Cambridge Insight Meditation Center

Recommended Reading

A selection of excellent publications on Buddhism, Insight Meditation, and mindfulness, including books written by CIMC teachers, our visiting teachers, and teachers outside our community.

photo of books by Larry Rosenberg and Narayan Helen Liebenson
Books by CIMC Teachers
  • Larry Rosenberg. Living in the Light of Death: On the Art of Being Truly Alive.
  • Larry Rosenberg. Breath by Breath: The Liberating Practice of Insight Meditation.
  • Larry Rosenberg. Three Steps to Awakening: A Practice for Bringing Mindfulness to Life.
  • Narayan Helen Liebenson. Life as Meditation.
  • Narayan Helen Liebenson. The Magnanimous Heart: Compassion and Love, Loss and Grief, Joy and Liberation.
First Readings
  • Ajahn Chah. A Still Forest Pool: The Insight Meditation of Achaan Chah.
  • Christina Feldman. Boundless Heart: The Buddha’s Path of Kindness, Compassion, Joy, and Equanimity.
  • Joseph Goldstein. Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening.
  • Joseph Goldstein & Jack Kornfield. Seeking the Heart of Wisdom: The Path of Insight Meditation.
  • Bhante Henepola Gunaratana. Mindfulness in Plain English.
  • Thich Nhat Hanh. The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation.
  • Narayan Helen Liebenson. The Magnanimous Heart: Compassion and Love, Loss and Grief, Joy and Liberation.
  • Walpola Rahula. What the Buddha Taught.
  • Larry Rosenberg. Breath by Breath: The Liberating Practice of Insight Meditation.
  • Larry Rosenberg. Three Steps to Awakening: A Practice for Bringing Mindfulness to Life.
  • Sharon Salzberg. Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness.
  • Ajahn Sumedho. The Four Noble Truths.
Further Readings
  • Bhikkhu Analayo. Mindfully Facing Disease and Death.
  • Ajahn Chah. Food for the Heart.
  • Bhikkhu Bodhi. In the Buddha’s Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon.
  • Bhikkhu Bodhi. The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Majjhima Nikaya.
  • Bhikkhu Bodhi. The Noble Eightfold Path: The Way to the End of Suffering.
  • Ajahn Buddhadasa. Heartwood of the Bodhi Tree: The Buddha’s Teaching on Voidness.
  • Bhante Henepola Gunaratana. Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness: Walking the Buddha’s Path.
  • Thich Nhat Hanh. The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation.
  • Thich Nhat Hanh. Old Path White Clouds: Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddha.
  • Jack Kornfield. A Path with Heart: The Classic Guide through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life.
  • Upasika Kee Nanyon. Pure and Simple: The Extraordinary Teachings of a Thai Buddhist Laywoman.
  • Larry Rosenberg. Three Steps to Awakening: A Practice for Bringing Mindfulness to Life.
  • Rodney Smith. Stepping out of Self-Deception: The Buddha’s Liberating Teaching of No-Self.
  • Ajahn Sumedho. The Mind and the Way: Buddhist Reflections on Life.
  • Ajahn Sumedho. Don’t Take Your Life Personally.
  • Sayadaw U Tejaniya. When Awareness Becomes Natural: A Guide to Cultivating Mindfulness in Everyday Life.
Readings on Dharma, Race, and Inclusivity
  • Rev. angel Kyodo Williams and Lama Rod Owens. Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love, and Liberation.
  • Pamela Ayo Yetunde & Cheryl A. Giles. Black and Buddhist: What Buddhism Can Teach Us about Race, Resilience, Transformation, and Freedom.
  • Chenxing Han. Be the Refuge: Raising the Voices of Asian American Buddhists.
  • Charles Johnson. Taming the Ox: Buddhist Stories and Reflections on Politics, Race, Culture, and Spiritual Practice.
  • Ruth King. Mindful of Race: Transforming Racism from the Inside Out.
  • Rhonda V. Magee. The Inner Work of Racial Justice: Healing Ourselves and Transforming Our Communities Through Mindfulness.
  • Zenju Earthlyn Manuel. The Way of Tenderness: Awakening through Race, Sexuality, and Gender.
  • Larry Ward. America’s Racial Karma: An Invitation to Heal.
  • Larry Yang. Awakening Together: The Spiritual Practice of Inclusivity and Community.

Books by CIMC Teachers

  • Rosenberg, L. (2001). Living in the light of death: On the Art of Being Truly Alive. Shambhala Publications.
  • Rosenberg, L. (2004). Breath by breath: The Liberating Practice of Insight Meditation. National Geographic Books.
  • Rosenberg, L., & Zimmerman, L. (2013). Three steps to awakening: A Practice for Bringing Mindfulness to Life. Shambhala Publications.
  • Liebenson, N. H. (2001). Life as meditation.
  • Liebenson, N. H. (2019). The magnanimous heart. Simon and Schuster.

First Readings

  • Chah, A. (2013). A still forest pool: The Insight Meditation of Achaan Chah. Quest Books.
  • Feldman, C. (2017). Boundless heart: The Buddha’s Path of Kindness, Compassion, Joy, and Equanimity. Shambhala Publications.
  • Goldstein, J. (2013). Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening. Sounds True.
  • Goldstein, J., & Kornfield, J. (2001). Seeking the heart of wisdom: The Path of Insight Meditation. Shambhala Publications.
  • Gunaratana, B. H., & Gunaratana, H. (2011). Mindfulness in Plain English: 20th Anniversary Edition. Simon and Schuster.
  • Hanh, T. N. (2014). The Miracle Of Mindfulness: The Classic Guide to Meditation by the World’s Most Revered Master. Random House.
  • Liebenson, N. H. (2019). The magnanimous heart. Simon and Schuster.
  • Rahula, W. (2014). What the Buddha taught. Simon and Schuster.
  • Rosenberg, L. (2004). Breath by breath: The Liberating Practice of Insight Meditation. National Geographic Books.
  • Rosenberg, L., & Zimmerman, L. (2013). Three steps to awakening: A Practice for Bringing Mindfulness to Life. Shambhala Publications.
  • Salzberg, S. (2020). Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness. Shambhala Publications.
  • Sumedho. (1992). The Four Noble Truths.

Further Readings

  • Analayo. (2016). Mindfully facing disease and death. Windhorse Publications.
  • Chah. (1992). Food for the heart.
  • Bodhi. (2005). In the Buddha’s Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon. Simon and Schuster.
  • Bodhi. (2005a). The middle length discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Majjhima Nik−aya.
  • Bodhi, B. (2010). The Noble Eightfold Path: The Way to the End of Suffering. Buddhist Publication Society.
  • Buddhadasa. (2014). Heartwood of the Bodhi Tree: The Buddha’s Teaching on Voidness. Simon and Schuster.
  • Gunaratana, H. (2001). Eight mindful steps to happiness: Walking the Buddha’s Path. Simon and Schuster.
  • Hanh, T. N. (1999). The heart of the Buddha’s teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation. National Geographic Books.
  • Hanh, T. N. (2010). Old Path White Clouds: Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddha. Readhowyouwant.
  • Kornfield, J. (2008). A path with heart: The Classic Guide through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life. Random House.
  • Nanayon, U. K. (2012). Pure and simple: The Extraordinary Teachings of a Thai Buddhist Laywoman. Simon and Schuster.
  • Rosenberg, L., & Zimmerman, L. (2013b). Three steps to awakening: A Practice for Bringing Mindfulness to Life. Shambhala Publications.
  • Smith, R. (2010). Stepping out of Self-Deception: The Buddha’s Liberating Teaching of No-Self. Shambhala Publications.
  • Sumedho. (1995). The mind and the way: Buddhist Reflections on Life. Simon and Schuster.
  • Sumedho, A. (2010). Don’t take your life personally.
  • Tejaniya, S. U. (2016). When awareness becomes natural: A Guide to Cultivating Mindfulness in Everyday Life. Shambhala Publications.

Readings on Dharma, Race, and Inclusivity

  • Brown, S. (2018). Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love, and Liberation by Angel Kyodo Williams and Lama Rod Owens. Buddhist–Christian Studies, 38(1), 409–412. https://doi.org/10.1353/bcs.2018.0039
  • Giles, C. A., & Yetunde, P. A. (2020). Black and Buddhist: What Buddhism Can Teach Us about Race, Resilience, Transformation, and Freedom. Shambhala Publications.
  • Han, C. (2021). Be the Refuge: Raising the Voices of Asian American Buddhists. North Atlantic Books.
  • Johnson, C. (2014). Taming the Ox: Buddhist Stories and Reflections on Politics, Race, Culture, and Spiritual Practice. Shambhala Publications.
  • King, R. (2018). Mindful of race: Transforming Racism from the Inside Out. Sounds True.
  • Magee, R. V. (2019). The inner work of racial justice: Healing Ourselves and Transforming Our Communities Through Mindfulness. Penguin.
  • Manuel, Z. E. (2015). The way of tenderness: Awakening through Race, Sexuality, and Gender. Simon and Schuster.
  • Ward, L. (2020). America’s racial karma: An Invitation to Heal. National Geographic Books.
  • Yang, L. (2017). Awakening together: The Spiritual Practice of Inclusivity and Community. Simon and Schuster.