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Where are Buddha's Words?

zendozendo
edited March 2010 in Arts & Writings
Is there a place somewhere on this site where one may read the words of the Buddha?

If not: can someone kindly recommend some good websites where one might pull up page after page of the Buddha's sayings, and read them, unadorned and without "scholarly" commentary?

I have become weary of endless intellectual discussions and doctrinal debates. These get me nowhere, except deeper into the morass of the mind. I hunger and thirst for pure, simple wisdom, and I feel the Buddha's own sayings are the best place to find it.

Thanks to anyone who can point me in the right direction!

Comments

  • 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
    edited March 2010
    http://www.serve.com/cmtan/Dhammapada/

    Try that...... :)
  • zendozendo
    edited March 2010
    Thanks, federica! :)

    Do you know of any others, in addition to the Dhammapada?
  • 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
    edited March 2010
    This website has been, to my mind, the most reliable in conveying the Buddha's teachings, and is rich in its instruction.
    I'm not sure - given your original comments - whether it's what you're looking for, but it's the best I can do.
    And it has good references and other links.....

    Much metta.
  • zendozendo
    edited March 2010
    Thanks federica, I really appreciate your help.

    Much metta to you!
  • 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
    edited March 2010
    I also think that whilst it is both natural and commendable to seek direct teaching - from the horse's mouth, so to speak - it is worth noting that in the Kalama sutta, The Buddha himself made allowances for the fact that many people would speak words, and many would speak words of wisdom, but that it was up to the Kalamas to test all these teachings for themselves, and examine their worthiness and veracity.
    And so it is, that the Buddha has passed, and he's been gone a long time.
    And now, all we have, is transmission, teaching and interpretation.
    I think, that in order to verify that words are honest and resonant, we have to test them ourselves, to establish whether they are authentic - or as authentic as they can possibly be.
    In short, at times it little matters who said it, or when. Perhaps, what is most important is how we absorb it, and whether it smacks of authenticity or fabrication.
    me?
    I'm a simple 'soul'. I hate convoluted rhetoric and 'deep meaningful' discussions on topics I find obscure and complex.
    So I stick to the basics.
    Which in many ways makes me ignorant.
    But it doesn't make me a bad Buddhist.
    Just one finding a comfort zone.... and then occasionally pushing my own boundaries....

    Best wishes on your path.
    With Metta :)
  • zendozendo
    edited March 2010
    federica wrote: »
    I'm a simple 'soul'. I hate convoluted rhetoric
    I share this feeling with you, federica! When I read passages with lots of big, fancy words and terminology in them, I always have the feeling the writer is as interested in vaunting his book-knowledge as conveying a clear message. The "knowledgeable" writers aren't necessarily the "wise" ones, in my experience. The wise teachers generally use the simplest and clearest terms to teach. Those are the teachers I love.

    If, in addition to the Buddha himself, you come across other wise, clear, simple teachings, by all means, send them my way! Thanks and Metta to you.
  • StephenStephen
    edited March 2010
    It would be nice if the Pali Canon was available as a self-contained website or in PDF form. Not even all of the suttas have been translated into English yet (at least on the 'net). What I've done is go to http://www.accesstoinsight.org and did the site download, so I can get to all of those translations at any time.

    Those translations usually do have commentary at the top, but I've found those to be helpful to prepare you to understand and be able to absorb the information more easily. Ya don't have to read them though.

    Be prepared for a lot to read if you actually want to get through it all at least once. It's said the Tipitaka in its entirety is about 11 times the size of the Bible (Old+New Testaments). Read it in whatever order you like, but if you really want to get the jist of everything I would recommend reading the suttas (Sutta Pitaka) and not bothering with the Vinaya or Abhidhamma until later on. If you're like me you may not want to bother with the Vinaya for a loooong time (it's all concerned with the monastic order). ;)

    BuddhaNet (http://www.BuddhaNet.net) also has links to translations if memory serves, as well as a lot of other cool info.
  • zendozendo
    edited March 2010
    Thanks, Stephen! I have bookmarked Access to Insight, and will explore it at the first opportunity.
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