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Help me learn about Buddhism!
I have become very interested in Buddhism after reading the Herman Hesse novel, Siddhartha. I've been interested in the philosophy since high school when in a cursory overview, learned of several of its elements. I know a little of The Four Noble Truths, The Eightfold Path and Dharma. Everything I know about Buddhism comes from tertiary sources, I ask that you might direct me to deeper texts. I would like to educate myself.
Also, I have a question. My whole life I have felt a deep yearning for the spiritual. I do not believe in the supernatural nor in any sort of higher power. The very little I have learned of Buddhism has absolutely moved me. That being said, I don't think my beliefs about the supernatural will change. So, can one be both a Buddhist and an atheist?
Thanks
Also, I have a question. My whole life I have felt a deep yearning for the spiritual. I do not believe in the supernatural nor in any sort of higher power. The very little I have learned of Buddhism has absolutely moved me. That being said, I don't think my beliefs about the supernatural will change. So, can one be both a Buddhist and an atheist?
Thanks
0
Comments
Great book, but a work of fiction nonetheless (I much prefer Hesse's novel Demian). There are much better books that describe the life of the Buddha in a more accurate light.
As a starting point I would recommend Buddhism for Beginners by Thubten Chodron. There are also many great introductory books written by the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, Chogyam Trungpa, Pema Chodron, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Jack Kornfield, and many others. If you haven't already check out the Recommended Reading thread on this site.
The Heart of Wisdom Sutra (aka Prajnaparamita or Heart Sutra) is very popular and studied by many different sects of Buddhism.
What does the supernatural have to do with Buddhism?
Hope it helps.
http://www.freebuddhistaudio.com/study/foundation
metta to all
Hey, Szilard, and welcome. Concerning online resources, I'd advise Access to Insight, especially their section for suggested entry points to their site entitled Beginnings. It also has a sizable library of books, essays and sutta translations. I always like checking out talks from the Sati Center and Thanissaro Bhikkhu, as well.
Concerning books, I'd advise Bhikkhu Bodhi's The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Majjhima Nikaya, Richard Gombrich's How Buddhism Began: The Conditioned Genesis of the Early Teachings and What the Buddha Thought, David Kalupahana's Buddhist Philosophy: A Historical Analysis and History of Buddhist Philosophy: Continuities and Discontinuities, and the co-authored Buddhist Religions: A Historical Introduction.
Of course. In fact, I happen to be of the opinion that Buddhism ultimately rejects the idea of a creator God. For one thing, the logic of dependent co-arising negates God because it precludes a first cause or a causeless cause. And then there’s this famous problem of evil passage from the Bhuridatta Jataka:
None but the Brahmans offer sacrifice,
None but the Khattiya exercises sway,
The Vessas plough, the Suddas must obey.
These greedy liars propagate deceit,
And fools believe the fictions they repeat;
He who has eyes can see the sickening sight;
Why does not Brahma set his creatures right?
If his wide power no limits can restrain,
Why is his hand so rarely spread to bless?
Why are his creatures all condemned to pain?
Why does he not to all give happiness?
Why do fraud, lies, and ignorance prevail?
Why triumphs falsehood, truth and justice fail?
I count your Brahma one of the unjust among,
Who made a world in which to shelter wrong.
Those men are counted pure who only kill
Frogs, worms, bees, snakes or insects as they will,
These are your savage customs which I hate,
Such as Kamboja hordes might emulate.
If he who kills is counted innocent
And if the victim safe to heaven is sent,
Let Brahmans Brahmans kill so all were well
And those who listen to the words they tell.
So, essentially, Buddhism is non-theistic in view. Nevertheless, even in the Pali Canon, there are references to devas or what we might call 'heavenly beings.' However, devas (literally 'radiant ones'), which are often seen as gods when taken literally, are simply non-human beings who are more powerful and long-lived than ordinary humans, but by no means eternal, omnipresent, omnipotent, etc.; but more importantly, they can also be viewed metaphorically as the indulgent and hedonistic aspects of our psychology (i.e., the parts that are addicted to sensual pleasures).
In addition, according to AN 3.61, the belief in a supreme being can be unskillful and interfere with Dhamma practice if it leads to a denial of the efficacy of karma (literally 'action') and a life of inaction:
Moreover, in relation to the four noble truths and the practice of the noble eightfold path, the matter of the existence of God is irrelevant and, ultimately, a distraction to be avoided. That doesn't mean that people can't believe in God and still practice the Dhamma, especially the noble eightfold path, but it does mean that, at the very least, such a view can negatively impact the practice when held inappropriately.
Personally, I think Buddhism has always been what we might call a type of 'transcendent psychology,' and it's only been relatively recently (at least in the West) that its more technical terms have been understood and translated in ways that make this clear. I think this shift is due in no small part to the decades of excellent scholarship that has been brought to bear on the texts and the religious-historical context in which they took shape.
Regardless of how it's been popularized, at its core, Buddhism deals exclusively with one subject, that of human mental suffering. The Buddha himself made it clear that:
That's not to say there aren't 'supernatural' concepts in Buddhism, or that local customs, deities and religious practices haven't found their way into Buddhism wherever it's been established. But rather than a pure system of thought or a strictly faith-based worship of the supernatural, a critical analysis of the earliest texts reveals a much more pragmatic and specialized method of mental training than most traditional Buddhists and Western converts realize—one that seeks to diminish and even eliminate suffering by radically changing the way the mind relates to experience.
So being an atheist, or even a theist for that matter, doesn't preclude one from practicing Buddhism as long as one has an open mind and is willing to seriously give some of these teachings a chance.
Things life rebirth and enlightenment could be considered supernatural, or at least a belief held out by faith.
Perfect answer!
Read this ebook by the late Chief Venerable Dhammananda.
http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/whatbelieve.pdf