Best buddhist rituals & practice books according to redditors
We found 357 Reddit comments discussing the best buddhist rituals & practice books. We ranked the 93 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 357 Reddit comments discussing the best buddhist rituals & practice books. We ranked the 93 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
Maybe your ambition is to just sit there. Maybe you should look into Buddhism and travel the globe and hone your meditation craft. Find peace within you.
Edit: since this is getting upvotes, I'll put some more advice in here. If you're looking to get into Buddhism, which personally I find to be so very very fulfilling. It teaches inner peace and happiness. I read about Buddhism during a very rough time in my life, where I was trying to find something or someone to blame on the problems. Buddhism taught me that anger, hatred & sadness are reactionary emotions. By reacting in that way towards those feelings, I am myself creating the anger and hatred. It taught me to look at every situation from other points of views. I was made angry by XYZ but their actions that cause my anger was because they had a shitty day and took it out on me, etc etc. It's my reaction that I can control, and it's my reaction that causes the anger and sadness.
The book that I read was by Thich Nhat Hanh and is titled The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation and/or Old Path White Clouds. I included a link to purchase on amazon. My best friend recently went through some trying times and I shipped him this book. I really recommend it to anyone going through struggle, or if you'd just like to see ways to handle stress.
Edit 2: So the book I suggested just went from around #2,300 on Amazon to #409 since the post. Reddit, that's pretty damn cool.
Sorry brotha, but I can't allow you to do this. I'm not going to sit here and drop the usual cliche on how you can improve your life. I'm sure you heard it all before. I can only tell you that I know how you feel. My whole life I have been battling with mental health problems because of a fucked up childhood. I was only a kid when I first tried to end my life. I could never dream of a day where things would have gotten better for me.. but it did. There's no cookie-cutter solution I can give you that would immediately improve your life. We are all different and your particular outlook on life is a product of your own life experiences.
I know though my own experiences and interacting with others who were contemplating suicide that the main source of our angst is our own toxic mindset and loneliness. There is nothing wrong with you. Just to put it into context, if you were the same person you are now, but surrounded by many who adored and loved you, your outlook on life and yourself would be drastically different. In a way your validation of yourself and your life comes externally instead of from within. Because your life is void of many elements that you believe is needed to constitute a satisfying life you have come to the conclusion that it is not worth living.
If you believe race is a major contributor to your misery than remove race as a factor. Move to an Asian enclave where you are the majority and no one would give a second thought about your race.
If your dead end job is reinforcing this perception of yourself of being a person of little value than find something that will give you fulfillment. It doesn't have to be something that brings you a shitload of money, but just something that you can be proud of or you enjoy doing. Heck, if you're seriously thinking about ending your life, go balls to the wall and start your own business on the side! It can be anything that you have interest in. With outsourcing (cheap labor), cloud, and the wealth of information online, you can start many businesses without much capital. At my gf's workplace there's this doctor who didn't become one until he was 45. It's never too late to pursue whatever you want if you have the drive and willingness.
If past failed dating experiences have jaded your views on relationship than replace it with new experiences. The truth is, most of us have had bad experiences at one time or another. Most people in general make shitty partners. But don't let a few rotten apples prevent you from hopping on the horse and trying again. Download every dating apps you can think of, go on those dating meetups, or do whatever you have to do get your tip wet or find that true love if that's what you're looking for. There are just as many women out there who are single and nearing middle age/30s+ that are in desperate need of loving. For women it's even more difficult being single when you start getting older. Worst comes to worst, tap into the divorcee pool and get yourself a heartbroken hunny looking for a rebound.
If you have few close friends than it's time to make some more by opening yourself up and actively seeking some. A solid homie is not just going to pop up in your life. Good friends are hard to come by and takes work like any relationship. What are your interests or hobbies? It's easier to make friends when you have a common interest. There's a meetup, convention, local chapter, etc. for everything you can possibly conceive of. If being Asian is a big part of your identity and life, go join an Asian org or asian club sports team at your local community center. There's leagues for every age range, so you can find others similar to yourself. Once you graduate college, it's difficult for most to make new meaningful friendship. You're going to have to put in the effort. Finding that bromance is no different than find a great woman.
Ultimately, you don't have to be different to belong. You just have to find your place. For some it comes easy and natural, for others we have to work for it. The moment you adopt a defeatist attitude is the day you pretty much accepted that life is unfair and hard but it's not within your control to dictate. We both know that's not true. Yes, your cards may be stacked against you. Yes, being Asian is like playing hardcore mode in America, but it's not impossible. All you have to do is get more skilled at playing the game of life.
Ask yourself what you really want out of life. Make a list of short term/long term goals, things you want do, see, accomplish however big or small. Having a direction in life and something to work towards is very important because it gives our lives meaning.
And all it really takes is one person to really change our lives around. Whether it is yourself after finding that self-empowerment or through another, don't lose hope until the very end. We become discontent with our lives when our lives become stagnant. Progress is important. Keep working on yourself, read and watch a shitload of self-help books and videos. Start caring less about what other people think. Put yourself out there. Open yourself up to the world. Take risks. And after all this if you still feel the same than at least you have the satisfaction knowing that you didn't leave one rock left unturned and you lived your life to the fullest.
I recommend this book to you. It can help you on adopting a new outlook on life and replacing it with your current toxic views: https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Buddhas-Teaching-Transforming-Liberation/dp/0767903692/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1482592780&sr=8-3&keywords=buddhism
You deserve to be happy. You have to let yourself. Happiness is a state of mind. It truly is. Buddhist monks in Bhutan are considered the happiest in the world, yet they have none of the things you speak of. It's like if you took an exam for class that was hard af, and you just found out you aced it. Immediately, your whole day starts looking brighter and everything starts going your way. The exam itself did not give you the feeling of happiness or your newfound positive outlook on life, it's just a meaningless piece of paper.. you did. You created that sensation, that release of hormones, by perceiving things in a more positive lens. You have to become aware that your perception and reality is not actually reality. It is a sum of your own bias life experiences and exposures. Keep fighting for the life you want. We're all rooting for you brotha!
Oi, if you really want. Here we go:
> Tantra offers no salvation, no escape, no alternative, and no hope.
Completely false. Tantra offers liberation in this single life, escape in this single life, complete Buddhahood in this single life if you work your ass off for it. That's the most hopeful of any of the paths (compared to Arhatship in a single life in Theravada, or Buddhahood in countless lifetimes in Mahayana).
>It is a “practice of view,” which means developing the habit of interpreting the world in a particular way. Specifically, you view the world as a “charnel ground.”
This is only some types of tantric meditation. In others you view the world as a pure land. Pretty much the opposite of a charnel ground.
>General Buddhism recommends that you always remember that death is certain, and the time of death is uncertain.
>Tantra goes beyond that: you visualize the full, grisly awfulness of death. This is an instance of the tantric method of intensification: cranking the horror up to eleven.
Somewhat true, but even in non-tantric schools of Buddhism there certainly are meditations on death and teachings on death which are every bit as grisly. This isn't unique to tantra.
>The point of viewing all reality as a charnel ground is to annihilate existential hope: the hope that you can somehow win the game; the hope that you can somehow escape; the hope that Buddhism will somehow rescue you from old age, sickness, and death.
This is true, but again not unique to tantra (well, minus the charnel ground part -- although in the Vissuddhimagga Theravadin's even practice meditations in charnel grounds).
>No salvation... etc this whole section
Here he's missing something entirely massive about the practice of tantra. Sure you view everything as a charnel ground (in some practices) but that charnel ground is also pure emptiness. Realizing it as such is your salvation and freedom from suffering.
>Charnel ground practice has been part of Buddhism from very early on. I’ve written a little about the Sutric (mainstream) approach. Its goal is exactly opposite of tantra’s. The point is to develop “revulsion for samsara.”
Again, I think he's pretty far off here. All schools of Buddhism should generate a very healthy revulsion for samsara. It just happens that in Mahayana your compassion for other sentient beings is more powerful than that revulsion.
Ugh, and then he mentions a certain nasty worldy diety at the end of his article, which just brings up a whole other load of issues which I'd rather not go into.
But anyways, as someone else said it's not bad as a train of thought rambling about charnel grounds, but it really misses the mark with it's assumptions about the other schools of Buddhism, and completely eschews emptiness and Buddhahood in a single lifetime, which really is the point of tantric practices.
Personally, I feel viewing the world as a charnel ground in practices more along the lines of yeah samsara sucks, but even in it's worst it's all emptiness. When you can see the world as a horrible charnel ground, yet still pure in it's emptiness, it cannot harm you, and you're free to safe every sentient being in whatever way you possible can, without any fear.
If I visualize myself as a wrathful diety surrounded by a charnel ground, what I'm doing is burning up all the negative karma and kleshas of all sentient beings. Turning the entire environment into a pure land (albeit a wrathful one) and liberating every single sentient being in it, transforming them into that very same wrathful deity I'm visualizing myself as -- into perfect Buddhas. This isn't being scared or repulsed by the charnel ground, it's compassion so immense, intense and powerful it appears as wrath.
You're going to get a lot of unhelpful responses to this question. This, for whatever reason, is a very touchy subject. It's also one that is very difficult to talk about, because talking about the experience of enlightenment actually doesn't quite make sense, because there are major issues defining something that cannot be defined, that goes beyond experience.
Also, in my experience, the more that "you" think you know something about this subject, the more likely you are to be deluded about it. Consequently, while you want to understand this thing intellectually, if anybody thinks they can explain it to you intellectually, it's bonk. This thing cannot be known.
I recommend you check out this book, which was recommended to me by one of our valued contributors here, /u/mrbundle. I found this book to be quite interesting and helpful.
Please don't ask me anymore. All I know is that I don't know shit.
Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind.
The problem (for me) with reading books like these is that you can drink them down like water, then you ask yourself to summarized what you've just read...and have to go back and read the whole thing again...ad infinitum.
Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. Even if you're not looking to get into Buddhism or meditation, it's incredibly thought-provoking. I read it and I immediately started it over again and the second read is proving even more fruitful than the first.
Respectfully, your first question is a bit too personal for me to answer. You didn't mean it that way; I understand. But to answer it I would have to reveal more than I choose.
What I can say is that I have survived grief. I experienced it, explored its depths, and came out the other side. There was a time in my life, literally, when everyone I ever had loved was dead.
Life doesn't offer any promises. All it offers is itself. And it will end soon enough, anyway.
To address the issues you raise in any sort of competent way would require far more space than I have here. I suggest--and I don't mean this as a brush-off--that you read the Bhagavad-gita, the other Upanishads, the writings of the Buddha. You also probably would want to read commentaries, as the texts probably would be indecipherable without them. You also might want to try The Razor's Edge and Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, which are a couple of accessible novels that at least introduce certain ideas.
This may seem like a puzzle, but the main thing to understand is that your sense of permanence is illusory. This concept is so fundamental to life that it transcends and infuses atheism, philosophy, religion. From it flows the idea that many other things also are illusory--pain, suffering, grief, desire, hope, happiness.
In any event, as you ask such valid and profound questions, it would make sense to arm yourself with the equipment to answer them, right?
The first two books I read were The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching and Mindfulness in Plain English. They'll get you started with the basics.
I highly recommend this book.
Short statements in normal English paragraphs from all of the masters, each master only gets two or three pages.
I like it because you don't rely on any one master's thought patterns. They cross check and calibrate each other.
Don't read it like a novel. Read it one passage at a time. You could open it to any page and read a passage. Drink tea. Look out the window. Look at the wall. Do your thing, whatever that thing is.
Pick a place or make a space in your life to do it, so that you take it seriously when you do it. Don't do it when you aren't serious about it. Ritual and austerity are meaningless, but if your life is busy, they can make a big difference in helping you focus when you read at first.
Make it your own. Don't soil your reading place with other things. Or, soil your reading place with all other things. It's up to you, but, this is your life, your consciousness, take it seriously. You are the only one who can liberate yourself and you are the one to whom liberation matters.
After that book, whomever you liked from that book, get the book from them specifically. Foyan, Huang Po, Mazu, Hsin Hsin Ming are a great mix. Also, the Mumonkan is crucial.
As far as Mumonkan, people get fooled by the incomprehensibility of it. Enter where you find an entrance. It doesn't have to be in order. Follow that entrance, through to the end, until the whole text crumbles in front of you.
Rinzai Zen uses the "hua-t'ou" method of inquiry for the "first koan" or "preliminary koan." Which in some ways is quite different from other koans. It can be sort of tricky to explain. Many teachers probably prefer not to give too detailed instructions -- filling the student with words and ideas. But you shouldn't approach it as a mantra or a mere object of concentration. For some good advice on what to do with it,
Here is an important point from Lachs's paper:
> One of the important reasons for practicing the hua-t’ou today is that, as lay people, it allows us to practice a good part of our days, rather than just when on the cushion. Its practice really demands that we confront important issues of life, often throughout the day. The practice calls for us to work on the hua-t’ou throughout the day so that the doubt becomes part of our lives, a fertile doubt, at times, seemingly working below our conscious level.
And a nice paragraph that shows the basic point of this kind of practice:
> Perhaps the first aspect to notice is that all hua-t’ou are questions that appear open ended. They seem more to tease or provoke our minds to look deeply into the nature of being and our very own being. Another aspect to notice is that we are the subject of the practice, this body, this mind, not some far away being. Entering into hua-t’ou practice is inviting ourselves to be taunted or perhaps even tormented with a basic question of being and life. We are forcing ourselves into a situation where it is necessary to confront our very being. This is not exclusively a “feel-good” process, it can be very frustrating, frightening at times, disappointing, and boring at times. But it can also be fertile and lead to seeing our true Nature and to directly entering the
world of Zen.
If you would like something more thorough, there is a book called Shattering the Great Doubt by Sheng Yen.
Sorry to unload all these ideas on you. You don't have to read a lot or know a bunch of stuff to do this practice. But I think it's useful to have some rough idea of what to do and what not to do. Once you get the message, hang up the phone... And raise the great doubt!
The heart of the Buddhas teaching:Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation by him is a really good book. If you ever have time to read it I highly recommend it.
I'm not against therapy at all, but might I suggest another angle? Meditation.
If you really want to get better as you say you do, find a zen practice center and learn to sit. Meditation is all about opening up space in your mind and learning to observe it. It's a long process, but very enlightening since the beggining.
If you'd like to start by reading a book, I'd like to suggest this one. It's very simple and straightforward. You don't have to be a buddhist to read it.
This video is incredible too. Watch it right now. It goes straight to the point. Alan Wallace is a very wise dude.
+++
If you don't mind me saying, by your description it seems like you just might suffer from Borderline personality disorder. Get yourself a professional opinion on this.
Zen mind, beginners mind
Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind is frequently mentioned as a good introduction to Zen.
If your interested in Zen, I recommend Zen Mind, Beginners Mind.
I like anything by Thich Nhat Hanh but this in particular:
http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Buddhas-Teaching-Thich-Nhat/dp/0767903692/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1239313355&sr=1-3
It's an amazingly practical manual for applying the Buddhas teachings to transform suffering into liberation.
I'd recommend Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. It's dense and interesting, but can still be a quick read.
Hi Steve!
I would recommend reading Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki who was a Sōtō Zen monk and teacher who helped popularize Zen Buddhism in the West. I would also recommend The Mind of Clover by Robert Aitken which is an excellent guide on Zen Buddhist ethics (and important part of the practice).
If you haven't already started, I would recommend you pick up a regular zazen habit, sitting daily even for just five minutes if that's all you can manage. Sitting zazen is the most important thing in the Sōtō school and Master Dogen could not recommend it enough!
Books are good but practice is much better!
Beyond that, I'm a big fan of all of Brad Warner's books. He has a great approach to Zen, I think, and makes understanding some of its more obscure and hard-to-penetrate ideas easier to digest.
And of course you can always come here and ask as my questions as you like!
please start by encouraging her to seek help from a mental health professional. a book is not going to help anyone truly depressed, no matter how enlightening it is.
that out of the way, I did find "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind" helpful for dealing with anxiety and smaller bouts of depression.
best of luck to you.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1935413007/
best of luck on your spiritual journey.
> All of these weird things started at the same time, so I’m wondering if any of it can be accounted for by the awakening process.
Always see a doctor if you're concerned, but yes. Everything you're saying sounds very familiar to my own experience.
My own theory about it is that egoic mind takes up a lot of energy (or attention), so when that energy is freed up, it goes elsewhere. The body becomes more sensitive and open.
> I’m not tired when I wake up, but it’s still somehow unsatisfying.
I know exactly what you mean here, and can empathize. For me, a lot of that unsatisfactoriness was my mind not accepting the 'weirdness' of the situation. "I'm only getting 3 hours of sleep per night! This can't be healthy!" Etc.
Physically I felt fine, and the doctor confirmed I was very healthy. Eventually (after hearing Adyashanti talk about something similar) I quit mentally arguing with the reality of the situation, and accepted that even though things were a bit weird, they were find. Mind is used to our bodies being a certain way, and when that changes it takes a bit for mind to get onboard, in other words.
I can only speak to my own experience, but for me at one point it all just settled. I was getting ~3 hours of a sleep per night (and like you beautiful phrased, it felt more like a 'trance of being-ness'), weird physical sensations (including profuse sweating at night) and a whole lot of other stuff, then one day there was another 'shift' (not dissimilar to the awakening itself), and it was like a switch was turned off and a bunch of the 'weird' stuff disappeared (though others showed up, heh).
The yoga and healthiness are your friends. If your diet is really light, it may be helpful to introduce heavier, 'grounding' foods like beets, sweet potatoes, etc, but listen to your body here. Bodies are mysteriously wise, and know what they need - it's more a question of how much we can get out of the way.
All of that to say: you're not alone and what you're describing could certainly be related to the awakening.
If you haven't already, I'd strongly recommend reading Adyashanti's book The End of Your World. There's a lot of helpful info inside.
Zen Essence
Oh, no need to apologize anyway. There's just a lot of... backstory.
You'll need to couple source material like the below with the above historical scholarship if you want to come to a full understanding.
As for some primary sources:
Tang dynasty teachers who were students of Mazu (one of the most influential Zen teachers ever)
Dazhu (although, relevant)
Huangbo
Baizhang (this text is prohibitively expensive on Amazon, so look in local libraries.)
Song dynasty teachers
Yuanwu (1, 2)
Hongzhi (1, 2) (note, take Taigen dan Leighton's introduction to Cultivating the Empty Field with a grain of salt, as he's a shitty scholar. He basically just misrepresents Hongzhi and Dahui's relationship. See Schlutter's How Zen Became Zen for more details.)
Song dynasty kanhua Chan teachers (kanhua is the main approach to Zen in both Rinzai and Seon)
Dahui (Yuanwu's student)
Wumen
A Japanese Zen teacher
Bankei (1, 2)
A Korean Zen teacher
Daehaeng (1, 2, 3)
___
Note that this leaves out huge swathes of the literature, including all of the literature associated with the East Mountain teaching, the Northern school, the Oxhead school, Soto, most of Rinzai, Obaku, most of Seon, etc. Of course, some people with more fixed and essentialist ideas of what "Zen" is object to the idea that some of these other schools/lineages are actually "Zen". Use your own head. (I'm not saying they're necessarily wrong; I'm just saying that once you feel comfortable with the basics, start to think critically about Zen and your own study of it, including e.g. how you would decide which teachings to follow, and why.)
There's no roster of "Zen masters^TM " anywhere, so the above is a bit of a random mix of my own choosing.
While reading, note what people say and ask yourself questions -- where do they agree? Where do they disagree? If they disagree, should that be reconciled or not, and why?
Some more pointed questions to ask for each book: What can one do to reach awakening? What ways to reach awakening are preferred over others? What practices and doctrines are criticized? Is there any cultivation necessary at any point along the path? If yes, what is to be cultivated? If the teacher is talking about the teachings of earlier masters, are those teachers being represented accurately, or are extrinsic frameworks being laid onto them to fit the later teacher's presentation of Zen? If you had to sum up the teacher's teaching in a slogan, what would it be?
Really, the main thing is that you can think critically about what you're reading, but the above reading list and approach would give you a really solid foundation for the things people tend to talk about on this forum.
Here's a free PDF of Bhikkhu Bodhi's Noble Eightfold Path book. If you can get your hands on a copy of Thich Nhat Hanh's Heart of the Buddha's Teaching, it's an excellent complement to Bodhi's book, and expands on the 8fold path and other Buddhist teachings in a very accessible way.
Ever read Joshu or Huangbo?
I only suggest those because I'm reading Joshu again right now, and Huangbo is a BAD MOTHERFUCKER.
https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Teaching-Huang-Po-Transmission/dp/0802150926
https://www.amazon.com/Recorded-Sayings-Zen-Master-Joshu/dp/157062870X
Actually I do have a Zen suggestion for you. I highly recommend Zen Mind Beginners Mind by Suzuki Roshi.
Also while Lojong is more out of the Tibetan Tradition. There is a Zen teacher by the name of Norman Fischer who has given many talks on and written a book about Lojong from a Zen'ish perspective.
I've been struggling with this for a long time myself. I have health anxiety, and I know the root of it is ultimately death anxiety. I brought this up to my therapist, and she asked if I have a spiritual practice. I didn't at the time, but I decided to start looking into it. I'm not someone who believes in the supernatural or an afterlife (maybe if I did, I wouldn't be so afraid to die). But I realized there are ways I can find a more comforting worldview even without those things. I've been learning about Buddhism and the interconnected nature of everything. The little I know about Buddhism so far has taught me that birth and death are, in some sense, illusions.
While I can't escape the fact that someday I am going to die, I can transform how I contextualize that; and I can change my perspective. This particular concept (referenced often in the book I'm reading about Buddhism, The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching) has been particularly meaningful to me: You're not a wave, you're part of the ocean
If we understand that we are not waves, we are water--then everything shifts.
I've also heard it suggested that the way not to get wrapped up in anxiety over dying is to focus on living. Easier said than done, right? I think part of me, irrational as it is, somehow secretly wants to believe that if I think hard enough about the question of death, I will figure out some magic way to avoid it. Obviously that's not true, and I think that accepting that fact might mean lead me to recognize that focusing on living is the thing to do. And this (focusing on living one's life) is also advice I've heard for anxiety in general. We spend so much time pondering the past, pondering the future...when what's real is what we have right now, in the present, in front of us. So, I keep reminding myself to return to that, as a practice (no switch to flip, but a habit to work on building).
I am 15 months into my ongoing healing process from the greatest loss of my life, so I'd like to share some things I've learned:
Rushing into another relationship is unsound advice, and most likely to hurt you and the next person you prematurely involve yourself with.
The best thing I can tell you is that healing from a loss is not like getting a cut on your flesh, where there is consistent and predictable healing. If healing from a physical wound is a straight line, then healing from an emotional loss is a jagged, swirling journey, where you sometimes take one step forward and 10 steps back. Don't get frustrated by these setbacks--just understand that the timetable for healing is not set, and trust in the heart's ability to heal:
"When an emotional injury takes place, the body begins a process as natural as the healing of a physical wound. Let the process happen. Trust the process. Surrender to it." --from "How to Survive the Loss of a Love"
Don't make any rash life-altering decisions, don't turn to drugs or alcohol (which only postpone or subvert healing), give to those who are less fortunate than you, and surround yourself with family and friends that love you unconditionally.
Here is a link to the book quoted above, which I wholeheartedly recommend:
http://www.amazon.com/Survive-Loss-Love-Peter-McWilliams/dp/0931580439
And another I'm in the midst of reading, which, so far, is also exceptional:
http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Past-Your-Breakup-Devastating/dp/0738213284
This is a beautiful recounting of the Buddha's journey to understanding suffering:
http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Buddhas-Teaching-Transforming-Liberation/dp/0767903692/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411858603&sr=8-1&keywords=heart+of+a+buddha
And this is a pocket book available for free from the Amida Society:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2040437.Heart_of_A_Buddha?from_search=true
For me, feeling her "fade away" from my memory was so hurtful that I would hold on to the pain to keep the memories fresh. That is not conducive to healing. What helped me was creating a document (I used Google Docs so I could update from anywhere), and whenever a sweet memory surfaced of something she did, said, or was, I would write it down. It provided a catharsis--like a treasure chest of everything she was. I no longer compulsively read it, but it is comforting to know it's there, and has definitely helped my healing process.
For the first six months of my loss, I could barely leave the house. Since I love movies, I started trying to find ones that contained people being kind to one another (they are very rare). They helped me in reconnecting to and believing in kindness again, and I found myself watching some of my favorites just to get myself to sleep at night. I compiled a few into an IMDb list:
http://www.imdb.com/list/ls056580941/
Take care of yourself
--D
Source: Losing my dear wife--the sweetest, kindest person I've ever known.
If you are embracing suffering you're still doing it wrong, i suggest you read "the heart of buddha" , "a beginners mind", and "living christ living buddha" as both holistic teachers tought the same thing, but had different methods to help people obtain the goal of unlocking the door to the inner true self, conciousness, the shadow within.
Opening the hidden door in the bible: https://www.openbible.info/topics/doors
An entire website dedicated to finding the hidden door buddha talks about: https://www.buddhistdoor.net/features/the-all-knowing-buddha-a-secret-guide
If you think the bible is about "God" you still havent solved the riddle.
Maybe reading up on the ancient poet Rumi would be a nice place to look.
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/5322592-1-one-went-to-the-door-of-the-beloved-and
You still havent found the door, youre embracing suffering rather than ending it.
Behind the door is a familure face, dont blink.
"Occasionally he stumbled over the truth but he always picked himself up and hurried on as if nothing had happened. " (Winston Churchill)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0767903692/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_1u2SBbZ1N3G98
https://www.amazon.com/dp/159448239X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_aX2SBbYPPCCYE
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1721250093/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_9U2SBbJSXH2A6
I'm in a similar situation and after having looked around a bit I've put these two books on my Christmas list. (My family still celebrates the holiday and I look at it more as a time for giving and being with Family.)
If anyone here as any specific praise or criticism of either of these books as starters I would love to hear it. I'm also reading electronic copies of Mindfulness in Plain English and Zen and the Brain.
First, forget your preconceptions:
> tantra is another balancing quest, just one that is a little more sexually oriented. ... it is not about the poise or libido, it is about the balance of breath and energy.
>I am well aware of my vibratory position
This is the sort of thing that makes me despair of western New Age spiritualism and its ongoing attempts to sell a fake, cotton candy version of tantra. Most of the ideas you are referencing here can be traced back to 19th century European mysticism, not to Asian religions, and especially not to Tantra. Even the most basic elements, like chakras, were words borrowed from the East, given totally different meanings in the West, and then exported back to Asia in an unrecognizable form.
I don't blame you for the misconceptions, but no matter what you have been told, Tantra is NOT just another flavor of Western mysticism in Eastern clothing.
If Tantra means anything different from some goofy crystal-brained Californified gurus selling you nirvana on the installment plan – and it does – it is a muscular, no-nonsense application of a pragmatic problem-solving philosophy to this world.
Tantra is not only NOT a flavor of woo-woo mysticism. It is an an outright rejection of mysticism in general and of all of the fundamental ideas of New Age spiritualism in particular.
It begins with the acceptance – or, perhaps more appropriately, the non-rejection – of the self:
> There is nothing fundamentally wrong with you.
> You are just fine—just as you are. That is tantra’s main claim about the self.
> “Ego” is not evil. It is not a spiritual problem.
> No upgrade required
> You do not need to:
> + fix your self
> + improve your self
> + get rid of your self
> + see through the illusion of your self
> + transcend your self
> + transform your self
> + analyze or understand your self
> Tantra is about living here and now. Whatever self you do or don’t have—you are how you are, now. Waiting to get fixed before living is not helpful.
> You cannot, and do not need to:
> + find your True Self
> + get in touch with your higher self [much less your guardian angel]
> + awaken the Buddha Within
> + unify your little self with the cosmic All-Self
> These are just fantasies. They are imaginary ideals that spiritual people try to live up to. All they will ever do is make you feel inadequate and miserable.
(from Your self is not a spiritual obstacle)
And Tantra continues with the non-rejection of reality:
> Spirituality tries to sell you the idea that everything will be peachy-keen forever, if only you apply an all-purpose spiritual solution. Somehow, that is supposed to solve all practical problems, as well as the big hairy cosmic one.
> Tantra thinks that’s twaddle.
> Spirituality claims that the mundane world is total garbage. There’s nothing worth having here; it causes nothing but misery in the long run. You should abandon it.
> Spirituality claims there’s some kind of heaven, or nirvana, or transcendent reality, or domain of emptiness, that is all-good. You should move on to that spiritual plane. That’s salvation. That’s the solution to everything.
> Tantra is about this everyday, concrete world, just as it appears. It is not interested in escapist fantasies about Neverland.
> This world is where we are. There is nothing fundamentally wrong with it. It’s real, it’s workable, it’s enjoyable, and it needs our help.
(from Tantra is anti-spiritual)
If you want to DO Tantra, and not just play pretend Tantra or study the myriad traditional forms of historical Tantra, you need to first forget everything you think you know about Tantra, especially in terms of spirituality and spiritual energy. Because...
> + Tantra is not nice
> + Tantra is not secret
> + Tantra is not compatible with Sutra (mainstream Buddhism)
> + Tantra is not intellectual
> + Tantra is not spiritual
> + Tantra is not mystical
> + Tantra is not a bunch of rituals
> + Tantra is not esoteric Mahayana
> + Tantra is not Tibetan Buddhism (nor vice versa)
> + Tantra is not traditional
> + Tantra is not superstition
> + Tantra is not for monks
> + Tantra is/not all about sex
> + Tantra is not safe
> + Tantra is not all that dangerous
(from Tantric denials)
A tantra is a ritual, formula, recipe, or algorithm for achieving a specific goal. It is a discrete expression of technos, or "know-how." To be valid, it must survive an empirical test: does it work?
Historically, there have been many false tantras, including elaborate spells, black magic rituals, prayers for rain or victory, and mystical rites for achieving perfect health and immortality. Empirically, these are dead ends. There will always be people attracted to magical claims, but they never pan out. Instructions for manipulating spiritual energy or aligning your chakras or tuning your spiritual vibrations may give you a feeling of religious superiority, but they repeatedly fail any sort of real-world pragmatic test of efficacy, so they are not tantric.
On the other hand, any decent cookbook contains dozens of tantras that work. Any engineering, physics, or chemistry handbook, or do-it-yourself handyman guide is filled with tantras that work.
Youtube is full of tantras, for everything from crochet to carpentry, from arc welding to playing exotic instruments. Some are better than others. A set of step-by-step instructions for vipassana (aka mindfulness meditation) is a tantra, and we would consider it a valid tantra if most people, following those instructions, achieve the specified results.
However, Tantra itself is much more than just a collection of tantras, of rituals and formulas. It is a stance toward life, one of robust, even heroic, engagement with the REAL. It is science, technology, and craftsmanship done with intelligence, passion, and integrity, but it is also a clear-eyed and non-dogmatic approach to social, cultural, and personal experimentation and a passion for finding ways to make ordinary life better.
> just one that is a little more sexually oriented
If you want better sex, there are tantras for better sex. I wrote an extended handbook on the subject. But for real success you need to have a partner to whom you are deeply committed, and vice versa.
If you want a better understanding of Tantra in general, this is a good place to start: Introduction to Tantra : The Transformation of Desire by Lama Thubten Yeshe. After that, or along with it, I recommend David Chapman's online book Meaningness and his blog Vividness. (It's a blog, so the articles are in reverse order. Read from the bottom up and use the date index at the right to find the next page.)
Enjoy the voyage!!
My advice:
Don’t ask for a definition in this forum, before you’ve got familiar with the literature from some actual scholars.
1. [Blue Cliff Record] (https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Cliff-Record-Thomas-Cleary/dp/159030232X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1479373811&sr=8-1&keywords=blue+cliff+record)
by the Cleary brothers.
The preface will provide you a good introduction to the history of zen. Plus, insights into the lineage of the masters.
This book is actually a collection of koans. But my advice is: Don't jump into cold water. Makes yourself familiar with the background first (preface's).
2. [Zen Essence] (https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Essence-Shambhala-Dragon-Editions/dp/1570625883/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1479374319&sr=8-1&keywords=zen+essence+thomas+cleary) by Thomas Cleary.
Cleary provides quotes/ sayings from the masters referring to “topics” or “questions”, like “Zen Teaching?”, “Basis of Zen?”, “Summary of Zen Practice?”.
I think this approach is very helpful for people who want to get introduced to Zen, in terms of “What the hell is this shit about?” -- good guy Thomas Cleary!
3. Gateless Gate
by Robert Aiken.
This is rather a workbook for the practitioner than literature regarding zen.
I haven’t read the book I’ve linked to, but in my opinion, starting with the Mumonkan without any notes or comments from contemporary scholars/ students/ teachers/ translators is not the right approach. Use the commentaries from Aitken only as an orientation or a hint. The meaning itself has to be found by you!
It depends on your mood:
https://www.reddit.com/r/zensangha/wiki/getstarted
I think generally find Green's translation of Zhaozhou, https://www.amazon.com/Recorded-Sayings-Zen-Master-Joshu/dp/157062870X/ to be one of the best introductions to Zen.
The problem with shopping brick and mortar is that limited selections tend to pander to pop culture... and Buddhist evangelists have nearly eliminated Zen from pop culture in the West.
A few good books:
Pali suttas:
http://www.amazon.com/Buddhas-Words-Anthology-Discourses-Teachings/dp/0861714911
Overview of the Mahayana:
http://www.amazon.com/An-Open-Heart-Practicing-Compassion/dp/0316930938
Bodhicitta:
http://www.amazon.com/How-Expand-Love-Widening-Relationships/dp/0743269691
Shunyata:
http://www.amazon.com/How-See-Yourself-You-Really/dp/0743290461
Perfection of wisdom sutras: Heart Sutra:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Heart-Understanding-Commentaries-Prajnaparamita/dp/1888375922
Diamond Cutter sutra:
http://www.amazon.com/Diamond-That-Cuts-Through-Illusion/dp/1935209442
3 principle aspects of the path:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Three-Principal-Aspects-Path/dp/1559393505
Zen:
http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Mind-Beginners-Shunryu-Suzuki/dp/1590308492
> You stop to think (or focus on your breath if you can't simply stop thinking) and when thoughts arise you observe that you're thinking about something as if someone has shoved an object in front of your face
One should not try to stop thinking, that is a futile effort, like turning off fire with fire. Also by imagining thoughts are being shoved in front of your face you're highlighting their intrusion, that is no good either. It is best to realize that thoughts will come, and when they do gently become aware of them and then focus back on your breathing. Without anger, without judgement, coming back to the here and now.
That is the muscle you exercise, the ability of getting out of your head and coming back to the now. With practice you'll be able to do this effortlessly without even trying, to the point where you live in the here and now permanently without going back into your head full of fear and doubts.
When you see that approach anxiety is only the act of being in your head and not in the present moment with a woman. You can see how the ability to leave that state at will can be beneficial to Game.
Here is the best book on the subject for anyone who wishes to learn how its done from a Master. Shunryu Suzuki is the Japanese Zen Master who brought Zen practice to the United States. It's a small book, contains no theology or religion, just practice:
Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind |
---------|
In one of the best and most succinct introductions to Zen practice, the important teacher Shunryu Suzuki discusses posture and breathing in meditation as well as selflessness, emptiness, and mindfulness. |
Buddhism isn't about becoming empty of emotion. The heart of the Buddha's teaching is transforming suffering into peace, joy, and liberation. There's even a book!
No problem, goodluck :)
By the way, since you mentioned Thich Nhat Hanh, I completely forgot, his Heart of the Buddha's Teaching is an amazing introduction to Buddhism. He's an exceptionally clear writer. However, personally, he can sometimes be a bit too Zen or New-Agey for me, but I'd still definitely recommend this book.
I really like https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Buddhas-Teaching-Transforming-Liberation/dp/0767903692/ as a good introductory book.
It's great to go to practice with a group, but even better if possible is to go practice with several groups, to get a feel for the variety of the traditions within Buddhism. You can then pick the one that feels best for you. Also, as your practice evolves, maybe you will start to feel a bit stuck somehow, and you will know about other groups that might help you get unstuck. Really Buddhism is like a vast toolbox or medicine chest. Use what helps you. As you evolve, your practice can and should evolve.
Ci sono diverse scuole buddiste con diverse interpretazioni dei sutra di Buddha e con pratiche diverse: le varie tibetane (più teorici ma anche meditazione), le varie scuole zen (più meditazione e koan), buddismo del s-e asiatico (mix strano), ecc...
Ti consiglio qualche titolo, magari leggili tutti, se leggi in inglese dovresti trovarli facilmente.
Magari inizia da Zen Mind e Joyful Wisdom.
I can identify with many of the replies to this post, so I wanted to share some personal insights that have helped me tremendously with these existential anxieties/depression (although I still struggle with them). Please excuse me if I'm not as well-spoken as others here, but I'm not a native speaker and... even worse, I'm an engineer.
First, you have to realize that this kind of existential anxiety has been recognized as part of the human condition by many philosophers and thinkers from almost the beginning of our recorded history. So, even though it is true that it can be hard to find peers to whom you can talk openly about these problems, and who will understand you from personal experience, this is not true if you count the experiences of the thousands of persons who had exactly the same feelings and have written about them. Of course they all had their own experiences, insights and solutions which may not apply to you, but it would be stupid to think that there is not some valuable wisdom to be gained from these thousands of years of tradition of thinking about these issues.
I don't want to elaborate too long about all the things out there, neither do I want to force my own opinions on others, but here are some personal recommendations:
Peace and good luck y'all.
There are some scathing reviews in there. Especially the one where he's talking about levitation.
I have to say that I don't completely disagree with some of the reviewers' complaints. Lama Surya Das is a decent writer in my opinion, and the book is entertaining. But as others have said, it really is more of an autobiography. And while he has led an interesting life, this is not why I originally read the book. He definitely tries to put a "Western spin" on Buddhism, and this is obviously because westerners are his target audience. But what winds up being produced is a new-age self-help kind of book.
If you are interested, my top 4 recommendations for easy to read, entertaining books that cover some different aspects/sects of Buddhism (in order of my personal preference) are as follows:
As I said, those are my personal favorites and will give you a good look at some of the major Buddhist traditions.
... there are more. These are consequences. Consequences of understanding that "you" don't really exist in any permanent fashion.
Anyway, I don't feel I can adequately do justice to this idea, but I see few answers.
Lots of books on the subject written by far smarter people. I recommend Jack Kornfield, or If your into Zen, read Zen Essence.
Those aren't books of instruction, ewk. They are popular collections of certain people's enlightenment encounters.
Is Red Pine's translation of Bodhidharma not a direct teaching? Are letters of practice instructions from Foyan, Yuanwu, and Hongzhi not direct teachings? I suppose that Takuan Soho's instructions to Munenori on maintaining no-mind in daily life doesn't count either?
Why is it better for novices to dive deep into stories about Gutei's finger or think about whether the flag moves or not than it is to read directly from Huangpo? Isn't that like asking a baby to chew a piece of meat?
Hmm yes, the comparison you made is between a collection of discourses from Master Huangbo and a collection of Koans and stories. I can recommend really any more discourse oriented Chan teachings ranging from Master Foyan's "Instant Zen" to the recorded sayings of Master Linji. The Recorded sayings of Master Linji also include some interactions and stories, but also some clear discourses from the Master... the same with the Recorded sayings of Master Zhaozhou, which is mostly interactions and some discourses. Another one that you might find interesting is "Ch’an Master Hui Hai- Zen Teaching of Instantaneous Awakening" or The Letters of Chan Master Dahui Pujue.... but really, reading those discourses and not doing the practice won't be very helpful... hence the 'clear discourses' are rather rare since you should penetrate it yourself directly and not have it chewed out by those old grandmothers
Because philosophy didn't make me happy the way I thought it would, so I started looking for other things. I found this obscure book 'Zen and the Art of Postmodern Philosophy — Two Paths of Liberation from the Representational Mode of Thinking.'
That showed me that a whole civilization out there was busy living outside of their thoughts (Zen), while I had been living inside my thoughts in the belief that that was the height of sophistication ('a life of the mind, how classy!')
So I started small, with Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind and just slowly read and met more teachers and practiced what seemed to get me out of that 'life of the mind' that I had been stuck in the whole time.
Meditation is amazing. Usually instructions for beginners say that it's best to start by focusing on your breathing. Watching every in and out breath as if it were the most important thing in the world. Since you can watch your body, it can not contain you-the-watcher. You discover, as you already have, that you can watch your thinking mind and again, since you can watch it, it can not contain you. So where and what are you? Some meditation guides, like zen, suggest you keep your eyes a tiny bit open, without focusing on anything, because if you close your eyes, you get drift away from reality and according to zen, the purpose of meditation is to experience pure reality prior to conceptualization. It's important to remain grounded and to avoid abstraction. Watching the breath is a good technique for remaining grounded in reality. Congrats on a great beginning. Check out Shunryo Suzuki's Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. In this book, he calls the thinking mind "small mind" and the observer mind "big Mind". It provides a good starting point but you can read it over and over and get more out of it every time.
“Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind” is a book Phil often cites and has give players. I think this is what you’re referring to.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1590308492/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_Fxt7AbVMYNV76
>He told me that he has never felt more calm and happy. [...] He says he is having an insight that no one else can possibly imagine because he says it scares them.
I've experienced just that. He will most likely come out of it. Like kirkirus said, just give him time to sort things out and he'll become more responsive.
Whatever he's thinking about, tell him that he is most likely not alone. Human beings in all cultures have spent months contemplating in isolation, and a lot of them have used psychedelic substances.
I would actually be very interested in hearing what your friend has to say. But well! Let him rest, and make sure to tell him you love him! Best of luck.
---
Also, The End of Your World by Adyashanti may be useful to him, or even to you! And perhaps this television series by Alan Watts for a different cultural context.
These two are good for all levels: A book on the Tao, A Thousand Names for Joy: Living in Harmony with the Way Things Are by Byron Katie. For using journaling to support meditation: Quiet Mind, Open Heart. Lots of thought provoking questions, as well as meditation practices.
For people who have practiced a while: The End of Your World: Uncensored Straight Talk on the Nature of Enlightenment. It can really help give direction beyond basics.
I'd like to second the simplicity of such insightful synthesis.
Apparently both -decreasing dissociation and fulfilling most-basic needs- are closely intertwined; and a major common obstacle to both lies precisely in the lack of self-trust we've been acculturated into adopting –making us believe that this process never actually happened and that we are indeed faulty and helpless by Nature's 'mistakes' (i.e. breaking through the Consensus Trance is a first step towards genuine self-agency).
Trust yourself all along the process
evenespecially when encountering difficulties -all along your trial-and-errors- for these are potential sources of great understanding and learning.​
>It's not the Path that is difficult,
>
>but the difficulty IS the Path.
–S. Kierkegaard.
​
​
Persevering in this attitude one may also get to fully experience a buddhist approach:
​
> Pleasure is not different from difficulty. Good is not different from bad. Bad is good; good is bad. They are two sides of one coin. We know we will experience both pleasure and difficulty. If you try to escape difficulty, your effort will be in vain.
>
> With the acceptance of the fact that everything changes, we can find pleasure in difficulty. This is the basic teaching of how to live in this world.
>
> You have to make the effort. Sometimes it is not so difficult, sometimes it is more difficult. That is okay. The important thing is to make the effort; accept that things change, and find perfection in imperfect existence.
–Shunryu Suzuki's Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind
​
​
cc: u/SRV1981 (here another author/works worth digging in)
The Visuddhimagga is a must own must read theravada commentary that is almost 2000 years old. Buy this if you buy anything, imo.
Hi Porkgreen,
It sounds like you're having an awakening. Strap in, buckle up, and take some deep breaths, but I can assure you that in the end everything will be just fine.
There are basically three levels on which things begin to restructure themselves such that your whole being is brought more into alignment with the truth of things. And when things are changing on all these levels it can feel quite disorienting. The three levels are the physio-energetic (aka the body, aka traditional kundalini), your external life (job, relationships, etc.), and your internal life (your sense of who and what you are).
When people begin to awaken, there are two main reasons they suffer. First, awakening brings phases of great change which most have a tendency to resist at least initially. Resisting 'What Is' will always bring suffering. Thus it's important to learn to surrender to, and trust in what is happening. You will need to meet your experience as it arises and learn to open to it, however it may reveal itself.
The second main reason people suffer during an awakening is that they feel disoriented as identities and external circumstances begins to change/fall away because they do not have a conceptual framework for understanding what is happening. This is where spiritual teachings can be helpful. A good teacher, even if a personal relationship isn't possible is extremely helpful. I recommend this book, and in general the Non-dual teachings of Adyashanti. He won't steer you wrong.
Weird energetic phenomena (pressure, vibrations, tingling, etc) and visions are normal. The important point here is not to indulge in them too much, and don't believe them (the visions especially). But if they arise, allow them to happen and just witness what is going on without believing or identifying with them.
If you live among close minded people, it may not be necessary to tell them about kundalini. However, act how you feel you should. Feel free to let me know if you have any more questions.
/r/awakened /r/streamentry
The buddhists know a lot about this subject, all religious doctrine aside the visuddhimagga is an in depth study of the mind, the self, and reality that's been written thousands of years ago. In summary, there really is no self. Humans are one of the only living creatures with a sense of self. Keyword sense. You can manipulate your sense of self through meditation by completely getting rid of it, or expanding it to everywhere around you, or back to the bounds of your body. Check out this book as well https://www.amazon.com/End-Your-World-Uncensored-Enlightenment/dp/1591797799
Unfortunately, science is barely catching up with what these guys have discovered and a lot of the terminology used is in another language. So it may come across as woo woo and new agey spiritual stuff but I would take a look at it and see for yourself.
EDIT: Also if you really look at yourself in the mirror for 10 to 15 minutes and try to find out where "you" are localized in space whether you think it's the eyes, the whole body, behind the eyes, or inside the brain, some very strange things will happen. No other species on this planet can tell that what they're seeing in a mirror is themselves.
SCIENCE: https://youtu.be/QeNmydIk8Yo?t=1190
You might want to check out these two books written by Master Zhiyi within the tradition
The Six Dharma Gates to the Sublime
The Essentials of Buddhist Meditation
In addition, I think the documentary Amongst White Clouds deals with Tiantai (Tendai) Buddhist practitioners in the mountains of China
*edited because I accidentally submitted comment before adding film link
For me a meditation that incorporates calming and insight has been the most beneficial. I don't have an example of one in particular that I could find so I e begun to formulate my own from a few different sources (the six dharma gates to the sublime, words of my perfect teacher, how to see yourself as you really are, mindfulness in plain English, and the anapanasati sutra
I could link to it once I have a draft finished if you think it would be helpful. And if anyone else has something already available I'm interested in trying it :)
tbh, I intended it to be taken fairly lightly, a bit tongue in cheek, it wasn't meant to be very serious advice, I leave that to people in the sub that actually practice Zen, I've just done some basic reading and sat with a nearby group on occasion
but, to make up for my error, if OP bothers to read this, I'll write something a bit more serious:
my understanding of Zen practice is that it all boils down to meditation, at least the way it's been imported to and developed in the West. I know here in the US in most larger cities there are quite a few Zen groups, my advice would be to go and ask for meditation instruction, they'll either have a teacher or materials they suggest you turn to - if you can't find a Zen center, I'd recommend a Shambhala center; their meditation instructors are pretty good, in my experience, and imo a beginner won't see a difference between zazen and shamatha
for books, many people recommend Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuku - I read and really enjoyed The Three Pillars of Zen by Philip Kapleau
hope this is helpful
If you are struggling in life, (in addition to the Magas) might I suggest the book, The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation by Thich Nhat Hanh. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011G3HD6I/ It helped me through a very rough time in my life. The book is about accepting your struggles, and instead of fighting the, finding peace within them.
Please read this book, it will help you a lot: https://www.amazon.com/End-Your-World-Uncensored-Enlightenment/dp/1591797799. It's basically written for you - you will relate, just like I did.
What I learned from it is what you're experiencing is normal - he says most people lose it before they gain it for good. And even then it's somewhat possible to lose it haha. What he says is it's all part of the process, it's important not to fight it, not to resist it, because the more you fight something the more you get of it.
I don't feel I'm gonna lose it, but I could be wrong and I don't much care either way. I was already pretty happy before it happened through openness and honesty. I had 1.5 years of the worst depression in my life before I learned to be happy. I'm not in a position to give advice (I feel like a newborn), but if I was forced to, I'd say: don't sweat over it, "sweating" is what ego does best, don't give it that power.
As for me, I meditate every day for 20-30 minutes because I find it enjoyable and I like the process of quieting my mind. I am also going to Vipassana in about a month. Mostly I plan to just chill and unfold with the flow. I distinctly feel that the fear of losing it is counter-productive. It's all ego talking.
Here's a book I wish I'd have found when I had my first experience like yours...
​
Enjoy the journey my friend.
I applaud you at your patience. You're not attacking, and appearing to stay very calm in your writings.
> I feel like you are not really addressing what I am talking about, and what you are saying doesn't help me understand this subject any better. So, let me give an example. You're living in village and group of men are outside wielding weapons. You know who they are, and you know that their plan is to kill, rape, and kidnap everyone they can (very common historical event). Let's say you have someway to stop this from happening, but it involves fighting. Do you fight, or do you just allow them to come in and commit atrocities to the ones you love?
This is what the Dali Lama did with Tibet. He allowed them to come in, and commit atrocities to the ones he loved. 1.2 million Tibetans, one-fifth of the country's population, died as a result of China's attack; many more languished in prisons and labor camps; and more than 6000 monasteries, temples and other cultural and historic buildings were destroyed and their contents pillaged. The Dali Lama knew that violence wasn't the answer. God doesn't attack others, he only loves them. Jesus doesn't see attack, EVER, he only sees cries for love. It's the Ego that sees attack, loss, death, suffering, sacrifice. NONE of these things are attributes of God. You're either walking towards the light, or keeping yourself in the dark.
The root issue is that you don't realize you are God himself, dreaming all of this. That IS the root issue which I was trying to address. Of course God's dreams would be "this real". God can pretend to do anything he wants to, including, being you. He isn't really you, he is God, he's only pretending to be a "you" in illusion.
When you go to the movies, you forget yourself. You get lost in the movie, the darkness of the theater. You don't sit there saying "I am me, I am me, I am me" the whole time you watch the movie. The whole point is that you get lost in it. This is what God is doing. He's given himself amnesia, forgetting himself, so that he can be fully immersed in his own illusion, his own movie. He wrote the whole script, he plays every part. Since you are him, it's really you that are doing all of this. Making the entire universe, playing every part, every person, every animal, every rock.
You list common historical events, and scenarios, but these things are likely not happening to YOU personally. Someone else in this thread said the same, you have to look in the 2 foot space around you. The ego plays tricks on you. If you see all of this as illusion, and you've personally never starved to death, was murdered, or killed, then how do you know it's not all a trick just to make yourself scared? I don't even mean your friend was killed, or your mother was attacked physically. I mean, have YOU been stabbed with a knife? You personally? Was it your DIRECT experience? What if it's all a trick, and the "really bad things" don't really exist, it's all a show of trick and light? Can you prove otherwise? If you did suffer some in your life, was it not just thoughts you were experiencing? "This is bad...(more thoughts) this is so bad...". This goes DEEP. You can't prove there is actually someone "else" inside any person you see. Sure, the "forms" act like they are alive, they are dancing around and showing what appears to be emotion, but because you CAN NOT experience the inside of another form you see, another BODY, you can't prove that there is anything going on in there. It could be shells of people walking around. It COULD all be a light projection from YOUR own mind. You create the world you WANT TO SEE. Perception is not real.
The ego will have GREAT resistance to this. It's likely saying that this is all crazy talk. That's it's job. If you see beyond the veil, it will burn up your entire world. Jed Mckenna wrote a great book about this here: http://www.reddit.com/r/enlightenment/top/
When your world does end, you can read Adyashanti's wonderfully helpful book here. Titled: The End of Your World
> Besides, if ACIM teaches that it is all an illusion and there is no punishment from sin, why not protect the innocent from torture and abuse?
Because there is no one else out there, it's only you. There is no one to protect. If someone did come into your house, and attack YOU personally, it would be you only doing it to yourself. It's up to you how you want to handle yourself. You can love yourself, or you can attack yourself back. What happens physically is meaningless, because illusions don't have meaning (Lesson 1). How you choose to see a situation, as LOVE or MURDER is up to you. God always chooses Love without question, the Ego always chooses Murder without question.
> I'm very passionate about my spiritual and intellectual journey, but I worry that aspects of ACIM negate critical thought.
God does not need thought. God is infinite. Thought is limiting. We use thoughts to POINT beyond illusion and that's about it at best. Thought itself is what created this whole mess to begin with. Critical thinking IS the Ego. We want to move to the infinite intelligence that's beyond Thought. The place where thoughts come FROM. You seem to think that you pick your thoughts. You absolutely do not. You do not go into a library of billions of thoughts, and say "I want THAT one next". You merely sit there and one appears. Then another thought appears, then another. It's the ego that possesses us and says "I am these thoughts". You are none of them. At best you can say you are the awareness in which thoughts appear. This Eckhart Tolle video which is his book The Power Of Now, explains this excellently.
From ACIM Workbook Lesson 10: http://acimsearch.org/workbook-for-students/wb-010/
> “My thoughts do not mean anything.”
> This idea applies to all the thoughts of which you are aware, or become aware in the practice periods. The reason the idea is applicable to all of them is that they are not your real thoughts. We have made this distinction before, and will again.You have no basis for comparison as yet. When you do, you will have no doubt that what you once believed were your thoughts did not mean anything.
If you really want to wake up, and aren't just playing games with yourself, do the workbook lessons, and ask the holy spirit for help (for real, out loud, even if you feel silly).
Finally, thank you Brother, (or Sister) for your genuine questions and well written responses. I can only learn as I teach for they happen simultaneously. I'm grateful for this interaction.
This book will teach you the basics and understanding. I very highly recommend it to you.
http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Buddhas-Teaching-Transforming-Liberation/dp/0767903692/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1465259878&sr=8-4&keywords=buddhism
Edit: Youll see the name Thich Nhat Hanh often. His reading are, in my opinion, the easiest to understand.
> How do the tathāgatagarbha ideas fit into the Madhyamaka
You'll find a lot of background on this from one of the most popular Buddhist teachers around - Thich Nhat Hanh. In particular refer to his book Zen Keys, and his seminal book The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching. He also goes into quite some depth about Yogacara in his book Understanding the Mind.
I was a big fan of DT Suzuki's writings when I was a beginner. Check out Outline of Mahayana Buddhism. The Kindle version is only $0.99!
Thich Nhat Hanh's The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching is also very popular for beginners, but I caveat this by saying that TNH uses a very unique language... his attempt at being poetic and reaching the western audience in a very particular way, so while he transmits a true understanding of the dharma, it can be as difficult a learning curve as it is now to have that translate to broader Mahayana ideas and terminology.
The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching is probably the best for OP to start with.
Uhm.. it all depends on what you want to write about!
Im sure google would help in your search as well
I really enjoyed The Heart of the Buddha's Teachings by Thich Nhat Hanh. Could be another good one to help introduce you to some things.
If you like that, check out "The heart of Buddha's Teaching" by Thich Nhat Hanh. This book really helped me put a lot of thought into my everyday life.
http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Buddhas-Teaching-Thich-Nhat/dp/0767903692/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1300900345&sr=1-1
I've been reading Thich Nhat Hanh's Peaceful Action, Open Heart, which is wonderful, concurrently with A Guide to the Threefold Lotus Sutra, by Nikkyo Niwano, that gives a concise overview of each chapter. It also helps to have an introduction, in the form of a talk or short articles. There's a short chapter in Cultivating the Mind of Love on this Sutra.
I was at a retreat with TNH in the 1990's where he spoke about the Avatamsaka and Lotus Sutras, that's since been issued by Sounds True as The Ultimate Dimension.
Most of the talks were on the foundational practices for entering into the kinds of experiences described in these Sutras, and I found that his framing them in this way actually made them accessible. Remarkable!
These are good places to start.
As Thay said in his commentary, these are not so much works to be studied with the rational part of ourselves as they are to be received as inspired poetry, lived with and enjoyed. Then meaning of these sutras and the truth they speak of can reveal themselves to us gradually.
He says, in the beginning of The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching:
“When we hear a Dharma talk or study a sutra, our only job is to remain open. Usually when we hear or read something new, we just compare it to our own ideas. If it is the same, we accept it and say that it is correct. If it is not, we say it is incorrect. In either case, we learn nothing. If we read or listen with an open mind and an open heart, the rain of the Dharma will penetrate the soil of our consciousness.
“The gentle spring rain permeates the soil of my soul.
A seed has lain deeply in the earth for many years just smiles.
“When reading or listening, don’t work too hard. Be like the earth. When the rain comes, the earth only has to open herself up to the rain. Allow the rain of the Dharma to come in and penetrate the seeds that are buried deep in your consciousness.
“A teacher cannot give you the truth. The truth is already in you. You only need to open yourself - body, mind, and heart - so that his or her teachings will penetrate your own seeds of understanding and enlightenment. If you let the words enter you, the soil and the seeds will do the rest of the work.”
Best wishes to you in your practice.
To attain right view is to really understand by experience (wisdom) the teaching of the four noble truths.
Right resolve/intention, would be that the backbone of your practice and desire to learn more about buddhism etc, is to help ease the suffering of all beings (including yourself).
Right action, speech, livelihood are basically that you behave accordingly with right view and intention. Etc etc.
Honestly i dont like the way of separating each into groups like that. All the eightfold path are completely related and dependent on one another. To have one, you need them all.
Here's a book recommendation. Great thich nhat hanh book, that does a phenomenal job explaining the core teachings.
https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Buddhas-Teaching-Transforming-Liberation/dp/0767903692
Quite simply, read this: http://www.amazon.com/The-Heart-Buddhas-Teaching-Transforming/dp/0767903692
There are a lot of different approaches to Buddhism.
Thich Nhat Hanh's The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation is a great introduction.
This is kind of relevant: https://i.imgur.com/DSSOL.jpg
While this may not be everything you're looking for, it should be able to give you an idea of what Buddhism is about.
This is coming from a Buddhist-atheist
Edit: there's also this book on amazon.
Also found this: https://youtu.be/b4r4cgCiZGw
The most informative resources will be through books on the subject, such asthis one by Thich Nhat Hanh that I often reference. sites like tricycle.org and lionsroar.com also have various, more condensed, articles on the subject as well
The Dhammapada was the first book I bought on Buddhism. I carried it around for about 6 months, reading it over and over. It led me to study and practice Buddhism, which has become so dear to me, and life changing. I have read or glanced over the other books, especially enjoying the i Ching, but the Dhammapada was so simple and pure that it really spoke to me. If you chose to pursue more information on Buddhism I'd suggest getting a book like this next.
If you have the patience for it, listening to the current Dalai Lama can be interesting. Here are some recordings of his appearance in Mountain View, CA in 2001 (the "Heart Sutra" mp3 files). The only problem is he speaks slowly and with an accent, so if you have a short attention span or aren't really that interested, it probably isn't for you. You can probably get similar material in book form, but I don't have a reference handy. (edit: duh, the link to [Essence of the Heart Sutra](
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0861713184/ref=lamrimcom) on that page is probably the way to go.)
The interesting thing about the Dalai Lama is that he's totally into accepting and integrating scientific results, and his interpretation of Buddhism reflects that, being more metaphorical in cases where something would obviously be in conflict with reality if taken literally. This doesn't usually appear forced, because much of Buddhism is expressed metaphorically, so it's really those who take it too literally who are probably missing the point a bit.
Re Alan Watts, first of all it's important to note that he focused on Zen Buddhism, which is one of the most distinct branches of Buddhism, quite different from most of the others. Second, you have to keep in mind that he was one of the earliest popularizers of Zen in the West, and as such his personal perspective perhaps had a greater influence on his approach than those who came later, once there was a more established Western Zen tradition. Part of that personal perspective was a somewhat Californian proto-New Age ethic which used Buddhism as a prop for ideas that didn't themselves come from Buddhism, and combined them with Western ideas about psychology and cosmology. The ones you mention, like "we are all one" etc., certainly fit that mold. If you look at the sources in Buddhism for such positions, they are never quite as literal as Watts tends to imply.
For a no-nonsense intro book to Zen, you could try something like Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. It focuses on teaching how and why to do Zen meditation, along with plenty of psychology and philosophy, but very little by way of Watts-style mysticism.
Yeah, but then some days I wonder if I'm such a nihilist that I would never even consider myself a nihilist. A potentially terrifying prospect! What can you do.
If you wanted, Zen Mind Beginner's Mind is a good, quick, accessible read. Basically its about knowing enough to know that you know nothing. I'm not sure how Jehovah's Witnesses feel about cross-pollination, but a lot of Christian sects, particularly those crazy Jesuits, integrate Zen into their practice since, as I've said, it's more of a practice than a belief system. I've even meditated with a Muslim friend, although I'm pretty sure any Imam would have considered that a no-no. I like your style.
Nice, man. I wish for you to persevere in your practice. Just like you I've studied and now practice Zen, Buddhism, and some of the Taoism.
I should look into the set of authors you've written. If you have time look into it, some of the books I found most inspiring in my practice are:
Zen mind, Beginner's Mind
Not always so
The two above are for inspiration and breathtaking take on the spirit of practice, the once below are for the practical and daily aspects of the practice:
Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha - Supremely useful!
Mindfulness in Plain English - Of course "Beyond Mindfulness" is equally as impressive, just goes into a greater detail on what to expect, and how to achieve higher jhanas.
I've read about it in this book: http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Tantra-Lama-Thubten-Yeshe/dp/0861711629/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417589506&sr=1-2&keywords=introduction+to+tantra+lama+yeshe
Hope that helps.
This may be preferred:
http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Tantra-Lama-Thubten-Yeshe/dp/0861711629/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376586725&sr=1-1&keywords=introduction+to+tantra
It covers similar concepts but in a more comprehensible way.
I recommend Khen Geshe Tashi Tsering's series: https://www.amazon.com/Four-Noble-Truths-Foundation-Buddhist/dp/0861712706/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
He's the new Abbot of Sera Mey.
Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand by Phabongha Rinpoche is the incomparable old school manual to Enlightenment.
https://www.amazon.com/Liberation-Palm-Your-Hand-Enlightenment/dp/0861715004/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1512619170&sr=1-1&keywords=liberation+hand
This is my first time posting here. I'm going to pledge an hour and a half every day for the next 66 days. I look forward to being a part of this virtual sangha, and I wish you all the best of luck with your practice. I've practiced meditation for a year and a half now, but have only become serious about it for 3 months. I'm currently reading Wisdom Wide and Deep, which is an excellent guide to jhana and vipassana that I recommend to anyone interested in Buddhist meditation.
17th April (1/66): 1 hour anapanasati sitting on a chair in the morning, 30 minutes anapanasati sitting in half-lotus position before bed. It's getting much easier for me to make the full hour and the surge of pleasure following meditation is growing stronger. Both recollection of the object and equanimous experience of thoughts are slowly becoming easier. Uncomfortable sitting posture has always been a hindrance to my meditation, but daily stretching is making half-lotus position easier to remain in. Looking forward to sitting in full lotus position.
An overview of Mahasi style noting:
Part 1,
Part 2, and
Part 3
Wisdom Wide and Deep by Shaila Catherine is very thorough and covers many insight practices.
If you want to understand and experience jhana I would recommend reading Wisdom Wide and Deep: A Practical Handbook for Mastering Jhana and Vipassana.
Thanks for the link. Looks interesting.
There might be a bit of rebuilding concentration, but not much in my experience. The key for Leigh's method is feedback loops. Once the mind has found a pleasant object to focus on, it stops chasing after other sensations, and it allows itself to get absorbed with little effort. This in turn deepens the pleasant sensation which in turn deepens absorption and so on. Leigh's method works.
I don't know enough about Rasmussen and Snyder to say much, but it is possible that they are talking about a deeper level of absorption that can be cultivated...where you stop hearing sounds around you, and the senses are almost or completely withdrawn. This (I think) requires a different approach than Leigh's.
But, the lighter jhanas are enough to get the work done. (some people say you only really need access concentration). If you'd like to hear from a more experienced practitioner about the subtleties we're dancing around here, check out Upasaka Culadasa's retreat on the Jhanas.
edit: And Pa-Auk wrote the foreword to Wisdom Wide and Deep. Which is great. And so I'm remembering that he does emphasize the deeper absorptions.
If you want to find the Oneness and bliss back, you can do it with Jhana meditation. You don't need drugs. Jhana is the Buddhist way of connecting with the One and feeling that bliss. There are two great books about Jhana meditation on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0861715608/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/086171623X/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
In addition to 1 hour of meditation a day, you must help the situation with the following:
Do these four things to yourself, and you will see a major change to your being within 15-20 days.
Not OP, but "Zen Essence" is a personal favorite of mine. Pretty accessible and practical: https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Essence-Shambhala-Dragon-Editions/dp/1570625883/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483999173&sr=8-1&keywords=zen+essence
Also, read the poem Faith In Mind, which is often argued as all one needs to read (plus it's fairly short):
http://www.age-of-the-sage.org/buddhism/third_patriarch_zen.html
The jar represents entangling thoughts and calculations/confusions.
Kicking it over is zen.
What is zen? Words can only barely point to it, but here is a start:
https://www.reddit.com/r/zen/wiki/lineagetexts
Or here:
https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Essence-Shambhala-Dragon-Editions/dp/1570625883
You could check out the Hsin Hsin Ming, but there are some issues with relying on only a single text. If you treat it as an explanation of your own life, and then bring your own ideas into it, you end up with a modified version of your own ideas, which isn't what Zen talks about.
So, I'd recommend you try and read many different authors that talk about the same thing, in the form of Zen Essence, or just by buying a bunch of different Zen Master books and studying until you see the common theme outside of words.
Here!
I'd guess it's from that same book he mentioned before, http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Essence-Shambhala-Dragon-Editions/dp/1570625883
You can find Cleary’s translation collected in Zen Dawn, also including Shenxiu’s Bodhidharma Treatise and the Sudden Enlightenment Treatise.
I like the zen cases, and the "sayings of literature" for the zen characters where its available. There are the Sayings of Joshu, Sayings of Layman Pang, and Sayings of Dongshan.
Some translations are so horrible, and the preface/introduction parts so slanted it is hard to take, but if you have any immunity at all to religious rhetoric, you should be able to cope with texts like
https://www.amazon.com/Sayings-Layman-Pang-Classic-China/dp/1590306309
and
https://www.amazon.com/Recorded-Sayings-Zen-Master-Joshu/dp/157062870X/ref=pd_sim_14_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=157062870X&pd_rd_r=ZD18X8D9RYN83KG1972P&pd_rd_w=xOAri&pd_rd_wg=U5T69&psc=1&refRID=ZD18X8D9RYN83KG1972P
and
https://www.amazon.com/Just-This-Dongshan-Practice-Suchness/dp/1611802288/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1519943814&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=Sayings+of++Dongshan
People get very particular, find their favorite editions and translations, go very deep into it, but for me, years ago, starting out, even this simple little book
https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Flesh-Bones-Collection-Writings/dp/B001Q745TS/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1519943904&sr=1-2&keywords=Paul+Reps+flesh+bones
or
https://www.amazon.com/Way-Zen-Alan-W-Watts/dp/0375705104/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1519943976&sr=1-1&keywords=alan+watts+the+way+of+zen
were real gifts that I could and did read over and over. The main thing is to pick up the scent and be able to avoid frauds that take you down a dead end or a different path than what the zen stories were pointing to.
If you don't mind u/ewk, just look at the texts he quotes in his posts: https://np.reddit.com/user/ewk/submitted/
there is a treasure right there, for free.
Huangbo as an intro is LAME
Joshu is full of such lines as "Your mother is ugly", "The girl in pigtails is present", and "Get out of my fucking sunlight."
Don't believe me??
Ask the dishes!Read the sayings of Joshu to find out!Well first off, figure out your goals and seek out a position that best aligns with them.
Second, and very importantly during the day-to-day work, enough caffeine to kill a small child.
Finally, this book can teach you a lot about getting the most from difficult situations. https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Mind-Beginners-Shunryu-Suzuki/dp/1590308492
There are several popular 'flavors' of Buddhism, but unfortunately I have not read any general overview books covering all of the sects. Most of my generalized knowledge has come from podcasts like Buddhist Geeks and Zencast. Gil Fronsdal and Jack Kornfield are both enjoyable to listen to.
But back to books!
The most accessible Zen book I've read was Nishijima's To Meet The Real Dragon. Other overviews like Alan Watt's What Is Zen and Shunryu Suzuki's Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind are good but a little obtuse.
And while I can't give it a general recommendation because the writing style isn't for everyone, I really enjoyed Brad Warner's Hardcore Zen and Sit Down and Shut Up.
Of those mentioned, I would go with To Meet the Real Dragon unless you prefer a much more informal style -- then I would pick Hardcore Zen.
Opening the Hand of Thought and Zen Mind, Beginners Mind have both been very helpful to me. Especially the second one, but the first one is a little easier to understand.
In Zen, there's sort-of an oddity. How-tos are often blended with Introductory texts. Both of those books have sections that describe the practice of Zazen more then sufficiently enough to begin.
There's also the r/buddhism and r/zen subreddits, which both have plenty of helpful recommendations and explanations.
Good luck :)
Describe the Four Noble Truths? I sometimes like looking at Wikipedia's simple english version of pages to get good, short overviews of things. I don't think that description of the first step of the Eightfold Path is very good though. The normal english article is better for that one, but other than that it's a good summery.
Many Zen teachers express things differently. They might not go into a lot of detail or focus on lists and texts as much. There are also some differences. For example under Right Action, some Japanese Zen lineages allow monks to marry and have families. In general though all that page will still apply to Zen.
Zen is pretty hard to learn on your own. Koans, which are things you might call spiritual questions, make up a lot of the practice in a lot of Zen, and to practice them you pretty much need to be working with a teacher. I don't know of any good resources that I'd recommend for learning to practice Zen on your own.
If you'd like a good book to learn about Zen from an scholarly point of view this is a good one. It's only going to teach you about Zen, like things you'd learn about the subject if you took a college class. It won't teach you how to practice Zen. If you'd like a book that isn't from an academic point of view this is a nice one, but still, it's not really going to teach you how to practice Zen.
thanks, I will. i have my own reading materials.
An old guy who lived in China has a great answer for this question:
>Meet the ancestral teachers, be familiar with their instruction
Song of the Grass-Roof Hermitage - translation by Daniel Leighton
Basically, learn from other people. The Zen teachings are based on the writings of masters going back to the 5th century. However, these writings aren't particularly accessible. Luckily, we are currently living through an explosion of Buddhism in the west and there are many teachers that explain these ancient concepts in a manner that westerners can understand easily.
Here are some recommendations for entry level, western-targeted Zen books:
>Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind - Shunryu Suzuki
Suzuki Roshi was one of the earliest Zen masters to immigrate to the United States back in the 1960's. His teachings are very simple and fundamental. He gets at the very heart of Zen in a concise, plain manner. This book is a collection of transcribed Dharma talks he gave in California during the 60's. It is likely the most well known book on Zen in the west. It is short and clearly written, making it one of the best places to start learning about Zen.
> The Miracle of Mindfulness - Tich Nhat Hanh
Tich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Zen monk. He has been a huge contributor to the spread of Zen in the west. He has established practice centers in France, New York, California, Mississippi, and Germany. This book is a practical guide to bringing Zen practice into your life. He offers a lot of analogies that make you take a step back and think about the way you live your life. Another short and accessible book.
> Inside the Grass Hut - Ben Connelly
Ben was my guitar teacher for many years before he introduced me to Zen. He is a Zen priest in the lineage of Dainin Katagiri, the founding abbot of the Minnesota Zen Mediation Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This book is a study of the poem I have linked and quoted above, The Song of the Grass-Roof Hermitage by the 8th century Zen master Shitou. It was extremely useful book for me when I was at my darkest point. Ben distills Shitou's somewhat arcane parables into a simple, practical set of recommendations for living a life that will free you of suffering. Ben offers a lot of insight into incorporating Zen practice into a modern lifestyle. Like the other two, it also short and easy to read. This is a great introduction to what a lot of historic Zen writing is like. I think it is a particularly useful book for people struggling with addiction. Ben had some trouble with alcohol himself and I believe he is 10+ years sober.
Those are some great places to start, but you can read all the books you want about Zen and not get the picture if you don't meditate. Meditation is the foundation of Zen and all of Buddhist practice. The great thing about meditation is that you can do it on your own just about anywhere. The Miracle of Mindfulness gives a good description of how to meditate. There are also plenty of free resources available online. There are many ways to meditate and it is best to find one that works for you.
A daily mediation habit is not an easy thing to develop. Similar to abstinence, it takes discipline and commitment. I still struggle with it myself. It is, however, the best way to fully realize the benefits of Zen. Some things that might help with this is to find a Sangha to practice with or download an app like Headspace. Having a community to practice with has been the biggest help in getting me on the zafu. Doing something with other people makes it easier to do, a little bit like how this subreddit works. Headspace is really popular, although I have not used it myself. It can be used to track mediation sessions and work towards mediation goals. The app that I have found useful is MindBell, but really it's just a glorified timer. The last thing I would recommend are the guided meditations by Jon Kabat Zinn. JKZ is a professor emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and has conducted many clinical studies on the benefits of mindfulness in medicine and healthcare. He is a long time practitioner of Zen and has written several books about his work. I haven't read much of his work, but I have utilized his guided meditations extensively. I particularly like this body scan one. Even when I was at my most depressed and couldn't find the strength to get out of bed, I was able to get myself to queue this video up and follow along. There are a lot of other guided meditations floating around the web. I also like this one by Sam Harris that's only 9 minutes.
Zen is not necessarily an easy thing to get involved in. It requires a commitment of time and it is not particularly fun or pleasurable. However, any level of Zen practice will produce concrete rewards. If you have any question, I am always available for answers.
Come join us over at [/r/meditation] (http://www.reddit.com/r/Meditation). It'll keep your reddit browsing a bit more mindful.
As a personal recommendation, a great book, and guide, on a keeping a clear mind is [Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind] (http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Mind-Beginners-Shunryu-Suzuki/dp/1590308492) by Shunryu Suzuki. Being in the present isn't a destination, it's a practice!
When you find yourself thinking too much about the possible futures and mistakes of the past, just breathe in and breathe out, and focus on that. Nothing like some oxygen to remind the mind and body where it is (right here).
Like most religions, different sects focus more or less on on different components of everything that fulls under the umbrella of "Buddhism" and Buddhist thought.
In my limited experience, I've found that you can subscribe to many/most of Buddhism's core tenets without contradicting the core tenets of Christianity and other religions. In fact, there's a name for people consider themselves both Jewish and Buddhist (Jew-Bus). Same with Unitarian Universalists (UU-Budus).
2 basic ideas about Buddhism that I'm attracted to:
I'm in the middle of reading Rebel Buddha by Dzogchen Ponlop. Seems like a good primer for someone with basic questions.
I appreciate you responding to me and taking me up on a debate. I can tell that you really put time and effort into thinking about these particular issues and thats great.
I think in order to get the whole gist of buddhism you should try to look it through the view of someone else who claims to know about buddhism https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Buddhas-Teaching-Transforming-Liberation/dp/0767903692/ref=pd_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=A88VX0WPXS0XGDAPBRNF this book is great for plenty of reasons, goes throughout the history of how we know what we know and what that means.
I would say that your view of karma is correct in a sense, however its not the whole idea. To be honest I think a lot of the things in Buddhism can get lost without proper practice. That reading on the idea of emptiness and reading on the idea of no-self can be disconcerting and misunderstood. The only way to fully grasp these ideas is to practice. By practicing the ideas taught through meditation we can fully understand and embrace the teachings.
In terms of reincarnation I believe reincarnation to be true (maybe not in the same sense that you believe), and true we cannot scientifically test this to be true. But I do believe I have a intellectually rational view on the subject.
I think if you are interested in Buddhist philosophy you should try meditation and "buddhist like practice", its scientifically proven that meditation does great things and you can even approach the meditation from a secular point of view.
If you need any resources let me know. I would also not mind continuing this discussion if you are inclined to do so.
I'm not sure that this is a forum that specializes in issues of this nature, though we may be able to provide support in related areas of subject matter. I would assume that many of us have been in the business of confronting and dealing with our various pains, sufferings, and other shadows in the dark night of the soul.
History and myth are ripe with tales beings of ambiguous or crossed genders. They have played an important part of many traditions as symbols and sacred figures representing alchemical principles and equanimity of the soul, an androgyny that forms a balanced human being comprised of both masculine and feminine principles.
It is my opinion that if you face this conflict within you earnestly and seek to understand it that you will begin to unravel the knot of your pain and come to a better understanding of what is going on within you. Learn self-reflection and seek to understand yourself. Helpful tools include meditation and consumption of as much relevant literature on any related subjects.
Possible starting points:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermaphroditus
http://chemicalmarriage.wordpress.com/2011/03/23/the-great-hermaphrodite-explained/
http://pathofsoul.org/2013/03/09/carl-jung-the-hermaphrodite-creative-union-of-opposites/
For a compassionate guide to practicing self-reflection and meditation I cannot recommend a better starting point than The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh. I would make the case to you that it will help you do the real hard work of refining yourself as a human being. And if you do decide to delve further into occult practice and study, a good foundation in meditation, mindfulness, and present moment awareness can be invaluable, particularly on chemognostic psychedelic voyages into other realms of reality.
I apologize if this is not the sort of thing that you are looking for. Magic and occult practice isn't necessarily about quick fixes and easy solutions. But I can almost guarantee that if you work at it sincerely it will be transformative of who you are in unexpected and most often beneficial ways. Good luck and feel free to message if there is anything I can do to further assist you.
Thanks for your response Shuun. I've been exposed to these by this book (get the audio if you can as Ben Kingsley's read is wonderful). https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Buddhas-Teaching-Transforming-Liberation/dp/0767903692
Ty has done a lovely job updating the precepts for modern living too including things like how what you eat effects the climate of the world and how sensory entertainment effects right mind.
Anyhow, I am definitely putting these into practice daily, it's definitely a process which is why I was meant to find the word Kenshō.
In the chan tradition, they have what are known as an Upāsaka a lay person who abides by the precepts without need for ordaining or staying within the temple. This is definitely the middle path I'm taking.
Came here to suggest this book. It is sitting on my shelf right now.
Link to the Amazon Store
>"If you and Mom sit here and take his shit, then that's on you guys. It's not my fault if you don't want to stand up to him."
this is a good sentiment because you'd just be enabling his bs. Eventually they will enable him or get tired of it.
>I can't dye my hair, get piercings, or get tattoos which to me are all things that are beautiful. Plus being overweight. I don't even want to try to lose weight because I feel like I still won't be beautiful and like I'm never going to be able to be myself and love myself.
You seem really concerned with your outward image and it seems like a lot of energy is spent worrying about this. If you feel so negatively about it, then you should do what you can to improve it instead of doing nothing. This is a big problem for you that you have the power to fix, SO FIX IT. less shit on your plate, know what I mean? And you don't have to have a strict regiment of working out and stuff. Just change your diet, go walking, and the fat will fall off. Use myfitnesspal to log your calories too. also don't weigh yourself all the time.
It seems like youre stuck in a depression and it sucks but in order for things to be different, YOU have to be different. It will seem pointless at times, but work towards the change you want to happen. You say that you believe your image limits your income and you generally don't feel happy about it? Diet and exercise is a good place to start.(I lost almost 40lbs when I became a vegan last november. I never go to the gym, but if you do this make sure you are eating for nutrition too)
As for work, look into retail sales merchandiser positions if you have a car. Most have super flexible schedules.
You may not have anyone that understands, but that's okay because you have yourself. While corny, true happiness comes from within. Those that cant find it in within themselves waste time and energy constantly searching for the next thing to provide them pleasure in things that are impermanent. this is a good book
Understanding yourself and taking wisdom from where you can is paramount, for the applications derived from both are innumerable
This might be just what you need right now. It can't hurt to try.
Hmm, good question. I can't claim to have read a lot of Thay's work (because as you said, there's quite a bit), but my hunch based on what I have read is that where you should start depends on your current knowledge of Buddhism.
Thay seems to write two types of books: a "general audience" type book that draws on Buddhism, but only to the extent that the teachings can be practiced by anyone regardless of their background. The Miracle of Mindfulness might be an example of this, or his "one-word-title books" as I call them: Power, Savor, Fear, etc.
The other type of book he writes seems to be intended for readers who either are already Buddhist or interested in going more deeply into Buddhist teachings. To know where to start with these works, a lot depends on how familiar you already are with the Buddha's teachings. I can tell you the order I read them, which seemed to work quite well:
Started with: The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: This is Thay's overview of the core teachings of Buddhism. I see this book like this: if Buddhism was a country, this would be a map of it. It shows you all the major points of interest, and the roads connecting all of them together. After reading this, you'll have a good grasp of what the different pieces of Buddhism are and how they work together to help you toward awakening/enlightenment.
But if you've never read anything about Buddhism at all before, I'm personally not sure if this is a good first book as it's not exactly a light read. Don't get me wrong: it's written with Thay's usual elegance and clarity, but it's packed with a lot of stuff (in the best sense). I was already somewhat familiar with the basics of Buddhism, so for me it was easy to build on that; but for someone brand new, I think the "general audience" books would still be a better start.
After that first book: In the first book itself, Thay recommends three sutras every serious practitioner should study regularly: the Bhaddekaratta Sutra, the Anapatasati Sutra, and the Satipatthana Sutra. Thankfully, Thay has translated and written commentaries on all three sutras and my links go to his books on these sutras.
Not much more I can share given that I'm about halfway through Thay's book on the Anapanasati Sutra. What I can say is that I can see why he says these are sutras to be studied throughout your life. They have some really powerful teachings that I have no doubt will take me years to grasp and practice properly.
Hope that helps. I'm sure others have read far more of Thay's work than I have, and can either correct my attempt here or give better recommendations.
>what does the Buddha mean when he references his teachings simply as a raft meant to cross a river in Chapter 6[1] ?
This is actually a very deep simile, rich with many layers of meaning. I've sat here for a while and typed out several explanations, then deleted them realizing none of them captures all the levels of what the Buddha was saying here. That would be an entire essay, really.
The essence of it is that the Buddha did not want people to get caught up in his words, thinking that by analyzing his words they would attain enlightenment. He had to use words because that was the primary way he could communicate the Dhamma, but what he was teaching is beyond words.
This connects to your second question, because later in the Diamond Sutra the Buddha said:
>Subhuti, as to speaking truth, no truth can be spoken.
A clue to understanding this is given by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh when he wrote in The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching (emphasis mine): "Right View is the absence of all views."
So when you ask, "Here is my view now, is it valid?" The answer is most likely "No."
The Buddha taught purely out of compassion. He didn't teach because we lacked something, or he needed to "save" us, or any of that. He sat for days after his enlightenment deciding what to do, because he realized that there was nothing to do. And that is why he says there is no teaching, and that to consider the teaching as having an existence is false.
You are therefore right to connect no-self with the non-existence of the teaching as well. The teaching of no-self, anatta, is something also deep and requiring a good teacher to go through with you. I am definitely not a master or teacher of that caliber, so all I can do is recommend this video on non-self that might help you understand it.
Yea sure! it was this book. I bought the audio version on itunes https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Buddhas-Teaching-Transforming-Liberation/dp/0767903692
That one looks interesting, had not heard of it before. You may also want to check out this one http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Buddhas-Teaching-Transforming-Liberation/dp/0767903692/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1382492646&sr=1-5&keywords=thich+nhat+hanh
I was able to incorporate a lot of these teachings into my daily life after reading it.
All you need is Love!
Speaking of love, how about this one?
I like this book by Thich Nhat Hanh and this one by Charlotte Joko Beck.
Googling "Buddhism" will provide you with a treasure trove. The about.com Buddhism page isn't bad.
Thich Nhat Hanh's The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching is a really wonderful primer I discovered recently. My own introduction was the free podcast by Gil Fronsdal. He's a terrific speaker and communicates from an easy Western perspective.
I bought an audiobook from Audible; turns out they're full of shit about everything and my players weren't supported, so I torrented the mp3. Bought the e-book off of Amazon I think. Can't remember specifically but it's available online if you look around a bit.
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Mind-Beginners-Informal-Meditation/dp/0834800799
Google Books: http://books.google.co.za/books/about/Zen_Mind_Beginner_s_Mind.html?id=syLKN1q19NgC&redir_esc=y
Honestly a lot Eastern religions are non-theist, like Buddhism or Taoism (I realize they certainly have mystic elements). But I would recommend checking out those religions. Here's a good book on Zen: http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Mind-Beginners-Informal-Meditation/dp/0834800799
Depends what you mean by questioning your religion and heck what your religion is currently.
http://www.amazon.com/Four-Noble-Truths-Foundation-Buddhist/dp/0861712706
Can't go past this series. Also the dalai lamas 'how to see yourself as you really are' is a great read
It's very good that you had little if any planning/intention, and no satisfaction after committing the negative karma:
"A karmic act has three stages that determine whether it is complete or incomplete. The three stages are: intention, action, satisfaction.
... Intention is the will, the wanting to do something--whether it is positive, negative, or neutral, and whether it is apparently operating or not. Without an intention, the mind does not move toward an action. After intention comes the action itself, which can be physical, verbal, or mental.
After we complete the action, we experience a sense of relief or satisfaction. Sometimes this is translated as rejoicing, but I prefer satisfaction. If within one volitional action all three aspects are present--the intention to do something, the actual action, and the sense of satisfaction at its completion--then from a Buddhist perspective it is a complete action.
... If we steal on the spur of the moment, with no premeditated intention, the result will not be as heavy as it would be had we formed the intention in advance.
... Similarly, if we sincerely regret a negative action rather than feeling satisfaction, the result will be less pronounced." - Geshe Tashi Tsering
---
Consider making amends.
"The Buddhist teaching is that it is possible to neutralize negative karmic seeds embedded in the stream of consciousness. Deeds cannot be undone, but it is possible to purify one's mind-stream so that the impact of karmic seeds will be nullified. The method used to purify the mind-stream is the "four remedial powers." The metaphor for the effectiveness of the four remedial powers is that of burning a seed. Karma, like a seed, can be scorched in the fire of purification so that it will not sprout. The seed won't vanish, but it will not sprout.
The first of the four remedial powers is remorse, regarding a misdeed as detrimental. [Remorse is sincerely focusing on a misdeed, taking responsibility for it, and regretting having done it. Remorse also includes acknowledging consequences... Remorse is hazardous when conflated with guilt. Remorse is wholesome because it focuses on an event. Guilt is an afflictive state of mind focused on the self as in, "I am an unworthy person." Guilt, a reification of the self around negative tendencies, is simply another mental affliction. Properly directed remorse, on the other hand, can be very helpful for disengaging from unwholesome tendencies.](https://www.amazon.com/Buddhism-Attitude-Tibetan-Seven-Point-Training/dp/1559392002
)
... The second remedial power is reliance. When we have harmed other sentient beings, the remedial power of reliance is cultivating compassion for others;
... The third of the four remedial powers is resolve, turning away from misconduct. The power of resolve is stopping unwholesome behavior by the strength of determination and decision.
The final remedial power is purification. This is also called "applying the antidote," and entails doing something that counteracts or neutralizes the negative deeds. For example, if the deed involved killing, applying the antidote would be protecting life." - B. Alan Wallace
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Consider talking/writing to him. Start on a good note by thanking him for looking out for you when you couldn't fend for yourself: bottle feeding you, changing your nasty diapers, etc. Explain your anger and lack of appreciation for his other actions, which he's also likely to feel shitty about. Mention your great regret and if possible apologize and perhaps make a promise to yourself or to him that you'd look out for him and take care of him when he's in need.
I don't know about a fire kasina, but using a mind-based kasina achieved the same outcome. I used the instructions listed in Wisdom Wide and Deep.
This could be an arising and passing away experience. I would read Dan Ingram's material. Jhana would not create what you described:
http://www.dharmaoverground.org/web/guest/dharma-wiki/-/wiki/Main/MCTB%204.%20The%20Arising%20and%20Passing%20Away?p_r_p_185834411_title=MCTB%204.%20The%20Arising%20and%20Passing%20Away
If you are serious about Jhana I would reccomend taking advice from Pa Auk Sayadaw or one of his students who has written a good:
Sayadaw's Work
http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/know-see.pdf
Student's Work (pretty accessible)
http://www.jhanasadvice.com/
http://www.amazon.ca/Practicing-Jhanas-Traditional-Concentration-Meditation/dp/159030733X
http://www.amazon.ca/Wisdom-Wide-Deep-Practical-Mastering/dp/086171623X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1334854265&sr=1-1
My meditation teacher knows Leigh Brasington, and I have been fully absorbed in Jhana before, there is very little perception of the outside when you are fully absorbed. Leigh's work is great and I have never obtained full absorption with it though, it's directly contrary to the Sayadaw's work because full absorption needs full concentration on the object, that's the only time I obtained full absorption. Focusing on a factor such as Piti can allow you to build that jhana factor, but it's argued by the above authors that is can not constitute full concentration.
Like you, I am hit and miss with the Jhana factors and absorption and entering is not mastered, so I hear you, however this anecdotally what I know and have experienced.
Here is the mobile version of your link
Zen Dawn by J.C. Cleary
Cleary, Zen Dawn : http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Dawn-Shambhala-Dragon-Editions/dp/1570627029
Have you ever read Zen Letters? Yuanwu has a couple chapters talking about the Tao not the wacky worship cult.
I wouldn't say those in recent times who study the Way do not try hard, but often they just memorize Zen stories and try to pass judgment on the ancient and modern Zen masters, picking and choosing among words and phrases, creating complicated rationalizations and learning stale slogans. When will they every be done with this? If you study Zen like this, all you will get is a collection of worn-out antiques and curios.
When you "seek the source and investigate the fundamental" in this fashion, after all you are just climbing up the pole of your own intellect and imagination. If you don't encounter an adept, if you don't have indomitable will yourself, if you have never stepped back into yourself and worked on your spirit, if you have not cast off all your former and subsequent knowledge and views of surpassing wonder, if you have not directly gotten free of all this and comprehended the causal conditions of the fundamental great matter-then that is why you are still only halfway there and are falling behind and cannot distinguish or understand clearly. If you just go on like this, then even if you struggle diligently all your life, you still won't see the fundamental source even in a dream.
This is why the man of old said: "Enlightenment is apart from verbal explanations-there has never been any attainer."
Deshan said: "Our school has no verbal expressions and not a single thing or teaching to give people."
Zhaozhou said: "I don't like to hear the word buddha."
Look at how, in verbally disavowing verbal explanations, they had already scattered dirt and messed people up. If you go on looking for mysteries and marvels in the Zen masters' blows and shouts and facial gestures and glaring looks and physical movements, you will fall even further into the wild foxes' den.
All that is important in this school is that enlightenment be clear and thorough, like the silver mountain and the iron wall, towering up solitary and steep, many miles high. Since this realization is as sudden as sparks and lightening, whether or not you try to figure it out, you immediately fall nto a pit. That is why since time immemorial the adepts have guarded this one revelation, and all arrived together at the same realization.
Here there is nowhere for you to take hold. Once you can clear up your mind and you are able to abandon all entanglements, and you are cultivating practice relying on an enlightened spiritual friend, it would be really too bad if you weren't patient enough to get to the level where the countless difficulties cannot get near you, and to lay down your body and your mind there and investigate till you penetrate through all the way.
Over thousands of lifetimes and hundreds of aeons up until now, has there ever been any discontinuity in the fundamental reality or not? Since there has been no discontinuity, what birth and death and going and coming is there for you to be in doubt about? Obviously there things belong to the province of causal conditions and have absolutely no connection to the fundamental matter.
My teacher Wuzu often said, "I have been here for five decades, and I have seen thousands and thousands of Zen followers come up to the corner of my meditation seat. They were all just seeking to become buddhas and to expound Buddhism. I have never seen a single genuine wearer of the patched robe."
How true this is! As we observe the present time, even those who expound Buddhism are hard to find, much less any genuine people. The age is in decline and the sages are further and further distant. In the whole great land of China, the lineage of Buddha is dying out right before our very eyes, We may find one person of half a person who is putting the Dharma into practice, but we would not dare to expect them to be like the great exemplars of enlightenment, the "dragons and elephants" of yore.
Nevertheless, if you simply know the procedures and aims of practical application of the Dharma and carry on correctly from beginning to end, you are already producing a lotus from within the fire.
You must put aside all the conditioning that entangles you. Then you will be able to perceive the inner content of the great enlightenment that has comedown since ancient times. Be at rest wherever you are, and carry on the secret, closely continuous, intimate-level practice. The devas will have no road to strew flowers on, and demons and outsiders will not be able to find your tracks. This is what it means to truly leave home and thoroughly understand oneself.
If, after you have reached this level, circumstances arise as the result of merit that lead you to come forth and extend a hand to communicate enlightenment to others, this would not be inappropriate. As Buddha said, "Just acquiesce in the truth, you surely won't be deceived." But even for me to speak this way is another case of a man from bandit-land seeing off a thief.
Source
Links:
Zen Letters 1
Zen Letters 2
Zen Letters 3
Zen Letters 4
Zen Letters 5
Zen Letters 6
Zen Letters 7
Zen Letters 8
Zen Letters 9
Zen Letters 10
Zen Letters 11
Zen Letters 12
Zen Letters 14
Zen Letters 15
Zen Letters 24
Zen Letters 46
 
 
look, joshu spent is life working on zen, who are you with your ignorant jumped up opinions and suburban life!
 
wasting your time here reinforcing your idiocies
 
you need to read his life
 
you can't see the sense of what I am saying can you ! ? :o(
 
 
One of the best texts is the sayings of Joshu:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Recorded-Sayings-Master-Joshu/dp/157062870X
I have some of the sayings in a lecture here:
http://ericgerlach.com/asianphilosophy6/
If you have been meditating for a while now go read Master Shengyan’s “Shattering Great Doubt”. It’s the most accessible book on meditating on the Keyword or a Huatou, in this case it’s “what is Mu?”.
https://www.amazon.com/Shattering-Great-Doubt-Practice-Huatou/dp/159030621X
Unfortunately, I'm not experienced in this practice. I typically stick with nianfo and mindfulness of breathing.
Master Sheng Yen did "write" a book on it. This is the book.. It's a collection of talks from hua-tou retreats, and, if it's anything like his Silent Illumination book, it'll lead you in the direction you need/want to go.
We have a winnah!
Here is the listing at Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Cutting-Through-Spiritual-Materialism-Shambhala/dp/1590306392/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1371433778&sr=1-5&keywords=trungpa+rinpoche
Edited to add: Suzuki and Trungpa were pretty close, even though they came from different schools of Buddhism.
> I no longer use reddit or consume mainstream media.
Good Job. Gold star. This is a great thing for you. Mainstream media is damaging as fuck, IMO.
>And, contrary to what you believe, we are not all bound to be slaves, though the majority at /r/zen possibly are of that stock.
I don't believe we all are bound to it, but that simply this is just the case presently.
> If any of you had had even one legitimate peek at 'enlightenment', you would leave this place, and come back only as I have in hopes of healing.
Narcissistic bullshit with self-aggrandizing fantasies. You complain about songhill's attitude but how long before your own becomes one of elitism.? This is straight out of his playbook. Have a look here. Looks like it's already happening. Nobody here has glimpsed enlightenment because they aren't like you, and don't do what you do. Imagine that. Where have I heard that before? Oh yeah! From the same cohort of assholes you're in here crusading against. You're so enlightened that you can't participate in an internet forum because you don't like a few trolls.
>But, I guess reddit users are a certain type of person, and what people say is true, you're the cynical and the hopeless. It makes me sad, truly.
You would like reddit users to be a 'certain type of person' (read: worse than me because I have real Zen) so you have a group to look down on to compare yourself too, then you come out smelling good to yourself. Hows that for being pitiable and cynical? Pretty good I'd say. But like any group of people, they aren't monolithic and these claims aren't worth more than any other opinions without an in-depth factual study/census.
Now it's one thing to be cynical and wear black turtlenecks and smoke cigs in a existentialist cafe, which is sad; I agree. It's anther to just stop lying to yourself about certain grim realities or uncomfortable things, or things that happen to shatter idealism. It's liberating, strengthening, and awesome. Why bring emotion into it when it's just a simple act of not bullshitting yourself? Wake up and smell the corpses... mmmm! It's death and life in a perfect gradient, just like in nature. Hard to put a finger on the line.
>Are you missing the analogy here? Meditation. Of course they come back, then you either ignore them as a group, or you throw them out. Again and again. The one thing you don't let them do is stay.
I'm not missing the analogy. With cancer, when you get rid of it, it comes back worse and worse as it becomes immune to the different types of chemotherapy used on it, this is currently happening to a loved one and has been for years. The other thing that can happen is that you get it all in one fell swoop. So it's a gamble; kill it off and risk a worse backlash, or leave it alone. They say the devil you know is worse than the devil you don't know. When ZeroDay was banned, he came back with a vengance. When Muju was banned, he came back with several different accounts. This is what I would liken to samasara. Cyclical suffering. To leave it alone and have some equanimity about it might be something akin to meditation.
Try "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind" by Shunryu Suzuki I think for most westerners, Zen Buddhism is more accessible.
Not sure what "meditate on your anxiety" exactly means, but that sounds the exact opposite of what meditation is about. It is not about pscyhoanalysis, or ruminating on things too much. Be aware, let things come and go, exist in the now, don't try to grasp or attain anything by meditation, just let it happen and let it be.
I found dharma from zazen practitioners really helpful in how it articulates ideas about meditation. I would really recommend Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind.
This is the last place you'll find any sort of helpful information on zen. Ewk and a few other ideologs have pretty much hijacked the forum. /r/zendo is good, but its not nearly as active. You're not wrong for assuming zen can be peaceful and elegant, its what you want it to be. A lot of what you see here is westerners confusing zen with nihilism. If I were to mention the Two Truths Doctrine here, many wouldn't really know what I was talking about. Things like this getting over looked is why you seen so much arguing here. Its mostly due to lack of understanding of buddhist doctrine by westerners that are new to the religion.
With that said, Suzuki Roshi's Zen Mind Beginner's Mind was a great starting point for myself. If you want tot just download it for free, Heres a link to the pdf. Also this website gives rough details into soto zen practice and forms. http://global.sotozen-net.or.jp
Last book, this isn't zen, but Zen is considered Mahayana Buddhism and shares many of the same teaching as Tibetan Buddhsim. The Dalai Lama give a wonder discourse of some of the core beliefs of Mahayana Buddhism. Essential Teachings Dalai Lama
I started around when I was your age, and that was along time ago :) Hope you find what you are looking for. Good luck!
disclaimer: ewk please don't reply to my comment. thank you.
From my perspective the numbers are a nice thing to do if your mind tends to wander constantly.
Once you have a little space in your mind and there are moments with no distractions just pure presence, shifting to zen meditation or another breath based meditation would be a natural progression.
Here are the two best books on meditation I have ever used.
https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Mind-Beginners-Shunryu-Suzuki/dp/1590308492/
https://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-Action-Yourself-Meditation-Awareness/dp/1611803535
I am sure you can find them free online too.
Alan Watts - Still the Mind
Shunryu Suzuki - Zen, Beginner's Mind
Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki
Couldn't find the book, but did find the author in case someone was wanting to check him out.
http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Mind-Beginners-Shunryu-Suzuki/dp/1590308492/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1322798259&sr=8-4
I see a therapist when I know something isn't right, but I am unsure what. Sometimes having someone to ask the right questions (with no vested interest) helps me come to realizations I wouldn't have otherwise.
I was terrified of going at first, but I am so happy I did! If you want to go but are scared, feel free to ask me questions.
I also enjoy guided journals. Right now I am doing one called "Design The Life You Love"
Zen/Buddhism/mindfulness books help me when I am stuck in my head, feeling as though my existence has no meaning. This book is the first one I read along those lines, and here is a popular Buddhist author whose books I find easy, relatable, and enjoyable to read. If you enjoy challenging books, there are plenty of those too - here is a hugely popular one.
Lastly, is there anyone close to you who you trust with this concern? Could you share your observations with this person, ask if they have noticed it as well, and ask what suggestions they might have?
Any book or teaching will only give you just what you get from it.
I would suggest that you read a bit about zen from various sources to get a general idea of it's foundation and practice. Then, let your expectations go and practice zazen everyday. If you have access to a teacher or zendo, all the better, but even if you don't, practice everyday.
EDIT: This is generally considered a good place to start: Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki
Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind
I recommend reading Carl Jung and either DT Suzuki or S. Suzuki.
Most of what you’ll find elsewhere are just bullshit artist Gurus looking manipulate their power over you for self-aggrandizing purposes.
It’s been my experience that “occult” should be understood more from a psychological/numinous point of view rather than a supernatural. That is, personal experience that you are the source of, rather than someone else, person, thing or diety, which most lays claim as being the source of what your experience may be. Thus disempowering/stunting your path for development.
The Psychology of Kundalini Yoga https://www.amazon.com/dp/0691006768/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_naI0Cb30YZNGJ
Psychology and Religion: West and East (The Collected Works of C. G. Jung, Volume 11) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0691097720/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_9hI0CbHSVC6E5
An Introduction to Zen Buddhism https://www.amazon.com/dp/0802130550/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_AiI0CbSSEKFGX
Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice https://www.amazon.com/dp/1590308492/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_6iI0CbMYD0STX
I haven't read Mindfulness in Plain English either, but I've heard good things. I found Zen Meditation in Plain English by Buksbazen to be a helpful intro. For more inspiration than instruction, I liked Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Suzuki.
Dzogchen Ponlop - Rebel Buddha
Dzogchen Ponlop's Rebel Buddha is a great introduction.
In a sense, enlightenment is not in your hands at all. In another, equally true sense, you really can beckon the solution.
The best advice I have found for people trying to beckon the solution is to work in cycles. You need to know spiritual truths - that desire breeds anger, that life without attachment to worldly things is better than life bound to the ups and downs of the world - in every cell of your body. You need to know them with your heart, with your stomach, with your intellect, with your emotions. This means, read spiritual works and meditate like it was the last thing on earth you could do. But then go out and live them, get your hands dirty on life, let those ideas really digest, let them sink in deeply. Figure things out through experience, through seeing things as they really are. Then go back and meditate more, read more, see what new truths are uncovered through this cyclical learning process.
Clearing your mind of these false notions of salvation/happiness creates an incredible amount of space. In this space of non-grasping, of not-doing, clarity is born. Clarity is the means and the end of the spiritual path. You see life as it really is. With true clarity, there is no hope or fear at all. Clarity turns into transcendent knowledge; knowledge without words, without the limits of language, without reason. Silent knowledge composed of pure certainties. One day you will feel a click.
If you want to study some beautiful, simple, universal (as in, it isn't dogma) eastern philosophy, check out the Bhagavad Gita. It is as close to perfection of the path to self-knowledge as I have found.
We see Arjuna on the battlefield, this impressive warrior, bent, burdened, eyes glistening, pleading for the meaning of life.
Krishna, totally calm, responds in effect, "Oh, you really want to know?"
http://www.amazon.com/The-Bhagavad-Gita-Walkthrough-Westerners/dp/1608680142
Another good book at the beginning/middle of the path is The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle. He frames the awake state in a very persuasive, intuitive manner: as an alternative to the mind's insistence of living in the past or the future. It shows you the power of clarity, of living fully in the present moment.
If you are far on the path already, then I suggest these two books to help fine-tune your search:
http://www.amazon.com/The-End-Your-World-Enlightenment/dp/1591797799
http://www.amazon.com/Cutting-Spiritual-Materialism-Shambhala-Classics/dp/1570629579/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1412001113&sr=1-1&keywords=cutting+through+spiritual+materialism+by+chogyam+trungpa
Good luck/shoot me a PM if you have questions
ps: tripping can be a tool, but it is limited. any realizations you have under the influence of psychedelics, you will have to re-realize while sober. sometimes this is incredibly easy, but sometimes not so much. if you depend too much on them, the realizations while on drugs will never be there when you really need them. think of psychedelics as "advance scouts" into your consciousness - showing you what level of clarity is possible if you keep on this path, showing you what silent knowledge feels like. they don't give you that level of clarity, but they show you that it is possible, and give you faith and determination to see it become your natural state.
Oh wow. As to specific books. Hmm. That's sort of all over the place but each one had something to offer. The ones I remember are:
Books on my list to read:
I have also dabbled in the study of Zen and a few types of Buddhism, Tao, other Eastern Religions and philosophies as well as some Western religions, ho'oponopono, mindfulness and reiki.
Deepak Chopra and Eckhart Tolle have some good techniques for separating yourself from your ego.
Here are a few books that opened my mind to questioning reality, and a few books that I've read to help me understand this shift in consciousness I've been going through.
I highly suggest, whenever you're going for a long drive or walk out in the park, taking out your phone and searching "Adyashanti" in the YouTube search bar. There are tons of profound talks by him, all on this subject. He has changed my life and opened my mind hugely. Enjoy!
You might be interested in reading Adyashanti's The End of Your World. He addresses this pretty directly
The Mind Illuminated by Culadasa
The Way of Zen by Alan Watts
Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki
Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn
If you're tempted by something more traditional, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind is a wonderful introduction to zen buddhism. The first couple of chapters are about the proper meditation position, and the rest about the mindset.
It's the Western branch of Japanese Soto Zen, which means it contains literally zero religion or mysticism of any kind (and explicitly so). I tried to read different books, and most of them leave too much of an aftertaste to go well with my atheism.
Adyashanti - The End of Your World
https://www.amazon.com/End-Your-World-Uncensored-Enlightenment/dp/1591797799
Just curious shii, how do you consider Theravada to be materialistic? I am just half-way through reading the Visuddhimagga and I don't find materialism. No stress, though...
http://www.amazon.com/Path-Purification-Visuddhimagga-Bhadantacariya-Buddhaghosa/dp/1928706002/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252187806&sr=1-1
This reminded me of the Visuddhimagga translated from the Pali by Bhikku Nanamoli (Osbert Moore). Born in England in 1905, grad from Exeter College, Oxford. Was a monk for 11 years, died in 1960.
I recommend a study of "The Path of Purification" (Visuddhimagga), although dense and profound - an important translation. http://www.amazon.com/Path-Purification-Visuddhimagga-Bhadantacariya-Buddhaghosa/dp/1928706002/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278438520&sr=1-1
I would suggest reading a few zen books. Be careful, because some of the words are supposed to be vice grips that trap you, but you will read things that cause you to wonder, thus growing your mind, and zen is not about the religious aspects of Buddhism so much as the tangible, concrete, here-and-now perceptions of deeper and deeper wisdom. I can give you . . . four recommendations of zen books that I really enjoyed.
Zen Bridge
Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind
Don't Be A Jerk
The Zen Teaching of Huang Po
See /r/Buddhism's suggested reading list. I can personally (and highly) recommend Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind as well as Buddhism Without Beliefs.
It's a core zen thing, they talk about always being the student. Dan Abramov is a very accomplished developer who has had a massively large impact on the development world so im not sure why this makes you guys so upset if he wants to emphasize always being a beginner.
https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Mind-Beginners-Informal-Meditation/dp/1590308492