Coherent summary of Buddhism

mynameisuntz

I've been searching on the internet along with reading a beginner's book on Buddhism: Thich Nhat Hanh's The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching. However, I feel all the information I've encountered to be incredibly overwhelming and difficult to mentally organize in a way that makes it feel coherent. Right now, in my brain, it kind of just feels like a lot of disconnected information. It could be that I'm new to Buddhism and only ~80 pages into this book, but I've studied philosophy quite a bit and never seemed to have any trouble grasping both the forest and the trees as I do with Buddhism; even with postmodernism!

Any suggestions on books or websites that can kind of summarize Buddhism? So that it explains the specifics and still maintains the broad picture? Or if the one I'm reading is sufficient, then let me know and I'll just be more patient in reading it :]

Talisman

The teaching of the Buddha is unlike any other philosophy or religion in the history of the world. It can take some time for it all to come together. Although some of the "beginner" books can help teach the common themes and basic teachings of the Dharma, I would honestly suggest that you delve into the suttas themselves in order to get the real deal. It wasnt until I had begun reading more and more of the pali suttas that the interonnectedness and profundity of the teachings was revealed to me.

check out accesstoinsight.org

Yishai

@Talisman @mynameisuntz

As a beginner and coming to this site, I knew very little and nothing seemed to be connected to each other. After seeing discussion on more advanced ideas and the suttas, the whole picture started to reveal itself.

For me Buddhism started as a blurry picture that has gradually come into focus with an increase in breadth and depth of knowledge.

genkaku

Not trying to toot my own horn, but here is a one-page quickie I wrote for a high-school student who came here to sniff around the edges of Zen practice and knew little or nothing about Buddhism.


BUDDHISM

The truth of Buddhism does not come from a book. It does not come from a temple. It does not come from someone else. It is not written on a piece of paper. The truth of Buddhism comes from the individual effort to investigate, verify and actualize a clear understanding of this life.

Shakyamuni Buddha, the man most often referred to as the founder of Buddhism, was born on the border of India and Nepal in about 565 BC. He attained what is sometimes called enlightenment at 35 and preached until his death at 80. Many schools of Buddhism sprang from his teachings … in India, Tibet, China, Korea and Japan among others. Uncertain estimates put Buddhist numbers at about 350 million worldwide.

All Buddhist schools agree on at least two things:

1. THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS: These are observations about the world around us.

The Four Noble Truths are:

*** 1. There is suffering (dukkha – the uncertainties, dissatisfactions and doubts that life can dish up); 2. There is a cause of suffering; 3. There is an end to suffering; 4. There is a way to end suffering.

2. THE EIGHTFOLD PATH: These are the tools suggested as most useful when seeking out a truly peaceful life in a changing world.

The Eightfold Path is:

*** 1. Right View 2. Right Intention 3. Right Speech 4. Right Action 5. Right Livelihood 6. Right Effort 7. Right Mindfulness 8. Right Concentration.

The word "right" is sometimes translated as "complete." A “complete” effort is thorough-going and whole-hearted. Nothing is held back. Buddhism is not a threat-based persuasion: You won’t go to heaven (right) if you practice it and you won’t go to hell (wrong) if you don’t. But honesty is required -- complete honesty.

The Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path carry with them the verifiable observation that everything in life changes. There is nothing that does not change. Joy turns to sorrow, love turns to anger, birth turns to death, and the family car always gets a flat. All Buddhist schools agree on such things, but how they approach them may vary.

But as the Dalai Lama put it once, "Everyone wants to be happy." And that is probably as good a summary of Buddhism as any.

snoozerider

@genkaku - thanks for this summary, very helpful and concise ;-)

federica

A friend of mine spent many months doing a lot of research, and eventually submitted this entire article (including all the sub-links) to Wikipedia, for which he received a commendation from the Wiki founders.

It's very good stuff.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outline_of_Buddhism

ownerof1000oddsocks

BUDDHISM

1. THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS: These are observations about the world around us.

The Four Noble Truths are:

*** 1. There is suffering (dukkha – the uncertainties, dissatisfactions and doubts that life can dish up); 2. There is a cause of suffering; 3. There is an end to suffering; 4. There is a way to end suffering.

Agree on the first truth, but I'm a bit puzzled by the others. The second mentions *A* cause of suffering. It's clear to me that there are many causes of suffering but is there mainly one cause we should focus on, the suffering created in our minds?

The third one seems to tie in a bit with the fourth. I mean couldn't you just skip the third one and go straight to the fourth, which seems like a more practical version of the third? The fourth one seems to be suggesting that there is only one way, not many. All the other ways to 'end' suffering aren't permanent.

Yishai

A friend of mine spent many months doing a lot of research, and eventually submitted this entire article (including all the sub-links) to Wikipedia, for which he received a commendation from the Wiki founders.

It's very good stuff.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outline_of_Buddhism

I've referred to this article frequently. Props to your friend for helping a fledgling like me.

zenff

I think you will have to split:

For getting to know Therevada read: “What the Buddha Taught” by Walpola Rahula.
For Tibetan Buddhism maybe “Tibetan Book of living and Dying” by Sogyal Rinpoche.

For Zen I don’t know (I mean that’s the summary “I don’t know”).

Yishai

Agree on the first truth, but I'm a bit puzzled by the others. The second mentions *A* cause of suffering. It's clear to me that there are many causes of suffering but is there mainly one cause we should focus on, the suffering created in our minds?

Attachment.

The third one seems to tie in a bit with the fourth. I mean couldn't you just skip the third one and go straight to the fourth, which seems like a more practical version of the third? The fourth one seems to be suggesting that there is only one way, not many. All the other ways to 'end' suffering aren't permanent.

The fourth implies the third.

The third is there because it's notable that cessation of suffering is attainable (not just fantasy).

The fourth tells us there is a path to this cessation of suffering. (Complete cessation, not just temporary cessation which is attainable by many means). It logically follows the third.

1st Truth - Observation
2nd Truth - Follow-up
3rd Truth - Observation
4th Truth - Follow-up

It's a common way to "sell" an idea. You make observations then make a statement about the observation (an inference, a method, etc.)

This is what I've gathered from the 4NT anyway.

zenff

A friend of mine spent many months doing a lot of research, and eventually submitted this entire article (including all the sub-links) to Wikipedia, for which he received a commendation from the Wiki founders.

It's very good stuff.

But it seems a bit technical,
It would scare me off if I were new to the whole thing.

Yishai

A friend of mine spent many months doing a lot of research, and eventually submitted this entire article (including all the sub-links) to Wikipedia, for which he received a commendation from the Wiki founders.

It's very good stuff.

But it seems a bit technical,
It would scare me off if I were new to the whole thing.

It's thorough (why it took months, not days). But it is relatively terse when compared to Buddhist canon as a whole.

It's like quick snapshots of the important things and some less important things but isn't it all important? lol.

zenff

It's like quick snapshots of the important things and some less important things but isn't it all important? lol.

I think it has the spirit of the abhidhamma; making lists and sub lists of Pali words.
These lists are basically meaningless (imho).

I put a single phrase form Lin Chi above the entire abhidhamma:
“The Way: just open your heart”.

Yishai

If someone came up to you and said "Just open your heart". That may be too vague to make any spiritual progress. The heart as a faculty of decision making, can be indulgent.

zenff

You could be right.
But the statement could help someone who is “in his head” too much.

mynameisuntz

Thanks for all the responses. I'll be sure to look into the links provided, although some already look familiar.

What are the suttas? It sounds like they are specific lessons/moral-life codes? That's what it sounds like from a quick Google search.

Jeffrey

Meditation/Practices on emptiness to overcome attachment to life
Meditation/Practices regarding karma and suffering to overcome attachment to Pleasure
Meditation/Practice regarding love and kindness to overcome attachment to peace

Jeffrey

* emptiness should be impermanence

skullchin

@mynameisuntz, do you have a meditation practice? It is going to be very hard to understand Buddhism w/o meditating.

mynameisuntz

@mynameisuntz, do you have a meditation practice? It is going to be very hard to understand Buddhism w/o meditating.

Not yet :x

I was actually planning on trying to learn more about the basics of Buddhism on paper before jumping into meditation. That by itself is very difficult and kind of intimidating to think about; meditation, that is. Even that I'm lost about.

Jeffrey

If you meditate right now for 5 minutes you will understand better what buddhism is talking about when you read.

mynameisuntz

@Jeffrey

I'll meditate tonight. From my understanding, breathing is the main thing to focus on (at least for beginners), is that correct? Let thoughts come and go freely, and do not direct where the mind goes. Sit as an observer.

Anything else I ought to know?

CalBound

I liked www.justbegood.net for some well-organized, comprehensive, introductory-level material on Buddhism.

Jeffrey

@mynameisuntz, yes the breathing we return to and feel that. Feel how it feels. We will have moments when we are like, oh this doesn't really matter I can get up. And if we do that its actually ok but I think I find that there is something compelling about sitting with it. That I actually value the practice not really to show how strong I am, but I guess it is a discovery about myself. And I think you'll find that you feel good about what you have done.

DhammaDhatu

I feel all the information I've encountered to be incredibly overwhelming and difficult to mentally organize in a way that makes it feel coherent.

The Buddha summarised his teachings as follows:

(1) avoid evil (harm)
(2) do good
(3) purify the mind (from 'self-view')

Alternately, the Buddha summarised his teachings as follows:

(1) develop morality (avoiding harm, cultivating goodness)
(2) develop concentration (freeing the mind from good and bad judgments)
(3) develop insight (into the true nature of reality, namely, the impermanence, unsatisfactoriness & selflessness of phenomena)

Regards

DD

DhammaDhatu

@mynameisuntz

I do not know whether you are interested in the level of practise in the following book but the following book I find easy to follow because it is written in a 'question & answer' format:

http://what-buddha-taught.net/Books5/Buddhadassa_Bhikkhu_Buddha_Dhamma_for_University_Students.pdf

Regards

DD