Mahāyāna Buddhism

Recommended Works

Awakening of the Heart (2012) – Thích Nhất Hạnh

A beautiful collection of commentaries on sutras from both the early and later canons by one of Buddhism’s most revered contemporary teachers.
Footprints in the Snow: The Autobiography of a Chinese Buddhist Monk (2008) – Master Sheng-Yen

I have seen much death in my lifetime–war, famine, disease. I am at the end of my life now. One day soon I will die. The lesson of the flood is still with me, I know that there is no use worrying about death. The important thing is to live fully until the moment when it comes.
Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations (1989) – Paul Williams

The authoritative, scholarly introduction to Mahayana Buddhism’s vast textual history.

The Bodhisattva Precepts (2005) – Master Sheng-Yen

They feel safe around you, and because you, out of genuine compassion, never intend to harm them but only try to be of help, they also feel a sort of joy in your presence.
Popular Deities of Chinese Buddhism (1985) – Kuan Ming

The Kuan Yin Contemplative order of Malaysia introduces us to Mahayana devotionalism. If you’ve ever wondered, “Wait. Who is Ksitigarbha, again? And why is he carrying that staff?” this book is for you.
Understanding the Chinese Buddhist Temple (2010) – John Negru

A guided photo tour of Ching Kwok Buddhist Temple in Toronto’s Chinatown.

Bodhicaryāvatāra Chapter 3: Fully Adopting Bodhicitta (720) – Śāntideva

For all the beings ailing in the world,
Until their sickness has been healed,
May I become the doctor and the cure
The Bodhisattva’s Confession of Downfalls (2020)

I confess each and every misdeed.
I rejoice in all goodness.
I request and pray to all the buddhas to teach and remain in saṃsāra.
May I attain sublime, supreme, unsurpassed wisdom!
The Sutra on the Eight Realizations of Great Beings (1987) – Thích Nhất Hạnh

An English translation of a Vietnamese translation of (and commentary on) “The Eight Great Awakenings Sutra” (佛說八大人覺經, T0779) which breaks down right view into eight components.

Compassion and Wisdom (2000) – Ven. Khandro Rinpoche

All of us want some happiness and no one wants to suffer, so every action we take is motivated by the thought of how can I be happy, how can I avoid pain. In a world already divided in so many ways, we create a world of our own.
Historical Consciousness and Traditional Buddhist Narratives (2014) – Rita Gross

A period of disorientation or depression is a small price to pay for more accurate knowledge.
Immortal Buddhas and their indestructible embodiments: The advent of the concept of vajrakāya (2011) – Michael Radich

[Mahayana] doctrines eventually propose that the Buddha is completely immortal, and that his immortality is reflected in his embodiment in an utterly indestructible substance (Skt. vajra)

Bodhicaryāvatāra: Teaching Methods & Overview (2008) – Alak Zenkar Rinpoche

whenever we practise the bodhisattva’s actions–the trainings in generosity, discipline, patience, diligence, meditation and wisdom–it will cause this bodhicitta that is the union of emptiness and compassion to increase further and further.
Four-Point Advice (2020) – Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

This is the instruction for confusion dawning as wisdom.

Buddha Beeds (2012) – Master Sheng-Yen

A short explanation of the Buddhist “rosary” beed necklace.
Chinese Pure Land Buddhism (2019) – Charles Jones

An excerpt from an interview on Chinese Pure Land making the point that while we tend to think of Mahayana Devotionalism as a separate sect, historically it was seen rather as an optional practice available to all Buddhists.

Map of the Taisho

The Taishō is the modern edition of the Mahayana Canon. You may have seen Taishō numbers before to refer to Mahayana Sutras (e.g. T100). This lengthy PDF gives an overview of the numbering scheme and points out specific numbers for many popular Mahayana texts.