Resources for beginners
Ultimately, the very best introduction to our practice is to come to an introduction at the dojo – then you will know if ours is the practice for you. However, some people may want to read before or after that introduction so here are a few books and other resources you may find interesting or useful:
Recommended Reading - First steps
- Zen Questions: Zazen, Dogen, and the Spirit of Creative Inquiry – Taigen Dan Leighton
- What Is Zen?: Plain Talk for a Beginner’s Mind – Norman Fischer, Susan Moon, et al.
- Zen Mind Beginners Mind – Shunryu Suzuki
Introductions to Buddhism
Books:
- Buddhism plain and simple. by: Steve Hagen – PDF online
What the Buddha Taught – Walpola Rahula – PDF online
Going further
Shikantaza and Zazen – Some video resources:
- Shohaku Okumura on Zazen is Good For Nothing
- An introduction to zazen – by Eshu Martin of the Victoria Zen Centre – Eshu is a rinzai zen teacher, not a soto zen teacher, but this is a very good introduction to our posture.
- Not everything we do is the same, so you should still come to an introduction in person. Also, our practices is shikantaza, which is not addressed.
- This is especially so regarding dojo/zendo etiquette, which is not covered in this video. This video is best if you wanted to join us online.
Teishos by Hōsei Lana Berrington