This book offers a solid argument for engaging in life - not just sitting around meditating about improving oneself.

'There are those who teach Buddhist meditation as a method of stress management so that one can carry on in the same stress-generating life without becoming ill,' Brazier writes.

'When Buddhism becomes simply a set of entertaining forms grafted on to a basically selfish, consumerist, high-caste lifestyle as simply one more diverting hobby, all is lost.'

The 'all' in this case are the values of the movement's founder, as Brazier outlines them in his Critical History Of Early Buddhism, in which he argues it was never intended that the philosophy should become centred on self-reflection. Instead, the Buddha believed in an ever-changing, open-minded - and practical - way of helping humankind, Brazier argues.

He levels the accusation that modern, Western society bears unfortunate parallels with the Hindu caste system. 'In alliance with the caste system there is a huge system of institutionalised greed - enriching some and impoverishing others. It is a bubble that periodically bursts, and when it does there is even more suffering.'

With intelligent explanation and analysis of the philosophy, Brazier makes a convincing case for real action in a world obsessed with money. 'A Buddhist,' he says, 'does not say, 'There is nothing I can do'.'

Author of two previous 'Awakenings' titles, American Lama Surya Das, a well-respected teacher and scholar of Tibetan Buddhist, focuses more on the 'self' in Awakening The Buddhist Heart, Cultivating Love And Spiritual Intelligence In Your Life (Bantam $120). He opens by asserting: 'Life is about relationships - the relationship we have with ourselves, with each other, with the world, as well as the connection to that which is beyond any of us yet imminent to each of us. When our relationships are good, we feel good; when they are bad, we feel awful. Let's accept it: we need each other. We need to feel connected; we need to feel each other's presence and love.'

Like Brazier, the lama also argues: 'Tibetan lamas say that when we practise that type of mind-wiping meditation we run the risk of being reborn as cows - dumbly chewing their cud over and over again.'

There is no such thing as an easy 'enlightenment', those wanting better lives must look at 'the big picture' of the world and beyond, and must also make efforts to enhance the lives of others, he says.

With outlines of the 37 Tibetan Bodhisattva texts (prayers) and a questions-and-answers chapter, the lama tries to inspire spirituality and instil compassion in his readers.

Taking a highly personal approach, Ingrid Soren's The Zen Of Horseriding (Little, Brown & Co $200) is an easily digested volume about how she overcame her fear of equestrian activity with the help of Zen thought. 'When you become you, Zen becomes Zen,' the book sleeve declares.

Frankly, with the flood of Zen books on the market - everything from the Zen of housework to the Zen of birdwatching - it's hard to take this light read seriously. But for those wanting an easy bedtime tale which not-so-gently weaves in some Zen concepts, this could be appropriate.

Any employer who jumps on this particular bandwagon could see productivity soar - look out for The Zen Of Working Like A Slave For The Hugely Profitable Company That Employs You at bookshops soon.