From China
Way of Life According to Lao Tzu, Witter Bynner (Perigee Books/Putnam)
A universal classic; poetry expressing the inexpressibles of mysticism
beautifully.
I Ching or Book of Changes, Wilhelm/Baynes (Princeton University Press)
Wise ancient text with roots in divination; determine and deal with current
energies.
Sun Tzu on The Art of War, Samuel B. Griffith (Oxford Paperbacks)
Life is battle; why not learn from one of the first experts? Thought-provoking.
From Tibet
Tibet’s Great Yogi, Milarepa, W.Y. Evans-Wentz (Oxford Univ.
Press)
Inspiring story of the enlightenment process of most famous Tibetan yogi.
Tibetan Yoga and Secret Doctrines, W.Y. Evans-Wentz (Oxford Univ. Press)
Translation of central teachings texts from various practices; hard-core
and essential.
The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, Sogyal Rinpoche (Harper Collins)
Modern Tibetan yogi’s take on how incorporating Tibetan concepts
can help today.
The Tibetan Book of the Dead, W.Y. Evans-Wentz (Oxford Univ. Press)
Tibetan Classic read as preparation and cheat-sheet for the journey between
lives.
Tibetan Book of Great Liberation, W.Y. Evans-Wentz (Oxford Univ. Press)
Padma-Sambhava, radical Enlightened Teacher who brought Buddhism to Tibet.
The Great Path of Awakening, Jangon Kongtrul (Shambhala Publications, Inc.)
Teachings on using and alleviating suffering in the development of compassion.
Masters of Enchantment: Lives & Legends of Mahasiddhas, Dowman (Inner
Trad.) .
From India
Dhammapada, the Sayings of the Buddha, Thomas Byrom (Shambala Pocket)
Poetic cheat-sheet of the heart of Buddha’s teachings; ancient
classic.
Teachings of the Buddha, Ed. Jack Kornfield (Shambala Pocket Classics)
Collection of pithy short stories and teachings from variety of Buddhist traditions.
Bhagavad Gita, The Song of God, Prabhavananda/Isherwood (Mentor)
Called Hindu Bible, actually beautiful and tight recap of multiple yogic methods.
Autobiography of a Yogi, Paramahansa Yogananda (Self-Realization Fellowship)
Young yogi meets with wise men and women in struggle to find teacher and path.
The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna - Abridged, M (Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center)
The teachings of an Enlightened Teacher from last century India; very inspiring.
How to Know God: Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali, Prabhavanda (Vedanta Press)
Cutting to the chase about yoga and meditation; takes several readings but
short.
Shankara’s Crest Jewel of Discrimination, Prabhavanda/Isherwood
(Vedanta Press)
Clear, concise version of Jnana yoga: harnessing the power of the mind.
Karma Yoga, Swami Vivekenanda (Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center)
Very readable book on the path of work; Vedanta presented with a Tantric tone.
The Ramayana (various versions)
Story of Rama the warrior; an incarnation of Vishnu the God of Preservation.
The Mahabharata (various versions)
Epic Story of battle between light and dark internal/external; background for
the Gita.
The Americas
Journey to Ixtlan: The Lessons of Don Juan, Carlos Castaneda (Pocket Books)
Introduction to the radically Buddhist-like teachings of Native American occultism.
Tales of Power, Carlos Castaneda (Pocket Books)
More teachings from Don Juan; continues developing Western vocabulary for yoga.
Power of Silence: Further Lessons of Don Juan, Carlos Castaneda (Pocket Books)
Stories about the teachings of Don Juan’s lineage of men and
women of knowledge.
Walden, Henry David Thoreau (Bantam)
Classic musings on choosing and sustaining a life of simplicity.
Westerners in the East
Surfing the Himalayas, Frederick Lenz Ph.D. (St. Martin’s Press)
First book by the young pre-Enlightened Rama about “running into” his
own teacher.
Snowboarding to Nirvana, Frederick Lenz Ph.D. (St. Martin’s Press)
Second in trilogy, describing further adventures in Rama’s radical
Buddhist education.
A Journey in Ladakh, Andrew Harvey (Houghton Miffin Co.)
Briton travels to Himalayas to find the heart of Tibetan Buddhism in its practice.
The Little Prince, Antoine De Saint Exupery (Harcourt Brace)
Buddhist Background and Second-hand Texts
Fundamentals of Mainstream Buddhism, Eric Cheetham (Charles E. Tuttle Co.)
Simple explanation of common terms; for information not for inspiration.
A Buddhist Bible, Dwight Goddard (Beacon Press)
Early attempt to present a cross-section of teachings; Chinese selection is
real stuff..
Reincarnation
Lifetimes - True Accounts of Reincarnation, Frederick Lenz (Fawcett Crest)
Older book in which a pre-Enlightened Rama interviewed dozens on their experiences.
Coping with the World As It Is
How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie (Pocket Books)
The original self-help book but it can really help you develop better
people skills.
Hardball for Women - Winning at the Game of Business, Pat Heim, Ph.D.
(Plume)
Explains why what men do is a mystery to women! Knowledge in this case is power.
How to Get Control of Your Time and Life, Alan Lakein (Signet Books)
Lots of stuff; as they say, find what you need and leave the rest.
New Passages, Gail Sheehy (Ballantine)
