Jeff Wilson is a professor of religious studies and East Asian studies at Renison University College, part of the University of Waterloo.
Wilson has authored several books and numerous articles exploring the intersection of Buddhism and North American culture. He teaches courses on Buddhism, religion in North America, East Asian religion, and religious studies methodology.
In addition to his academic work, Wilson is active in public scholarship, frequently participating in media appearances and radio interviews to provide informed perspectives on contemporary issues involving religion and culture. That’s why I’m sharing five best Jeff Wilson books on Buddhism.
1. Mindful America: The Mutual Transformation of Buddhist Meditation and American Culture
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Thirty years ago, “mindfulness” was a Buddhist principle mostly obscure to the west. Today, it is a popular cure-all for Americans’ daily problems.
A massive and lucrative industry promotes mindfulness in every aspect of life, however mundane or unlikely: Americans of various faiths (or none at all) practice mindful eating, mindful sex, mindful parenting, mindfulness in the office, mindful sports, mindfulness-based stress relief and addiction recovery, and hire mindful divorce lawyers.
Mindfulness is touted by members of Congress, CEOs, and Silicon Valley tech gurus, and is even being taught in public schools, hospitals, and the military.
Focusing on such processes as the marketing, medicalization, and professionalization of meditation, Jeff Wilson reveals how Buddhism shed its countercultural image and was assimilated into mainstream American culture.
The rise of mindfulness in America, Wilson argues, is a perfect example of how Buddhism enters new cultures and is domesticated: in each case, the new cultures take from Buddhism what they believe will relieve their specific distresses and concerns, and in the process create new forms of Buddhism adapted to their needs.
Wilson also tackles the economics of the mindfulness movement, examining commercial programs, therapeutic services, and products such as books, films, CDs, and even smartphone applications.
Mindful America is the first in-depth study of this phenomenon — invaluable for understanding how mindfulness came to be applied to such a vast array of non-religious concerns and how it can be reconciled with traditional Buddhism in America.
2. Dixie Dharma: Inside a Buddhist Temple in the American South
Buddhism in the United States is often viewed in connection with practitioners in the Northeast and on the West Coast, but in fact, it has been spreading and evolving throughout the United States since the mid-nineteenth century.
In Dixie Dharma, Jeff Wilson argues that region is crucial to understanding American Buddhism.
Through the lens of a multidenominational Buddhist temple in Richmond, Virginia, Wilson explores how Buddhists are adapting to life in the conservative evangelical Christian culture of the South, and how traditional Southerners are adjusting to these newer members on the religious landscape.
Introducing a host of overlooked characters, including Buddhist circuit riders, modernist Pure Land priests, and pluralistic Buddhists, Wilson shows how regional specificity manifests itself through such practices as meditation vigils to heal the wounds of the slave trade.
He argues that southern Buddhists at once use bodily practices, iconography, and meditation tools to enact distinct sectarian identities even as they enjoy a creative hybridity.
3. Buddhism of the Heart: Reflections on Shin Buddhism and Inner Togetherness
Jeff Wilson started his walk on the Buddha’s path as a Zen practitioner — taking up a tradition of vigorous self-effort, intensive meditation, and meticulous attention to rectitude in every action.
But in Jeff’s case, rather than freeing him from his suffering, he found those Zen practices made him nothing short of insufferable.
And so he turned to Shin Buddhism – a path that is easily the most popular in Zen’s native land of Japan but is largely unknown in the West.
Shin emphasizes an “entrusting heart,” a heart that is able to receive with gratitude every moment of our mistake-filled and busy lives.
Moreover, through walking the Shin path, Jeff comes see that each of us (himself especially included) are truly “foolish beings,” people so filled with endlessly arising “blind passions” and ingrained habits that we so easily cause harm even with our best intentions.
And even so, Shin holds out the tantalizing possibility that, by truly entrusting our foolish selves to the compassionate universe, we can learn to see how this foolish life, just as it is, is nonetheless also a life of grace.
Buddhism of the Heart is a wide-ranging book of essays and open-hearted stories, reflections that run the gamut from intensely personal to broadly philosophical, introducing the reader to a remarkable religious tradition of compassionate acceptance.
4. Mourning the Unborn Dead: A Buddhist Ritual Comes to America
Many Western visitors to Japan have been struck by the numerous cemeteries for aborted fetuses, which are characterized by throngs of images of the Bodhisattva Jizo, usually dressed in red baby aprons or other baby garments, and each dedicated to an individual fetus.
Abortion is common in Japan and as a consequence one of the frequently performed rituals in Japanese Buddhism is mizuko-kuyo, a ceremony for aborted and miscarried fetuses.
Over the past forty years, mizuko-kuyo has gradually come to America, where it has been appropriated by non-Buddhists as well as Buddhist practitioners.
In Mourning the Unborn, Jeff Wilson examines how and why Americans of different backgrounds have brought knowledge and performance of this Japanese ceremony to the United States.
Drawing on his own extensive fieldwork in Japan and the U.S., as well as the literature in both Japanese and English, Wilson shows that the meaning and purpose of the ritual have changed greatly in the American context.
In Japan, mizuko-kuyo is performed to placate the potentially dangerous spirit of the angry fetus.
In America, however, it has come to be seen as a way for the mother to mourn and receive solace for her loss.
Many American women who learn about mizuko-kuyo are struck by the lack of such a ceremony and see it as filling a very important need.
Ceremonies are now performed even for losses that took place many years ago.
Wilson’s well-written study not only contributes to the growing literature on American Buddhism, but sheds light on a range of significant issues in Buddhist studies, interreligious contact, women’s studies, and even bioethics.
5. The Buddhist Guide to New York: Where to Go, What to Do, and How to Make the Most of the Fantastic Resources in the Tri-State Area
Buddhism in New York is as exciting and diverse as the city itself, but can be just as overwhelming for those new to the practice.
What’s a good temple or practice center to try for your first visit? What should you wear? What are the differences between the various schools?
With The Buddhist Guide to New York, you can find a supportive community in which to explore the wisdom offered by this 2,500-year-old tradition. The book includes:
- A brief introduction to Buddhism and the different schools, from Pure Land to Zen
- General etiquette for visiting temples
- Practice centers in all five boroughs, New York State, New Jersey, and Connecticut
- Tibetan stores and restaurants
- Buddhist health practitioners
- Museums and cultural resources
- Bookstores, publications, educational institutions, and other resources
Whether you’re a new explorer of Buddhism or a long-time practitioner, The Buddhist Guide to New York will help you enjoy everything the region has to offer.
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Complement this list of best books on Buddhism by Jeff Wilson with five best Buddhism books for beginners and then learn why you should read Mindful America by Jeff Wilson.
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