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What Books should I read?

AbstractMindedAbstractMinded
edited January 2011 in Buddhism Basics
I guess you can say i'm a new buddhist. i don't know what kind of books i should read. All i have is Tao te Ching and the Tao of pooh.
Like i said i'm new and i don't know what i should read. I know catholics have a bible but what does a buddhist have?
thanks :)
gabbie

Comments

  • aHappyNihilistaHappyNihilist Veteran
    edited January 2011
    there is actually a thread dedicated to this topic.
    http://newbuddhist.com/discussion/14/recommended-reading

    i'd also recommend dharma talks (talks on the teachings of buddhas), some good ones on youtube are the Ajahn Brahm talks. he gives many talks some of which can be found in this youtube channel.
    http://www.youtube.com/user/BuddhistSocietyWA

    as for the buddhist bible, buddhism has a number of sutras. the buddha didn't write anything down himself but many of his disciples wrote his words down in the sutras. i'd suggest you don't start just going through the sutras try this buddhist "study guide" for buddhist history and the teachings of the buddha.
    http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/guide.htm
  • ShiftPlusOneShiftPlusOne Veteran
    I know catholics have a bible but what does a buddhist have?
    thanks :)
    gabbie
    A heart? According to a talk on BuddhistSocietyWA anyway.

    Anyway, we have the pali canon, but it takes a bit too much of a commitment to study properly and fully. So, we have teachers. Online talks are a great way to access their teachings. Other than the basic books like What Buddha Taught and Buddhism for Dummies, "your heart" is actually just about right.
  • aHappyNihilistaHappyNihilist Veteran
    just to clarify what is meant by your heart, a primary teaching of buddhism is that everything comes from within you. everything can be learned, tested and understood via just living.
    HollyRose1
  • RogerRoger
    Tons of stuff on the internet. You can start with H.H. Dalai Lama website. :D

    http://www.dalailama.com/
  • metameta
    all of them
  • metameta
    On a more serious note... I love "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind" for people who are new to sitting. "What the Buddha Taught" is great to start to understand the philosophy behind Buddhism. And you can never go wrong with a copy of the Dhammapada (I like the Thomas Cleary translation.)
  • ShiftPlusOneShiftPlusOne Veteran
    aHappyNihilist, that's exactly it, thanks.
  • [DeletedUser][DeletedUser]
    edited January 2011
    You may wish to read the basic understanding on your universal heart :

    The Teaching of Buddha
    http://image53.webshots.com/653/0/85/92/2790085920095579979tTpxhJ_fs.jpg

    Buddhism The Wisdom of Compassion and Awakening by Venerable Wuling

    image

    http://www.cttbusa.org/6patriarch/6patriarch_contents.asp
    The Sixth Patriarch’s Dharma Jewel Platform Sutra
    :thumbsup:
  • Mintyfresh0Mintyfresh0 Veteran
    edited January 2011
    Jed McKenna, spiritual enlightenment : the damnedest thing

    It helped me awaken and it can help you too.

    The best part about it is that it shows you just how mundane and normal enlightened people are. It helps you abandon the fantasy that you probably have about enlightenment. The biggest myth is that it's The end of suffering... That's just something that's said to help you initially understand what it is.
  • JoshuaJoshua Veteran
    The Dhammapada and The Monk and the Philosopher were the first two I read but in all honesty, because the Buddhist path isn't linear as you may or shall know, I'd recommend going to one of these threads like the core ideas one I seen and simply Google whatever ideas you aren't familiar with beforehand and make sure you have a mediocre idea of them (maybe start a quick thread on ones you don't) and then you should find that your reading has become much more penetrative.
  • twillytwilly
    "Being Nobody Going No Where"
  • 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
    Please confine advice of this kind to the appropriate thread..
    duplicate your posts, and put all your recommendations there, thanks guys.
This discussion has been closed.