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What do you read?

plutonicplutonic
edited February 2012 in Buddhism Basics
What are the absolute essentials to read to get a clear understanding of Buddhism before becoming a Buddhist?

Comments

  • personperson Don't believe everything you think The liminal space Veteran
    Don't become a Buddhist. Instead if you have some interest read and study and maybe start a daily meditation practice if you feel it would be helpful. Take what makes sense to you in what you learn and apply it to your daily life. If after some time you find yourself relying on the teachings more and more, congratulations you're a Buddhist!
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    edited February 2012
    It's different for everyone. Maybe someone can give a more definite answer. It depends what you want from buddhism. Jack Cornfield has a book that explores that, a Path with Heart. Sano's Lute Strings is for me a part of the eightfold path dealing with meditation, effort, and wisdom. But if you search it on a google search, well you'll find lute playing sites and thus this part of Buddhism is also common to non-Buddhists.

    Not too loose, not too tight. I'm not sure how far that metaphor goes, it's more a simile. Oh and I'm kinda crazy so I rameble and get stuck.

    You will also want to start a meditation practice. That's tricky because those practices kind of start towards a tradition (sect?) of Buddhism. You can see a taste of that in some of the different answers in the Meditation section of the forum. But I recommend even if there is a mental block against meditation to just do some kind of a meditation that makes sense to you.

    Any mistakes in the expressed wisdom and compassion is a learning situation for you too,

    Love,
    Jeffrey
  • DeformedDeformed Veteran
    edited February 2012
    Yes, for me, "becoming" a practitioner of mindfulness came from applying the suggestions of the core teachings (4 noble truths, 8-fold path), and observing. Only then is when I knew the literature had value to me, and didn't require me to believe anything, rather finding it for myself.

    From my perspective, "Heart of the Buddha's Teaching" by Thich Nhat Hanh has been useful. As Jeffrey said, it's different for everyone.
  • Lady_AlisonLady_Alison Veteran
    Eckhart tolle audio book had a profound impact on me...he talks about cultivating present awareness...that's what began my search into other aspects of buddhaism.

    Thanks to @maarten ...he gave me this site. Its free downloads for dharma talks and meditation for beginners...please check it out. With this spiritual practice I find it easier to listen than reading.

    http://www.audiodharma.org
  • lamaramadingdonglamaramadingdong Veteran
    Good suggestions so far. What I found when I started was that a lot of things didn't really start to make sense until I had read several different books. Words that were foreign to me the first time I saw them used started to make sense, concepts that I could't quite grasp the first time I saw them started to be fleshed out, etc. My advice would be to hang in there on any particular book and don't be too worried if something doesn't make perfect sense to you the first time you read it. Books that helped me early on include Awakening the Buddha Within, by Lama Surya Das; Hardcore Zen and Sit Down and Shut Up, by Brad Warner and a lot of Pema Chodron's books.
  • sofasofa
    Maybe learn how to meditate:



    Also this video might give a good introduction to Buddhism:

  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    I'm not sure I can answer the question accurately, because everybody's different, and different people take different approaches....
    I'll tell you what changed my path, and then what I also read to make me keep walking....

    TTBLD

    http://newbuddhist.com/discussion/14113/specifically-buddhist-acronyms-hhdl-etc#Item_11
    (Third post)

    The 'Awakening'Trilogy, by Lama Surya Das
    'The Places that Scare You' by Pema Chodron
    'City Dharma' by Arthur Jeon

    There have of course, been others, but so far, that's enough to be going on with.....
  • weightedweighted Veteran
    edited February 2012
    I agree with everyone so far: read widely, begin a meditation practice, and be more mindful. If you feel the Buddhist principles speak to you as you read and learn, and that they help you in your daily life, then apply them and you will be a practicing Buddhist. :)

    I also agree that books by Eckhart Tolle, Thich Nhat Hanh, Pema Chodron, the Dalai Lama, and Alan Watts might be useful materials for you at this point in time.
  • lamaramadingdonglamaramadingdong Veteran
    Also, I keep a notebook that I use to write down passages that really speak to me when I read them. For me, writing something in my own hand seems to get it into my brain better. I'm on my fourth notebook. I take one with when I travel for business and read my entries on the plane/in the airport.
  • mithrilmithril Veteran
    The "Bible" of Buddhism, eh? Other religions sometimes have it so easy XD

    Go to the library (or a website, or whatever). Flip through the material, and if you think it might be useful to you, read it. Many books are either about the benefits of Buddhism (which makes you love to read them) or about strange practices in some sects (which are hard to understand for a person from the West).
    In the first case, you are practicing attaching to something (might just well see a movie or something, doesn't matter where you watch the pretty scenery) the other about disliking something (might as well see a movie you know you hate, you wont get much use of it). So something essential to read would be something that speaks to you, yet challenges you. Which can be hard to find.

    Personally, i still think there is nothing better then medical books to grasp the Buddhist subjects of impermanence, non self, and obviously, suffering. Gosh how they make me wanna run away from enlightenment sometimes^^
  • ImmersedOneImmersedOne
    Depends what you're looking for. If you're looking for a religious path, the pali suttas, as well as a vast resevoir of Buddhist writings and explanations would be appropriate. In terms of expositions of Ultimate Truth, as it relates to Buddhism, I would recommend the Heart Sutra and the Diamond Sutra. Without a doubt my two favorite Buddhist Sutras. In terms of extra-sutra writing on Ultimate Truth, I would recommend "Verses on the Faith Mind" by the 3rd Zen Patriarch.
  • AMHAMH
    Okay I am a heretic here cuz I didn't read anything Buddhist for years. I had a background from college courses (minor in Philosophy and lots of East Asian Humanities) but I saw that I tended to get caught up in the intellectual side of things too much. So I just sporadically practiced and actively did not read except when I got confused.

    Then I saw the book Hardcore Zen, hmm. Maybe my punk past and my Buddhism right now were not at odds after all? So I picked it up, now some really don't care for the author but he bridged that gap Ihad been feeling, like I had to choose between my urge to blast the Dead Kennedys and meditate. (both traditions are ok with a shaved head however). And he talked about real Buddhism, who he studied and how you should still do important crap like clean your room and be nice to your mom. He has 3 books now, I pretty much like them all

    RIght now my fave is Nothing Special by Charlotte Joko Beck. Ahh, a sigh of simplicity. She is real and honest and simple and I find her really challenging. I wish I had seen her teach before she passed away.
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