Buddhism

A Buddhist Bible by Dwight Goddard (1st ed.) [1932]
This anthology has had a huge influence on the spread of Buddhism in the English-speaking world. An edited (but not watered-down) collection of key Zen documents, a favorite of Jack Kerouac.

Journal Articles about Buddhism
This is a collection of academic journal articles about Buddhism from the 19th Century, contributed thanks to Chris Weimer.

The Smokey the Bear Sutra by Gary Snyder.
This is a much beloved short poem about the relationship between Buddhism and ecology, written by one of the 'beat' era poets, simultaneously funny and profound.

The Creed of Buddha by Edmond Holmes (2nd. ed.) [1919]
A Pantheist looks at contemporary Western views of Buddhism.

The Life of Buddha by Andre Ferdinand Herold [1922], tr. by Paul C. Blum [1927]
A good introduction to the life and works of Buddha.

The Dhammapada and The Sutta Nipâta (SBE10),
Dhammapada tr. by Max Müller; Sutta-Nipâta tr. by V. Fausböll [1881]

Buddhist Suttas (SBE11)
Translated from Pâli by T.W. Rhys Davids [1881]

Vinaya Texts (Part I) (SBE13)
Translated from the Pâli by T.W. Rhys Davids and Herman Oldenberg. [1881]
The Pâtimokkha and The Mahâvagga, I-IV.

Vinaya Texts (Part II) (SBE17)
Translated from the Pâli by T.W. Rhys Davids and Herman Oldenberg. [1882]
The Mahâvagga, V-X, and The Kullavagga, I-III.

Vinaya Texts (Part III) (SBE20)
Translated from the Pâli by T.W. Rhys Davids and Herman Oldenberg. [1885]
The Kullavagga, IV-XII.

The Questions of King Milinda
translated by T. W. Rhys Davids
    The Questions of King Milinda, Part I (SBE35) [1890]
    The Questions of King Milinda, Part II (SBE36) [1894]

Dialogues of the Buddha (The Dîgha-Nikâya)
Translated from the Pâli by T.W. Rhys Davids; London, H. Frowde, Oxford University Press [1899]
Volume II of the Sacred Books of the Buddhists.

Buddhism in Translations by Henry Clarke Warren [1896]
This is a often-cited scholarly anthology of translations of key Theravada Buddhist documents.

The Udâna Translated by Dawsonne Melanchthon Strong [1902]
(Redacted by Chris Weimer)

Psalms of the Sisters by Caroline A. F. Rhys Davids [1909]
(Thanks to Mary Mark Ockerbloom of A Celebration of Women Writers)

Jataka

The Jataka is a huge collection of fables framed as previous incarnations of the Buddha, many of which either have parallels or derivatives in western folklore and literature. Although the Jataka is not considered part of the canonical Buddhist scripture, it is very popular.

The Jataka, Vol. I tr. by Robert Chalmers [1895]
This is the first of six volumes of the complete Cowell translation of the Jataka.

The Jataka, Vol. II tr. by W. H. D. Rouse [1895]
This is the second of six volumes of the complete Cowell translation of the Jataka.

Indian Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs [1912]
This collection of Indian folklore, retold for younger readers 'of all ages', includes many stories from the Jataka, a Buddhist compilation of fables.

The Fo-Sho-Hing-Tsan-King (SBE19) A Life of Buddha by Asvaghosha Bodhisattva, translated from Sanskrit into Chinese by Dharmaraksha A.D. 420, and From Chinese into English by Samuel Beal [1883]

Buddhist Mahâyâna Texts (SBE 49) [1894]
Translated by E.B. Cowell, F. Max Müller, and J. Kakakusu.
This includes the Diamond Sutra.

Saddharma-pundarîka (The Lotus Sutra) (SBE 21) Translated By H. Kern [1884]

She-rab Dong-bu (The Tree of Wisdom) by Nagarjuna; edited and translated by W. L. Cambell [1919]
An influential Tibetan Buddhist text.

Açvaghosha's Discourse on the Awakening of Faith in the Mahâyâna translated by Teitaro Suzuki [1900]

The Awakening of Faith of Ashvagosha translated by Timothy Richard [1907]

The Gateless Gate by Ekai [Huikai], called Mu-mon, tr. by Nyogen Senzaki and Paul Reps [1934]
One of the classic collections of Zen Buddhist Koans

Chinese Buddhism by Joseph Edkins [1893]
A comprehensive discussion of Chinese Buddhism.

Buddhism In Tibet by Emil Schlaginteweit [1863]
One of the few 19th century books about Tibetan Buddhism.

The Religion of the Samurai by Kaiten Nukariya [1913]
This book focuses on Northern (Mahayana) Buddhism, and Zen Buddhism in particular. It includes a wealth of detail as well as very lucid explanations of Zen Buddhist concepts.

Manual of Zen Buddhism by Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki. [1935]
Suzuki is one of the most popular 20th century writers about Zen Buddhism. This book is an anthology of texts relating to Zen. Includes the famous 'Ox-Herder' illustrations.

Zen for Americans by Soyen Shaku, translated by Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki. [1906]
A collection of essays on Buddhism, includes The Sutra of Forty-Two Chapters.

Mysticism, Christian and Buddhist by Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki. [1957, not renewed]
Suzuki compares and contrasts Buddhism with Meister Eckhart's mystical outlook.

Gleanings In Buddha-Fields by Lafcadio Hearn [1897].

The Nō Plays of Japan by Arthur Waley [1921].
Translations of a selection of Nō dramas, which have deep connections with Japanese Buddhism, Shinto, and Japanese folklore.

KAKUZO OKAKURA
The Book of Tea
by Kakuzo Okakura [1906] 108,498 bytes.
This book discusses the aesthetics of the Japanese Tea Ceremony, and its connection to the Japanese world-view as a whole.
The Ideals of the East
by Kakuzo Okakura [1904]
Learn about the evolution of Japanese art and its relationship to Buddhism.

For more translations of Southern Buddhist texts, we highly recommend Access to Insight [External Site].