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The Handbook of Ordinary Heroes by Jigme Rinpoche
The heroes in this book are ordinary people like you & me, who want to be consciously, deeply involved in taking care of themselves & others. They first fervently wish, both ideally & practically, for everyone in the world to have lasting happiness and be protected from all the causes of unhappiness. Then they choose a lifestyle & way of thinking that focusses on enhancing kindness & compassion. Jigme Rinpoche is the Yoda of applying these teachings to daily life - and this handbook is his own sweet & often witty take on the traditional texts, with simple exercises that help us face the difficulties we encounter on the way.
No Time To Lose by Pema Chodron
This is not Pema’s easiest read. But it is her own beautiful, modern & personal, clarification of Shantideva’s 8th Century text on developing a heart dedicated to alleviate suffering for others [see that one further down this list]. Since Pema lives by this code, her explanations are simultaneously insightful, simple and motivational - a great start to help you make your own world a better place.
The World Could Be Otherwise by Norman Fischer
Zen teacher Norman Fischer is also a poet - hence this inspiring & simple re-imagining of the six ‘perfect actions’ of a practising Bodhisattva. He suggests the original teachings are designed to help us reframe what we find uncomfortable about reality and keep moving forward, in a way that benefits the whole world, not just the one we personally we live in. With heaps of imaginative exercises to try out, this ancient spiritual practice turns into an accessible guidebook for our uncertain times.
The Way of The Bodhisattva by Shantideva
This is THE definitive, detailed guide all Buddhist schools use [and have used for centuries in India & Tibet] to refine their practise of love, compassion and all the other necessary qualities that lead to enlightenment. Beware, it’s not the easiest starting point for beginners - the 37 actions required to get really good at helping others are presented in ‘verses’ of Shantideva’s personal meditation and reflection. But there is also a lovely forward and preface by the translators and Dalai Lama, which helps us understand the context in which all that detail will make sense.
Faces of Compassion, by Taigen Dan Leighton & Roshi Joan Halifax
The enlightened beings in Mahayana Buddhist teachings are neither gods nor superhuman. They are archetypes of wisdom & compassion, showing us our highest potential. Here we meet 7 of the most important ones and explore their psychological & spiritual backgrounds. Then the authors show us how universal this behaviour can be - finding aspects of the archetypes in famous westerners including Muhammad Ali, Mahatma Gandhi, Bob Dylan, Henry Thoreau, Gertrude Stein and Mother Teresa.
A Guide To The Bodhisattvas by Vessantara
Meeting a Bodhisattva [or ‘Enlightenment Being’] in art or meditation is supposed to be a very personal encounter, that brings our ‘list of enlightened qualities’ to life. We get to touch and perhaps even viscerally feel their state of ‘ultimate union’ of the divine with the rest of life. And so we can also come to understand why they work endlessly to help others - because they want everyone else to experience the same joy. If you want to meet some of these brilliant & beautiful beings, this is one of the most beautiful sets of stories you’ll find to start, with Avalokiteshvara - the Lord of Compassion, Tara - the Rescuer of all Beings & Manjusri - the Master of Words or Gentle Glory of Wisdom, to name a few.
Illuminating the 37 Practises of A Bodhisattva
Now, we’re getting into details! This one, by Chökyi Dragpa [a disciple of famed 19C Tibetan master Patrul Rinpoche] gives quotations and direct instructions from a number of realized sages of the past. Reading stories like this from great masters is of course a lazy but wonderful way to prepare the mind for meditation. And that makes this book actually accessible to newcomers as well as insightful for serious, longer-term practitioners.
White Lotus: An Explanation of The 7 Branch Prayer by Jamgon Mipham
The Seven Branch Prayer [of Padmasambhava] is one of the best-known invocations in Tibetan Buddhism and directly related to the practise of The Six Perfections [listen to our podcast or download the Experiments in Gratitude checklist to find out how]. This particular commentary is a rare ‘mind-treasure’ which presents hidden meanings of the symbols that will deepen our understanding, gratitude & awe.
The Jewel Ornament of Liberation, by Gampopa
This is the heaviest book in the list! A masterwork from approx 1100AD, which still provides the complete foundation for study and practice in the Karma Kagyu Lineage, from zero to Hero. It’s a magic pudding of a book. You can read it over and over, and the more you learn, the more you find still to know in here. Fledgling Bodhisattvas should start with just the 5 chapters that cover impermanence, karma, cultivation of bodhicitta, development of the six perfections and the ten bodhisattva bhumis. That might keep you going for a few years…
Enlightened Vagabond: The Life & Teachings of Patrul Rinpoche
Stories collected & translated by Mathieu Ricard, himself a ‘4th generation’ practitioner in this lineage [his teachers heard stories from Patrul’s students]. This is not a set of teachings but a hagiography particularly important for us - not just because the subject was one of the best-regarded lamas of his age, nor merely because Patrul wrote one of the most important books available to Westerners today - ‘Words of My Perfect Teacher’. Most importantly, it reveals how a highly realized being lives without expectation, simply & authentically transmitting the Dharma in everything he does.
In Love With the World, By Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche
Mingyur Rinpoche beautifully describes his own personal journey of leaving the "royalty" of his Tibetan Buddhist lineage and living in total poverty in India. While he uses the context of bardo teachings rather than the Six Perfections to frame his story, it is nevertheless an example of the total vulnerability required on the Bodhisattva path according to Vajrayana Buddhist Teachings. The only resource he always carries with him is the constant transformation of heart and mind that result when his practice and study become his life.
The Bodhisattva's Brain, by Owen Flanagan
This is more a philosophy book than a practise manual, but worth looking at, if you want an academic viewpoint. It’s main point being that Buddhism is not about brainscans showing happiness patterns or a feel-goodness philosophy and Bodhisattvas are not the ultimate spiritual do-gooder. Instead it argues as many Lamas do, that Buddhism aims at human flourishing and practising to be a Bodhisattva is a rich, responsible path for finite material beings living in a material world, that is actually compatible with the rest of Western knowledge.
A Guide To The Buddhas by Vessantara
Meeting a Bodhisattva [or ‘Enlightenment Being’] in art or meditation is supposed to be a very personal encounter, that brings our ‘list of enlightened qualities’ to life. We get to touch and perhaps even viscerally feel their state of ‘ultimate union’ of the divine with the rest of life. And so we can also come to understand why they work endlessly to help others - because they want everyone else to experience the same joy. If you want to to meet some of the brilliant array of these beings, this is one of the most beautiful set of stories you’ll find to start, with Avalokiteshvara - the Lord of Compassion, Tara - the Rescuer of all Beings & Manjusri - the Master of Words or Gentle Glory of Wisdom, to name a few .