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Resources to start with.
WesternBuddhism
England New
Hello, what are some good resources to get me started. I will just add I have recently started meditating daily and have so far read the Power of Now and A new Earth by Eckhart Tolle, and now listen to the secular Buddhism podcast, just wondering if there are any good books/ resources to start with on Buddhism, thank you.
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Try here.
Tons. I recommend sites like https://www.accesstoinsight.org,
https://www.abhayagiri.org/home/, and https://www.dhammatalks.org. Bunch of free resources, from sutta translations to books and Dhamma talks.
You might be able to find some dharma talks on youtube. Or even online courses or look if there are local sangha in your area.
Try and get large books. These can be used as a base for a small cushion or pillow for your daily meditation. Probably best use for them.
Meditation and you are the best unread book.
Here is my page on meditation:
https://cundi.weebly.com/meditation.html
Hope there is something useful for you ...
Practice is like cow pee...
Sir or Ms, when i think of the pitfalls involved entering Buddhism it gives me pause. Well, let's try to approach your question from the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha perspective. They are known in Buddhism as the Three Jewels.
We can think of the Buddha as symbolizing a teacher. For a teacher, I believe one in the flesh is important, especially if he or she is accomplished, since they not only teach the Dharma (Buddhist truth) but have the ability to impart the feeling of it. For example, you may meet a teacher who gives you the actual experience of the tranquility and bliss of enlightened mind or the vividness of its awareness, Something I have yet to see a teacher do through the media, but others might disagree. Also, i recommend a mentor from an established lineage. I'd stay away from self made men or women, who tend to make a lot of self for themselves and others. Also, look at the teacher carefully and whether he is there for you or you are there for the teacher, say, for example, as a bed partner. Also the teacher should introduce you to meditation that allows you to sit quietly and observe the nature of mind, without any doo dads for becoming omniscient, enlightened, or one with the shrine candles.
As for Dharma, the teachings, read what great Buddhist teachers of the past have said; one's who have stood the test of time. These teachings should deal with insights such as non self, unreality of the phenomenal world, non duality, self existing awareness, realization, as well as impermanence, suffering, compassion, Buddhist comportment and working for the betterment of others. These are by no means inclusive, but just a guideline. Also a good teacher will teach the Dharma as well as show you by their activities what is important.
Finally it is often helpful, but not always, to practice with others, the Sangha. Be prepared for the person who coughs on you through a day of sitting or breathes with a rasping sound while meditating. All in all though it is beneficial to practice with others. There are many excellent people in various sanghas, but don't be naive. They all have egos, Oh, there may be an exception or two in big sanghas, but for the most part sanghas can as be self oriented as non sangha, and as painfully political. Even if the teacher is magnificent, still watch the sangha, it is quite likely they will not he of the same quality. The sangha can be of benefit, however, and should be engaged.
I don't know your living situation, possibly you are the attendant at Ayer''s Rock and much of what i said is not possible. If so , a little story, about Marpa the translator of Tibetan Buddhism may help. Marpa, i believe in the 11th century, crossed the Himalayas from Tibet to India and back a total of 6 times to be with his teacher, Naropa. Imagine, he crossed the Himalayas and all we have to do is hop in a car bus, train or plane and we're there. Best of luck on the path. Persistence pays off, and solitary retreats with the correct meditation are the creme de la creme.
If you listen to podcasts, Dan Harris' 10% happier is good. Also Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg and Jack Kornfield.
Thich Nhat Hanh has dhamma talks from various retreats on YouTube, this series called The Art of Suffering is one of my favourites (it has five parts):
Other good YouTube resources for a beginner are The Enthusiastic Buddhist and Ask A Monk, these are YouTube channels with a lot of good content.
Besides that there are the online magazines Lions Roar and Tricycle, which are both Buddhist publications and regularly come out with new articles and profiles of Buddhist teachers.
For podcasts I’d recommend the dhamma talks by Ajahn Amaro. He’s good and it appears very regularly.
And I’d also recommend as slightly more advanced material the complete dhamma talks of Ajahn Chah, which are available free online in written form as a pdf which you can just download.
In order of decreasing helpfulness:
(1) A live qualified teacher from whom you can take weekly lessons and guidance, in person
(2) Weekly attendance with a dharma group that has a non-resident teacher who periodically visits the group.
(3) Visits TO a qualified teacher (one who will give a retreat: week-long, weekend-long, or even just day-long). The more-frequent the better, but at the least make this your the destination for your annual vacation.
(4) Practicing Theravadan Buddhism. Recommended guide "Mindfulness in Plain English" by Bhante Gunaratana (available through amazon.com). Thervadan is the tradition of choice for one who must practice without the guidance of a teacher. Zen will tell you it is a waste of time with no teacher, and Vajrayana (Tibetan) will tell you it will "drive you crazy" if you have no teacher (their words, not mine).
I also recommend teachings by Pema Chodron. Best read/listened to over and over and over ... while doing the dishes, commuting to/from work, etc.
And daily meditation. As your teacher instructs you. Or, failing a live teacher .. follow the instructions from "Mindfulness in Plain English" or any other source of Mindfulness/Vipassana meditation instructions.
The good thing about the book above, is that the first few chapters tell you what Buddhism and is not ... thereby (assuming you assimilate this information) bypassing about 3-10 years of practice where you get nowhere. The rest of the book is instruction and advice for handling the inevitable obstacles that arise.
A beginner's mind..... "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities in the expert's mind there are few"
Cheat sheets available:
Buddhism
http://www.dummies.com/religion/buddhism/buddhism-for-dummies-cheat-sheet/
Meditation
http://www.dummies.com/religion/spirituality/meditation-for-dummies-cheat-sheet/
Wait ... iz we allowed to cheat? ... back to the drawing board meditation cushion ...
Also to learn and practice the dharma you could do it with the intention that the dharma is medicine and we are sick with 'samsara' or the suffering that is mentioned in the Four Noble Truths.
To learn the dharma you can do it with the intention to learn wisdom and practical advice to benefit yourself and all beings.
And to learn the dharma you will have to avoid three faults: that of an upturned pot, that of a leaking pot, and that of a poisoned pot. The upturned pot cannot receive the teachings because it is upside down and cannot receive them. I guess this is similar to the story of the Zen master pouring tea into the visitors cup to show them until they empty themselves of wrong assumptions they cannot see the teachings and consider them. The leaking pot receives the teachings but forgets them I guess. And the poison pot is poisoned by anger, craving and other factors that interfere with receiving the teachings I suppose.