suzuki Actually Said

 

A friend of mine turned me on to lectures by Dick Baker, former abbot of S. F. Zen Center and of Crestone Zen Center, on "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind".  I think you had to have a password to view them. Anyway, Baker only read from "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind" and described what it was like in the early days of SF Zen Center, he had almost nothing to say about the content of the lectures. That's what sparked my interest, so I went to David Chadwick's cuke.com and looked up a couple of lectures. 

 

In more than one case, I believe Shunryu Suzuki's meaning was distorted in the editing of "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind".

 

 

Edited Wednesday at 09:47 PM by Mark Foote

[Mark Foote]

 

I tend to reread the works of Yuanwu a lot, principally Zen Letters: Teachings of Yuanwu. I think the only English translation currently available is by the Cleary brothers, but I like their translations.

 

I think Carl Bielefeldt's "Dogen's Manuals of Zen Meditation" is excellent, I refer to the translations he makes in the book a lot. I didn't realize how much material Dogen lifted from Chinese sources until I read Bielefeldt's book.

 

I also come back to "The Gospel of Thomas", I have a translation made in the 1950's that I bought in the '60's that I like ("The Gospel According to Thomas", coptic text established and translated by A. Guillaumont, H.-CH. Puech, G. Quispel, W. Till and Yassah ‘Abd Al Masih, pg 18-19 log. 22, ©1959 E. J. Brill).

 

 

 

Edited Wednesday at 09:57 PM by Mark Foote

[forestofclarity]

On 6/10/2025 at 8:49 PM, 心神 ~ said:

Wisdom of Florence Scovel Shinn

 

Mitch Horowitz also has some interesting books in this area. 

 

On 6/11/2025 at 3:55 PM, Mark Foote said:

Cleary brothers

 

Thomas Cleary is underrated, IME. 

[doc benway]

There are several for me, mostly from the Bön tradition:

How to Practice Dzogchen in Daily Life by Drupdra Khenpo Tsultrim Tenzin. One of the most precise and concise manuals on dzogchen. meditation I've ever encountered.

Living Wisdom by Lungtok Tenpai Nyima Rinpoche is a wonderful collection of pith instructions drawn from several retreats he taught in the US before his passing. 

Awakening the Luminous Mind by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. This is the book that introduced me to Bön dzogchen and describes both a very accessible dzogchen practice method and a more esoteric and advanced practice.

Awakening the Sacred Body by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. This book describes core practices from the tantric series of teachings that are a great support for daily dzogchen practice and can be used as an independent core practice by itself.

Masters of the Zhang Zhung Nyengyüd by Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche is a series of teachings from 24 Bön dzogchen masters, each of who is said to have attained the rainbow body. These are there core pith instructions given to their pupils.

The Twenty-One Nails: Oral Commentaries by Yongdzing Tenzin Namdak RInpoche and Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. The 21 Nails is a series of teachings, each of which is a description of one particular characteristic of the nature of mind.

 

Awareness and The Way to Love are two wonderful books by one of my favorite teachers, Father Anthony Demello. 

 

Finally, anything written by Jalal ad-Din Muhammad ar-Rumi. I have several collections of his poetry. Perhaps my favorite is a book of previously untranslated work along with beautiful illustrations called Rumi: Hidden Music by Maryam Mafi

[BigSkyDiamond]

what a great topic.  And source of future reading material, too.

 

Books i read over and over:

The fifteen volumes of Likutei Moharan (about 450 pages each book).  Have read through six times, currently on seventh reading.  Includes Hebrew and English.  I read the English and refer to the Hebrew.

 

The core five volumes in the Althar the Crystal Dragon set (slim paperbacks), and the associated seven volumes on putting it into practice. These are books i read straight through and then read straight through again, this is continuous. I am on the seventh time reading through them all. Sometimes i read them in reverse order.  Human author Joachim Wolffram, material provided by various beings in non-physical form, primarily by Althar.

 

if we are going to include books of prayer then these also.  They  fall in the category of read 100+ times and stopped counting.

Book of Tehillim

Fiftieth Gate, seven volumes of prayer by Rav Noson Sternhartz.  Based on the lessons of Likutei Moharan 

 

Current favorite authors, in the category of "i will read anything they write" so currently reading my way through their complete works 

Korean Zen Master Seung Sahn  (books include Dropping Ashes on the Buddha, Wanting Enlightenment is a Big Mistake, Ten Steps,  Compass of Zen, Only Don't Know and others)

 

Chinese Qi Gong Master Luke Chan,   practices and teaches Zhineng qigong (that is one of the forms of qigong I practice with him as teacher), his books on the Tao Te Ching and Zhineng qigong  include 101 Miracles of Natural Healing, 101 Lessons of Tao, Zhineng Chilel Qigong, Secrets of the Tai Chi Circle,  Eight Secrets of Tao Te Ching,  Dao of Chinese.

 

Edited 3 hours ago by BigSkyDiamond