Could anyone point me out some good resources about budhism?

Since my vacation in nepal (and my hike to muktinath in the himalaya) i've become very intrested in budhism, it was amazing how much impact it had on the people there, i think i've somehow fallen in love with the country and his people, i never felt so happy and alive anywhere. Guess this sounds a bit ackward, ehehe.

Anyways, i would like to know what budhism is all about, maybe even find some peace in it's wisdom and vision on life. And more then all, i would like to become more aware of myself, and everything around me, and maybe eventually find the answers that i have so long been searching for and find a real purpose in life.

But i have no idea where to start, i've read some of the stickies here.
But i was wondering if anyone would know some good books about bhuda's teachings or internet resources. I would appreciate it very much.

Thanks in advance.

 

Hey pellinore
I just noticed this post! You could try wikipedia but thats a bit boring and a dry read. As for books a good one is called 'Awakening the Buddha Within' by Lama Surya Das. Also any by Thich Nhat Hanh are good, he is more concerned with living as a buddhist and practice, and not to much tradition and theory, I really like that!

 

I found this useful:

http://www.e-sangha.com

 

this is the first book that i read when i became interested in buddhism.

it will teach you

http://www.amazon.com/Awakening-Buddha-Within-Tibetan-Western/dp/0767901576

 

Dali Lama..

 

They like it when you spell it right i guess.

 

Ooops..sorry Dalai Lama

 

I meant him

 

Well, I even study this stuff myself, its shameful for me...

 

Try this: http://www.buddhanet.net/

 

....My discussion of this topic to an email inquiry.

(...) Writes:


"Should I study Buddhism in the East, as I am afraid the Western Buddhism is just a watered version of real Buddhism?"


*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********


Real Buddhism???

Buddhism has and will always evolve.

Religion evolves from the egos of men.

We should also give credit to the Hindus for the development of Buddhism.

The Buddha was a Hindu acetic before he became a Buddha.

Buddhism is basically Hinduism without the atman or soul.

In the early days Buddhism had no gods and this also distinguished it from Hinduism. But in later generations of Buddhist thought gods were added back into the equation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atman_(Hinduism)

http://encyclopedia.farlex.com/anatman

99.9% of the Buddhists are just 'playing at Buddhism' and are so far off the road to classical Buddhism that their practice holds little or no resemblance to what the Buddha taught.

After all, what do monks have to do other than beg, eat, sleep, excrete, think, not think (meditate) and write.

It is through this constant need to 'think and write' that the Pali canon grew to 20,000+ pages and nearly 30,000 pages in China.

The canon contains nothing the Buddha wrote down.

It contains a small amount of recitation from his butler Amanda, but nothing original from the Buddha.

The rest is all from the egos of monks.

So it is natural that Buddhism has evolved into a watered down version of itself that the Buddha himself would hardly recognize.

When this classical Buddhism became too hard - Mahayana Buddhism was invented.

When Mahayana Buddhism became too hard - Pure Land Buddhism and Vajrayāna Buddhism was invented

When Pure Land Buddhism and Vajrayāna Buddhism became too hard - Won Buddhism was invented. (just to name a few)

But for the average folks...meaning 99.9% of the Buddhists. Pain is decreased in proportion to your efforts at perfecting the eightfold path.

I believe the traditional views of Buddhist beliefs of escaping samsara are dead as far as practical application for the most part of society. To escape rebirth is impractical for the vast, vast majority of Buddhists.

I'll give you an example you can all relate to.

If you are reading this you have no chance of escaping rebirth...you are too full of passion to escape anything.

What you 'should' be doing as a self proclaimed 'serious Buddhist practitioner' is; instead of reading and writing on the computer you would be meditating on the three liberation's.

By meditating on emptiness, formlessness and passionlessness, this will allow you, with a few lifetimes of diligent practice, to recognize the three liberation's of the ego and the dharma as being empty, the dharma as formless and this eventually the recognition of living is an unworthy desire as our existence is characterized by suffering.

What is the path of classical Buddhism as the Buddha taught?

From our best efforts and deciphering the jumbled mess that was handed down to us it was:

To become a renunciate and practice the 4 noble truths

http://www.4truths.com/

and through the perfection of the eightfold path

http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/eightfoldpath.html

to free oneself from the 10 fetters that bind a person to cyclic existence

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/ten-fetters-ten-virtues.html

and thus become an arhat and enlightened

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arhat

and through a few lifetimes of such practice to extinguish reincarnation, leave the cycle of samsara

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/samsara.html

and reach nirvana.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirvana

...and that is how the pain of life finally ceases. (as the story goes)

Is this all true?

I don't know? I'm an agnostic freethinker. I only can report on what can be tested.

Personally, I draw from many spiritual traditions myself, including monotheism, Buddhism, Taoism as well as atheism. (secular humanism)

See:

http://jesusneverexisted.org/jne/forum/index.php?topic=4.0

http://jesusneverexisted.org/jne/forum/index.php?topic=504.0

My main focus of my Buddhist practice is concentrated on the 3 pillars of Buddhism that are common to all schools of Buddhist practice: I've settled on the essence of Buddhism and that is what I work on and find much peace with this type of simplified practice.

3 Pillars of Buddhism

1- Practicing mindfulness and meditation to develop peace and self awareness of our own true nature.

2- Accepting the liberating wisdom of impermanence and practicing non-clinging and a lessening of craving and desires.

3- The development of compassion for others.

Buddhists are not required to believe or not believe in god, so anyone can make use of this philosophy irrespective of their religious beliefs or lack thereof. Buddha was not a god and just a man, so not need to worship him unless you are a 'Pure Land Buddhist.'

In addition to the 3 pillars, we can use the eightfold path to guide us.

The Eightfold Path

1. Right View
2. Right Intention
3. Right Speech
4. Right Action
5. Right Livelihood
6. Right Effort
7. Right Mindfulness
8. Right Concentration

How can you differentiate right from wrong?

By peace.

You learn what destroys your peace and the peace of others as well as what promotes you inner peace and the inner peace of others.

Do you need a teacher for that?

Or the Pope to tell you?

Or just listen to peace as the best teacher?

The 5 precepts are the 'commandments' more or less for Buddhists. Although you are not commanded to do a thing. If you wish to live at peace, then proceed the best you can - but it is your choice.

No one to boss you other than you...you alone are in control of your inner peace.

The Five Precepts

1. Refrain from Killing:
2. Refrain from Stealing:
3. Refrain from Sexual Misconduct:
4. Refrain from False Speech:
5. Refrain from the Use of Intoxicants:

Buddhism provides this tool, which is just one out of the many tools I use for peace development. For once we have found a contentment within and with all and are at peace - we are progressing on the road to enlightenment.

You can also tell when you have "arrived" by your practice telling you so. Does your practice revolve around actually practicing what you have learned to generate peace within or are you on a never ending journey of always looking and never finding?

Once I am at peace, I can share with others about finding peace for themselves, which is the secondary reason I practice.

I have no interest in practicing Buddhism for extinguishing reincarnation.

These "fear based" reasons for being a Buddhist are not authentic or natural - the persons actions are based on fear or negative consequences otherwise they would not do them.

My actions are based on inner peace and if I stray - there goes my peace - it is my choice.

I enjoy life and realize that due to natural law, suffering comes about as part of the process.

The Taoists have a saying for this, "fleas come with the dog."

So, I accept there are growth pains as a fair trade off for the privilege of living and I would enjoy any reincarnation if given the chance.

Buddhism helps makes this trade off of life and pain more in my favor by lending me support to live a life at peace. I do not practice Buddhism to earn merit for the next life - I practice Buddhism for my own peace generation in THIS LIFE.

I'd like to point out that my views are not the orthodox or traditional views on these subjects as I am an Agnostic Freethinker.



Also see:

http://jesusneverexisted.org/jne/forum/index.php?topic=9.0

 

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