Books on Buddhism

[Rores28]

My girlfriend and I have a budding interest in Buddhism and I was wondering about a good book on the subject.

Currently we are reading an illustrated encyclopedia that is giving an overview of the various types of buddhist teachings and philosophy.

I'm now looking for something a little more substantial. The thing is neither of us believe in deities, nor will we believe in them. We are more interested in Buddism as it relates to continuity, existential philosophy, psychology, interconnectedness of life etc...

Anyone have any good recommendations?

[YesNo]

I've enjoyed Thick Nhat Hanh's Essential Writings. Mindfulness is the theme and he has short poems which he calls "gathas" to keep you mindful of the tasks that you are doing during the day.

There is also the Dhammapada. I've read Eknath Easwaran's translation of this work written by the Buddha.

I'm no expert on Buddhism. Both of these are popular books and should be readily available in a library. You might have already run into them.

[Darcy88]

The Three Pillars of Zen.

[NikolaiI]

Darcy - we must be karmically linked . . . I bought this one a couple months ago and started reading it seriously a couple weeks ago; it's one of two I'm reading right now, I definitely second your suggestion! :)

also . . I have family on Vancouver Island and lived there for 5 months in the summer. I want to move back, as soon as I can. It's paradise.


My girlfriend and I have a budding interest in Buddhism and I was wondering about a good book on the subject.

Currently we are reading an illustrated encyclopedia that is giving an overview of the various types of buddhist teachings and philosophy.

I'm now looking for something a little more substantial. The thing is neither of us believe in deities, nor will we believe in them. We are more interested in Buddism as it relates to continuity, existential philosophy, psychology, interconnectedness of life etc...

Anyone have any good recommendations?

My first book on Buddhism was Entering the Stream. It's a collection of writings by different teachers, that really covers basiscally everthing. The whole book is fantastic, wonderful to read, in fact it is one of my favorite books of any. Every part of it was very well written, well edited, and to me enlightening. I couldn't recommend it too highly.

[anishastrologer]

before you study books on buddhism why don't you read the very basic of it. the story of buddha's life and teaching and what prompted him to walk on this path. i hope you have read or reading "Buddha-Charita".

[NikolaiI]

before you study books on buddhism why don't you read the very basic of it. the story of buddha's life and teaching and what prompted him to walk on this path. i hope you have read or reading "Buddha-Charita".

Entering the Stream starts with it as well :)

[Theunderground]

Steve Hagen,I think its called 'buddhism without beliefs'. With most of the superstitious trash removed. (though not all!)

[mal4mac]

Steve Hagen,I think its called 'buddhism without beliefs'. With most of the superstitious trash removed. (though not all!)

The book I read by him is called "Buddhism Plain and Simple", but I prefer "Buddhism without beliefs" by Stephen Batchelor - he bends over backwards to ditch the superstitition, and he relates it to 'existential philosophy' - he comes across as a really clever guy... as does Paul Williams in "The Unexpected Way" - though he ends up converting to Roman Catholocism and its cartload of superstition! Indeed unexpected!

Kabat-Zinn's Full Catastrophe Living is heavily Buddhist influenced, and ditches anything not backed my medical science. If you have a skin disease, or are worried about lapsing into depression, then it might be worth a look...

Having read these, and many other books on Buddhism, I must admit I'm not really much of a Buddhist - meditation isn't my thing, and I don't fancy joining a Sangha and doing weird practices and trying to believe their particular brand on unbelievable things (Reincarnation? Yeah... show me the evidence...)

[Paulclem]

trying to believe their particular brand on unbelievable things (Reincarnation? Yeah... show me the evidence...)

What objective evidence could there be? There's scant evidence for people who lived 100 years ago bar names on birth certs etc, let alone for someone who could originate from any being.

It's not about belief either. it's about investigation into the origins of yourself rather than another. That's subjective and not counted as evidence in scientific terms.

Tibetan proofs of evidence of reincarnation for HH the Dalai Lama are also not subjective as they include testimony from Nechung - the protector Spirit and visions.

I'm getting deja vu - have we been here before? (Not in the reincarnated sense).

[lawpark]

I suggest:

In the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon (Teachings of the Buddha)by Bikkhu Bodhi

This is an arranged selection from the 4 Agamas.

After this, Prajnaparamita Sutras, Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra, Nagarjuna, Asanga, Vasubandhu, Dignaga, Zhiyi, Dharmakirti, Xuanzang, Kukai, Platform Sutra, Dogen, Tsong Kha Bha ...

[NikolaiI]

What objective evidence could there be? There's scant evidence for people who lived 100 years ago bar names on birth certs etc, let alone for someone who could originate from any being.

It's not about belief either. it's about investigation into the origins of yourself rather than another. That's subjective and not counted as evidence in scientific terms.

Tibetan proofs of evidence of reincarnation for HH the Dalai Lama are also not subjective as they include testimony from Nechung - the protector Spirit and visions.

I'm getting deja vu - have we been here before? (Not in the reincarnated sense).

No offense, but isn't that straying from the topic? There are numerous threads about Buddhism, as well as reincarnation, and this one is about books on Buddhism. I feel if we stray off topic we lose the point of the thread.

[Paulclem]

No offense, but isn't that straying from the topic? There are numerous threads about Buddhism, as well as reincarnation, and this one is about books on Buddhism. I feel if we stray off topic we lose the point of the thread.

It was a response. There are often two sides to generalised statements.

But yes.

http://www.wisdom-books.com/ProductDetail.asp?CatNumber=6464

This is an interesting book about a Westerner in Thailand.

I know you said that you weren't interested in the mystical side of Buddhism, but HH The Dalai Lama does not push this aspect of Tibetan Buddhism in his books.

They are written with the scientific westerner in mind i feel.

http://www.dalailama.com/biography/books

Dr Rewata Dhamma was a widely recognised monk from the Burmese tradition who came to live i Birmingham UK. I found this link to a free book on the mind by him. I haven't read it yet though.

http://www.archive.org/details/ProcessOfConsciousnessAndMatterByDrRewataDhamma

[YesNo]

I found a copy of Entering the Stream at the library and it seems interesting. Thanks for the recommendation, NikolaiI.

Regarding reincarnation, I recall reading some time ago examples of reincarnation that Ian Stevenson collected. They were enough objective evidence to convince me that reincarnation occurs for some people and, by generalization, I suspect, for all of us. Here's something about Ian Stevenson: http://www.near-death.com/experiences/reincarnation01.html

I don't know that much about Buddhism, but glancing at some of the online texts that Paulclem and lawpark referenced, I realize I know even less than I thought I did. One of the things that I suspect is true is that there is more practice to Buddhism than there is belief and just the opposite is true for Christianity where belief dominates practice. But I'm probably wrong about that as well.

[Darcy88]

[QUOTE=NikolaiI;1079862]Darcy - we must be karmically linked . . . I bought this one a couple months ago and started reading it seriously a couple weeks ago; it's one of two I'm reading right now, I definitely second your suggestion! :)

also . . I have family on Vancouver Island and lived there for 5 months in the summer. I want to move back, as soon as I can. It's paradise.[QUOTE]

Hey there. Yeah Vancouver Island is a pretty sweet place to be, especially in the summer. The natural setting is spectacular and there's an interesting mixture of people ranging from bumpkins to hippies.

About The Three Pillars of Zen... I don't know if anyone serious about buddhism would even have need of any other book. Zen places great emphasis on the primacy of practice and the unimportance of belief. In a way its a doctine of no doctrine. That book does not mess around. It tells you how to become enlightened and that is through meditating, not through reading. Its a very straightforward and very helpful text. I cannot recommend it highly enough to anyone.

[Paulclem]

[QUOTE=NikolaiI;1079862]Darcy - we must be karmically linked . . . I bought this one a couple months ago and started reading it seriously a couple weeks ago; it's one of two I'm reading right now, I definitely second your suggestion! :)

also . . I have family on Vancouver Island and lived there for 5 months in the summer. I want to move back, as soon as I can. It's paradise.[QUOTE]

Hey there. Yeah Vancouver Island is a pretty sweet place to be, especially in the summer. The natural setting is spectacular and there's an interesting mixture of people ranging from bumpkins to hippies.

About The Three Pillars of Zen... I don't know if anyone serious about buddhism would even have need of any other book. Zen places great emphasis on the primacy of practice and the unimportance of belief. In a way its a doctine of no doctrine. That book does not mess around. It tells you how to become enlightened and that is through meditating, not through reading. Its a very straightforward and very helpful text. I cannot recommend it highly enough to anyone.

It's a good book, and I have it and have recommended it myelf, but it's a good idea to read around. There are lots of schools of Buddhism, each with a different emphasis, but someone new to it should gain a sense of them.

The misconception about Zen has been that it throws everything found in the other Buddhist schools out. It doesn't. The core beliefs are still there, and the texts they use are recogniseably Buddhist. There are rituals, rules and discipline in Zen too. It reflects Japanese culture in its take on practice, being austere at times.

[NikolaiI]

I found a copy of Entering the Stream at the library and it seems interesting. Thanks for the recommendation, NikolaiI.

Regarding reincarnation, I recall reading some time ago examples of reincarnation that Ian Stevenson collected. They were enough objective evidence to convince me that reincarnation occurs for some people and, by generalization, I suspect, for all of us. Here's something about Ian Stevenson: http://www.near-death.com/experiences/reincarnation01.html

I don't know that much about Buddhism, but glancing at some of the online texts that Paulclem and lawpark referenced, I realize I know even less than I thought I did. One of the things that I suspect is true is that there is more practice to Buddhism than there is belief and just the opposite is true for Christianity where belief dominates practice. But I'm probably wrong about that as well.

Oh my friend, wait until you get halfway through it! I dare say you won't be disappointed, to say the least.

--
I would also mention a couple others for reading later, there's The Unborn, the life and teachings of Zen master Bankei; a beautiful book that explains in uncomplicated fashion some of the Zen teachings. Also Drinking from the Mountain Stream, a book of the songs of the saint-poet Milarepa. His verse is the most penetrating insight into psychology and the mind of anything I've ever read. However, you should only read this book after a moderately thorough understanding of the Greater and Lesser Vehicles in general, and a familiarity, or even intimacy, with the Heart Sutra in particular. Vajrayana teachings traditionally a very well kept secret, to keep it from being misused, but if you have studied and practiced, and your mind is clear and open, and free from partiality, then Milarepa's songs can be very illuminating.

[Darcy88]

[QUOTE=Darcy88;1080075][QUOTE=NikolaiI;1079862]Darcy - we must be karmically linked . . . I bought this one a couple months ago and started reading it seriously a couple weeks ago; it's one of two I'm reading right now, I definitely second your suggestion! :)

also . . I have family on Vancouver Island and lived there for 5 months in the summer. I want to move back, as soon as I can. It's paradise.

It's a good book, and I have it and have recommended it myelf, but it's a good idea to read around. There are lots of schools of Buddhism, each with a different emphasis, but someone new to it should gain a sense of them.

The misconception about Zen has been that it throws everything found in the other Buddhist schools out. It doesn't. The core beliefs are still there, and the texts they use are recogniseably Buddhist. There are rituals, rules and discipline in Zen too. It reflects Japanese culture in its take on practice, being austere at times.

Good point. Zen is definitely contained within the wider mahayana Buddhist tradition. I personally hold Zen to be the ultimate form of Buddhism but this is largely subjective, just my opinion.

I am also interested in how Zen was influenced by Taoism. The Tao te Ching reads much like a discourse on Zen, at least to me.

[Paulclem]

[QUOTE=Paulclem;1080154][QUOTE=Darcy88;1080075]

Good point. Zen is definitely contained within the wider mahayana Buddhist tradition. I personally hold Zen to be the ultimate form of Buddhism but this is largely subjective, just my opinion.

I am also interested in how Zen was influenced by Taoism. The Tao te Ching reads much like a discourse on Zen, at least to me.

I think Zen comes from the Chinese Cha'n Buddhism. That might be why there is a relationship.

[mal4mac]

I suggest:

In the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon (Teachings of the Buddha)by Bikkhu Bodhi

This is an arranged selection from the 4 Agamas.

After this, Prajnaparamita Sutras, Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra, Nagarjuna, Asanga, Vasubandhu, Dignaga, Zhiyi, Dharmakirti, Xuanzang, Kukai, Platform Sutra, Dogen, Tsong Kha Bha ...

If my interest in Buddhism revives I *might* have a go at Bodhi's book. It seemed the best 'abridged' version the original writings out there, from my cursory inspection.

I've tried reading the Pali canon straight, and I shan't try that again! The Buddha wandered around for many decades preaching similar sermons, so it's *very* repetitive, and there's a lot of tedious material... it's a bit like reading the Old Testament of the Bible (though less violent...) Only for the most scholarly & dedicated Buddhist monks, I feel.

I'm re-reading Schopenhauer's essays at the moment, and have just got to "On Religion". He is quite positive about Buddhist ethics - while criticising the superstitious aspects of religion in a very perspicacious manner. He's also a lot more fun to read than the average modern Buddhist writer ... though his "Metaphysics of the Will" is almost as difficult to swallow as the Karma/reincarnation metaphysics of Buddhism - but, like in the best of Buddhist books, you can ignore the shaky metaphysics and enjoy the intriguing ethical and 'lifestyle' ideas.

[lawpark]

If my interest in Buddhism revives I *might* have a go at Bodhi's book. It seemed the best 'abridged' version the original writings out there, from my cursory inspection.

I've tried reading the Pali canon straight, and I shan't try that again! The Buddha wandered around for many decades preaching similar sermons, so it's *very* repetitive, and there's a lot of tedious material... it's a bit like reading the Old Testament of the Bible (though less violent...) Only for the most scholarly & dedicated Buddhist monks, I feel.

I'm re-reading Schopenhauer's essays at the moment, and have just got to "On Religion". He is quite positive about Buddhist ethics - while criticising the superstitious aspects of religion in a very perspicacious manner. He's also a lot more fun to read than the average modern Buddhist writer ... though his "Metaphysics of the Will" is almost as difficult to swallow as the Karma/reincarnation metaphysics of Buddhism - but, like in the best of Buddhist books, you can ignore the shaky metaphysics and enjoy the intriguing ethical and 'lifestyle' ideas.

I personally have Bodhi's Connected Discourses of Buddha (Samyutta Nikaya), individual chapters are actually very easy to read, I think the point is NOT to read this in one go. I actually haven't got very far with it, as I have tried to read both the Chinese and Bodhi's English version at the same time - probably too ambitious.

Among western authors, I think Ziporyn's works on Tientai Buddhism are also quite interesting - though to save money, I only have a translated version in Chinese.

[Gregory Samsa]

When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron.
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse.

[Paulclem]

If my interest in Buddhism revives I *might* have a go at Bodhi's book. It seemed the best 'abridged' version the original writings out there, from my cursory inspection.

I've tried reading the Pali canon straight, and I shan't try that again! The Buddha wandered around for many decades preaching similar sermons, so it's *very* repetitive, and there's a lot of tedious material... it's a bit like reading the Old Testament of the Bible (though less violent...) Only for the most scholarly & dedicated Buddhist monks, I feel.

I'm re-reading Schopenhauer's essays at the moment, and have just got to "On Religion". He is quite positive about Buddhist ethics - while criticising the superstitious aspects of religion in a very perspicacious manner. He's also a lot more fun to read than the average modern Buddhist writer ... though his "Metaphysics of the Will" is almost as difficult to swallow as the Karma/reincarnation metaphysics of Buddhism - but, like in the best of Buddhist books, you can ignore the shaky metaphysics and enjoy the intriguing ethical and 'lifestyle' ideas.

I found the original works written in an old style to also be repetitive. I think this is because the original canon was written down from Monks who were talking books. They had memorised the oral tradition in such a way as to be able to repeat it verbatim. I think this accounts for the repetitions. Later Monks transcribing would have been reluctant to alter this as the word of the Buddha. I think the style is due to the memorisation techniques rather than a reflection of the Buddha's style. Modern Masters don't feel the need to mimic this style, as the original purpose has gone, but it's understandable that it was preserved this way.


When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron.
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse.

Siddhartha has mainly Hindu ideas within it.

[SFG75]

I'm partial to Lama Surya Das's book-Awakening the Buddha Within. It is a great book on basic Buddhist tenets, as well as a discussion on how and why certain things are practiced the way that they are. There are a ton of great books on the subject, I really can't say that you can go wrong. If you want to go to the other extreme, check out Sheldon B. Kopp's If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him! It's more of an anti-guru, do-it-yourself-no-one-can-do-it-for-you type of thing.:angel:

[mal4mac]

Can anyone recommend books *critical* of Buddhism and Buddhist practices? The ones that turned me away from taking Buddhism *too* seriously were:

The Unexpected Way by Paul Williams - this is highly critical of Buddhism from someone who was a leading Buddhist scholar and meditation teacher.

The How of Happiness - Sonja Lyubomirsky - A great book by a top psychologist. Not totally dismissive of meditation as the path to a happy life, but stresses it is too hard for her and many people (including me!) It presents many other paths - including my favourite - read the literature you enjoy reading. It could be novels or poems or even Buddhist texts (!), just any literature you enjoy and can 'get lost' in.

[YesNo]

I've had a chance to quickly look at Paul Williams, The Unexpected Way: On Converting from Buddhism to Catholicism, and I think it provides an interesting description of the thought processes of someone living in the UK who switched his religions during his life. Initially, he was Anglican. In the 1960's, he became a Buddhist as well as an academic. In his later years he became a Catholic.

His main complaint with Buddhism is that it does not accept a creator God. His justification for God comes from Aquinas, although he could find even more justification from the evidence of the big bang.

What makes me think that his account sheds little light on Buddhism is that he didn't seem to regularly meditate nor practice anything else that might be associated with Buddhism, although I might have missed this in skimming the text. Here is a quote from the beginning of the preface:


As a Buddhist I was sometimes asked, 'When meditating what exactly do you meditate on?'. In my case what I really meditate on more often than not is paper.

Later he calls this "analytic meditation". My wonder is did he ever really meditate, or did he just spend his time fulfilling his academic obligations by writing papers. It seems to me that meditation requires, at a minimum, an erect spine and mindfulness for about 20-30 minutes a day on a regular basis. If he didn't do that, I would question whether he was a practicing Buddhist or not. If he was not a practicing Buddhist, does his criticism of Buddhism make much sense?

However, I do agree that books critical of Buddhism and its practices are worth looking at. I am curious why Buddhism was rejected in India and wonder what the criticisms of Buddhism were from that culture's perspective. It might have to do with the same issues that Paul Williams brought up but framed in terms of the theology surrounding the atman.

[Paulclem]

I am curious why Buddhism was rejected in India and wonder what the criticisms of Buddhism were from that culture's perspective. It might have to do with the same issues that Paul Williams brought up but framed in terms of the theology surrounding the atman.

My understanding is that it was driven out by the Moghul invaders. Can you imagine the religious attitude of the Muslim Moghuls to a religion with no God? There was a great university - Nalanda amongst others- that was ransacked.

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

[lawpark]

My understanding is that it was driven out by the Moghul invaders. Can you imagine the religious attitude of the Muslim Moghuls to a religion with no God? There was a great university - Nalanda amongst others- that was ransacked.

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

Buddhism ends in India probably around the 12th century - earlier than the Mughals - might be by one of the Delhi Sultans ...

[NikolaiI]

I suggest:

In the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon (Teachings of the Buddha)by Bikkhu Bodhi

This is an arranged selection from the 4 Agamas.

After this, Prajnaparamita Sutras, Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra, Nagarjuna, Asanga, Vasubandhu, Dignaga, Zhiyi, Dharmakirti, Xuanzang, Kukai, Platform Sutra, Dogen, Tsong Kha Bha ...

Thanks for sharing these, lawpark!

[YesNo]

In checking out the wikipedia article Paulclem referenced and related links, it looks like the decline of Buddhism in India had more to do with politics and invasion than conflicting religious belief.

[mal4mac]

I've had a chance to quickly look at Paul Williams, The Unexpected Way: On Converting from Buddhism to Catholicism

What makes me think that his account sheds little light on Buddhism is that he didn't seem to regularly meditate nor practice anything else that might be associated with Buddhism, although I might have missed this in skimming the text.

The guy took a DPhil. in Madhyamaka Buddhist philosophy and wrote the standard textbook on that subject - he is (was?) such an authority that the Dalai Lama often quotes (quoted?) that textbook. He led meditation classes and retreats for about ten years.

Even I've managed 20-30 minutes a day on a regular basis (for a few months in my case.) I'm sure Williams managed a lot more than that!

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/thrs/staff/pw.html

[Paulclem]

From your posts in the past Mal, I got the impression that you were anti Buddhism, but you know quite a lot about it from your practice. You seem both attracted and repelled at the same time. Do you mind me asking why? I'm just interested - I'm not going to argue with you about your opinions.

:biggrin5:

[YesNo]

If Paul Williams actually practiced Buddhism, then I stand corrected.

I don't have the book in front of me anymore, but I think his main reason for rejecting Buddhism was because it did not accept a creator God. He also seemed to miss the Christian community which is probably larger than the Buddhist one in his area.

[Pierre Menard]

Alan Watts did some fantastic stuff on Buddhism. Really explains it in a way that is easy to grasp for those with no real understanding of it. Also does a good job of comparing and highlighting the differences between eastern religion/philosophy and western religion/philosophy.

[NikolaiI]

About The Three Pillars of Zen... I don't know if anyone serious about buddhism would even have need of any other book.

. . .

I am also interested in how Zen was influenced by Taoism. The Tao te Ching reads much like a discourse on Zen, at least to me.

In reply to both of these comments, and to the thread in general, I'd like to mention another great book, Sources of Chinese Tradition. This is an absolutely wonderful book. It's not only a book on Buddhism but it has a great deal of information on Chinese Buddhism, as well as exceptional selections from various scriptures. I highly recommend this book, and I find it's of a similar quality to The Three Pillars of Zen, although its editor has a different approach from Philip Kapleau. Especially since you are curious about Zen and Taoism, it is perfect for that as it covers Taoism in a comprehensive way as well as Buddhism. I was very gladdened by this find and have benefitted greatly from owning it.

[mal4mac]

From your posts in the past Mal, I got the impression that you were anti Buddhism, but you know quite a lot about it from your practice. You seem both attracted and repelled at the same time. Do you mind me asking why? I'm just interested - I'm not going to argue with you about your opinions.

I find the techniques, and many of the ideas, *quite* interesting, in theory, but not that effective in practice - I find Seneca, Montaigne, Epicuris, Ellis, much more in line with my attempts at "calming the mind" - results confirmed by modern science. By reading the books I mention in this thread I picked up enough courage to "give up" Buddhist practice. I sometimes try to meditate - I recently had a toothache and it didn't help much - Stoic acceptance was much better for me!

[Paulclem]

I find the techniques, and many of the ideas, *quite* interesting, in theory, but not that effective in practice - I find Seneca, Montaigne, Epicuris, Ellis, much more in line with my attempts at "calming the mind" - results confirmed by modern science. By reading the books I mention in this thread I picked up enough courage to "give up" Buddhist practice. I sometimes try to meditate - I recently had a toothache and it didn't help much - Stoic acceptance was much better for me!

Thanks Mal.

I've tried it for toothache too without success. Too painful for ordinary practice.

[NikolaiI]

The range of Buddhist ontology, by Kenneth K. Inada, is an exceptional work. . . there's an excerpt of it online here; http://ccbs.ntu.edu.tw/FULLTEXT/JR-PHIL/inada4.htm