The Best Buddhist Writing 2013

The Best Buddhist Writing

by Melvin McLeod (Editor), Pema Chödrön (Contributor), Lodro Rinzler (Contributor)

An eclectic and thought-provoking collection of Buddhist and Buddhist-inspired writings on a wide range of issues published in North America during 2012.
The collection includes writings by Pema Chödrön, Thich Nhat Hanh, Joseph Goldstein, Natalie Goldberg, Sylvia Boorstein, Dzongsar Khyentse, Sakyong Mipham, Norman Fischer, Philip Moffitt, Karen Miller, Tsoknyi Rinpoche, Kay Larson, and Lodro Rinzler, among others.  Selected by the editors of the Shambhala Sun, North America's leading Buddhist-inspired magazine, this anthology offers an entertaining mix of writing styles and reflects on a wide range of issues from a Buddhist point of view.

Genres: Buddhism, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Essays, Philosophy, Religion, Meditation

336 pages, Paperback

First published September 24, 2013

Reviews

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have heard very good reports on Shambhala's "The Best Buddhist Writing" series, so I was excited to have the chance to read an ARC of the 2013 edition via Netgalley. I found this volume to have a wide-ranging collection of essays and excerpts from books covering everything from introductions to meditation and to basic concepts in Buddhism, to engaging slice-of-life essays exploring how the writers incorporate mindfulness in hectic lives, and even a piece in which Kay Larson traces the influences of Buddhism on John Cage's 4'33" (drawing on her work in her book Where the Heart Beats: John Cage, Zen Buddhism, and the Inner Life of Artists. The Table of Contents presents a who's who of Buddhist writers, both established writers and relative newcomers: Pema Chödrön, Thich Nhat Hanh, Joseph Goldstein, Natalie Goldberg, Sylvia Boorstein, Dzongsar Khyentse, Sakyong Mipham, Norman Fischer, Philip Moffitt, Karen Miller, Tsoknyi Rinpoche, Kay Larson, and Lodro Rinzler. This volume is a wonderful introduction to recent writings on Buddhism and mindfulness, and should help readers to find new favorite writers in the field.

[Meghan Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great little collection of essays. It seems they don’t publish this anymore? I’d love to be wrong about that. Tell me if so.

[Patti K · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of essays and excerpts on Buddhist thought and action is very
readable and useful. Thich Nhat Hanh, Pema Chodron, and Joseph Epstein all
contribute and they are very important practitioners and teachers. Read as
a whole there is some repetition, but mostly just useful advice on meditation
and right views and actions. I enjoyed it.

[Tan Dat · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of articles written by authors with different backgrounds. Some are good and informative, some are shallow, some are contradictory with each other. But overall, it's a good overview about Buddhism and its ideology.

[Nancy McKinley · Rating 3 out of 5]

From time to time I like to read collections of shorts by various writers. This gives me a chance to sample different tastes; tasting a bit of each and finding the ones I like the best. I found a few here.

[Kristine Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to read just one chapter in this book - the one by Judy Lief where she helps make sense of the 59 lojohn slogans (I was a bit befuddled with them), and I ended up reading the whole book. Enjoyed each chapter; I suspect useful reading no matter what "level" you of Buddhism you are at.

[Matthew Stolte · Rating 5 out of 5]

My paperback edition is 210 pages. The essays are brief & vary widely in content. Very powerful!

[J. Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great hodgepodge of essays. Some very technical, others just nice and silly. Great range of different aspects and studies of Buddhism.

[Steve Woods · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like these collections because they give me bite sized hunks of Buddhist thought from a wide range of people form different backgrounds and points of view. They just keep me thinking about the right things in the right way and challenge my own preconceived ideas; a kind of spiritual lubricant. Occasionally there will be contained within them one of two texts that will really hit home and blow some part of my mind, they were here in this one, particularly the text by Ezra Bayda. I had noit heard of him before but I will now seek out his writings.

[Ann Douglas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not a Buddhist, but I am fascinated by Buddhist spirituality. This collection of essays provided me with a helpful introduction to the variety of writing that is happening under the Buddhist umbrella. There were a few amazing essays in the collection -- essays that I will be thinking about for many years to come, including Bonnie Friedman's "The Vagabond Queen of Craigslist" and Natalie Goldberg's "Waking Up to Happiness," but the collection got bogged down by others that were highly theoretical and not particularly accessible to a newbie like me.

[Steve Llano · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is always fantastic. Lots of really great essays in here that are a good balance between things that are deep and rich for the practitioner/believer and those who see Buddhism more as a toolkit for the everyday. There are a great diversity of writers here from many backgrounds and belief systems, and the styles are very diverse as well. There is something really stimulating or useful in each essay for thinking about Buddhism.

[Nelda Pearson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have read all the books in this series as part of my daily practice. As usual all the pieces are insightful and helpful.