Recommended Books and Authors

No author writes and works in a vacuum. He or she depends on the support and inspiration of other writers. Lewis Richmond urges you to check out the following recommendations of other books which he is certain would be of interest to you:

CROOKED CUCUMBER by David Chadwick is the long-awaited biography of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, the author of Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, founder of the Zen Center of San Francisco, and my and David's root spiritual teacher. (David and I were ordained by Suzuki-Roshi on the same day; this makes us true dharma brothers). David has done an incredible job of bringing Suzuki-Roshi's work and teaching vividly to life. You must read this book! And don't forget to check out David's own Web site, www.cuke.com.

THE LIGHT INSIDE THE DARK by John Tarrant is a moving, poetic evocation of the relationship e between Spirit and Soul. John is a Zen teacher, psychotherapist and poet, and this book has received rave reviews. Believe me, there is nothing else like it !

AWAKENING THE BUDDHA WITHIN by Lama Surya Das is the one of the best introductions to Buddhism available, and has been a best-seller since its publication in 1997. Surya Das (an American from Brooklyn) was rigorously trained in the Tibetan tradition, but writes from his heart in an accessible, witty, American vernacular that de-mystifies Buddhism's complexities. And be on the lookout for his latest book, AWAKENING TO THE SACRED: Creating a Spiritual Life from Scratch. And check out the Web Site of Surya Das' organization, the Dzogchen Foundation, www.dzogchen.org.

SLEEPING WHERE I FALL by Peter Coyote is a chronicle of the 60's and a candid and revealing autobiography, and much more. It is also a profound analysis and deep exploration into issues of politics, freedom, power, values, and alternative ways to put together what it means to be human in our world. The 60's may be nostalgia fodder for the mainstream media, but in Peter's rendition its issues are still vividly alive. Fascinating, gripping, and deeply rewarding!