Reddit reviews The Foundations of Buddhism (OPUS)
We found 19 Reddit comments about The Foundations of Buddhism (OPUS). Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Oxford University Press USA
Perhaps look somewhat deeper into Buddhism. Suffering is not the problem (but the result), it's just a fact of life; what is the problem is clinging to stuff.
Buddhism is against craving. When craving is eliminated, you will do good things naturally and won't do any bad things anymore. Without such craving, the world would in fact be in a much better state. Buddhism is not in favor of eliminating positive emotions, but only negative ones (anger, delusion, craving).
(I'd highly recommend this book to understand what buddhism is about.)
Rupert Gethin's Foundations of Buddhism is a thorough introduction to Buddhism. For starting reading the Pāli discourses, there's Bhikkhu Bodhi's In the Buddha's Words - this is a selection of discourses serving as an entry point.
Then you can start with the discourses directly: start with the Majjima Nikāya and then you can also go through The Dīgha Nikāya and the Samyutta Nikāya. And then the last but not least: Aṇguttara Nikāya and the Khuddhaka Nikāya (search on Amazon). These texts would be important references for the rest of your life if you seriously pursue Buddhism.
Regarding insight meditation, Bhikkhu Anālayo's Satipaṭṭāna book is the best modern day commentary available. Highly recommend it. His "Excursions into the Pāli Discourses" Part 1 and Part 2 are also very useful since they summarize many of the topics discusses in the discourses.
Books by Shaila Catherine or Ajāhn Brahmavaṃso would be good texts regarding samatha meditation.
There are the various texts written by the Ledi Sayādaw and Mahāsi Sayadaw - two Burmese scholar-practitioners who popularized insight meditation in the last century. You can go through Ven. Ledi Sayādaw's Vipassanā Dīpani (Manual of Insight) and you can find Ven. Mahāsi Sayadaw's books here.
Bhikkhu K. Ñānānanda has many books discussing deep questions about dependent arising, the nature of nirvāna, and so forth. You can find them here.
I'll let others recommend Mahāyāna, Vajrayāna and Zen material. In general, Reginald Rays books on Tibetan Buddhism are great entry points to Tibetan Buddhism, and then there's Gampopa's Jewel Ornament Of Liberation. There's also Shantidēva's Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra, useful for any Mahāyāna practitioner. With Zen there's always Dōgen Zenji's Shōbōgenzō.
You should be able to find all of the above by googling if it's available for free or on Amazon (or a University library) otherwise.
Highlights from my library...
At introductory level, Skilton A Concise History of Buddhism is a good overview of Buddhism from an historical perspective.
Foundations of Buddhism by Rupert Gethin is a fairly good modern overview of Buddhist ideas.
Kalupahana A history of Buddhist philosophy - slightly eccentric, but some excellent coverage of Buddhist thought. Stops short of Tantra. However, supplement with Samuel The Origins of Yoga and Tantra.
Snellgrove Indo-Tibetan Buddhism covers late Mahāyāna and Tantra; theory oriented. Perhaps a but dated now, but non-sectarian.
For early Buddhist texts, Gethin's selections from the Pāḷi Canon is probably a better bet than Bodhi's massive tome. It is more focussed. If you get into Pāli Suttas then get the Nikāya translations, starting with Majjhima Nikāya (the most readable). Another lesser know anthology is by Glenn Wallis Basic Teachings of the Buddha. Slightly idiosyncratic, but a very interesting perspective.
For a traditional anthology of Mahāyāna texts try the much neglected Śikṣamuccaya by Śāntideva (8th Century). I have a different edition to this link, so maybe look around.
Tantra doesn't lend itself to anthologies. I think probably the best introduction to Tantra is Hakeda Kūkai: Major Works, though it may not entirely stand alone, you'll at least know what the right questions are. I've never found any book by a Tibetan Buddhist to rival Kūkai for clarity of exposition about what Tantra Buddhism is.
In terms of practice, Buddhism is often sharply divided by sectarianism and so books on practice tend to be narrowly focussed along sectarian lines. And even on single practices within sects (such as books on Theravāda approaches to breath meditation only; Zen approaches to koan practice and so on.). Note that having asked for a comprehensive book, most of the suggestions are sectarian and ignore centuries of development of Buddhism in other directions.
Buddhism also often suffers from a theory/practice disconnect. A lot of our theory/doctrine has no practical application; while some of our practices are poorly understood and communicated.
The fact is that if you take one sect at a starting point, you will find much of what you learn contradicted when you shift to a different sectarian point of view. Sects tend to present their sectarian point of view as Buddhism without ever letting on that other brands are available. So a comprehensive outline of Buddhism is almost impossible without fudging a lot of conflict and contradiction.
The Foundations of Buddhism by Rupert Gethin
The Foundations of Buddhism, by Rupert Gethin
I haven't read it yet, but I am very impressed by the reviews
http://smile.amazon.com/Foundations-Buddhism-Opus-S/dp/0192892231/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452086288&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=The+Foundations+of+Buddhism+Rupert+Gerthin
There are also several PDF links for it on the web like this one:
http://www.ahandfulofleaves.org/documents/The%20Foundations%20of%20Buddhism_Gethin_1998.pdf
> Have any of you felt this way before?
Sure, I was a member of the Church of Satan for about 5 years. Most of my egotism stemmed from an unhealthy self defense mechanism from having a narcissist for a parent. The anger from having an authoritarian as a parent. So yeah. I get what you're saying about finding peace.
> Where should I start?
You might have a go at our sidebar, there are a lot of resources there for the beginner. Particularly the "Basics" section.
There is also Rupert Gethin's excellent book, The Foundations of Buddhism
But really, in the end, a teacher of Buddhism that you can speak with and practice with face to face will be your ultimate best starting place.
The best general introductory work is The Foundations of Buddhism by Rupert Gethin: http://www.amazon.com/Foundations-Buddhism-OPUS-Rupert-Gethin/dp/0192892231 It's very readable and is a thorough introduction to the history, practice, and theory of Buddhism. It's widely recommended as the first book you should read by scholars in the field. Starting with a solid rational and diverse understanding of Buddhism is definitely valuable.
Not concise, but this book :
The Foundations of Buddhism... https://www.amazon.com/dp/0192892231?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf
With the influence that Goenka has had on shaping some of your views, I would suggest getting a broader understanding of the lay of the Buddhist land, as Goenka teaches one particular strand of Buddhism. For this I can recommend no other than Rupert Gethin's The Foundations of Buddhism.
Many books include the story of the historical Buddha as a foundation for subsequent investigative readings. One book that has benefitted me greatly is Foundations of Buddhism by Rupert Gethin and it includes a thorough investigation into the life of the historical Buddha. This is one of the best books on Buddhism I have read and I can't recommend it enough. Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0192892231/ref=redir_mdp_mobile
> Where do the scriptures originate from that set all of these rules of karma and state that there is reincarnation
From the perspective of historical research, or from the perspective of Buddhists?
From the historical perspective: a small body of discourses given by Siddartha Gautama (the Buddha) remain that have are were very likely from the Buddha. The rest of it we can't guarantee, and a lot of it is known to have been written well after the Buddha's death.
From the perspective of Buddhism/Buddhists, the writings are considered buddhavacana ('word of the Buddha'), even if we now know they were written after-the-fact.
The Buddhist scriptures are massive. Fill a small to medium sized building, massive. Large enough that no one has read everything. The South Asian (Theravada) canon has been made partially available on Access to insight. The Vinaya is the code of conduct for monks and nuns. The Sutta pitaka is the collection of discourses, and the Abidhamma goes deeper into philosophy (and also serves as an aggregate of the Sutta pitaka's teachings).
From the Buddhist perspective of 'right' or 'superior' approach: the Buddha. In the absence of a Buddha, we trust the orders of monks and nuns. In the absence of a Buddha and the absence of monks and nuns, no one. We have to wait in the rounds or rebirth until a new Buddha arrives in our world.
Wikipedia has a very lengthy outline of Buddhism. I would suggest a more structured approach, like Rupert Gethin's "Foundations of Buddhism."
This is one of main websites for Secular Buddhism: http://secularbuddhism.org/new-to-secular-buddhism/
You can also post on the forums or attend the bi-monthly online meditations (Practice Circle).
Also, I got my start in Secular Buddhism by joining Coursera's Buddhism and Modern Psychology class:
https://www.coursera.org/learn/science-of-meditation/home/welcome
and then reading the recommended text: http://www.amazon.com/The-Foundations-Buddhism-Opus-S/dp/0192892231
Once you understand the basics of Buddhism, it'll be easier to understand Secular Buddhism specifically. You can also read Batchelor's books, but they are kind of... a stream of consciousness account of his own thoughts. It isn't necessarily informative right off the bat, imho.
Anyways, I'm a Director at Secular Buddhist Association and a mentor for the Coursera class, so AMA
There used to be a scholar who was really active in this forum until he passed away - Michael Dorfman - and he would always recommend these two books:
The Foundations of Buddhism
An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and Practices
Hey, /u/Apiperofhades. I read your /r/AskPhilosophy post so I'll suggest books based on the following:
>I'm more interested in academic historical work on doctrine and practices and so on.
/r/Buddhism's most famous academic (who recently passed away), /u/michael_dorfman, recommended Rupert Gethin's The Foundations of Buddhism and Peter Harvey's An Introduction to Buddhism religiously, "to get a basic understanding of Buddhist doctrine".
Additionally, you may wish to consider chapter 5 of Surendranath Dasgupta's A History of Indian Philosophy, Volume 1, titled 'Buddhist Philosophy' (all five volumes can be found here on Internet Archive; the first alone here on Project Gutenberg), and chapter 5 (and, perhaps, 9) of Mysore Hiriyanna's Outlines of Indian Philosophy, titled 'Early Buddhism' (and 'Later Buddhistic Schools'). This book can be found here on Internet Archive.
>The point in my response was that I interpreted you to say that elimination of craving was not part of the path to reduce suffering, when it clearly is, as is evident if you read any introductory text on Buddhism, and I provided a quote from the Pali cannon to illustrate this.
>But now it seems to have morphed into a quibble over how to summarize the third noble truth.
If something has morphed its your argument and its because you morphed it. When I originally joined this thread this is the comment I responded to:
>I am asking about the second Noble truth. I am asking concretely, how one reduces/eliminates thirst in the context of meditation...
>It's as if I asked about how exactly to do step 4 of a recipe, to mix flour and butter together, and you responded with, follow the recipe. I'm asking specifically about one of the steps in the recipe.
This is you stating emphatically that you are talking about the Second Noble Truth.
I replied:
>The First Noble Truth is all life is suffering.
>The Second Noble Truth is suffering is caused by desire.
>The Third Noble Truth is there can be an end to suffering.
>The Fourth Noble Truth is that the end to suffering is in following the Eightfold Path.
>I know you've seen people here say that if you eliminate all desire you can end suffering, and maybe you've seen a website or even a book that says as much, and if you want to believe that too that's perfectly fine.
>>I am asking concretely, how one reduces/eliminates thirst in the context of meditation...
>You can't make a Turkey with salt. You can't extinguish desire with meditation. It takes more than that, but that can help.
To which you replied:
>The third Noble truth is more specific than you note
>>nirodha (cessation, ending) of this dukkha can be attained by eliminating all "craving, desire, and attachment";[7][8]
This is you mentioning the Third Noble Truth for the first time. I don't know why you brought up the Third Noble Truth. I think you're confused and I'm not here to "quibble", or to flex my ego, or to expose anyone so I simply wished you good luck.
You then replied with:
>Here is a short summary of the four noble truths from the Saṃyutta Nikāya of the Pali cannon, as quoted in The Foundations of Buddhism by Buddhist scholar Rupert Gethin.
>>This is the noble truth of suffering: birth is suffering, ageing is suffering, sickness is suffering, dying is suffering, sorrow, grief, pain, unhappiness, and unease are suffering; being united with what is not liked is suffering, separation from what is liked is suffering; not to get what one wants is suffering; in short, the five aggregates of grasping are suffering.
>>This is the noble truth of the origin of suffering: the thirst for repeated existence which, associated with delight and greed, delights in this and that, namely the thirst for the objects of sense desire, the thirst for existence, and the thirst for non-existence.
>>This is the noble truth of the cessation of suffering: the complete fading away and cessation of this very thirst its abandoning, relinquishing, releasing, letting go.
>>This is the noble truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering: the noble eightfold path, namely right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.
I don't know why you chose to share this translation, or how it advances your point. But I noticed that it is a workable translation so I replied:
>The second noble truth here doesn't look anything like what you described before. I'm not sure what point you're trying to make.
I thought that this would gently point out that you had switched from the Second Noble Truth to the Third Noble Truth, and I was trying to point out that even in the translation you quoted The Second Noble Truth is not how you described it here:
>I am asking about the second Noble truth. I am asking concretely, how one reduces/eliminates thirst in the context of meditation...
>It's as if I asked about how exactly to do step 4 of a recipe, to mix flour and butter together, and you responded with, follow the recipe. I'm asking specifically about one of the steps in the recipe.
But as a response you say:
>That's because I was describing the third noble truth not the second. And the previous quote is in agreement with this quote from the Pali cannon. "Thirst" here is equivalent to craving.
>>I know you've seen people here say that if you eliminate all desire you can end suffering, and maybe you've seen a website or even a book that says as much, and if you want to believe that too that's perfectly fine.
>I am responding to this comment of yours, given that it is not something said only by "people" or found in a "website"/"book", but the pali cannon itself.
I am not quibbling over how to summarize the Third Noble Truth. You are insisting that you have always been talking about the Third Noble Truth, and you have not. You also seem to be saying that your point is that The Third Noble Truth implies or describes some action, which it does not.
So I reply:
>The third noble truth says only that there can be an end to suffering.
>You need to look at the discussion and really think about what you've said. I think you're confused. I know you are.
Suggesting some of my suspicions and encouraging you to review the discussion which I've detailed above.
And now this last reply from you:
>The point in my response was that I interpreted you to say that elimination of craving was not part of the path to reduce suffering, when it clearly is, as is evident if you read any introductory text on Buddhism, and I provided a quote from the Pali cannon to illustrate this.
>But now it seems to have morphed into a quibble over how to summarize the third noble truth.
>>This is the noble truth of the cessation of suffering: the complete fading away and cessation of this very thirst its abandoning, relinquishing, releasing, letting go.
>Sure you can summarize the third noble truth by saying that there is an end to suffering, but it is only gets at half point, as is evident above, that end can occur by removing the cause of suffering, namely thirst: "...the cessation of suffering:[is achieved by]...complete...cessation of...thirst [craving/strong desire]".
>The noble truths as stated are just short descriptions of a general structure to the diagnosis of the state of things from a Buddhist perspective. The truths are expanded in great detail, in basically every element of Buddhism.
Do you recall the story of the Buddha before he reached Enlightenment? He had become frustrated in his practice and decided that he would sit beneath a tree and do nothing but meditate until he reached Enlightenment. He was not able to reach Enlightenment in this way and you will not either. This is something I am absolutely sure of. Elimination of desire is part of the path, but it is not the whole or primary focus, and in the context of meditation it's not something to focus on in the way that you mean it. Nor is it suggested in any introductory text of Buddhism. You have misunderstood your reading.
I am not quibbling over how to summarize the Third Noble Truth. It does not say what you think it says, or mean what you think it means. I am trying to have a discussion and address your questions.
>Sure you can summarize the third noble truth by saying that there is an end to suffering, but it is only gets at half point, as is evident above, that end can occur by removing the cause of suffering, namely thirst: "...the cessation of suffering:[is achieved by]...complete...cessation of...thirst [craving/strong desire]".
Bracketing in words you think should be there is not helping you understand. Let me be clear:
The way to end suffering is by following the Eightfold Path. Meditation is a part of that path and being mindful of desire is a part of that path. Meditation on ending desire will not, in and of itself, bring you to Enlightenment.
Here is a short summary of the four noble truths from the Saṃyutta Nikāya of the Pali cannon, as quoted in The Foundations of Buddhism by Buddhist scholar Rupert Gethin.
>This is the noble truth of suffering: birth is suffering, ageing is suffering, sickness is suffering, dying is suffering, sorrow, grief, pain, unhappiness, and unease are suffering; being united with what is not liked is suffering, separation from what is liked is suffering; not to get what one wants is suffering; in short, the five aggregates of grasping are suffering.
>This is the noble truth of the origin of suffering: the thirst for repeated existence which, associated with delight and greed, delights in this and that, namely the thirst for the objects of sense desire, the thirst for existence, and the thirst for non-existence.
>This is the noble truth of the cessation of suffering: the complete fading away and cessation of this very thirst its abandoning, relinquishing, releasing, letting go.
>This is the noble truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering: the noble eightfold path, namely right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.
https://www.amazon.com/Foundations-Buddhism-OPUS-Rupert-Gethin/dp/0192892231
many chapters in that book trace the spread of buddhist texts from india into asia. perhaps you can find something there.
I just got and have been reading Foundations of Buddhism recently and have found it a pretty good read for the topic. I looked a lot into what Buddhist books are well reviewed as an introduction and selected that one.
The foundations of buddhism by Rupert Gethin is a good start. I think it provides a very solid ground to build upon, as it provides historical information on the development of buddhism, aswell as doctrinal information on both theravada and mahayana. It's basic, or rather, it's written for beginners, but it still contains a lot of very good information. It has very good reviews on amazon too (link), so many people evidently like the book.