This is a living “library” comprised of suggested readings for Sangha and the frequently-referenced texts used in our practice, which I have also linked throughout my various writings over the years. It is certainly not intended to be comprehensive.
Rather it reflects my personal approach to this spiritual path of study and practice — informing what I teach and how I facilitate the rich conversations that support our learning and growing together as a spiritual community.
Foundational Wisdom Teachings
3 Jewels/3 Refuges: The Buddha, The Dharma, The Sangha
— The Three Jewels | Buddha 101
— Taking Refuge | Plum Village
— The Three Refuges (Audio) | Plum Village
4 Noble Truths: There is Suffering, There are Causes of Suffering, There is an End of Suffering, The Noble Path is the End of Suffering
— The Buddha’s Four Noble Truths | Sylvia Boorstein
— True Love + the 4 Noble Truths | Thich Nhat Hanh
— What Are the 4 Noble Truths? | Melvin McLeod
4 Foundations of Mindfulness: Contemplation of Body, Contemplation of Feeling, Contemplation of Consciousness, Contemplation of Mental Objects
— Embodied Practice: 4 Foundations of Mindfulness | 3 Jewels Yoga
— Embodied Practice: Sutra on Mindful Breathing | 3 Jewels Yoga
— Transformation and Healing: Sutra on the Four Establishments of Mindfulness | Thich Nhat Hanh
5 Mindfulness Trainings: Reverence for Life, True Happiness, True Love, Loving Speech + Deep Listening, Nourishment + Healing
— 5 Mindfulness Trainings | Plum Village
— For A Future To Be Possible | Thich Nhat Hanh
2 versions: Commentaries on the 5 Mindfulness Trainings [1993]
Buddhist Ethics in Everyday Life [2007]
5 Spiritual Faculties: Trust, Wisdom, Mindfulness, Concentration, Diligence
— Perspectives on the 5 Spiritual Faculties | 3 Jewels Yoga
8-Fold Path: Skillful Understanding, Skillful Intent, Skillful Speech, Skillful Action, Skillful Livelihood, Skillful Effort, Skillful Mindfulness, and Skillful Concentration
I have a particular fondness for the use of the word “skillful” here; various translations of the Buddhist Canon also describe these eight practices of the “Middle Way” as “right” or “wise.”
— Contemplations on Skillful Understanding + Thinking | 3 Jewels Yoga
— Contemplations on Skillful Speech, Action + Livelihood | 3 Jewels Yoga
— Contemplations on Skillful Effort, Mindfulness + Concentration | 3 Jewels Yoga
— The Eightfold Path | Buddha 101
— The Way to End Suffering | Bhikku Bodhi
— Discourse on the Middle Way | Plum Village
— Beyond the Self: Teachings on the Middle Way | Thich Nhat Hanh
The Dhammapada
— Annotated + Explained | Max Müller + Jack Maguire
— Access to Insight
— BuddhaNet
— Gil Frondsal
Insights on Practice + Study
On Sangha + Spiritual Friendship
— Creating Inclusive + Welcoming Buddhist Sanghas in the U.S. | Mushim Patricia Ikeda
— The Fertile Soil of Sangha | Thich Nhat Hanh
— Gathered + Rooted | 3 Jewels Yoga
— Good Spiritual Friends | 3 Jewels Yoga
— The Sangha Without Thich Nhat Hanh | Matt Gesicki
— The Suchness of Sangha | 3 Jewels Yoga
Works by Zenju Earthlyn Manuel
— Tell Me Something About Buddhism
Works by Thich Nhat Hanh
— Breathe, You Are Alive!
— Friends on the Path: Living Spiritual Communities
— Living Buddha, Living Christ
— Zen Battles: Modern Commentary on the Teachings of Master Linji
[alternate title: Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go]
Related Eastern Wisdom Teachings
Bhagavad Gita
— Annotated + Explained | Shri Purohit Swami + Kendra Crossen Burroughs
— Stephen Mitchell
Tao Te Ching
— Annotated + Explained | Derek Lin
— Stephen Mitchell
Radical Bodhicitta Reading History
In 2014, I facilitated a community-based dialogue entitled Toward Wholeness on the intersections of spirituality, identity (ability, race, culture, gender, sexuality) and embodied awareness. Sangha deepened its inquiry and study of our complex embodied experiences with the study of Zenju’s book, The Way of Tenderness, in the winter of 2015. Contemplations on how we are seen, heard, felt, understood, cared for and supported — and cultivate the capacity to extend such care to others — have become integral to Sangha’s practices of healing, transformation and liberation.
3 Jewels Yoga Sangha
— Body As Nature Series
— Transformative Love Series
— Embodying Refuge, Resistance, Resilience + Radical Self-Expression Series
Buddhist Peace Fellowship
— Gender Dysphoria and The Dharma
— White Privilege + the Mindfulness Movement
Everyday Feminism
— 9 Ways We Can Make Social Justice Movements Less Elitist + More Accessible
— I’m Not a Person with a Disability. I’m a Disabled Person.
Zenju Earthlyn Manuel
— I Can Breathe: A Meditation Surviving Acts of Hatred
— The Way of Tenderness
Relevant Magazine
— 4 Misconceptions About Mental Illness + Faith
— How Church Can Lead Racial Reconciliation
— Why Are Sunday Mornings Still So Segregated
The Body Is Not An Apology
— Did You Do Any of These 6 Activities Today? Then You Have Class Privilege
— Lucky To Be Alive: The Everyday Ways We Tell People with Disabilities They Should Not Be Here
~ Nobody Bothers To Ask: The Challenges of Being Sexual in disabled/trans/genderqueer/etc..Body
angel kyodo williams
— Radical Dharma
— Social Justice + Buddhism
Tim Wise
— Fighting the Normalization of Inequality
Larry Yang
— Awakening Together: The Spiritual Practice of Inclusivity + Community
— Directing The Mind Towards Practices in Diversity
— Remembering What It Means To Be Gay
— Toward A Multicultural Buddhist Practice
Updated 15 February 2019
tscottmiller 