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How many dharma books do you have?

BunksBunks Australia Veteran
in Buddhism Basics
A friend of mine gave me a lovely hamper for my birthday this week filled with all sorts of stuff from the local Oxfam Shop.

My wife told me she had told her she was going to buy me a buddhist book but my wife said to her "Pfft....I think he's got them all!" ;)

I actually went and looked in my book case and counted thirteen which I don't think is many (compared to some).

How many do other people own?

Comments

  • lobsterlobster Crusty Veteran
    I 'keep' mine in the local Oxfam shop. Probably have half a dozen awaiting donation.
    Bunks
  • footiamfootiam Veteran
    Over here, we can get free Dharma book from temples and we are encouraged to pass them on after reading. So, I would say we actually have all but own none.
    lobsterkarasti
  • BhanteLuckyBhanteLucky Alternative lifestyle person in the South Island of New Zealand New Zealand Veteran
    I've got at least 100. Mostly free from monasteries. I'll give them away eventually.
    And 60 or so in ebook. Again, free.
    I'm a bit of a book collector. Some I have never opened, which really defeats the purpose.
  • DairyLamaDairyLama Veteran Veteran
    Too many, and not enough. ;)
  • RebeccaSRebeccaS Veteran
    None! :lol:

    I have history of Buddhism books but no Dharma books. I tend to get my stuff off the Internet.
  • kashikashi
    About 50+
  • karastikarasti Breathing Minnesota Moderator
    I too am a bit of a book collector. They are one of my favorite possessions and I've been "collecting" them since I was a child. However I've realized I have an attachment to them and have been giving them away pretty continuously. I have always enjoyed studying religion and have quite a variety of religious books but only really got into studying Buddhism more in depth in the past couple years. I have about a dozen actual books and another 25 or so on my kindle. I read them as I get them, so except for the 2 I'm reading now, they have all been read.
  • RebeccaSRebeccaS Veteran
    I'm a book collector, too. I left around 3,000 in the UK when I moved to Canada, it was heartbreaking! I'm basically biulding a new library from scratch :shake:
  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran
    RebeccaS said:

    I'm a book collector, too. I left around 3,000 in the UK when I moved to Canada, it was heartbreaking! I'm basically biulding a new library from scratch :shake:

    3,000!

    :eek:
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    edited December 2012
    I have about 20. Some of them I barely read and some of them I've read 2 or 3 times. I'm going to donate some that are of a different lineage from my studies some time this year or next spring cleaning.
    Bunkscaz
  • RebeccaSRebeccaS Veteran
    Bunks said:

    RebeccaS said:

    I'm a book collector, too. I left around 3,000 in the UK when I moved to Canada, it was heartbreaking! I'm basically biulding a new library from scratch :shake:

    3,000!

    :eek:
    I LOVE books.

    My new goal is 5,000.
  • vinlynvinlyn Colorado...for now Veteran
    Just to clarify, you have 3,000 books about Dhamma, or 3,000 books, some of which are about Buddhism?
  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran
    RebeccaS said:

    Bunks said:

    RebeccaS said:

    I'm a book collector, too. I left around 3,000 in the UK when I moved to Canada, it was heartbreaking! I'm basically biulding a new library from scratch :shake:

    3,000!

    :eek:
    I LOVE books.

    My new goal is 5,000.

    You'll have to add a new wing to the family home to house them all surely!
  • howhow Veteran Veteran
    I have Bookcases full of Buddhist Dharma but they pretty much all say that I can read about it or do it.
    Those same words that used to inspire me now seem to shout "What, You got nothing better to do?"
    so now I answer them with a zafu and a soft focus.
    Bunks
  • DaltheJigsawDaltheJigsaw Mountain View Veteran
    Thousands in Ebooks and Hundreds in paperback/hard copies.
  • JasonJason God Emperor Arrakis Moderator
    Just over 70 if my quick count was accurate. Haven't got around to reading them yet, though.
  • genkakugenkaku Northampton, Mass. U.S.A. Veteran
    I used to have 2-300, but a couple of years ago, I gave most of them away. Now I have five or six somewhere around the house.
  • RebeccaSRebeccaS Veteran
    I had 3,000 books, maybe 3 of which were about Buddhism. I could only bring about 8 with me to Canada.

    As for building a new wing... :lol:

    It will take a while to build my collection back up. I probably only have around 300 books now because they're harder to buy here and I used to get 100s at a time for free. But I do have a dedicated book room now which I plan to fill up :)
  • vinlynvinlyn Colorado...for now Veteran
    Reminds me of a friend/music teacher who collected 78 rpm records. Thousands of them. And then his floor collapsed!
  • RebeccaSRebeccaS Veteran
    vinlyn said:

    Reminds me of a friend/music teacher who collected 78 rpm records. Thousands of them. And then his floor collapsed!

    Oh my!

  • karastikarasti Breathing Minnesota Moderator
    Interesting on the floor! I never thought about that. my books are spread all around the house, we have a wall to wall and wall to ceiling book shelf in the basement so that helps a lot, nothing to collapse there. But yeah you really don't think about how much boxes of books weigh until you have to move them, lol. Many of my books have been sacrifices to the gods and goddesses of relocation.
  • DaozenDaozen Veteran
    About 10 dharma books (Thich That Hanh, Suzuki, etc).

    But one of my favourites is the collected works of Basho.
  • VastmindVastmind Memphis, TN Veteran
    edited December 2012
    Too many.
    Alot of people told me one day, you just
    'realize' you either already know what's in them
    or you just have to go find out if what they say is
    true. It pretty much applies to Dharma books and
    all the other kind of books. hahaha.

    The thirst for knowledge is a hard craving to
    resist. So try to pass on what you can to those
    who don't/can't have books. If you have ever been
    involved in trying to get books/reading into places
    that just the logistics alone is a hassle.....It creates
    not only an appreciation for what books can do for us,
    but it also creates an awareness of how we/me over- buy
    and consume on the same subjects.
  • lamaramadingdonglamaramadingdong Veteran
    About 30. 80% or better have been read. 15% have been read more than once.
  • kashikashi
    Of the 50 or so dharma books I have, the most important ones to me are all the nikayas, and texts from the pali cannon...which takes up a small book case all by itself.
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