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i am a life long catholic, but have thought for a while that i have an inner buddhist waiting to come out... i just finished a drug therapy program that has made me want to grasp discipline and turn my life in a new direction, and I would like to begin with trying to learn Buddhism... i looked over this thread and came up with a list of 3 books that i think would be good for me to start with, and was hoping that those of you with a little more knowledge could critique for me... good choices? should i start with something a little less heavy? another book that you think i should add on? whatever it may be, im open to any suggestions...
"Living Buddha, Living Christ" by Thich Naht Hahn
"The Heart of Buddha's Teaching" by Thich Naht Hahn
"The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying" by Sogyal Rinpoche
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federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
edited March 2006
Chriska, Welcome to you....
first of all thank you for being so frank about yourself.
Those are good book choices, so you've picked some good ones there.
Secondly, rest assured that nobodyhere will attempt to perduade you one way or the other... you choose and decide what you choose and decide....
Thirdly, as an ex-Catholic I understand where you're coming from. But that's my choice of practise and mode of living....
I'd also like to add anything by Thubten Chodron or Pema Chodron, both very easy to read and understand for Westerners and both very good teachers.
I like His Holiness the Dalai Lama a lot because I'm still in the beginning stage and he writes for the widest audience, and not always to Buddhists alone. I struggle with the understanding of emptiness and other esoteric things and he explains them very simply, or as simply as they can be explained. I still don't understand them but as least he doesn't frustrate me when he writes about them.
I hope you find this site as helpful as I have and please make yourself at home. Don't be shy to ask questions and speak up if you don't understand or agree with something.
The book "Buddhism For Beginners" by Thubten Chodron was the first one I read. It helped a ton in answering questions that I had right off the bat. I came here and started asking questions and everyone has been helpful, and still help me out alot. Besides a few other books ("A Path With Heart" by Jack Kornfield, "The Teachings Of The Buddha" by Chang Hsing) and a couple sutras ("The Sutra On The Eight Realizations Of The Great Being" translated by Thich Nhat Hahn), I am currently reading "The Miracle Of Midfulness" by Thich Naht Hhan. It's a great book and has some great ideas and recommendations to help in meditation, which I could sure use help with! Welcome to the site, you'll find everyone here really helpful, I sure as heck love this place!
Thank you for the book choices you were given to read. I have started on the Heart of Buddha's teachings.
I am new to the site in the sense that I joined last year and then kind of lost my way. I call myself a Buddhist in the sense that I know it is the path that makes the most sense for me but I understand that I barely know anything about it to be considered one by those who are much more knowledgeable.
Welcome to the site and I hope to have more of a presence here than I have had in the past. Many apologies to all...
What did you find most interesting in "Heart of the Buddha's Teaching"? A real short one by TNH is "Miracle of Mindfulness" about meditation. But there are all kinds of things out there so what interests you?
++Also Brief passages with contemporary applications:
"Buddhism Without Beliefs- A Contemporary Guide To Enlightenment "--Stephen Batchelor
++ Practical Situational Knowledge:
"Waking Up To What You Do- A Zen Practice for Meeting Every Situation with Intelligence and Compassion" --Diane Eshin Rizzetto
Thank you for the book choices you were given to read. I have started on the Heart of Buddha's teachings.
I am new to the site in the sense that I joined last year and then kind of lost my way. I call myself a Buddhist in the sense that I know it is the path that makes the most sense for me but I understand that I barely know anything about it to be considered one by those who are much more knowledgeable.
Welcome to the site and I hope to have more of a presence here than I have had in the past. Many apologies to all..
Welcome, glad you stopped by. I'm up to chapter 15 in that book myself. Hope to hear more from you soon!!
I've read The Miracle of Mindfulness by TNH and loved it. It's beautiful. I haven't read The Heart of the Buddha's Teachings yet. I will someday though. Just gotta finish the 5 books I already have on the go. lol! There's a lot to read but luckily most of it is a sheer pleasure.
Enjoy your studies!
FIVE? ONLY FIVE? YOU SLACKER! Actually I'm the slacker my stack keeps getting taller and taller and I only seem to want to play chess, listen to metal music and hang out on line. And I'm really okay with that right now.
Well to all I am still tring to get back in to the reading. I wish there were a Buddhist temple nearby to go to. I know I would like the interaction better live than in reading.
There is one that is supposed to be close but the sermons are all in a foreign language and the monks do not speak much English so I doubt I would get much from it.
I guess I will have to keep seeking until I find one....
The temple I attend is a Tibetan Buddhist type. The bloke in charge is almost impossible to understand with his broken english, however I seem to get the message when he speaks.
Well to all I am still tring to get back in to the reading. I wish there were a Buddhist temple nearby to go to. I know I would like the interaction better live than in reading.
There is one that is supposed to be close but the sermons are all in a foreign language and the monks do not speak much English so I doubt I would get much from it.
I guess I will have to keep seeking until I find one....
Possibly, you might be able to find some Dhamma talks on cassette/ CD.
That was my formal introduction to Buddhism ( Tich Naht Hahn's --" The Present Moment- A Retreat in Mindfullness" 6 cassette set).
I have a quick question, forgive me if this was already posted I gave the room a quick glance. So please dont beat me up to bad if Im bringing up an old subject.
I'm looking for any information on mantras. Such as translations, origins, and meanings. I know there is a lot on the web but I would rather have a good book to read then someones false website. Also if anyone knows any cd's of chants or mantras that would also be a great help.
Maybe it was asked before, but who cares? It never hurts to go over it again.
First of all, I should explain that the meaning of a particular mantra is unimportant actually. The power of a mantra comes in its ability to have an effect on the winds and channels. What the words mean is irrelevant to that. That's also why you want to always speak mantra, not just repeat it to yourself. It's the physical action of the mantra being voiced, being carried on the breath, that give it its power.
But the words in mantras do have meaning usually. OM MANI PADME HUNG, for instance. OM is the beginning, the source. That's why you see it at the beginning of so many mantras. It doesn't have a meaning per se but is a seed syllable that has power in its own right. MANI means jewel, and PADME means lotus. HUNG (also spelled HUM) is another seed syllable that doesn't have any particular meaning. It's usually found at the end of a mantra.
OM AH HUNG BENZAR GURU PADMA SIDDHI HUNG is another popular mantra. OM AH HUNG are seed syllables that represent the body, speech and mind. Benzar is the Tibetanization of the Sanskrit vajra (there's no "v" sound in Tibetan, for instance). A vajra is the diamond scepter or thunderbolt that cuts through ignorance. Guru means teacher. Padma means lotus. Siddhis are the powers gained through one's practice. So essentially the mantra is giving one the essence of the path, from the OM AH HUNG that brings all things into existence (In the beginning was the Word...), then the vajra that represents the Dharma cutting through our ignorance, then the Guru who appears in the world to bring us the Holy Dharma and brings our minds to maturation. Padma represents spiritual development, like the petals of the lotus gradually unfolding, and siddhi is the fruition of the practice. So you could say that this mantra is the essence of the entire path in just 12 syllables.
Mantras originate directly from enlightened mind. They're not the work of some author or anything like that. They are unborn, unceasing and indestructible.
Thank you for your help and wise words. I have a lot to learn and people like yourself make my journey a pleasant one. OM MANI PADME HUNG is one that I have been known to use. But what I didnt know was the power one holds with breath. This is something that I will work one and hope to learn more about. I was under the impression that the "words" of the mantra was the important part. But I see what you mean without breath and concentration you really dont have much. I guess you can turn your own words into a mantra.
I guess you can turn your own words into a mantra.
Well, no, not really. The syllables in mantra are there because they set up specific vibrations in the winds and channels. Ordinary words wouldn't do the same thing, but I agree with your point that the breath and concentration are extremely important. But exactly how you deal with the breath and the winds and channels is something on a Dzogchen level of accomplishment and not for us beginners, so I think it's just enough to know that mantra, if done correctly and with proper motivation, is extraordinarily powerful.
Not long ago someone recorded H.H. Penor Rinpoche and his monks at the New York Retreat Center reciting mantra, the 7-line prayer to Guru Rinpoche, and so forth. He then mixed it with sort of a hip-hop beat. Some people were shocked and said he couldn't do that. Penor Rinpoche just laughed. He said mantra is indestructible, and if mixing it as a hip-hop piece made a connection with those who may have never connected, then that was a good thing! That's the power of mantra.
Well, no, not really. The syllables in mantra are there because they set up specific vibrations in the winds and channels. Ordinary words wouldn't do the same thing, but I agree with your point that the breath and concentration are extremely important. But exactly how you deal with the breath and the winds and channels is something on a Dzogchen level of accomplishment and not for us beginners, so I think it's just enough to know that mantra, if done correctly and with proper motivation, is extraordinarily powerful.
Not long ago someone recorded H.H. Penor Rinpoche and his monks at the New York Retreat Center reciting mantra, the 7-line prayer to Guru Rinpoche, and so forth. He then mixed it with sort of a hip-hop beat. Some people were shocked and said he couldn't do that. Penor Rinpoche just laughed. He said mantra is indestructible, and if mixing it as a hip-hop piece made a connection with those who may have never connected, then that was a good thing! That's the power of mantra.
Palzang
That's great. I want a copy. I've also heard a techno variation of the prajnaparamita that actually is pretty good. I don't remember the link though.
OK, I got the info. Go to palyulproductions.org, click on "Devotional Music", and select "Guru Yoga". There's only a few copies left, but there are lots more on the way.
I am utterly new at this, but as a first step I have just read 'Buddhism,plain and simple' by Steve Hagen. It has been an excellent way of learning the basics - so easy to follow. I'm also enjoying 'Start where you are' by Pema Chodron. The most interesting thing is trying to apply the ideas to everyday life.
Hi, All:
It seems like this thread is a bit threadbare (just one post in the last year), but the book that first got me sitting was Mindfulness in Plain English by Henepola Gunaratana. It's clearly written, no-nonsense, and best of all it's free: http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma4/mpe.html
In terms of other free web-based resources, Gil Fronsdal is a Vipassana teacher in Redwood City CA who posts all of his talks on a site called audiodharma. http://www.audiodharma.org/talks-gil.html
He is a very smart guy, and probably my favorite dharma teacher. You can download his talks. Give him a listen, I'd be curious about others' thoughts.
Anyone else have favorite Buddhist-related materials that are available on the web?
My favorite Dhamma teacher is Thanissaro Bhikkhu. He is the abbot of Wat Metta, which an international forest monastery in the lineage of Phra Ajaan Mun Bhuridatta Thera. He himself trained under Ajaan Fuang Jotiko and Ajaan Suwat Suvaco. You can find many of his books and essays at Access to Insight here, many of his transcribed Dhamma talks from Wat Metta here, many of his audio Dhamma talks from Wat Metta here, and finally, many of his Dhamma talks from The Insight Meditation Center here.
I liked Steve Hagen's books as well, he has very easy to follow style. He has another out called "buddhism is not what you think" clever hidden meaning title..hee hee.. I just recently finished "Wanting enlightenment is a big mistake, teachings of zen master Seung Sahn" which was pretty good. Like alot of books on buddhism it has parts I can use, and parts I just kind of look at and say "no, I dont like that idea at all". Although if it has one little passage that hits me right, or clears something up, its worth the read. sorry if these titles have already been brought up, I tried to scan the preceding 15 or so pages, theres alot of info in this thread
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federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
edited February 2008
Eve...with a signature like that, and an avatar like that - I can forgive you anything!! :bigclap:
Like alot of books on buddhism it has parts I can use, and parts I just kind of look at and say "no, I dont like that idea at all". Although if it has one little passage that hits me right, or clears something up, its worth the read.
Absolutely 100% on this one with you, Eve... Simply because an Author is expounding views on Buddhism, it doesn't mean I have to either 'agree' with them, or even understand it. Sometimes, in addition to your criteria, I would add .."Hmmmm, have to think about that one...." - !!
There are a couple of Authors I personally wouldn't dispute, like HH the DL, or the venerable Vietnamese Thich Nhat Hanh. I have to date found their writings supreme. That's not to say I agree 'Mindlessly' with them. I have just found that for me, they rock....!!
(Statler and Waldorf, playing Golf. Statler is about to putt.
Says to Waldorf:
"You're standing on mah hole...!!"
Waldorf:
"You must be funny shape!"
With you all on that - no one writer has got it ALL spot on, but I'm increasingly finding that spiritual messages come through all sorts of media - when I am pondering a question, I will often find the answer in a snatch of conversation overheard, something on the radio or tv (specifically NOT spiritual discussions) or in some other way.
glad you guys dug the new avatar, one of my favorite images that I just stumbled across. No one writer has got it all I agree, knitwitch youre right about finding answers, or just interesting thoughts in weird places. Isnt that what its all about though? Being aware of whats going on around you, and using it in your practice? I love it when the most basic ideas turn out to be the most useful ones. Not to get too far off topic, but this is also the reason I dont really subscribe to the idea of different "schools" in buddhism either. I just dont see the advantage in limiting myself, every school like every book, have things I can use, and things I cannot.
Well, it's not at all a question of "limiting" oneself. It's about choosing a path and following it to the end. Not doing so and just picking what you like hither and yon lead to confusion and no progress. That's the sort of spiritual smorgasbord that you see in a place like Sedona where there are lots of (spiritually) hungry people but no coherent means of satisfying that hunger.
I see your point, but I guess the difference for me is Im not taking what I like, its about taking what is meaningful. I dont have a goal with my practice, I practice as shunryu suzuki says "for the sake of practice". Enlightenment is not a goal to be reached, all of us already have it, therfore no specific path is required to reach it. We just need to foster the ability see it. My practice is to follow the teachings of the buddha at their most basic level, if I subscribe to specific school, and yet there are points of that school that I fundamentally feel are not for me, how can I with clean conscience continue that path? My practice is therefore flawed before I even start. Heres an example. I also study martial arts. My base of study is kickboxing, but in that study I find elements of other styles that are useful to me......the defensive styles, and joint locks of hapkido for instance blend well into kickboxing, and are very useful to know. Would I shun them because Im just a kickboxer? And if I use them can I still call myself simply a kickboxer? Also there are moves in kickboxing that dont fit into my style, even though I recognize them, and dont discount the usefulness of them to others I dont use them often. Does that also mean I cant be a kickboxer, because I dont use all the movements? The answer is: who cares, a name is a name it has no importance, the importance is the action. My opponent might not think of me as a real kickboxer, but if I kick his butt it doesnt really matter does it? Follow your heart, that little voice that tells you what is "right and wrong" is pretty smart, and is there for a reason. I simply follow those hunches, and I rarely go wrong. Of course you will reach a point where you have to align yourself to something. I just keep that allegiance to the most basic level I can, the most basic and fundamental teachings, and that gives me the space I need to build my style, and add the elements I feel will be the best for me...I also reserve myself the right to change that style. Maybe I find something I feel useful, but then under further study it doesnt hold up, or becomes less relevant as time change, or my learning evolves. The dalai lama once said on changing for the modern times "when the teachings of the buddha himself become irrelevant, even those must be discarded". As for satisfying a hunger, I hope I never satisfy it completely, because then I satisfy the desire to learn, and search for truth. And if you think you are 100 percent satified with your life, your level of knowledge, and your understanding of truth, then you are fooling yourself. Let me say Palzang Im not trying to seem like I know more, or have a better way of doing things or anything like that, and I certainly do not mean to convey any disrespect. I have no issue with any school or anyone that studies that school, its all good to me in its way.....just trying to tell you where Im coming from, and being very long winded about it. Maybe we should start a new thread for this topic too, I dont want to steer this one too far off to the side.
Anything by Pema Chodron, Thubten Codron, Lama Surya Das, Thich Nhat Hanh, all mentioned before.
There are a lot of great books out there, and it just depends on if you're looking for introductory reading, maybe some that get deeper into specific traditions, etc. There are some great zen books out there like Opening the Hand of Thought, but I would hardly recommend it to someone who is just wanting to learn about the basics
The Wise Heart by Kornfield - have not finished it, but for seeing the Dharma act in its healing mode, this is the one for you. It appears that no one comes to the Dharma via Kornfield unless they are deeply disturbed & psychological basket-cases. I am exaggerating, but not that much. I guess he chose to highlight the healing properties of attention meditation and such an approach certainly does help & heal.
Buddhist Meditation by Samdhong Rinpoche - a wonderful text that gives solid and comprehensive guidance & explanations.
The Buddhist Unconscious by William Waldron - just dipped into it, but looks like a comprehensive study of the history, breadth & depth of the alaya-vijnana.
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federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
edited December 2008
Arthur Jeon, "City Dharma"
How to incorporate the Buddha's teachings in the hectic, hurly-burly, chaotic central part, of 'beautiful downtown' city-living.....
The Wise Heart by Kornfield - have not finished it, but for seeing the Dharma act in its healing mode, this is the one for you. It appears that no one comes to the Dharma via Kornfield unless they are deeply disturbed & psychological basket-cases. I am exaggerating, but not that much. I guess he chose to highlight the healing properties of attention meditation and such an approach certainly does help & heal.
I'm reading "Food for the Heart: The Collected Teachings of Ajahn Chah" right now. I don't think I can ever get enough of Ajahn Chah. And one of the best things about his teachings is that they're good for the beginner and the advanced alike. That man really knew how to teach.
I have recommended this book elsewhere but am putting it here as well. It is not by a Buddhist nor about Buddhism so why do I recommend it?
Betraying Spinoza - the renegade Jew who gave us modernity by Rebecca Goldstein
(Nextbook. Schocken. New York. 2006) ISBN 0 8052 4209 0
Whilst it is a book about an outcast Jewish philosopher of the 17th Century, which may seem irrelevant to the Buddhist experience. I recommend it for the following reasons:
* It is an easy and enjoyable read about a time and a person of great influence on our modern way of seeing the world;
* Spinoza was excommunicated from the Sephardic community in Holland and Germany, cast out, if you like, from the bosom of his family and friends because of his beliefs. These were perceived by the said community as being incompatible with the absolute adherence to a written code of laws and practice. Isn't that precisely the experience of many of us here as we found ourselves excluded from comfort and acceptance of framily 'tradition' because we have changed our opinions and practice? Dr Goldstein examines the astonishing philosophy but also shows that it was precisely this reason-based understanding that enabled Spinoza to survive and flourish outside all the available social/faith structures of his time.
Actually we never had a family tradition to follow, so I didn't really exclude myself from anything. As for the church I was brought up in, I never did swallow their brand of whatever it was they were selling.
As for Spinoza, I am familiar with him, but I have to say I find Kant and Hegel more interesting. But then I do have German blood in me...
I understand what you are saying, Palzang. I recall, however, that you were 'exiled' because of other prejudice. And is not the 'exile' experience at the root of modern alienation? I find the story of Spinoza, as well as his writings, inspiring in that context.
I guess the truth is I've never really cared that much what other people thought about what I do or say - sometimes to my detriment, unfortunately. I do like Spinoza, just as one of many philosphers.
Comments
Thank you for the book recommendations too...
"Living Buddha, Living Christ" by Thich Naht Hahn
"The Heart of Buddha's Teaching" by Thich Naht Hahn
"The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying" by Sogyal Rinpoche
first of all thank you for being so frank about yourself.
Those are good book choices, so you've picked some good ones there.
Secondly, rest assured that nobodyhere will attempt to perduade you one way or the other... you choose and decide what you choose and decide....
Thirdly, as an ex-Catholic I understand where you're coming from. But that's my choice of practise and mode of living....
Nice to meet you!
Those are great choices.
I'd also like to add anything by Thubten Chodron or Pema Chodron, both very easy to read and understand for Westerners and both very good teachers.
I like His Holiness the Dalai Lama a lot because I'm still in the beginning stage and he writes for the widest audience, and not always to Buddhists alone. I struggle with the understanding of emptiness and other esoteric things and he explains them very simply, or as simply as they can be explained. I still don't understand them but as least he doesn't frustrate me when he writes about them.
I hope you find this site as helpful as I have and please make yourself at home. Don't be shy to ask questions and speak up if you don't understand or agree with something.
Much metta,
Brigid
The book "Buddhism For Beginners" by Thubten Chodron was the first one I read. It helped a ton in answering questions that I had right off the bat. I came here and started asking questions and everyone has been helpful, and still help me out alot. Besides a few other books ("A Path With Heart" by Jack Kornfield, "The Teachings Of The Buddha" by Chang Hsing) and a couple sutras ("The Sutra On The Eight Realizations Of The Great Being" translated by Thich Nhat Hahn), I am currently reading "The Miracle Of Midfulness" by Thich Naht Hhan. It's a great book and has some great ideas and recommendations to help in meditation, which I could sure use help with! Welcome to the site, you'll find everyone here really helpful, I sure as heck love this place!
"Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism"- Chgyam Trunpa
"Being Nobody, Going Nowhere"- Ayya Khema
"Zen Master Class"- Stephen Hodge
Any TN Hahn
Also, emptying the mind, not reading is good too!!
i dont really wanna read about the same stuff again in another context.. and i dont want a book thats hard to understand. .
any advice on where to go to next?
I am new to the site in the sense that I joined last year and then kind of lost my way. I call myself a Buddhist in the sense that I know it is the path that makes the most sense for me but I understand that I barely know anything about it to be considered one by those who are much more knowledgeable.
Welcome to the site and I hope to have more of a presence here than I have had in the past. Many apologies to all...
++Lite Fare: "24/7 Zen" --Philip Tusho Sudo
nice for daily dhamma reading
++Brief passages with depth:
"Thich Naht Hahn: Essential Writings" --from Orbit Press
++Also Brief passages with contemporary applications:
"Buddhism Without Beliefs- A Contemporary Guide To Enlightenment "--Stephen Batchelor
++ Practical Situational Knowledge:
"Waking Up To What You Do- A Zen Practice for Meeting Every Situation with Intelligence and Compassion" --Diane Eshin Rizzetto
Sutras
The Surangama Sutra
http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/surangama.pdf
Heart and Diamond Sutras
http://www.worldzen.org/sutras01.php
Also
http://www.plumvillage.org/MindfulnessTrainings/MTTrainingInfo.htm
When finish those I have more.....:type:
May peace find you where you are.
Steve
Welcome, glad you stopped by. I'm up to chapter 15 in that book myself. Hope to hear more from you soon!!
I've read The Miracle of Mindfulness by TNH and loved it. It's beautiful. I haven't read The Heart of the Buddha's Teachings yet. I will someday though. Just gotta finish the 5 books I already have on the go. lol! There's a lot to read but luckily most of it is a sheer pleasure.
Enjoy your studies!
There is one that is supposed to be close but the sermons are all in a foreign language and the monks do not speak much English so I doubt I would get much from it.
I guess I will have to keep seeking until I find one....
Xrayman
Possibly, you might be able to find some Dhamma talks on cassette/ CD.
That was my formal introduction to Buddhism ( Tich Naht Hahn's --" The Present Moment- A Retreat in Mindfullness" 6 cassette set).
Best of luck to you.
I'm looking for any information on mantras. Such as translations, origins, and meanings. I know there is a lot on the web but I would rather have a good book to read then someones false website. Also if anyone knows any cd's of chants or mantras that would also be a great help.
Thank you for your time.
First of all, I should explain that the meaning of a particular mantra is unimportant actually. The power of a mantra comes in its ability to have an effect on the winds and channels. What the words mean is irrelevant to that. That's also why you want to always speak mantra, not just repeat it to yourself. It's the physical action of the mantra being voiced, being carried on the breath, that give it its power.
But the words in mantras do have meaning usually. OM MANI PADME HUNG, for instance. OM is the beginning, the source. That's why you see it at the beginning of so many mantras. It doesn't have a meaning per se but is a seed syllable that has power in its own right. MANI means jewel, and PADME means lotus. HUNG (also spelled HUM) is another seed syllable that doesn't have any particular meaning. It's usually found at the end of a mantra.
OM AH HUNG BENZAR GURU PADMA SIDDHI HUNG is another popular mantra. OM AH HUNG are seed syllables that represent the body, speech and mind. Benzar is the Tibetanization of the Sanskrit vajra (there's no "v" sound in Tibetan, for instance). A vajra is the diamond scepter or thunderbolt that cuts through ignorance. Guru means teacher. Padma means lotus. Siddhis are the powers gained through one's practice. So essentially the mantra is giving one the essence of the path, from the OM AH HUNG that brings all things into existence (In the beginning was the Word...), then the vajra that represents the Dharma cutting through our ignorance, then the Guru who appears in the world to bring us the Holy Dharma and brings our minds to maturation. Padma represents spiritual development, like the petals of the lotus gradually unfolding, and siddhi is the fruition of the practice. So you could say that this mantra is the essence of the entire path in just 12 syllables.
Mantras originate directly from enlightened mind. They're not the work of some author or anything like that. They are unborn, unceasing and indestructible.
Hope that helps!
Palzang
I thank you again for your help.
Well, no, not really. The syllables in mantra are there because they set up specific vibrations in the winds and channels. Ordinary words wouldn't do the same thing, but I agree with your point that the breath and concentration are extremely important. But exactly how you deal with the breath and the winds and channels is something on a Dzogchen level of accomplishment and not for us beginners, so I think it's just enough to know that mantra, if done correctly and with proper motivation, is extraordinarily powerful.
Not long ago someone recorded H.H. Penor Rinpoche and his monks at the New York Retreat Center reciting mantra, the 7-line prayer to Guru Rinpoche, and so forth. He then mixed it with sort of a hip-hop beat. Some people were shocked and said he couldn't do that. Penor Rinpoche just laughed. He said mantra is indestructible, and if mixing it as a hip-hop piece made a connection with those who may have never connected, then that was a good thing! That's the power of mantra.
Palzang
That's great.
_/\_
metta
Palzang
Palzang
It seems like this thread is a bit threadbare (just one post in the last year), but the book that first got me sitting was Mindfulness in Plain English by Henepola Gunaratana. It's clearly written, no-nonsense, and best of all it's free: http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma4/mpe.html
In terms of other free web-based resources, Gil Fronsdal is a Vipassana teacher in Redwood City CA who posts all of his talks on a site called audiodharma. http://www.audiodharma.org/talks-gil.html
He is a very smart guy, and probably my favorite dharma teacher. You can download his talks. Give him a listen, I'd be curious about others' thoughts.
Anyone else have favorite Buddhist-related materials that are available on the web?
Gassho,
Ben
My favorite Dhamma teacher is Thanissaro Bhikkhu. He is the abbot of Wat Metta, which an international forest monastery in the lineage of Phra Ajaan Mun Bhuridatta Thera. He himself trained under Ajaan Fuang Jotiko and Ajaan Suwat Suvaco. You can find many of his books and essays at Access to Insight here, many of his transcribed Dhamma talks from Wat Metta here, many of his audio Dhamma talks from Wat Metta here, and finally, many of his Dhamma talks from The Insight Meditation Center here.
Jason
Absolutely 100% on this one with you, Eve... Simply because an Author is expounding views on Buddhism, it doesn't mean I have to either 'agree' with them, or even understand it. Sometimes, in addition to your criteria, I would add .."Hmmmm, have to think about that one...." - !!
There are a couple of Authors I personally wouldn't dispute, like HH the DL, or the venerable Vietnamese Thich Nhat Hanh. I have to date found their writings supreme. That's not to say I agree 'Mindlessly' with them. I have just found that for me, they rock....!!
(Statler and Waldorf, playing Golf. Statler is about to putt.
Says to Waldorf:
"You're standing on mah hole...!!"
Waldorf:
"You must be funny shape!"
Kids just didn't get it!)
Palzang
Namaste my homeboy....
-e-
Shantideva
Padmakara Translation Group Edition
Buddha Is as Buddha Does: The Ten Original Practices for Enlightened Living - Lama Surya Das
Wake Up To Your Life: Discovering the Buddhist Path of Attention - Ken Mcleod
This Precious Life: Tibetan Buddhist Teachings on the Path to Enlightenment - Khandro Rinpoche
Anything by Pema Chodron, Thubten Codron, Lama Surya Das, Thich Nhat Hanh, all mentioned before.
There are a lot of great books out there, and it just depends on if you're looking for introductory reading, maybe some that get deeper into specific traditions, etc. There are some great zen books out there like Opening the Hand of Thought, but I would hardly recommend it to someone who is just wanting to learn about the basics
Buddhist Meditation by Samdhong Rinpoche - a wonderful text that gives solid and comprehensive guidance & explanations.
The Buddhist Unconscious by William Waldron - just dipped into it, but looks like a comprehensive study of the history, breadth & depth of the alaya-vijnana.
How to incorporate the Buddha's teachings in the hectic, hurly-burly, chaotic central part, of 'beautiful downtown' city-living.....
Very good book.
That's one of his books I've been wanting to get. I've got one on the way I got through paperbackswap.com it is called A Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life
Betraying Spinoza - the renegade Jew who gave us modernity
by Rebecca Goldstein
(Nextbook. Schocken. New York. 2006) ISBN 0 8052 4209 0
Whilst it is a book about an outcast Jewish philosopher of the 17th Century, which may seem irrelevant to the Buddhist experience. I recommend it for the following reasons:
* It is an easy and enjoyable read about a time and a person of great influence on our modern way of seeing the world;
* Spinoza was excommunicated from the Sephardic community in Holland and Germany, cast out, if you like, from the bosom of his family and friends because of his beliefs. These were perceived by the said community as being incompatible with the absolute adherence to a written code of laws and practice. Isn't that precisely the experience of many of us here as we found ourselves excluded from comfort and acceptance of framily 'tradition' because we have changed our opinions and practice? Dr Goldstein examines the astonishing philosophy but also shows that it was precisely this reason-based understanding that enabled Spinoza to survive and flourish outside all the available social/faith structures of his time.
* I'd love you all to discover Spinoza.
Happy 2009 ff.
As for Spinoza, I am familiar with him, but I have to say I find Kant and Hegel more interesting. But then I do have German blood in me...
Palzang
Palzang