Buddhist Books

The Hands of the Buddha

A Modern Interpretation of the Dhammapada

This ancient book of Buddhist wisdom is older than the Bible. Rewritten in clear, clean modern language, the words of the Buddha will connect with the modern reader. The Dhammapada has been called the distilled essence of Buddhism. In 423 brief verses, said to be actual sayings from the Buddha himself, you will find inspiration and guidance.

"We are what we think about. All our lives are founded on our thoughts and our world is made up of our thoughts. Like the wagon drawn after an ox, suffering will follow a deluded mind."

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"We are what we think about. When our minds are clear and disciplined, happiness will follow us as faithfully as our shadow."

—From The Hands of the Buddha

The Buddha's Three Jewels

The Three Jewels of Buddhism are the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.

Almost everyone has heard of the Buddha but the other two words, Dharma and Sangha, are usually strange to western ears. In Buddhism, taken together, they are known as “The Three Jewels.” The first part of this book will consider the life of the Buddha. The second part will give an overview of the Dharma, the body of Buddhist teachings. The third section, the Sangha, will illuminate the lives of a few teachers who have shared those teachings with us.

Buddha Meditations: A Journal

The text in this journal is a modernized version of very ancient verses originally attributed to the Buddha. The Buddha didn't mince words when telling people what they needed to know to reach happiness and these simple verses are very dear to the hearts of Buddhists everywhere.

How to Use this Journal

Of course, you can use this journal any way you like! You can scribble limericks, keep grocery lists, or review old television shows.

But! You can use each page as a “thought for the day” and then ignore the quotes and use the lined pages as a record of your daily journey.

You can doodle on the left page under the quote or you can cut pictures out of magazines and glue them there.

You can use the quotes as writing prompts.

The Buddha once said “Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. ... Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. ... But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.”

You have permission to argue with the quotes. You can analyze them and see how they fit with your life or not. You can modify them into something more suitable to you.

You can do a mix of all of the above.

This is your book.

Rewriting the Buddha
An Essay

So I told myself that the Dhammapada is one of the oldest books of Buddhist thought. I should read it. What I wanted was a nice simple readable version that I could dip into. The Dhammapada isn’t something you read straight through like a novel. It’s basically a collection of aphorisms, little short sayings, like a box of really, really good fortune cookies.

I quickly discovered that most translations are completely unreadable, some more than others. A few of the more modern ones attempt to clarify the language—I don’t think I’m the first person to notice the readability problem. However, I may be the first person that noticed the problem who was a writer and not a translator.