Books that Introduce
Sōtō Zen Teachings and Practice

Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind 
by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. Shambhala Press.

Written by the founder of the San Francisco Zen Center, this book is a classic. It is a book to dive into, get lost in, and read again and again over a lifetime.

How to Cook Your Life: From the Zen Kitchen to Enlightenment
Eihei Dōgen with commentary by Uchiyama Roshi. Shambhala Press.

An amazing text, about the practice of the Tenzo (head cook at a Zen monastery), and how we can live a life of practice. It was originally published as Refining Your Life.

Opening the Hand of Thought: Foundations of Zen Buddhist Practice 
by Kōshō Uchiyama Roshi, Wisdom Publications.

This book has a down-to-earth way of telling it like it is and guiding us in the practice and teachings of Soto Zen Buddhism. It was translated by Shohaku Okumura, Roshi, Uchiyama Roshi’s disciple and a wonderful teacher and practitioner of Dogen Zenji’s teachings in the United States.

Seeing One Thing Through to the End: The Zen Life and Teachings of Sojun Mel Weitsman
By Sojun Mel Weitsman Roshi. Counterpoint Press

This is a great introduction to Zen practice by one of Suzuki Roshi’s first disciples in the United States, an elder in American Soto Zen, and the teacher of Shinshu and Daijaku. Accessible down to down-to-earth and relatable.

Meeting the Myriad Things: A Practitioner’s Guide to Dogen’s Genjo Koan
By Shinshu Roberts, Roshi. Shambhala Publications

Written by one of our teachers, this deeply insightful and down-to-earth book opens the door to the teachings of Soto Zen through a thoughtful and accessible commentary on Dogen’s most famous writing. An excellent way to explore and integrate Soto Zen teachings into daily life.

Other Valuable Books
on the Practice of Sōtō Zen Buddhism

The Way of Tenderness: Awakening Through Race, Sexuality and Gender
Rev. Zenju Earthlyn Manuel. Wisdom Publications

A wise and thoughtful guide to Zen practice, this book brings us on a journey of undoing delusions that constrict our minds and hearts and leads us to a different way of seeing and living.

The Hidden Lamp: Stories from Twenty-Five Centuries of Awakened Women
Ed. Florence Caplow and Susan Moon. Wisdom Publications

A wonderful collection of ancient and contemporary words of wisdom from women teachers. Our teachers Daijaku and Shinshu are included.

Returning to Silence: Zen Practice in Daily Life &
The Light that Shines Through Infinity: Zen and the Energy of Life
Both books by Dainin Katagiri Roshi. Shambhala Publications

Deeply wise and humane writings on Soto Zen practice in our ordinary lives by a key figure in American Zen. Can be a bit dense, but well worth the effort.

On Zen Practice: Body, Breath and Mind
by Tazan Maezumi Roshi. Wisdom Publications

A very good introduction to Zen practice.

Taking the Path of Zen 
by Robert Aitken Roshi. North Point Press

This is a classic introduction to the practice of Zen.

Trust Realization and the Self in Soto Zen Practice
By Daijaku Kinst Roshi. BDK America

Written by one of our teachers, this is a review of foundational Soto Zen teachings and practices, and an exploration of the factors that support a deep and sustained engagement with them. A bit dense but worth it.

Crooked Cucumber: The Life and Times of Shunryu Suzuki
by David Chadwick. Three Rivers Press.

A wonderful and readable biography of Suzuki Roshi’s life. It is surprising and insightful.

Books on Ethics and the Bodhisattva Precepts

The Mind of Clover: Essays in Zen Buddhist Ethics 
by Robert Aitken Roshi. North Point Press

Excellent book on the ethical basis of Zen practice and how it can guide us. All of Aitken Roshi’s writings are outstanding.

Being Upright: Zen Meditation and the Bodhisattva Precepts
by Tenshin Reb Anderson Roshi. Shambhala Publications

An excellent guide to understanding and practicing the ethical principles that guide Zen practice. We use this as a primary text for study of the precepts at Ocean Gate.

Books by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi,
the founder of our temple lineage in America

Not Always So: Practicing the True Spirit of Zen
by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. HarperOne Publisher.

A book of lectures by Suzuki Roshi. 

To Shine One Corner of the World: Moments With Shunryu Suzuki
by David Chadwick  Broadway Press.

David asked students of Suzuki Roshi’s to tell him encounter stories with their teacher. These stories read like koans and are deeply penetrating.

Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind 
by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. Shambhala Press.

This book is a classic. It is a book to dive into, get lost in, and read again and again over a lifetime.

Guides to Foundational Teachings and Texts

If you are interested in exploring texts that form the basis of our practice, these are a great place to start.

The Wholehearted Way: A translation of Eihei Dōgen’s Bendowa
by Kosho Uchiyama Roshi. Tuttle Publishing

This is a very good introduction to the teachings of Eihei Dogen, the founder of Soto Zen Buddhism in Japan.

Being Time: A Practitioner’s Guide to Dogen’s Shobogenzo Uji
By Shinshu Roberts Roshi

Written one of our teachers, this widely acclaimed book guides us into the depths of Dogen’s teachings with clarity, warmth, and wisdom. An excellent way to dive deeper into Soto Zen teachings.  

Dōgens Genjo Koan: Three Commentaries, ed.
by various people. Counterpoint Press

Three commentaries on Dogen’s Genjo Koan. Highly recommended, but not an easy book.