All you have to do is search Google for Buddhist books, and you can quickly become overwhelmed by the voluminous and myriad selections. Here are a few of the books that set me on my spiritual path, and also to help to keep me there.
Peace is Every Step: Thich That Hahn
"From time to time, sit close to the one you love, hold his or her hand, and ask, 'Darling, do I understand you enough? Or am I making you suffer? Please tell me so that I can learn to love you properly. I don't want to make you suffer, and if I do so because of my ignorance, please tell me so that I can love you better, so that you can be happy." If you say this in a voice that communicates your real openness to understand, the other person may cry."
True Refuge: Tara Brach
“The great gift of a spiritual path is coming to trust that you can find a way to true refuge. You realize that you can start right where you are, in the midst of your life, and find peace in any circumstance. Even at those moments when the ground shakes terribly beneath you—when there’s a loss that will alter your life forever—you can still trust that you will find your way home. This is possible because you’ve touched the timeless love and awareness that are intrinsic to who you are.
Awakening the Buddha Within: Lama Surya Das
“I've also learned that you don't always get to pick the people with whom you travel the journey. You sometimes may think you do, but don't be deceived....and this was my real lesson- that you start to realize that you can love even the people you don't like and must love and help everyone.”
The Heart of the Buddha's Teachings: Thich Nhat Hahn
"With mindfulness, you can establish yourself in the present in order to touch the wonders of life that are available in that moment."
Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: Shunryu Suzuki
"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few."
Zen Flesh, Zen Bones: A Collection of Zen and Pre-Zen Writings
The Moon Cannot Be Stolen
Ryokan, a Zen master, lived the simplest kind of life in a little hut at the foot of the mountain. One evening a thief visited the hut only to discover there was nothing in it to steal.
Ryokan returned and caught him. "You may have come a long way to visit me," he told the prowler, "and you should not return empty-handed. Please take my clothes as a gift."
Ryokan sat naked, watching the moon. "Poor fellow," he mused, "I wish I could give him this beautiful moon.”