Buddhist literature

[Infectedstyle]

Hey folks.

I'm looking for some literature that will or might change my life. I'm not such a reading person. But i've found out that books are powerful psychedelic tools. And every book i've read has improved my life in one way or another.

Now, i was wondering if you kind souls of the Nexus have some good recommendations for me. I want to buy a few books for myself and one as a gift for a deer friend. Yes, i befriend animals that read books.

I am looking for a practical book. Something that aids in meditation. Something that can give me a mental anchor that can aid cognitivism. So i don't have to feel depressed all the time. And so i can find the motivation to wake up every day and do good things in the world.

I'm also interested in more strange subjects. I was intrigued by the concept of the Six spiritual realms. Including the realms of Devas and the realm of Asuras. I would certainly like to learn more about this.

I also very much believe in the road to enlightenment. The noble eightfold path is something i hold close to my heart. Understanding this concept might be just the thing to propell my life into better conditions.

There's so many literature. I just don't know where to begin. Hopefully you can give some recommendations for me, and for others that read this thread.

To sum it all up, can you recommend books on;

-Meditation
-Spiritual realms
-Enlightenment

I'm sure i've forgot to mention a lot of things that are nested in old tradition. But this is what comes to mind. If you have read a book that compares to this and you would recommend it to someone, please do. (don't forget to post it in this thread )

I hope together we can comprise a good list of books to read.


For starters, i've read a small book on Tibetan dream yoga. And i did not like it. I did not learn any practical things. The concepts seemed vague. But it was a nice introduction into ancient traditions. And it gave me excellent insight into the way Tibet handles and tries to preservate holy texts. This was the first "spiritual" literature i've read.

That is, if you don't count Terence Mckenna as very spiritual

 

[Nitegazer]

We are fortunate that we live in an era where wisdom literature is so easily available. Buddhism comes in many flavors; I personally relate most to Soto Zen. It's not as 'mystic' as some of what you are looking for, but I recommend you give it a look-see. A path to enlightenment is certainly there, as is a rewarding meditative practice.

There are lots of books that I would like to recommend, but here are three of my favorites (you may already know one or two of them):

Zen Mind Beginners Mind by Shunryu Suzuki - provides one of the best introductions to meditation of which I am aware.

Flowers Fall: A Commentary on Zen Master Dogen's Genjokoan by Hakuun Yasutani - dense at times, but you can spend a lifetime reading this and learning.

Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life by Thich Nhat Hanh - simple and practical, the lessons are profound.

 

[joedirt]

There are a lot of books in this category!

One that I found very readable and approachable is

Buddha's Brain. It will give you the most insight into how to use buddhist meditation in a practicle sort of way...written by a western psychologist I believe. It's not Buddhism so much as a guide to understanding your mind...which is incidentally very Buddhist.

http://www.amazon.com/Buddhas-Brain-Practical-Neuroscience-Happiness/dp/1572246952

I'd also recommend the Pali Cannon by Bhikkhu Bodhi if you are really interested in diving into Buddhism.
The Pali cannon contains the most practice collection of his words without all the crazy mythology...though there is still some mythology.

For the Pali Cannon I'd start with:
Buddhas words:

Amazon.com

Then if that suits you and you want to dive in deeper I recommend

The Middle length discources:

Amazon.com

Then the long discources:

http://www.amazon.com/Long-Discourses-Buddha-Translation-Teachings/dp/0861711033/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1367525596&sr=1-6&keywords=Pali+Cannon

And finally the connected discourses:

Amazon.com

I'll be honest though. I'd go in the order I posted them here...to gage your level of interest. the Pali cannon is kind of tough to read, but the commentary by Bhikkhu Bodhi is quit nice as it sets the stage by giving you the historical background and translation issues and common themes of the day.

 

[Infectedstyle]

Thank you for the recommendations.

I've listened to a lecture by Bhikkhu Bodhi before going to sleep last night.

Is this part of Pali cannon series? I was mesmerized by this lecture. I think i finished listening for the entire hour before i fell asleep. I just forgot most of the details by now.

 

[DeDao]

http://www.amazon.com/Buddhas-Words-Anthology-Discourses-Teachings/dp/0861714911/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367587798&sr=8-1&keywords=in+the+buddha%27s+words

 

[cellux]

Read Chögyam Trungpa's Shambhala: The Sacred Path Of The Warrior

Sample: Shambhala

 

[Infectedstyle]

Read Chögyam Trungpa's Shambhala: The Sacred Path Of The Warrior

Sample: Shambhala

Heck yeah, i'm going to read that book. No way in hell i'll skip over a title like that.

 

[Learning]

I second the suggestion of Bikkhu Bodhi's Pali Canon translations. The pali suttas of the Theravada tradition are the earliest scriptures in the Buddhist canon. Of course it is impossible to verify what the Buddha actually said, or even that he WAS actually a real person, but one thing we do know is this: the Buddha definitely did NOT teach/speak the Mahayana teachings. These sutras were most definitely a later addition.

This is not to say that the Mahayana teachings are false per se, or that they are not enlightened teachings, or that they are incompatible with the teachings of the Pali suttas. But if you want to get at the earliest teachings of Buddhism, check out the Pali canon. These suttas were very likely spoken by Siddhartha himself, during his forty-five years of post-enlightenment wandering.

Best book on meditation (I think) is Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. There are many, many other helpful books on meditation for more advanced practice, but ZMBM contains everything you need to get started and more. Meditation is really extremely simple, and reading this book can be a good reminder of that if your meditation practice becomes too muddled or riddled with complexes of "achievement" or "attainment."

One more book I would recommend: Small Boat, Great Mountain. This is an amazingly articulate Dhamma book for modern times. It is written from a Theravadan perspective, but makes continual reference to Dzogchen (Tibetan/Vajrayana) concepts throughout. Thus it is a bit more universal than many Dhamma books, not so sectarian or dogmatic. You can download it for free here: https://www.abhayagiri.org/books/small-boat-great-mountain

 

[Parshvik Chintan]

i have read the book dropping ashes on the buddha, and the parts i could understand were awesome
(so at least 10% of the book :lol: )

also i ordered zig zag zen. i have yet to read it, but i hear great things about it