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Where to start
woods93
Explorer
I am not new to Buddhism but I want to get deeper into it and start reading sutras or something. But I have no clue where to start. I have a few audio books by the Dalai Lama and listen to them at work but that's as far as I have gotten. Kind of overwhelmed by how much is out there. Would appreciate any help. Thank you in advance.
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Comments
Hi @woods93.
I have found it helpful to narrow it down to one tradition and even one (or a few) teachers.
If your interest is Tibetan Buddhism you could do a lot worse than start following the American nun below. She has lots of video's and material to help integrate the Buddhist Path into our daily lives. I found that is what I needed to progress.
http://thubtenchodron.org/
Good luck!
I think Thubten Chodron is excellent for any tradition, though she is tibetan-based. She is so wonderful! I love the Bodhisatva Breakfast Corner.
What you really need @woods93 is to get deeper into your mind, not deeper into other people. Sometimes, the focus on teachings of others can take us away from that. Often, I have found when I wasn't sure which way to go, that increased or improved meditation time brought the answers I needed.
Pema Chodron is another good one in the TB tradition. You could like her on facebook and read news: https://www.facebook.com/Pema.Chodron
@Bunks I feel like I agree with Mahayana the most. Not sure of any teachers
I read a few books from my library before I stumbled onto Old Path White Clouds, the Buddha's biography by Master Hanh. I fell in love with the book because I felt if I hadn't read anything else, I'd know all I needed to about the Buddha and Buddhism.
What I have found most inspiring have been two authors who write "introductory" books that are to my mind actually quite profound in transporting me from the surface to some pretty deep levels.
The first is Huston Smith, who wrote the classic The Religions of Man, later republished as The World's Religions, and a separate book covering Buddhism in greater depth.
The second is Steve Hagen, whose books are rather shorter and simpler, but whose explanations I find to be uniquely eloquent and transcendent.
Deeper eh?
You need a cushion not a sutra ...
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/meditation-for-dummies-cheat-sheet.html
Too wikid?
Are you rude to everyone?
@woods93 -- My suggestion is to relax and let things come to you. Roughly speaking, everything is a mess in the beginning ... overwhelming amounts of information, uncertainty at every turn, etc.
Roughly -- and I do mean roughly -- there are two approaches in Buddhism: 1. The intellectual and emotional -- books, lectures, collecting and collating information and 2. the practical -- adopting a practice or series of practices that may (or may not) create a reality that can actualize the dream. The latter, which addresses the question of what things might be like if you put up or shut up, requires some patience, some courage and some doubt, all qualities you already possess.
But there's no rush. Take your time. Never mind if one approach or another is a "failure" or a "success." Just do what you are doing and keep an eye on things. Slowly but surely Buddhism will come to you. Yeah, I know ... it all sounds pretty airy-fairy for someone determined to find 'the answers,' but there are no gold stars or corner offices in Buddhism. "Attainment" or "understanding" is just more fairy dust.
Take your time. Study what you like. Practice what you like. Try not to feel too bad when you fall on your face. How could you EVER be wrong about your own life?
Best wishes.
That's the best advice I've ever gotten. Thank you @genkaku