Reddit Reddit reviews The Dhammapada (Easwaran's Classics of Indian Spirituality Book 3)

We found 11 Reddit comments about The Dhammapada (Easwaran's Classics of Indian Spirituality Book 3). Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.

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11 Reddit comments about The Dhammapada (Easwaran's Classics of Indian Spirituality Book 3):

u/Unreasonably-High · 10 pointsr/Buddhism

Oh, I wanna try too:
>Are there different "branches" of Buddhism, sort of like in Christianity?

  • The Schools of Buddhism
  • Differences between the schools

    >Who was The Buddha?

  • PBS documentary on The Buddha
  • BBC documentary on The Buddha
  • Buddha Nature

    > why is there prayer in Buddhism? How is Buddhist prayer different than, say, Christian and Islamic prayer?

  • IIRC only a few sects actually 'pray' in the classical sense, otherwise it's simply paying homage; showing respect, saying thanks.
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puja_(Buddhism)
  • Paying Homage

    >Do Buddhists go to temples on a certain day of the week like Christians? Is there a ritualistic process on what is done each day?

  • This depends on the hours your local temple/center holds. However there are 'typical hours', once in the 'morning', once in the 'afternoon', and once in the 'evening'.
  • Ritualistic processes will depend upon the culture of the school of Buddhism you subscribe to.

    > If I call my local Buddhist temple or meditation center, would someone there be willing to talk to me over the phone and introduce me in real life to what Buddhism is?

  • They may be busy, and ask you to come back later.
  • Some zen schools will turn you away outright to test your resolve. (This is wrong, see /u/Gundi9's comment bellow.)

    > Basically, I would really appreciate it if you could explain to me what Buddhism means to you, what your daily Buddhist lifestyle is, and how it affects you.

  • I meditate, keep the 4 noble truths at the forefront of my attention and make a concerted effort to stay on the 8 fold path.

    Also, here are some books:

  • The Dhammapada
  • The Dhammapada is so ubiquitous i'm certain you can find versions of it online for free.
  • The 8 Fold Path
  • Also, see our sidebar, it says things I didn't, and probably says the things I did say so much more gooderbetter.

    TADA!

u/BearJew13 · 9 pointsr/Buddhism

Man this is a tough question. Buddhism is not easy to understand. The best "Intro to Buddhism" books I know, half of my friends (in their early 20's) would have a very difficult time understanding.

Although it's not a Buddhist book, perhaps she would enjoy The Tao of Pooh which uses the Winne the Pooh characters (pictures too!) to explain Taoism. Although Taoism is different than Buddhism, this book may help your daughter to lighten up on the tough existential questions, and to try to simply enjoy life and be present.

 

In a few years, to introduce her to Buddhism, I'd recommend What the Buddha Taught, Awakening the Buddha Within, Mindfulness In Plain English, and the Dhammapada - which is a collection of verses/sayings that are said to represent the essential core of Buddhist teachings.

 

The Dalai Lama is my favorite spiritual teacher, but I think his books can be a little difficult, especially for someone so young. I remember when I first started dwelling on existential questions in high school, I borrowed the Dalai Lama's Meaning of Life from my Dad. Although the book was difficult, it was one of the main factors responsible for me starting to seriously pursue Buddhism.

u/veragood · 3 pointsr/Psychonaut

In my opinion, Western philosophy is almost entirely useless and impractical for understanding altered states of consciousness because it has no interest in truth beyond language. Western philosophers are obsessed with words, with concepts - so obsessed, indeed, that the mere idea of looking beyond them has never crossed their minds for more than a second. The best you can do with Western philosophy is Aldous Huxley. His most famous work that deals directly with psychedelics and states of consciousness beyond language is The Doors of Perception. But his Perennial Philosophy may be even better as far as deep philosophy goes. Plus, it blends together teachings from West and East into one coherent whole.

If you are interested in intellectually digesting a psychedelic experience, you really need some eastern philosophy. The best of the best, the crown jewel, is the Bhagavad Gita. Also look into the Buddha's life and teachings, for digesting enlightenment is very similar to digesting a psychedelic experience. My recommendation here is the Dhammapada. This is less spiritual, more intellectual than the Gita, and the copy I linked has a beautifully written introduction on the Buddha's life and his own dealing with enlightenment. If you are spiritually inclined, start with the Gita. If you are more intellectually inclined, I would start with Huxley or the Dhammapada. Either will help you process a psychedelic experience in a way that mainstream Western philosophy could never match.

u/CivilBrocedure · 2 pointsr/Buddhism

A great primer for the core tenets and historical context is "What The Buddha Taught" by Walpola Pahula. It provides a wonderful explanation of the thought process and is very clearly written; a lot of colleges use it in their comparative religion courses.

I also think that reading the "Dhammapada" is particularly vital. I prefer the Eknath Easwaran translation; I feel like he did an excellent job translating it into modern laguage while retaining the meaning of the text and providing excellent discussions of each sutra without being to neurotically overbearing, like so many religious commentaries can be. He also did excellent versions of the Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads if you are interested in broader Indian spirituality.

u/the-electric-monk · 2 pointsr/occult

It seems a little weird to want to buy books to try and discredit some random person online who will forget all about this conversation in a couple of days, but sure, whatever.

Nag Hammadi Scriptures

Dhammapada

Upanishads

Baghavad Gita

Mahabharata

And this volume of the Vedas, though as I said I haven't read through it yet.

I also have this copy of the Tibetan Book of the Dead, which I haven't gotten around to yet.

Now, once again, please tell me where in the Nag Hammadi scriptures it says that you spend 1000 years in a Devachan before reincarnating.

u/[deleted] · 2 pointsr/spirituality

I'm not a Christian but the New Testament has quite a bit of love in it. My daily practice of contemplation begins with Reading Catholic Scripture everyday from this site. Here is today's. You will find it is prophetic:

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/111017.cfm

It starts with this line: "I myself am convinced about you, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness," That's essentially the first step of loving people you do not understand; knowing they are filled with goodness.

As for other non-Christian works. It may sound odd but you may appreciate the Dhammapada

https://www.amazon.com/Dhammapada-Easwarans-Classics-Indian-Spirituality/dp/1586380206/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1510339069&sr=8-2&keywords=Dhammapada

Write in your book if you buy it; you can find it at Barnes and Noble last I checked.



u/obscuroaborae · 1 pointr/leaves
u/MolecularGenetics · 1 pointr/books

The Dhammapada by Eknath Easwaran

This book is my favorite translation of the Dhammapada. The introduction has the best story about the life of the Buddha. It provides the historical context of the day through which Buddhism grew from. This introduction provided a perspective I've never heard before, and it opens my eyes into what the Buddha discovered and how he got there. I would buy it alone for the introduction.


Meditation in Plain English

For a more practical book, Meditation in Plain English is just what the title says. It teaches you how to meditate and provides the reasons why you should meditate with going into technical terms of Buddhism.

If you have any questions, pm me. Good luck.

u/sooneday · 1 pointr/Buddhism

The introduction in Easwaran's translation of the Dhammapada is excellent. It succinctly summarized the essence of Buddhism and got me started on that path.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Dhammapada-Classics-Indian-Spirituality/dp/1586380206/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1371158557&sr=8-2&keywords=the+dhammapada