Episode · Conversations with Tyler · 2025-11-12
Tyler Cowen & Donald S. Lopez Jr.: books mentioned on Conversations with Tyler
Donald S. Lopez Jr. on Buddhism
Register for the Austin listener meetup Donald S. Lopez Jr.
Tyler Cowen recommended The Buddha by Donald S. Lopez and Buddhism by Donald S. Lopez, and discussed The Tibetan book of the dead by Padma Sambhava and The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism by Robert E. Buswell and others. Donald S. Lopez Jr. recommended The Lotus Sutra by Tsugunari Kubo and others and The Heart Sutra by Bhagwan Rajneesh, and discussed Lost Horizon by James Hilton and Be Here Now by Ram Dass.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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The Tibetan book of the dead
The Tibetan book of the dead by Padma Sambhava is a foundational Buddhist text concerning the stages of dying, the bardo, and rebirth.
Discussed“In the West, the the so-called Tibetan Book of the Dead is a big deal, but is that even a real thing?”
Where to get it
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Lost Horizon
Lost Horizon by James Hilton is a classic novel that explores the legendary Himalayan utopia of Shangri-La.
Discussed“So it became this this is where Shangala comes from lost horizon all this is that all the myths about Asia crossed the Himalayas and and remained there in Tibet until 1959 when the Daly Lama came out.”
Where to get it
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The Buddha
The Buddha by Donald S.
Recommended“and your own position as leading expert on Buddhism. Uh what is it you had to do to get that in terms of travel, languages, obviously study and writing, but just physically what are the things you needed to do physically?”
Where to get it
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Be Here Now
Be Here Now by Ram Dass is a seminal 1970s spiritual guide exploring mindfulness, yoga, and Eastern philosophy.
Discussed“There wasn't much to read then. There was like be here now by Ramdas, Tibetan book of the dead that you mentioned, works of DT Suzuki on Zen.”
Where to get it
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Buddhism
Buddhism by Donald S.
Recommended“the biggest one I think it's called Buddhism a journey through history is that correct that's correct that came out in January yeah that uh to me is the single best place to go for a comprehensive look at all of Buddhism not just life of the Buddha but this is about uh life of the Buddha other than reading”
Where to get it
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The Lotus Sutra
The Lotus Sutra is a foundational and deeply influential Mahayana Buddhist scripture.
Recommended“So works like the Lotus Sutra, the Heart Sutra, they take the famous ones, there are many commentaries on those works, the polycanons all been translated into beautiful English.”
Where to get it
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The Heart Sutra
The Heart Sutra is a concise and profoundly important text in Mahayana Buddhism concerning the concept of emptiness.
Recommended“So works like the Lotus Sutra, the Heart Sutra, they take the famous ones, there are many commentaries on those works, the polycanons all been translated into beautiful English.”
Where to get it
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The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism
Discussed“and your Princeton Encyclopedia of Buddhism. How many page [clears throat] Princeton dictionary of Buddhism dictionary? Sorry. How many pages is that?”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (1) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“He's one of the editors of the Princeton Encyclopedia of Buddhism and he has a new book out this year called The Buddha: Biography of a Myth.”