Reddit mentions: The best dalai lama books

His Holiness the Dalai Lama has addressed the eight worldly concerns in his commentaries on the Eight Verses for Training the Mind.

From Training the Mind: Verse 8, which according to the site was extracted from Transforming the Mind:

> In the final verse, we read:

> > May all this remain undefiled
> > By the stains of the eight mundane concerns;
> > And may I, recognizing all things as illusion,
> > Devoid of clinging, be released from bondage.

> The first two lines of this verse are very critical for a genuine practitioner. The eight mundane concerns are attitudes that tend to dominate our lives generally. They are: becoming elated when someone praises you, becoming depressed when someone insults or belittles you, feeling happy when you experience success, being depressed when you experience failure, being joyful when you acquire wealth, feeling dispirited when you become poor, being pleased when you have fame, and feeling depressed when you lack recognition.

> A true practitioner should ensure that his or her cultivation of altruism is not defiled by these thoughts. For example, if, as I am giving this talk, I have even the slightest thought in the back of my mind that I hope people admire me, then that indicates that my motivation is defiled by mundane considerations, or what the Tibetans call the “eight mundane concerns.” It is very important to check oneself and ensure that is not the case. Similarly, a practitioner may apply altruistic ideals in his daily life, but if all of a sudden he feels proud about it and thinks, “Ah, I’m a great practitioner,” immediately the eight mundane concerns defile his practice. The same applies if a practitioner thinks, “I hope people admire what I’m doing,” expecting to receive praise for the great effort he is making. All these are mundane concerns that spoil one’s practice, and it is important to ensure that this is does not happen so we keep our practice pure.

> As you can see, the instructions that you can find in the lo-jong teachings on transforming the mind are very powerful. They really make you think. For example there is a passage which says:

> > May I be gladdened when someone belittles me, and may I not take pleasure when someone praises me. If I do take pleasure in praise then it immediately increases my arrogance, pride, and conceit; whereas if I take pleasure in criticism, then at least it will open my eyes to my own shortcomings.

> This is indeed a powerful sentiment.

A Google Books search for "Dalai Lama" "eight worldly concerns" yields this passage from In My Own Words: An Introduction to My Teachings and Philosophy in chapter eight, which is a commentary on the Eight Verses for Training the Mind, p111-112:

> -- The eighth and last verse of the text says: May all this remain undefiled by the stains of the eight worldly concerns. May I, by perceiving that all dharmas or constituents of phenomena are illusive, become unattached and thus be relieved from the bondage of cyclic existence. In this final verse, the core meaning relates to the cultivation of the ultimate awakening of the mind. Whereas the other verses serve to relate directly to the types of practice, this one relates directly to the awakening of the mind.

> To cultivate this mind of cherishing others more than oneself can involve a great danger because we have long been subject to mental distortions, which may interfere with one's practice of Dharma. One may be polluted with a concern for the reputation that could be won from this practice, or one may secretly desire to receive presents from individuals for whom one has performed the practice. Also, the thought can arise: Oh, I am a religious person; I am a practitioner of Dharma! This may lead to a sense of pride, of superiority to other beings, and to looking down upon them.

> All these kinds of mental distortions and types of attitude relating to them are very apt to affect us. Because of this danger in cultivating this awakening of the mind, one should be especially on guard against the so-called eight worldly concerns. These eight include concern for fame, praise, pleasure and gain. One must free the mind completely from these in practicing the Dharma. Cultivating this type of mind must be pure in the sense of having no concern at all for oneself and an unmarred concern for others. This is extremely important.

Supposedly, if we rejoice in his generosity we gain at least half the merit:

"It is said that if you rejoice in the merit of those on a lower spiritual level than yourself, you will accumulate twice the amount of merit they acquire from their virtuous actions. If you rejoice in the merit of someone equal to yourself, you will accumulate the same amount of merit. And if it is someone higher than yourself, you will accumulate half as much merit. Of course you should also rejoice in your own virtues. You should recall the virtues you created in the past and those you are creating in the present and rejoice.

It is very easy and practical to rejoice in the merits of yourself and others. This practice is a way to accumulate merit without much difficulty. It's not complicated; you can even do it lying down! So it is a good idea to rejoice whenever you see or hear of someone engaging in virtuous activities. Instead of making snide remarks and generating all types of negative attitudes, you should feel sympathetic joy in their virtue. This is the real antidote to jealousy, envy, and pride, and in addition you will accumulate enormous positive potential. You should not miss out on this opportunity; you should be doing this practice all the time. Rejoicing in the merit of yourself and others is a very effective practice for increasing your accumulation of merit, which--together with purifying nonvirtuous karmic propensities--is the main thrust of these preliminary practices." - Geshe Lhundub Sopa https://www.amazon.com/Steps-Path-Enlightenment-Commentary-Tsongkhapas/dp/0861713036

"Without any effort or material expenses, by simply thinking, you collect inconceivable merit.... And it’s so easy to do. It’s just a question of thinking, of feeling happiness that others have done the work or collected merit, whether by building a temple, making charity, helping other people, or some other good thing." - Lama Zopa Rinpoche https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/chapter/nyung-n%C3%A4-practice-offerings-and-rejoicing

"Buddhism recognizes two different kinds of wanting: (1) tanha, the desire for pleasure objects; and (2) chanda, the desire for well-being. Tanha is based on ignorance, while chanda is based on wisdom and is thus part of the process of solving problems." -Ven. P. A. Payutto https://www.urbandharma.org/udharma2/becono2.html

"Western presentations of Buddhist teachings have often led to the misconception that because suffering arises out of desire, you shouldn’t desire anything. In fact, the Buddha spoke of two kinds of desire: desire that arises from ignorance and delusion, which is called tanha, craving, and desire that arises from wisdom and intelligence, which is called kusala-chanda, or dhamma-chanda, or most simply chanda. Chanda has a range of meanings, but in this case I’m using it to mean wise and intelligent desire and motivation, which the Buddha stressed as being absolutely fundamental to any progress on the eightfold path." -Ajahn Jayasaro https://www.lionsroar.com/just-do-it/


"With desire, some are positive and some are negative. Let’s say, to have attachment and desire to help others and have a useful and meaningful life, then that is good desire and good attachment. That desire and attachment is positive and constructive. Also, with self-confidence, some people are over self-confident. That means they have too much pride. That is negative and that is dangerous. Self-confidence with reason is positive. It is very essential to have a strong sense of self in order to develop will and determination. We may call that positive ego. The strong feeling of the sense of self which creates disregard for other’s rights, with no hesitation to harm others, that kind of ego is negative. So you see, within our own mind or our own thoughts, there are so many different varieties, we must clarify these differences and try to reduce the negative emotions and try to increase or cultivate our positive thoughts. That is the proper way." -Gyalten Sogdzin Rinpoche http://www.rinpoche.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=87&Itemid=90&lang=en



"Desire with attachment is negative. We have to develop desire with reason, for example, the desire for the well-being of another, or the desire to overcome one's own suffering. That's right. Desire without proper basis is very much related to attachment. That kind of desire must reduce." -The Dalai Lama https://www.amazon.com/Dalai-Lamas-Big-Book-Happiness/dp/1571747397

Hello! I think it's good to continue to explore philosophy, spirituality, and religion. We are always changing, moment-to-moment, and the person we are today is different from the person we were a year ago, so we're going to have different needs at different times, so I think it's good to feel comfortable with exploring these things.

> What is the Book I would have to read to find out more about Buddhism, and to get closer to their Idea of God?

Buddhists don't really worship a God in the same way that Christians do. Buddhism accepts that beings like God exist but our beliefs and practices do not revolve around such beings, nor do we consider the Buddha to be a god so we don't worship him. We view him like a very skillful teacher who taught some important things about how to live a good life and how to find lasting happiness.

He taught a lot of things. It's said he gave 84 000 teachings (which is really just a fancy way of saying that he taught 'a lot of things'). Because there are so many teachings, there is no single book. There are many books, some short and some long - we often call these sutras or suttas (depending on the language). Sometimes sutras are collected together according to a particular theme or maybe a particular collection will form the basis of a certain kind of education in Buddhist thinking.

There are several good books out there that can give you a good idea of what Buddhism is about. I'm a fan of Approaching the Buddhist Path by the Dalai Lama and Thubten Chodron. I just started reading it and have found it to be a very good place for anyone to begin. This subreddit also has a recommended reading booklist you can look at for other suggestions.

> Also is there maybe a community in which I can learn more?

It depends on where you live. Many places have local Buddhist centers where people can go to learn more about Buddhist thought, maybe learn how to meditate too. Ideally, it's best to learn from a live teacher and to practice with others. You may wish to Google your home town to see if there are any Buddhist centers you can visit; they are usually very welcoming and very happy to see anyone who has any kind of interest in learning more about Buddhism.

> A Discord Server or a Priest (or something of the sort) willing to chat with me?

There are several Discord Servers for Buddhists, I think a few have been posted about here but I'm not sure how many are still active. I'd recommend you use Google to search for some active ones.

I'm not sure if we have any monks in this subreddit (we don't really have priests except in the Zen tradition, although 'priest' is a bit of a funny word), but there are some wonderful people who know a lot about the teachings and we all come from different kinds of Buddhism so you're bound to get different perspectives on things (which can be very good).

Not sure if this is what you are looking for, but if you are looking for a good "intro to Buddhism" book that puts great emphasis on cultivating bodhichitta (the aspiration to attain enlightenment/buddhahood in order to best help infinitely many beings), then I can recommend 3 of my favorite books by the Dalai Lama, and one book by the famous 8th century Bodhisattva Shantideva:

• An Open Heart
  
• How to practice: the way to a meaningful life
  
• From Here to Enlightenment
  
• Shantideva's The Way of the Bodhisattva
  
  I ordered the books from lightest to more dense reading. Shantideva's text is all poetry, I derive great inspiration from it but I admit that it may be somewhat difficult to read for someone less familiar with Mahayana Buddhism.

Sure, happy to! Chogyam Trungpa's The Myth of Freedom is one of my favourite books. The World of Tibetan Buddhism by His Holiness the Dalai Lama is a good overview and covers some of the complexities of Tibetan Buddhism and the differences in kinds of buddhism. Likewise: HHDL's The Four Noble Truths and The Power of Compassion are lovely books that explain some of the philosophies behind Mahayana practice. Chogyam Trungpa's The Path is the Goal is a classic, as is Start Where You Are by Pema Chodren. I have all of these on the shelf and continue to use them after all these years. Also, Hermann Hesse's classic Siddhartha is a lovely novel that outlines the story of Shakyamuni Buddha. I read it when I was 14 and it still resonates with me. Feel free to ask me any questions you'd like. I lived in a Buddhist Monastery for 4 years. I'll do my best to answer them. Depending on where you live, I could very likely recommend a monastery or retreat centre for you to visit, if you were interested. Glad you are exploring!

If you have the patience for it, listening to the current Dalai Lama can be interesting. Here are some recordings of his appearance in Mountain View, CA in 2001 (the "Heart Sutra" mp3 files). The only problem is he speaks slowly and with an accent, so if you have a short attention span or aren't really that interested, it probably isn't for you. You can probably get similar material in book form, but I don't have a reference handy. (edit: duh, the link to [Essence of the Heart Sutra](
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0861713184/ref=lamrimcom) on that page is probably the way to go.)

The interesting thing about the Dalai Lama is that he's totally into accepting and integrating scientific results, and his interpretation of Buddhism reflects that, being more metaphorical in cases where something would obviously be in conflict with reality if taken literally. This doesn't usually appear forced, because much of Buddhism is expressed metaphorically, so it's really those who take it too literally who are probably missing the point a bit.

Re Alan Watts, first of all it's important to note that he focused on Zen Buddhism, which is one of the most distinct branches of Buddhism, quite different from most of the others. Second, you have to keep in mind that he was one of the earliest popularizers of Zen in the West, and as such his personal perspective perhaps had a greater influence on his approach than those who came later, once there was a more established Western Zen tradition. Part of that personal perspective was a somewhat Californian proto-New Age ethic which used Buddhism as a prop for ideas that didn't themselves come from Buddhism, and combined them with Western ideas about psychology and cosmology. The ones you mention, like "we are all one" etc., certainly fit that mold. If you look at the sources in Buddhism for such positions, they are never quite as literal as Watts tends to imply.

For a no-nonsense intro book to Zen, you could try something like Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. It focuses on teaching how and why to do Zen meditation, along with plenty of psychology and philosophy, but very little by way of Watts-style mysticism.

My post in the book recommendations to the right:

>For all Buddhists:

> The Majjhima Nikaya: The Middle Length Discources of the Buddha
> The Digha Nikaya: The Long Length Discourses of the Buddha

>For Mahayana Buddhists:

> The Nectar of Manjushri's Speech: A Detailed Commentary on Shantideva's Way of the Bodhisattva

>For Vajrayana Buddhists:

> Words of my Perfect Teacher by Patrul Rinpoche

>Nothing in particular after that.

>There are a TON of misconceptions out there about what the Buddha taught and the presentation of the basic Buddhist path. Not reading the Digha/Majjhima Nikaya and calling yourself a Buddhist is the same as calling yourself a Christian without ever reading the Bible.

>Similarly, not having read the Bodhicharyavatara (a commentary really helps on this one, which is why I linked the best one) and calling yourself a Mahayana Buddhist is the same.

>Words of my Perfect teacher is simply an excellent introduction to the Vajrayana path, so I think it should be on there as well. Maybe not as necessary as the previous 3 (because in Vajrayana it's most important to learn from a qualified guru), it's still an excellent book. And if you haven't found a teacher yet, it would certainly help in finding a good one.

Hey there! While I'm no expert on Buddhism, I feel like I've been in a similar situation, so here are my two cents:

I'd suggest familiarizing yourself with (and meditating on) the concepts of Buddha Nature, emptiness / dependent arising, and impermanence.

Buddha Nature is sort of the foundation for confidence our Buddhist practice - because the nature of our minds are no different from that of a Buddha, we're perfectly capable of accomplishing the same things, as long as we devote ourselves in a similar manner to cultivating the causes of happiness and eliminating the causes of suffering / dissatisfaction.

Emptiness / Dependent Arising is basically the main differentiating factor between Buddhism and all other spiritual traditions. There are many interpretations of emptiness amongst the various Buddhist traditions, but I feel like familiarizing oneself with the Mādhyamika school of thought is one of the most powerful ways of changing one's perception of yourself and the world around you. There's some great info on Madhyamika (The Middle Way School) on studybuddhism.com, but you might also be interested in the Dalai Lama's book about it here.

Impermanence: I'll just leave you with this 40-second video of Tai Situ Rinpoche, root guru of the 17th Karmapa Lama. The things he says here sound very basic, but they actually draw heavily on high-level teachings of Mahamudra & Dzogchen, which if practiced properly, sort of combines the practices of buddha nature + dependent arising + impermanence all in one, which in my (limited) experience is an amazing antidote for self-confidence issues.

Anyway, sorry if my response seems a little confusing / overly reliant on Buddhist terminology - I realize that I'm not the most experienced when it comes to explaining Buddhist concepts. If you have any further questions, just let me know and I'll try my best to elaborate further :)

Mahayana is a much bigger beast than Theravada. Rather than a general introduction to all of Mahayana, you would be better off looking for introductions to particular traditions- Zen, Tibetan, Pure Land, etc. Mahayana Buddhists generally accept as canonical the full variety of Mahayana texts, but specific texts are more emphasized by particular traditions.

In addition, there has been a kind of 'reconstruction' movement within the Theravada that sought to reform the tradition to conform more closely to the canonical texts. That movement came about in part because of critique and contact with Western theology, which emphasizes the primacy of source texts. In other traditions, post-canonical texts may be more important- rather than tackling the source texts, monks and lay students are taught from summaries and commentaries that contain the views of the oral tradition and prominent teachers.

Something like Words of My Perfect Teacher contains a pretty comprehensive overview of the Tibetan tradition as derived from the traditional sources... In the Zen tradition, The Platform Sutra is primarily a biography/hagiography of the Patriarch Hui Neng, but also contains information on how the Zen tradition regarded the teachings of various popular sutras.

As for Tibetan Buddhism, I remember that Words of My Perfect Teacher says that the number of hell beings compared to pretas is like the stars visible at night compared to stars visible in the day. The same analogy applies for the number of pretas vs. animals, and the number of animals compared to humans.

The Pansu Suttas say the number of sentient beings who get bad rebirths as opposed to good rebirths is like the dirt under your fingernail compared to the size of the planet Earth. That's from the Pali Canon, so it should apply to all traditions.

>Then the Blessed One, picking up a little bit of dust with the tip of his fingernail, said to the monks, "What do you think, monks? Which is greater: the little bit of dust I have picked up with the tip of my fingernail, or the great earth?"

>"The great earth is far greater, lord. The little bit of dust the Blessed One has picked up with the tip of his fingernail is next to nothing. It doesn't even count. It's no comparison. It's not even a fraction, this little bit of dust the Blessed One has picked up with the tip of his fingernail, when compared with the great earth.

>"In the same way, monks, few are the beings who, on passing away from the human realm, are reborn among human beings. Far more are the beings who, on passing away from the human realm, are reborn in hell.

Welcome.

I would recommend Buddhanet's Basic Buddhism Studies as a starting point.

After that, try listening to some of the Dhamma talks by Gil Fronsdal and others over at Audiodharma.

In terms of books. Believe it or not "Buddhism for Dummies" is actually a surprisingly accurate primer/overview that covers most of the popular schools.

What the Buddha Taught is frequently recommended. It covers the core Theravadin philosophies and is very well respected. However, it can be a little dry and scholarly if you're not the literary type.

Other books to look at, imo, are anything by Pema Chodron, or anything by Thich-Nhat-Hanh. The books with the Dalai Lama's name attached are usually alright, but tread with caution as some of them are ghost written or co-authored by others and misinterpret or misrepresent some of the concepts.

For plain old mindfulness and meditation without the metaphysical trappings, try Wherever you go, there you are by John Kabat Zinn and the free online book Mindfulness in Plain English by Ven. Henepola Gunaratana.

Then check out the world Buddhist directory on Buddhanet and see if there's a school near you that fits with whatever style of Buddhism resonates most with you. Almost every town has a Zen center or a secular mindfulness center, but if you want more traditional schools like pure Theravada or Tibetan, you may or may not need to travel to find a school.

Hope that helps!

Wow, best book on the subject. The best one that I have read personally is This one. However the best book period is This one

Also, yes, i meditate and I can't tell you how much it helps.

Thank you for the link. I like the simplicity of how the Dalai Lama explains various traditions and how they interpret the Heart Sutra in Essence of the Heart Sutra: The Dalai Lama's Heart of Wisdom ...

There are SO many books so here are a few:

1. Approaching the Buddhist Path (1) by HH the Dalai Lama and Ven. Thubten Dhodren The Dalai Lama has written a bunch of books.
   
   
2. Free books at FPMT.org
   
   
3. I googled "books intro to buddhism" and got a bunch of lists. Here's one: The 7 Best Books for Beginner Buddhists of 2019 There are books from all the traditions on there. In your beginning studies, it might be good to not limit yourself to one tradition. All the traditions have valid ideas and there are so many great teachers in all the traditions. Indeed, the main reason I picked the Tibetan Buddhist tradition was that it was the only one with a center within driving distance of me. And I am very happy to have such good fortune.
   
   There are so many great teachers: (here are some)
   
4. HH the Dalai Lama
   
5. Sharon Salzberg
   
6. Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh
   
7. Lama Zopa Rinpoche
   
8. Jack Goldstein
   And I leave this list for others to include or for you to find more in your studies. Good Luck!!

Hello! Like you, I am relatively new to the path. Probably the most helpful book I have read so far in terms of "getting" Buddhist beliefs and concepts down in an easy to understand way has been The World of Tibetan Buddhism by the Dalai Lama.

Although I don't follow Tibetan Buddhism, it has been immensely helpful in my journey and is a pretty interesting read on its own!

If you're interested in a deeper understanding of Buddhism, I highly recommend Practicing Wisdom.

The book was written by the Dali Lama. It's a heavy read and goes very in depth into a crucial chapter of Shantideva's Way of the Bodhisattva. It focuses on key verses from Way of Bodhisattva and analyzes them through the lenses of two differing schools of Buddhist thought with the Dali Lamas thoughts interjected. It's fantastic.

When I was in my early twenties I took this book everywhere with me. I've read it from a cafe in Amsterdam to a tent on the plains of the Serengeti. It deserves to be read thoughtfully and thoroughly. I read it in small bits and would reflect on passages for days at a time before moving on or rereading parts I wanted to understand more. This turned into a little longer than just a book recommendation, but anyway.
its p good lmao

The Words of My Perfect Teacher is a great book on the preliminary practices in the Nyingma tradition. The preliminaries aren't much different from tradition to tradition, so it's pretty applicable regardless of the school. This book will give you a crystal clear idea of what your practice would be like for the first X,XXX hours of practice if you happen to begin a Vajrayana practice.

If you're keen on Dzogchen, you could also check out The Crystal and the Way of Light.

The source: Words of My Perfect Teacher by Patrul Rinpoche

>The Words of My Perfect Teacher was composed by the great Nyingma master, Patrul Rinpoche. The work is an explanation of the Longchen Nyingtik ngöndro, the preliminary practices from the Longchen Nyingtik cycle of teachings, discovered by Jikmé Lingpa. This famous commentary is a completely faithful written record of the oral teachings Patrul Rinpoche received directly from his teacher, Jikmé Gyalwé Nyugu.

This is one topic the dalai lama is really good at hitting in talks and books. Also pema chodron.

This simple dalai lama book is exactly what op is looking for, and was also my first exposure to buddhism.

How to Expand Love: Widening the Circle of Loving Relationships
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0743269691/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Refuge is a bit like Christian conversion, but more importantly it's a continuous thing. Every Vajrayana practice kicks off with taking Refuge for example, and it's also a practice in itself. Here's a teaching by Chögyam Trungpa on this topic. For a classical in depth look I recommend the relevant chapters in Gampopa's Jewel Ornament and Patrül Rinpoche's Words of My Perfect Teacher.

The Preciousness of Human Birth is a good reminder for me. Walking and contemplating these ideas makes every step, every breath and every thought I have feel a bit like a miracle. I forget the name of the teachings they gave on retreat, but it was from this book:

https://www.amazon.com/Words-Perfect-Teacher-Translation-Introduction/dp/0300165323

I also find the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva to be very helpful on bad days.

Good luck to you.

I know this isn't directly related to the article, but I've been reading the Tibetan Book of the Dead (this version)

My goodness what a ride. I am about 60% through (probably much more, considering the appendixes), and have just gotten through the first part of the the Great Liberation Through Hearing (or something or other).

I now see why Timothy Leary and Ram Dass wrote the Psychedelic Experience as a "follow up" to this book. It is almost as if death is the ultimate trip and the Tibetan Book of the Dead's writings are the ultimate trip guide/sitter.

Anyways, back on topic, I enjoyed this write up. These articles from that site are posted here so often it is almost feels like promotion, but they are typically great reads.

Sometimes just seeking is enough. Seeking in and of itself can be a purpose. It will lead you to places you can't even imagine right now, both professionally and in terms of your personal development/happiness, if you consciously make it a priority in your life

What could you do today to imbue your life with meaning? If you can't answer that question, what could you do to start figuring out what is meaningful to you? Some ideas:

1. Research world religions and attend a service of the one that makes the most sense to you, even it doesn't come from your culture.
   
2. Sign up for classes that interest you at a community college. Don't worry about degrees, etc, just choose something you genuinely want to learn about.
   
3. Start the process of volunteering for a cause that seems worthwhile to you.
   
4. Plan and start saving for an extended trip. You're 19 and it sounds like you don't have any big commitments. Spend 6 months backpacking around Africa, or India, or Latin America, or the Carribean, or Southeast Asia. Volunteer or work abroad.
   
5. Look into joining the Peace Corps or Americorps, or whatever the equivalent to those things in your country is.
   
6. Start looking into living in an ashram or a monastery so you can spend some time thinking about what it's all for and learning from other seekers just like you.
   
   Those are just 6 random ideas off the top of my head. Maybe none of those sound interesting to you, but there's something you can do today.
   
   Suggested reading:
   
   We're All Doing Time by Bo Lozoff

A few good books:

Pali suttas:
http://www.amazon.com/Buddhas-Words-Anthology-Discourses-Teachings/dp/0861714911

Overview of the Mahayana:
http://www.amazon.com/An-Open-Heart-Practicing-Compassion/dp/0316930938

Bodhicitta:
http://www.amazon.com/How-Expand-Love-Widening-Relationships/dp/0743269691

Shunyata:
http://www.amazon.com/How-See-Yourself-You-Really/dp/0743290461

Perfection of wisdom sutras: Heart Sutra:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Heart-Understanding-Commentaries-Prajnaparamita/dp/1888375922

Diamond Cutter sutra:
http://www.amazon.com/Diamond-That-Cuts-Through-Illusion/dp/1935209442

3 principle aspects of the path:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Three-Principal-Aspects-Path/dp/1559393505

Zen:
http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Mind-Beginners-Shunryu-Suzuki/dp/1590308492

No, of course not. Let me clarify. I'm not a practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism, but am immensely curious about it, and have read a bit about it from various sources, ranging from Words of My Perfect Teacher to the Berzin website.

One thing that characterizes TB is the emphasis on the all-important role of one's teacher (or root guru). Meditation is a complex activity, but TB is an extraordinarily complex repository of late-stage Indian Buddhist philosophy and meditation techniques, the crown jewel of which is tantra. TB lamas emphasize that tantric meditation is can be extremely powerful, but also extremely dangerous to one's mental health if practiced incorrectly, since it involves working with the body's energy systems, exercises where you visualize yourself as a deity, etc. The root guru provides intensely personalized instructions on how to meditate in this way, provides remedies to common pitfalls and issues, generally acting as very experienced coach.

And Dzogchen is the most advanced form of tantra in the Nyingma tradition. For what it's worth, Leigh Brasington - in addition to the jhana work some here might be familiar with - has been a Dzogchen practitioner for several decades, but he refuses to say basically anything about it because he doesn't feel qualified to do so.

So the idea of someone whose expertise in meditation comes from a lineage that very possibly could have fabricated its connection to authentic tantra and Dzogchen practices should give all of us pause. Going to a self-taught car mechanic carries risks, but going to an unqualified brain surgeon is downright foolhardy.

Edit: And I don't know enough about Tibetan Buddhism or Aro or Rin'dzin Pamo enough to pass any sort of judgment. I'm just advising a little skepticism on whether her contrast of TMI with Dzogchen/tantra actually jibes with what mainstream, authentic Vajrayana lamas might say.

This is a good start. http://www.amazon.com/Buddhism-Beginners-Thubten-Chodron/dp/1559391537/ref=cm_lmf_tit_2

Also
http://www.amazon.com/Transforming-Mind-Dalai-Lama/dp/0722540302

This one is a good one on meditation. More of a Zen thing, still a good read though.
http://www.amazon.com/Mind-Beginners-Shambhala-Library-first/dp/B004WKAMAM/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1320336862&sr=1-2

I read this one out of curiosity. The Tibetans have an interesting view on death and the 'process' of dying.

http://www.amazon.com/Tibetan-Book-Dead-Liberation-Understanding/dp/0553370901/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1320336920&sr=1-1

You may be interested in a Tibetan Buddhist concept known as bardo, literally between two points. See here for more information. You may also be interested in the Bardo Thodrol or The Liberation Through Hearing in the Intermediate States. There are various translations of this book, more commonly known by the erroneous title The Tibetan Book of the Dead, some terrible, some okay, and some quite good. I recommend this version.

I have heard that some prisons don't allow it, but We're All Doing Time is excellent.

Since you are including religion, if you would like your mind completely blow, check out Patrul Rinpoche's Words of My Perfect Teacher. I don't know how you would rate it for entertainment value, but the descriptions of the 6 realms of existence are pretty amazing to disturbing and even terrifying. The philosophy is sublime and profound.

I started with the Dalai Lama's An Open Heart. It is fairly simple, and starts out with a very general theory of what makes a healthy, good life.

This is where I started. Lots of great info.

These thoughts are not "not Buddhist." Get Tibetan Book of the Dead and have a read. And it's 100% compatible with the Surangama Sutra. Another thing you should read. And of course Vimalakirti Nirdesa, Lankavatara (very good) and so on.

Oh yea, and it's 100% compatible with the Pali Canon as well. :)

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/likefire/1.html

It's Buddhist.

https://www.amazon.com/Buddhism-Dummies-Jonathan-Landaw/dp/111802379X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1498746817&sr=8-1&keywords=buddhism+for+dummies

No joke, it has been a huge help to me.

Off the top of my head, I'd recommend this one, although I see he has a "Concise" version as well. The Dalai Lama's book is also good, but doesn't go into as much detail (or history).

Do you know which school your teacher is associated with (Gelug, Nyingma, Kagyu or Sakya)? If so, I can point you to more specialized works.

There actually is a Buddhism for Dummies book. I also read [The Complete Idiot's Guide to Buddhism] (http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Idiots-Guide-Buddhism-Edition/dp/1592579116/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1382312621&sr=8-7&keywords=buddhism+for+dummies) in a Buddhist study group a while ago. It was pretty informative for just starting to get your feet wet.

I know one person who read and enjoyed Buddhism for Dummies.
https://www.amazon.com/Buddhism-Dummies-Jonathan-Landaw/dp/111802379X

Has anyone read Essence of the Heart Sutra? It's not listed here, but it's the next up on my to-read list.

It seems a little weird to want to buy books to try and discredit some random person online who will forget all about this conversation in a couple of days, but sure, whatever.

Nag Hammadi Scriptures

Dhammapada

Upanishads

Baghavad Gita

Mahabharata

And this volume of the Vedas, though as I said I haven't read through it yet.

I also have this copy of the Tibetan Book of the Dead, which I haven't gotten around to yet.

Now, once again, please tell me where in the Nag Hammadi scriptures it says that you spend 1000 years in a Devachan before reincarnating.

Try this. Its another book you can get from amazon or just go to any book store

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/111802379X/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1521450733&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=buddhism+for+dummies&dpPl=1&dpID=51id0U2rgDL&ref=plSrch

I used to use quite a few different breathing techniques after reading We're All Doing Time by Bo Lozoff. That book and the techniques within helped me as a person immensely when I was going through troubling times as a youth. I'd definitely recommend checking the book out if you can.

The book is obviously intended for people that are incarcerated but it served me as an incredible insight to human nature and as a beginner's introduction to spirituality, meditation and knowing myself.

Buddhism for Beginners by Thubten Chodron

Tibetan Buddhism From the Ground Up by B. Alan Wallace

The World of Tibetan Buddhism by the Dalai Lama

The Tibetan Book of the Dead