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Another newb question!

Dan3673Dan3673
edited December 2010 in Buddhism Basics
Hi everyone,
Firstly, I just wanted to thank everyone who answered my question on the NKT. The words "can of worms" and "wide open" spring to mind! I think I'll just leave it at that.

As a beginner, I was wondering what advice people may have on how to progress? I've a small collection of books (5-6) which I'm reading through, I'm also meditating everyday to the best of my abilities. I've made a commitment to myself to follow the 8-fold path as I understand it, in lieu of finding a teacher. Any other advice?

Comments

  • SherabDorjeSherabDorje
    edited December 2010
    What are the books?
  • cazcaz Veteran United Kingdom Veteran
    edited December 2010
    Dont be Discouraged. :)

    Practise training the mind In virtue and you will soon find great change. :)
  • fivebellsfivebells Veteran
    edited December 2010
    If you list the books you've got, we might be able to make some suggestions as to which of the pile are particularly good.

    I especially like Mindfulness In Plain English, which is free on the web, and gives a very clear explanation of the goals, methods and effects of meditation.
  • Dan3673Dan3673
    edited December 2010
    I'm currently reading - Buddhism Plain and Simple by Steve Hagen & Hardcore Zen by Brad Warner.

    The other books I've yet to read are-

    Zen Mind, Beginners Mind Shunryu Suzuki
    The Art of Happiness HHDL
    The Miracle of Mindfulness Thich Nhat Hahn
    Mindfulness in Plain English
    The Little Book of Buddhism HHDL
    A couple of books on general meditation, (For Dummies and another one I can't seem to find at the moment!)

    I'm also awaiting delivery of After the Ecstasy, the Laundry by Jack Kornfield.

    Anything good in there?
  • genkakugenkaku Northampton, Mass. U.S.A. Veteran
    edited December 2010
    I'm also meditating everyday to the best of my abilities. I've made a commitment to myself to follow the 8-fold path as I understand it,

    Excellent! Make a promise, keep a promise.
  • BonsaiDougBonsaiDoug Simply, on the path. Veteran
    edited December 2010
    genkaku wrote: »
    Excellent! Make a promise, keep a promise.
    Agree wholeheartedly!

    The basics of all flavors of Buddhism are the same: the 3 Jewels, the 4 Noble Truths, the 8 Fold Path, the Precepts and meditation.

    Concentrate on the basics and your path will unfold before you quite naturally.
  • thickpaperthickpaper Veteran
    edited December 2010
    Read lots, think more...

    :)

    namaste
  • CloudCloud Veteran
    edited December 2010
    Learn the Four Noble Truths, and then put forth some effort to learning the details of what each factor of the Noble Eightfold Path means; not just a one-sentence definition, but the "whys" of each and how each factor is meant to bring you closer to awakening. Keep at least the five precepts, and be very careful that you're doing whichever meditation technique you're using the correct way and consistently.

    When in doubt, go back to the Four Noble Truths. These are the heart of the teachings and everything else is in support of these basic truths about our suffering.

    Namaste
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    edited December 2010
    The original 5-6 meditations can be amazing and great struggle. I remember I wouold stand up and just think wow. And some meditations in the midst of sadness in my life whispered windy smiles that would also light all my loved ones.
  • specialkaymespecialkayme Veteran
    edited December 2010
    If I were to give advice on how to progress, I think I would drop it like this:

    1. Keep meditating. The longer the better (within reason, of course). But everyone is on a different step in the path. Don't be frustrated.

    2. Cultivate loving kindness at every available moment.

    3. Find a teacher. i don't think I can emphasize this one enough.

    4. Keep reading. More importantly, make sure to read books from several different traditions. Try them all before you pick the one you like the most.

    As far as books go, I've found the series by Geshe Tashi Tsering to be very helpful.
  • fivebellsfivebells Veteran
    edited December 2010
    Seconding finding a teacher. It doesn't have to be someone you see often.
  • MountainsMountains Veteran
    edited December 2010
    Just be aware that many of us live in Buddhist deserts. There simply aren't any teachers (good or bad) where I live. Well, other than the NKT center, which I don't particularly like and can't afford to join even if I did. I'm bumping along without a teacher for the time being. I'm hoping the old axiom "when the student is ready, the teacher appears" will hold true for me.
  • fivebellsfivebells Veteran
    edited December 2010
    Yeah, I'm in the same boat. Actually, I used to live in places with lots of good teachers, but for one reason or another, I didn't trust them. My teacher wound up being someone living on the other side of the continent. I only see him every couple of years on average. It works out well, though.
  • specialkaymespecialkayme Veteran
    edited December 2010
    Mountains, there is a center in Natural Bridge, VA that you might be interested in: http://www.bodhipath.org/

    If you don't like that one, I'm personally familiar with the Kadampa Center, in Raleigh, NC (not to be confused with the New Kadampa Tradition): http://www.kadampa-center.org/ The Kadampa Center is a part of the Foudation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT): http://www.fpmt.org

    Raleigh is a few hours from you, I'm aware of that. But it's about an hour and a half from me, and it works out well. You don't need to see your teacher every day, or even every week. For me, I go to the Kadampa center about 6 times a year. In between, I take advantage of the FPMT's online learning center. While I consider the Geshe at the Center my teacher, there are a few nuns that are also very helpful (and have even been known to answer emails :D).

    Don't wait to find a teacher. You could be waiting for a long time.
  • fivebellsfivebells Veteran
    edited December 2010
    I used to attend the Bodhi Path center in Maryland. They are solid. A bit authoritarian for my taste, but I got a lot out of attending the meetings there.
  • karmadorjekarmadorje
    edited December 2010
    That's a great set of books. I don't think you can go wrong starting any one of them that strikes your fancy.
  • fivebellsfivebells Veteran
    edited December 2010
    karmadorje wrote: »
    That's a great set of books. I don't think you can go wrong starting any one of them that strikes your fancy.
    I think Zen Mind Beginner's Mind and After the Ecstasy, the Laundry are a bit advanced in this context. Kornfield's prior book A Path With Heart might be better.
  • specialkaymespecialkayme Veteran
    edited December 2010
    fivebells wrote: »
    I think Zen Mind Beginner's Mind and After the Ecstasy, the Laundry are a bit advanced in this context. Kornfield's prior book A Path With Heart might be better.

    Good advice Fivebells. I found out early on that Zen wasn't for me, and have attempted to avoid many of their texts. I wouldn't be able to help much in that area.
  • fivebellsfivebells Veteran
    edited December 2010
    I have nothing against Zen as a whole, it's just that I found Zen Mind Beginner's Mind quite obscure as a beginner. It didn't make sense to me until I came back to it a few years later.
  • Dan3673Dan3673
    edited December 2010
    Thanks for the advice guys, very helpful. I think I may have found a suitable meditation group, other than that, I'll just keep on keeping on! Cheers!
  • kurrakurra
    edited December 2010
    i've been noticing weird things today, like the first 4 letters of this site are "newb" o.O
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