I had kind of a hard time thinking about a response I felt good about. Below are resources roughly sequenced as "stages". All the resources are within or related to the Theravada tradition. I tried to keep everything free. When a preferred resource is not free, I include a free alternative. Buddhism is very much a practice, so when instructions are given put them into practice the best you can. There is also a need to understand why you are practicing, so there is a need to understand Buddhist theory. Some of these resources might not be seem immediately applicable to you, which is fine, just think of it as being similar to reviewing a map before going on the hike. This small collection of selected resources may seem overwhelming, but learning the dhamma is a long process, so there is no hurry to read or listen to everything. It is like walking through mist, you don't necessarily notice getting wet. I just want to reiterate that practicing is very important. Buddhism is about doing, and to lesser degree about acquiring book knowledge. One caution, I put several different meditation styles below; go a head and experiment with them, but figure out which one fits you best and stick with it for a while. If you have any questions, I will do my best to answer skillfully. Remember that persistence will bring rewards. Good luck.

Books:

"Stage 1"

With Each & Every Breath: A Guide to Meditation by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana [not free] (Free older version)

Noble Strategy by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

The Buddha’s Teachings: An Introduction by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

"Stage 2"

In the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon edited by Bhikkhu Bodhi [not free] (A free "clone" can be found at www.suttacentral.net. It has all of the introductions Bhikkhu Bodhi wrote, but uses free translations of the suttas)

The Dhammapada: A New Translation of the Buddhist Classic with Annotations translated by Gil Fronsdal [not free] (A free and reliable translation of the Dhammapada by Anandajoti Bhikkhu)

"Stage 3"

The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Majjhima Nikaya translated by Bhikkhu Nanamoli & Bhikkhu Bodhi [not free] (Free translations of all of the Majjhima Nikaya suttas can be found at www.suttacentral.net. Thanissaro Bhikkhu has translated a free anthology of the Majjhima Nikaya called Handful of Leaves, Volume II: an Anthology from the Majjhima Nikaya)

The Wings to Awakening: An Anthology from the Pali Canon by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

Talks:

"Stage 1"

Introduction to Meditation is an audio course by Gil Fronsdal.

Basics is collection of talks by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.

The Buddha's Teaching As It Is: An Introductory Course is a series of talks by Bhikkhu Bodhi

Eightfold Path Program is a series of talks by Gil Fronsdal.

Four Noble Truths is a series by Gil Fronsdal and Andrea Fella.

"Stage 2"

Don't eat your fingers. Seriously though, just listen to talks and get a better feel for the dharma.

"Stage 3"

Seven Factors of Awakening is a series of talks by Gil Fronsdal.

A Systematic Study of the Majjhima Nikaya by Bhikkhu Bodhi

Resources:(There are a huge number of great resource. Below are the ones I frequent or have frequented)

Texts: www.suttacentral.net, www.accesstoinsight.org, www.buddhanet.net, www.dhammatalks.org, www.ancient-buddhist-texts.net

Talks: www.dharmaseed.org (huge variety of teachers have talks here), www.dhammatalks.org (Thanissaro Bhikkhu has a huge catalog of talks. He has a straight forward style.), www.audiodharma.org (Gil Fronsdal has very accessible teaching style. He presents the dharma in an almost secular way, but doesn't doesn't diminish it in the process.)

Video: Buddhist Society of Western Australia (Ajahn Brahm is a much loved and accessible teacher), Yuttadhammo Bhikkhu (Yuttadhammo Bhikkhu has a very calm demeanor, and does live Q&A regularly, StudentofthePath (Bhikkhu Jayasara is a recently ordained monk and is an active redditor, u/Bhikkhu_Jayasara), Dhammanet (Bhikkhu Sujato has "loose" and friendly teaching style, but is a serious scholar.)

Here's my standard set of recommendations for Theravada Buddhism. If you are interested in other traditions, then other people will recommend more suitable books.

I think the classic book What the Buddha Taught is one of the best starting points there is. It's a rather basic text, but at the same time it covers a lot of ground. Definately a must read. There are other more comprehensive introductory books, but they are a bit more technical.

Another amazing book is the Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi's book In the Buddha's Words which is an anthology of just a few of the Suttas along with some excellent introductory essays. This book is probably the best introduction to Buddhist scripture out there. This book is the only one on this list that isn't available for free on the internet, but for a little over ten dollars, I'd say it is definitely worth it.

The Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi also gave an introductory summary of Buddhism in the early 80's called The Buddha's Teaching As It Is which is quite good.

His Systematic Study of the Majjhima Nikaya is one of the best lecture series there is in my opinion.

You can find some articles he wrote here. I especially recommend the article "The Buddha and his Dhamma" and "The Noble Eightfold Path".

Sutta Central is probably the go to place for translations from the Pali Canon.

Here's a pdf of Mindfulness of Plain English, a very popular and general text on meditation.

Also one of the best books on meditation (although it is a bit more technical) is the book Satipatthana: The Direct Path to Realization

If you want to practice meditation according to the Mahasi Sawadaw tradition, then read this pdf of Practical Vipassana Exercises is a very good book. Also, if you are interested in the Mahasi Sayadaw tradition I highly recommend the youtube videos of the Ven. Yuttadhammo

Here's a good meditation manual from Ajahn Thanissaro about Mindfulness of Breathing.

If after you go through some of these texts and decide that you want to become Buddhist, it's very easy to do on your own. You just recite the formula for going for refuge and take on the five precepts. Here is a video that shows this, and if you click the closed captioning button, it gives you subtitles.

In terms of 'conversion':

• Attempt to understand the four noble truths
  
  
• Meditate or, if unsure as you do not want to attempt without a teacher, breathe and be mindful. Consider the truth of the arising and ceasing of phenomena. At this point you may or may not want to extend this to your own physical and mental processes: it is not easy for all people to consider their own physical death and certainly not to consider the unreliability of their own ego (I am a Psychologist and we actually discussed the lack of evidence of a consistent self on my degree course -- this has helped me not worry too much about the fact I have no stable, permanent mental self)
  
  
• Perhaps read some suttas. I like the Theravada and Thai Forest traditions so I'm reading http://www.dhammaweb.net/books/Dr_Walpola_Rahula_What_the_Buddha_Taught.pdf and https://www.amazon.com/Buddhas-Words-Anthology-Discourses-Teachings/dp/0861714911 but others have different viewpoints which I am confident are equally wonderful
  
  
• When you are ready to accept that these noble truths are valuable and likely to be true and feel that you can commit to the noble eightfold path state plainly that you take refuge in the three jewels
  
  This is not a conversion, but it is a commitment to studying Buddhism -- which is a religious system of education (towards the very eventual outcome of enlightenment) more than it is a "I go to church now" religion. Although in traditional settings there are temples, monasteries, almsgiving, ceremonies etc!
  
  With great love and respect.

My favorite copypasta:

I highly recommend In the Buddha's Words, a curated presentation of the Pali Canon with guiding essays.

Here is an excerpt on the Buddhist definition of faith that you might find useful:



>It is not only theistic religions that teach doctrines beyond the range of immediate empirical confirmation. The Buddha too taught doctrines that an ordinary person cannot directly confirm by everyday experience, and these doctrines are fundamental to the structure of his teaching. We saw, for example, in the introduction to chapters I and II, that the Nikayas envisage a universe with many domains of sentient existence spread out in boundless space and time, a universe in which sentient beings roam and wander from life to life on account of their ignorance, craving, and kamma. The Nikayas presuppose that throughout beginningless time, Buddhas without number have arisen and turned the wheel of the Dhamma, and that each Buddha attains enlightenment after cultivating spiritual perfections over long periods of cosmic time. When we approach the Dhamma we are likely to resist such beliefs and feel that they make excessive demands on our capacity for trust. Thus we inevitably run up against the question whether, if we wish to follow the Buddha’s teaching, we must take on board the entire package of classical Buddhist doctrine.

>For Early Buddhism, all the problems we face in deciding how far we should go in placing faith can be disposed of at a single stroke. That single stroke involves reverting to direct experience as the ultimate basis for judgment. One of the distinctive features of the Buddha’s teaching is the respect it accords to direct experience. The texts of Early Buddhism do not teach a secret doctrine, nor do they leave scope for anything like an esoteric path reserved for an elite of initiates and withheld form others. According to Text III,1, secrecy in a religious teaching is the hallmark of wrong views and confused thinking. The teaching of the Buddha shines openly, as radiant and brilliant as the light of the sun and moon. Freedom from the cloak of secrecy is integral to a teaching that gives primacy to direct experience, inviting each individual to test its principles in the crucible of his or her own experience.

>This does not mean that an ordinary person can fully validate the Buddha’s doctrine by direct experience without special effort. To the contrary, the teaching can only be fully realized through the achievement of certain extraordinary types of experience that are far beyond the range of the ordinary person enmeshed in the concerns of mundane life. However, in sharp contrast to revealed religion, the Buddha does not demand that we begin our spiritual quest by placing faith in doctrines that lie beyond the range of our immediate experience. Rather than ask us to wrestle with issues that, for us in our present condition, no amount of experience can decide, he instead asks us to consider a few simple questions pertaining to our immediate welfare and happiness, questions that we can answer on the basis of personal experience. I highlight the expression “for us in our present condition,” because the fact that we cannot presently validate such matters does not constitute grounds for rejecting them as invalid or even as irrelevant. It only means that we should put them aside for the time being and concern ourselves with issues that come within the range of direct experience.

>The Buddha says that his teaching is about suffering and the cessation of suffering. This statement does not mean that the Dhamma is concerned only with our experience of suffering in the present life, but it does imply that we can use our present experience, backed by intelligent observation, as a criterion for determining what is beneficial and what detrimental to our spiritual progress. Our most insistent existential demand, springing up deep within us, is the need for freedom from harm, sorrow, and distress; or, positively stated, the need to achieve well-being and happiness. However, to avoid harm and to secure our well-being, it is not sufficient for us merely to hope. We first have to understand the conditions on which they depend. According to the Buddha, whatever arises arises through appropriate causes and conditions, and this applies with equal force to suffering and happiness. Thus we must ascertain the causes and conditions that lead to harm and suffering, and likewise the causes and conditions that lead to wellbeing and happiness. Once we have extracted these two principles - the conditions leading to well-being and happiness – we have at our disposal an outline of the entire process that leads to the ultimate goal, final liberation from suffering.

>One text offering an excellent example of this approach is a short discourse in the Anguttara Nikaya popularly known as the Kalama Sutta. The Kalamas were a people living in a remote area of the Ganges plain. Various religious teachers would come to visit them and each would extol his own doctrine and tear down the doctrines of his rivals. Confused and perplexed by this conflict of belief systems, the Kalamas did not know whom to trust. When the Buddha passed through their town, they approached him and asked him to clear away their doubts. Though the text does not specify what particular issues were troubling the Kalamas, the later part of the discourse makes it clear that their perplexities revolved around the questions of rebirth and kamma.

>The Buddha began by assuring the Kalamas that under such circumstances it was proper for them to doubt, for the issues that troubled them were indeed common sources of doubt and perplexity. He then told them not to rely on ten sources of belief. Four of these pertain to established scriptural authority (oral tradition, lineage of teaching, hearsay, and collections of texts); four to rational grounds (logic, inferential reasoning, reasoned cogitation, and the acceptance of a view after pondering it); and two to authoritative persons (impressive speakers and respected teachers). This advice is sometimes quoted to prove that the Buddha rejected all external authorities and invited each individual to fashion his or her own personal path to truth. Read in context, however, the message of the Kalama Sutta is quite different. The Buddha is not advising the Kalamas – who, it must be stressed, had at this point not yet become his own disciples – to reject all authoritative guides to spiritual understanding and fall back solely on their personal intuition. Rather, he is offering them a simple and pragmatic outlet from the morass of doubt and perplexity in which they are immersed. By the use of skillful methods of inquiry, he leads them to understand a number of basic principles that they can verify by their own experience and thereby acquire a sure starting point for further spiritual development…

>…The fact that such texts as this sutta and the Kalama Sutta do not dwell on the doctrines of kamma and rebirth does not mean, as is sometimes assumed, that such teachings are mere cultural accretions to the Dhamma that can be deleted or explained away without losing anything essential. It means only that, at the outset, the Dhamma can be approached in ways that do not require reference to past and future lives. The Buddha’s teaching has many sides, and thus, from certain angles, it can be directly evaluated against our concern for our present well-being and happiness. Once we see that the practice of the teaching does indeed bring peach, joy, and inner security in this very life, this will inspire our trust and confidence in the Dhamma as a whole, including those aspects that lie beyond our present capacity for personal verification. If we were to undertake certain practices – practices that require highly refined skills and determined effort – we would be able to acquire the faculties needed to validate those other aspects, such as the law of kamma, the reality of rebirth, and the existence of supersensible realms


-In the Buddha’s Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon The Dalai Lama and Bhikkhu Bodhi

My recommendations from books I read in the last year or so (yes, these are all VERY STRONG recommends curated from ~100 books in the last year) -

​

Science fiction-

Derek Kunsken's The Quantum Magician (I would describe it as a cross between Oceans Eleven with some not-too-Hard Science Fiction. Apparently will be a series, but is perfectly fine as a standalone novel).

Cixin Lu's very popular Three Body Problem series (Mixes cleverly politics, sociology, psychology and science fiction)

James A Corey's The Expanse Series (which has been made into the best sci fi tv series ever!)

Hannu Rajaniemi's Quantum Thief series (Hard science fiction. WARNING - A lot of the early stuff is intentionally mystifying with endless terminology that’s only slowly explained since the main character himself has lost his memories. Put piecing it all together is part of the charm.)

​

Fantasy-

James Islington's Shadow of What was Lost series (a deep series which makes you think - deep magic, politics, religion all intertwined)

Will Wight's Cradle series (has my vote for one of the best fantasy series ever written)

Brandon Sanderson Legion series (Brandon Sanderson. Nuff said. Creative as always)

​

Manga -

Yukito Kishiro's Alita, Battle Angel series (the manga on what the movie was based)

​

Non-Fiction-

Jonathan Haidt's The Righteous Mind - Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion (and how we are not as rational as we believe we are, and how passion works in tandem with rationality in decision making and is actually required for good decisionmaking)

Rothery's Geology - A Complete Introduction (as per title)

Joseph Krauskopf's A Rabbi's Impressions of the Oberammergau Passion Play, available to read online for free, including a fabulous supplementary of Talmud Parallels to the NT (a Rabbi in 1901 explains why he is not a Christian)

​

Audiobooks -

Bob Brier's The History of Ancient Egypt (as per title - 25 hrs of the best audiobook lectures. Incredible)

​

Academic biblical studies-

Richard Elliot Friedman's Who Wrote The Bible and The Exodus (best academic biblical introductory books into the Documentary Hypothesis and Qenite/Midian hypothesis)

Israel Finkelstein's The Bible Unearthed (how archaelogy relates to the bible)

E.P. Sander's Judaism: Practice and Belief, 63BCE-66CE ​(most detailed book of what Judaism is and their beliefs, and one can see from this balanced [Christian] scholar how Christianity has colored our perspectives of what Jews and Pharisees were really like)

Avigdor Shinan's From gods to God (how Israel transitioned from polytheism to monotheism)

Mark S Smith's The Early History of God (early history of Israel, Canaanites, and YHWH)

James D Tabor's Paul and Jesus: How the Apostle Transformed Christianity (as per title)

Tom Dykstra's Mark Canonizer of Paul (engrossing - will make you view the gospel of Mark with new eyes)

Jacob L Wright's King David and His Reign Revisited (enhanced ibook - most readable book ever on King David)

Jacob Dunn's thesis on the Midianite/Kenite hypothesis (free pdf download - warning - highly technical but also extremely well referenced)

Rupert Gethin's Foundations of Buddhism is a thorough introduction to Buddhism. For starting reading the Pāli discourses, there's Bhikkhu Bodhi's In the Buddha's Words - this is a selection of discourses serving as an entry point.

Then you can start with the discourses directly: start with the Majjima Nikāya and then you can also go through The Dīgha Nikāya and the Samyutta Nikāya. And then the last but not least: Aṇguttara Nikāya and the Khuddhaka Nikāya (search on Amazon). These texts would be important references for the rest of your life if you seriously pursue Buddhism.

Regarding insight meditation, Bhikkhu Anālayo's Satipaṭṭāna book is the best modern day commentary available. Highly recommend it. His "Excursions into the Pāli Discourses" Part 1 and Part 2 are also very useful since they summarize many of the topics discusses in the discourses.

Books by Shaila Catherine or Ajāhn Brahmavaṃso would be good texts regarding samatha meditation.

There are the various texts written by the Ledi Sayādaw and Mahāsi Sayadaw - two Burmese scholar-practitioners who popularized insight meditation in the last century. You can go through Ven. Ledi Sayādaw's Vipassanā Dīpani (Manual of Insight) and you can find Ven. Mahāsi Sayadaw's books here.

Bhikkhu K. Ñānānanda has many books discussing deep questions about dependent arising, the nature of nirvāna, and so forth. You can find them here.

I'll let others recommend Mahāyāna, Vajrayāna and Zen material. In general, Reginald Rays books on Tibetan Buddhism are great entry points to Tibetan Buddhism, and then there's Gampopa's Jewel Ornament Of Liberation. There's also Shantidēva's Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra, useful for any Mahāyāna practitioner. With Zen there's always Dōgen Zenji's Shōbōgenzō.

You should be able to find all of the above by googling if it's available for free or on Amazon (or a University library) otherwise.

Depends on what I want, study or practice. But my most recent have been...

Silence: The Power of Quiet in a World Full of Noise

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silence-Power-Quiet-World-Noise/dp/1846044340/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1453563033&sr=1-1&keywords=silence+thich+nhat+hanh

For daily living the books by Thich Nhat Hanh are fantastic, especially the power of silence. The book is aimed at all audiences but really goes in to depth showcasing how life in the west especially has become out of control, we are constantly imbued with noise, constantly thinking and never truly coming home to ourselves, so our suffering is always 'ours' carried by us everywhere until it begins to spill out in our actions and thoughts.

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

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Books-Buddhas-Words-Anthology-Discourses-Teachings/dp/0861714911/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1453563240&sr=1-1&keywords=Bikkhu+bodhi

I really like both this book and the middle length discourses for when I desire to feel 'closer' to the teachings. This book in particular takes teachings from the the pali canon and presents those which bear the most relevance to life today. The teachings are very profound and each suttra is very powerful. Many of the questions here could be easily answered by reading these translations of the discourses by Bikkhu Bodhi.

Although I do feel these are books for the book shelf as the suttras are kept purposely intact but it means there is a lot of cumbersome repetition and one or two suttras a session are best I find.

Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha: Majjhima-Nikaya: New Translation (Teachings of the Buddha)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Middle-Length-Discourses-Buddha-Majjhima-Nikaya/dp/086171072X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1453564072&sr=1-1&keywords=bhikkhu+bodhi+the+middle+discourses

This book focuses more on the Buddha's time at jetta grove and a lot of the pages describe his dealings with the monastics, but also detail his meetings with all walks of life from princes to simple villagers. There is the classic hell suttra too, which is gruesome and had me in contemplation for a while! The teachings are profound though and any discerning Buddhist would benefit from reading the texts.


http://www.buddhanet.net/chin_bud.htm

'The translated teachings of Miao Yun'

This is not so much a book as a collection of teachings which have been translated for a western audience. The words however contain a lot of wisdom and really detail the framework of a path from human to buddha-hood and the importance of cultivating core values such as wisdom and compassion.

The introduction to this translation of the Digha Nikaya talks about this at some length.

In short, before the Buddha, there were early versions of the castes, but there was also a Sramana tradition of those that basically left society.

In general, the Brahmins were respected, but the Sramanas were also given a good deal of honor.

These Sramanas did not follow a particular code, but were of many different mindsets, codes of conduct, etc. This ranged from wanderers to atheists to any number of other ways of thinking and conduct.

When the Buddha 'went forth' from the home life into homelessness, he entered this group of Sramanas. He worked with various teachers at the time, and ultimately found that their teachings were basically limited.

After his enlightenment and the establishment of the Sangha, the 'monks' at the time were basically homeless wanderers, generally. However, at times, they would reside in one place, sometimes for a short period and sometimes for a longer period, often because they were basically sponsored by lay disciples.

Some, like Mahakaccana I believe, resided in one place for the majority of the time. Others, like Mahakassapa perhaps, lived in the wilderness basically all of the time.

In general, some of them basically resided in the wilderness, some would wander, gathering alms at various towns and cities and the like.

In some cases, I think, there were cases where various townspeople, city people, kings, etc, would basically set up a more long-lasting system of giving alms, which allowed there to be a bit more established areas where monastics could stay, more or less. Also, various disciples would basically give retreat places, some of which are featured prominently in the suttas in terms of places where the Buddha gave discourses.

Also, it may be worth considering that northern India has monsoons related to the Himalayas, and so often times during the rains, the monastics would kind of settle in for a time, I think.

It seems like a very interesting life, to me. Very inspiring. Some of the poems that are written in the Theragatha give some sense of the lives of these individuals, including those that frequented the wilderness.

The original SAO LN in Japan is way past the anime. (A good 2 seasons or so.) In English, it's been published up to the end of the first season with the first arc of the second season coming out on the 15th. (Phantom Bullet) The anime adapts through to volume 8.

The SAO: Progressive series is a re-write of the first arc and hasn't been adapted beyond a single chapter. It's a really good read for those that are interested in what SAO should originally have been. The manga version of it is a silly adaption where it tells the story from another character's perspective while focusing on comedy.

Not sure about other kinds of LNs he might like considering it's hard to get an accurate sense of taste just from the series listed. Going based off the genres, Danmachi is a really enjoyable growth adventure action series I consistently look forward to the next volume of.

A Certain Magical Index is a series I love as the story is always becoming more and more exciting with some of the best writing from an author out of many light novels. The English publication isn't past the anime yet but the anime does butcher some of the arcs so it's worth it to start from the beginning. A companion to this series would be the A Certain Scientific Railgun manga which is also very action orientated.

Tate no Yuusha is an LN series without an anime adaption that got licensed in English. It's a pretty good adventure series that he might like. It's a safe bet for something he's probably not experienced yet I think. Only 2 volumes published in English so far.

The Crafter by Outspan Foster. I haven't read this one yet, but I'm pretty pumped. Ordered the paperback. Set in a non-vr world.

Dante's Immortality. Highly recommended on this sub. Book 2 probably won't happen. Probably once a week asks about book 2. Still, so good that it's worth reading book 1 of an unfinished series. I think that's pretty high praise for it.

Sufficiently Advanced Magic. Another sub favorite. People argue whether or not it's LitRPG, most important thing is: it's dope.

Adventures on Brad. Nice slice of life in a non-vr fantasy world with game mechanics. Fun stuff.

A few others:

Adventurer Academy andIs It Wrong to Try and Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon.

Enjoy!

Fronsdal's translation of the Dhammapada is good. It certainly looks nice, and the translation is elegant yet accurate. I also recommend Thanissaro Bhikkhu's translation, which you can get for free online, or you can download the book in PDF format.

I would recommend reading Bhikkhu Bodhi's In the Buddha's Words before digging more deeply into the full Nikayas. This book wonderfully selects passages from the Pali Canon and organizes them in a logical fashion, with clear commentaries.

I also recommend Thanissaro Bhikkhu's many e-books which you can download for free online. For beginners I highly recommend Refuge and The Wings to Awakening (found at the bottom of the linked page).

Hope this helps!

My post in the book recommendations to the right:

>For all Buddhists:

> The Majjhima Nikaya: The Middle Length Discources of the Buddha
> The Digha Nikaya: The Long Length Discourses of the Buddha

>For Mahayana Buddhists:

> The Nectar of Manjushri's Speech: A Detailed Commentary on Shantideva's Way of the Bodhisattva

>For Vajrayana Buddhists:

> Words of my Perfect Teacher by Patrul Rinpoche

>Nothing in particular after that.

>There are a TON of misconceptions out there about what the Buddha taught and the presentation of the basic Buddhist path. Not reading the Digha/Majjhima Nikaya and calling yourself a Buddhist is the same as calling yourself a Christian without ever reading the Bible.

>Similarly, not having read the Bodhicharyavatara (a commentary really helps on this one, which is why I linked the best one) and calling yourself a Mahayana Buddhist is the same.

>Words of my Perfect teacher is simply an excellent introduction to the Vajrayana path, so I think it should be on there as well. Maybe not as necessary as the previous 3 (because in Vajrayana it's most important to learn from a qualified guru), it's still an excellent book. And if you haven't found a teacher yet, it would certainly help in finding a good one.

What the Buddha Taught is the best "intro to Buddhism" book I've read yet, I highly recommend it. This is a book you will constantly be coming back to, if you decide to keep pursuing Buddhism that is, for it contains all of the essentials (IMO). The author also includes several key suttas given by the Buddha (several especially directed towards lay people like ourselves), and a collection of key verses from the Dhammapada (a classic Buddhist scripture). The other "Intro to Buddhism" book I will recommend is Becoming Enlightened by His Holliness the Dalai Lama, which gives an overview of the Buddhist path to Enlightenment that emphasizes the role of compassion, altruism, and wisdom.

 

For learning to meditate and practice mindfulness, I recommend Mindfulness in Plain English. What the Buddha Taught also has a great chapter on meditation and mindfulness.

 

Once you feel more comfortable with the basic principles of Buddhism, if you'd like to start reading and studying key Buddhist scriptures, I'd recommend starting with the following: In the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon and The Dhammapada. The Pali Cannon in the oldest complete Buddhist cannon of scriptures that survives today. The Dhammapada is a short collection of sayings within the Pali Cannon that is thought to summarize the essence of the Buddha's teachings.

For me, personally, I started with the 'Basics' section on the sidebar. It contains, amongst other things:

• The FAQ
  
  
• A booklist
  
  I myself started with Walpola Rahula's book, as recommended in those links, and the https://bswa.org/ resources including those on Youtube. I then progressed onto In the Buddha's Words.
  I also find Thanissaro Bhikkhu's talks to be informative. They can be found at https://www.dhammatalks.org/ -- note there is a 'For Beginners' tab -- and also on Youtube. I think the former is kept more up-to-date but there are many valuable talks on both, about all kinds of topics.
  
   
  
  I am very thankful that you have come out of this situation with so much physical and mental strength. I hope this means that you can find peace, happiness and health. I hope you do not mind me also saying that I extend this too to your attacker, as their actions are clearly not helpful for them or the living beings around them.

I just have to make another reply because the amount of ignorance in this post is just simply staggering.

More on Mao, many people do not worship Mao. Those who look at him favourably are also divided on the opinion. On one hand Mao is acknowledged as the person who liberated China from colonial meddling and division. He's the one who united a fragmented China.

On the other hand, the general consensus is that while he was a great general, he was a terrible ruler.

His great leap forward and cultural revolution were utter failures. Even the current government acknowledges it and moved on from Mao's policies.

Nowadays, it isn't a crime to criticise the cultural revolution, discuss or WRITE about it in a best selling novel. Case in point, in 2006, a chinese author by the name of Liu Cixin published a sci-fi novel named "Three body problem", in the first two chapters he unapologetically portrayed the failure and brutality of cultural revolution.

The book became the best selling sci-fi novel in China. In 2015 it was translated into English in the west and won the prestigious Hugo award for best novel. Obama read it and recommended it as his favourite book to read during his presidency.

Proof:

https://www.amazon.com/Three-Body-Problem-Cixin-Liu/dp/0765382032/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1500440486&sr=8-1&keywords=three+body+problem

When you wish upon a star...

I'd have to say Beauty and the Beast because I always related to her when I was little because she liked to read and she had brown hair. I love that she sees the good in people.

I think my favorite song would be You'll Be in my Heart, it's just too sweet :)

Thanks for the contest!

A new book :)

(Thanks, and sorry for the huge reply below; I might have gotten carried away.)

It's tough. The Pāli Canon is relatively inaccessible, and most of it probably isn't relevant for your purposes. Part of the problem is the literature on Buddhism is huge, much larger than the Bible, and there are many different angles you can approach it from: for example, vipassanā meditation has recently become very popular in the West, and there are many books devoted to that topic from a secular perspective that provide no information regarding Buddhist philosophy -- which consists of an ethics, metaphysics, cosmology, etc. Buddhist philosophy is much broader than, say, Christian theology, and is arguably more analogous to Western philosophy.

If you're a secular Westerner like myself, you'd probably be most interested in Theravāda Buddhism: this is the least "mystical" of the three major schools, and is the most conservative, dealing mostly with the Buddha's actual (purported) words. Mahāyāna is the most popular school of Buddhism, found (for example) in China and Japan, and is newer, less conservative, and has a much larger canon of commentaries and interpretations; Vajrayāna is found in places like Tibet, and is (relative to Theravāda) extremely esoteric. Theravāda is the closest to "Buddhism as a philosophy".

/r/Buddhism is a welcoming community, and they are better equipped to provide you with resources than I am. I would recommend asking them, and narrowing down what interests you the most via Wikipedia. Feel free to pose me any specific or follow-up questions as well. I'll also be able to keep my answer briefer if the question is more constrained.

A couple of warnings: vet any authors first, before buying their books. A lot of the resources at your local book store are by Deepak Chopra types, and are not highly regarded. Look for commentaries on or interpretations of actual Buddhist canon. Related to that, forget what you think you know about Buddhism: New Age concepts like "reincarnation" and "karma" actually have very little to do with traditional Buddhism. My favorite example is that, while Buddhism does have a concept of "rebirth", it also explicitly rejects the notion of a soul -- this precludes the possibility of New Age or Hindu "reincarnation", and I have seen this trip some people up.

Sorry I couldn't be more helpful. My own knowledge comes from reference material like Wikipedia (especially as a portal to find other material), as well as selections from the Pāli canon -- this is one book I found useful as an introduction. It might not be the most academic book, but I think it does a good job as a general overview. Other books from the same publisher are also supposed to be good (and rely on actual canon), but I can't personally recommend any others.

Good luck!

> Many people are telling me to meditate and figure it out for myself. How can I do this?

Honestly, I would advise against that. I'd recommend learning meditation from a teacher, and I'd also recommend studying some Dharma first before making meditation the main focus of your practice. And before all of that, the most important thing is going to be conduct. The most important aspect of conduct is to not take life, even very tiny insects. If you don't have proper conduct, then nothing else is really going to work. So, I'd recommend that order:

1. establish stable virtuous conduct
   
2. study Dharma
   
3. practice
   
   It won't hurt to start a small meditation practice right now, in fact I would recommend that. But it will be best to spend the most energy on conduct and study at this time.
   
   > What should I focus on? Karma and dependent origin? Cessation of attachment? Compassion? Which aspect is the most important?
   
   It's really hard to say. I don't think there's any right answer unless you're working within a specific tradition. My personal recommendation would be to read In the Buddha's Words by Bhikku Bodhi. This will give you a really strong introduction to Theravada teachings. Even though it's Theravada, it is the common foundation of all schools of Buddhism. If you don't understand everything in this book, it will be difficult to understand anything else in Buddhism beyond this.
   
   Then, if you want to get a little introduction to the Mahayana, I'd suggest reading some translation of Shantideva's Entering the Conduct of a Bodhisattva (maybe translated as The Way of the Bodhisattva). This book is great for both complete beginners and very advanced bodhisattvas. I have read this text several times over the last 10 years and I learn something new every time. The Dalai Lama said:
   
   > If I have any understanding of compassion and the bodhisattva path, it all comes from studying this text.
   
   If you find that you are attracted to the Mahayana, then I would suggest that your next quest is to find your teacher. In Theravada, a teacher may not be of the utmost importance. But for Mahayana, a teacher is indispensible. There are enlightened teachers living today, it just takes effort to find one. My sincere advice would be to find an enlightened teacher, and then follow their advice as best as you can.
   
   Finally, don't turn Dharma into an escape. Dharma is never going to solve your worldly problems. You will still need to learn how to deal with life just like any other adult does in our society. Make sure to spend the proper effort and do well in school :) Dharma doesn't solve worldly problems, but it will lead to peace where no worldly problems bother you at all.

I have hundreds of books, all on an overly expensive device I bought to have when I am on the motorcycle and camping. I wanted a waterproof one that would be fine if it got damp. Kindle Oasis (9th Generation) 32GB Wifi w/ Cellular - much better overall for reading than my phone or iPad. Overspent on a simple device, but it has been wonderful.

There are two books I keep reading over and over.

1. At Home in the World: Stories and Essential Teachings from a Monk's Life, Thich Nhat Hanh
   
2. In the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon (The Teachings of the Buddha), The Dalai Lama
   
   I have also a bunch of Survival and Bushcrafting books and reference material. A lot I pulled from the Pathfinder School's FB page in their files list. If you are looking for something to cover a lot of topics, this one is a great collection: The Bushcraft Boxed Set: Bushcraft 101; Advanced Bushcraft; The Bushcraft Field Guide to Trapping, Gathering, & Cooking in the Wild; Bushcraft First Aid, Dave Canterbury & Jason A Hunt
   
   And while I have listed the 2 books above, I have a ton of one of my favorite genres right now (it's a phase, I know) but I love reading Zombie stories in the woods!
   
   As for keeping the Kindle charged up, that is easy. I pretty much leave it on Airplane mode unless I am getting a book pushed to it. It uses very little power if the screen backlighting is turned off. If it's low, I have a small solar charger I can use to charge it. I got the charger for my portable battery pack - 26000 mAH, charges in about 6 hours from 0 from the solar. OR, I take a few hours ride on the bike (go ahead, twist my arm) and recharge it from the charging USB plug on it. Same with phone.

1. You can buy this book and just read one little sutta each night before you go to sleep :-)
   
   
2. The dhammapada is poetry, and poetry is meant to inspire. IMO it can be hard to be inspired if you don't know what you're supposed to do.
   
   
3. 5 minutes of metta when you rise, 5 minutes of metta before you go to bet. ~20 minutes sometime during the day.
   
   
4. By keeping yourself immersed in the Dhamma over time. Here is the Buddha explaining it:
   
   >“I say, bhikkhus, that (1) true knowledge and liberation have a nutriment; they are not without nutriment. And what is the nutriment for true knowledge and liberation?
   
   >...[7 causally linked factors that I've removed for brevity]...
   
   >It should be said: (9) hearing the good Dhamma. Hearing the good Dhamma, too, I say, has a nutriment; it is not without nutriment. And what is the nutriment for hearing the good Dhamma? It should be said: (10) associating with good persons. (source)
   
   In the text above, the Buddha explains how associating with good persons leads to enlightenment. These days we have other ways to hear the good Dhamma too; talks by monks online, books, especially reading the word of the Buddha.
   
   Obviously the best thing is to hang around a Buddha or other enlightened monks or nuns, but that can be hard to come by :-)
   
   
5. Reading the book i linked to. Deepening that understanding. Basically, keeping the Dhamma in my life. Also, meditating. Especially metta.
   
   >Staying at Savatthi. "Monks, if someone were to give a gift of one hundred serving dishes [of food] in the morning, one hundred at mid-day, and one hundred in the evening; and another person were to develop a mind of good-will — even for the time it takes to pull on a cow's udder — in the morning, again at mid-day, and again in the evening, this [the second action] would be more fruitful than that [the first]. (source)
   
   Metta is one of those things that, even if you do it just a little, it does a lot of good.

I recommend the Middle-Length Discourses, the Majjhima Nikaya. It is a colledtion of suttas, which are discourses, that is part of something called the Pali canon, which is the oldest surviving complete collection of Buddhist writings.

It's a long book, but one of the reasons why I would recommend it is because each of its discourses is not predicated on any other, and they're usueally only a few pages long each, so they're good for intermittent reading. They are also aimed at people of varying levels of understanding, so there will be something (hopefully several somethings) in there that speaks to you, from the start and as your understanding develops.

It's also quite a good way to familiarize yourself with the context of Buddhism and what most likely went on two and a half thousand years ago, as the discourses take place in many locations, from towns, meeting halls, and huts to forests, lake beds, and groves, and involve many people, from monks to contemplatives to "the Niganthans" (Jains) to laypeople and kings.

I hope you consider this, which is one of the books on which modern Theravada Buddhism is based, and if you have questions about the Pali canon in general, I may know the answer or how to find one as I have been reading them/about them for about a year. But know that they're probably a little more difficult to read than most of the suggestions out there, because they are very old and were translated from their original language.

Best of luck in finding a good book for you.

Great suggestions and I would comment that Look_within's recommendation is great, I read that and In the Buddha's Words, which is an outstanding anthology of Buddha's teachings organized in a very logical format by one of the top Pali translators and Scholars of our time Bodhi Bikkhu. He also has an amazing site Access to Insight, which in and of itself is an outstanding resource.

Personally if you want to pop off some stuff, I would learn the 4 Noble Truths, the 8 Fold Path, The Life of the Buddha, Dependent origination, The 3 Marks of Existence and the 5 precepts. Also meditation is a big part of the path, so I would start with Mindfulness in Plain English, try to meditate daily starting at 20 minutes a day.

If you like Arrival (which you should!), I highly, HIGHLY recommend
reading the book series 'The Three Body Problem'.

The first book in the series won The Hugo Award for best sci-fi novel last year, and balances so many things well, like the Cultural Revolution, exploration, sociology, SETI, and hard sci-fi. Very original and unpredictable.

Find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Three-Body-Problem-Cixin-Liu/dp/0765382032/

Here is a list of monasteries where you will be able to practice meditation for an extended period of time and eventually ordain as a monk:

-Pa Auk Forest Monastery in Myanmar

-Panditarama Forest Meditation Center in Myanmar

-Wat Chom Tong in Thailand

-Wat Ram Poeng in Thailand

The monasteries below allow shorter stays for first-time visitors:

-Bhavana Society in West Virginia

-Metta Forest Monastery in California

-Sirimangalo International in Canada

-Bodhinyana in Australia

If you’re interested in learning how to meditate, the following books are excellent guides. Each of these authors has a novel approach to explaining meditation that complements the others.

-The Mind Illuminated by John Yates

-Shift Into Freedom by Loch Kelly

-With Each & Every Breath by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. This author has other great books available for free.

-In The Buddha’s Words by the Buddha (translated by Bhikkhu Bodhi)

I recommend that you check out /r/streamentry, an online community of laypeople (non-monks) pursuing awakening. You might also wish to contact /u/Bhikkhu_Jayasara, a fully ordained monk who often participates in /r/buddhism.

Best of luck to you on the path.

First contact is a whole subgenre of scifi, and it is one of my favorites!

​

In regards to your request. I have, but haven't read Artemis because it doesn't look that interesting. Rendezvous with Rama, is good, albeit kinda boring. If you like it, but wish it had more action, read Ringworld by Larry Niven.

​

Here are some of my favorite first contact books (with oversimplified plot summaries):

​

The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle - Humans discover an alien spaceship and set out to find the source.

The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu - Chinese centric first book in a trilogy of aliens invading. One of the best I have read in recent years. Don't want to give away too much. Features alien aliens, like in The Gods Themselves!

​

A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge - Humans discover an alien race and race to be the first to make contact with them.

​

Damocles by S.G. Redling - Humans discover alien life and launch an expedition to make first contact. Follows the story from the point of the humans and the aliens. Very good hard scifi, but easy to read. The language barrier is a major plot piece.

​

Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky - Humans are looking for a new home and stumble across a planet with alien life. Trouble ensues. No spoilers here. The sequel comes out in only a couple of weeks!

Mushishi is wonderful. But it is very episodic. Its best not to binge the show. Once I got half way through the first season (this was before the second season was even a twinkle in the anime studio's eye) I actually saved the rest for "rainy" day type situations. It took me almost 6 months to finish a handful of episodes, but I really enjoyed watching it that way.

Also, how in the heck can you give Lain an 8 when its like 100x slower than Habaine Renmei?! No, but I do partially agree with you. I love HR a lot, but the first half really drags. Also, I would like to mention that it is very loosely based on a book called Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami. Its a very bizarre but fun read if you are ever looking for a new book to get into.

In terms of Buddhist texts. The Pali Canon contains the core teachings but all of it was written down many years after the death of Gotama Buddha. Until the time of the councils that codified and committed the teachings to text, it was an oral tradition. There were also notable disagreements between factions of the sangha before and after the teachings were written down. In other words, 'authenticity' is a tricky subject in Buddhism, just as in any other religion.

As a general guide, a good translation of the key points of the Pali Canon such as 'In The Buddha's Words' by Bhikkhu Bodhi is a good start. And if you're interested in Mahayana, then the writings of scholars like Dogen and Nagarjuna are important so look for good translations of those.

As for remaining secular in Buddhism. As a Western practice, that's pretty common, especially since the rise of secular mindfulness schools and such. Technically these practices shouldn't really be labeled Buddhism because the original teachings absolutely contain a strong metaphysics and literal belief in not only rebirth but also in various spiritual realms and such. Don't get hung up on desiring the label of 'Buddhist'. Just follow your path through secular schools and see where it leads you.

I'm currently reading The Wolf in the Whale by Jordana Max Brodsky. It is an amazing book, I love the fact that she uses Native Inuit myths along with Norse Myths. It's just a good story. I love good stories.

I have a lot of Kindle books on my Kindle wishlist. The book I really want on there is called The Three-Body Problem, it's the first book in a trilogy by a Chinese sci-fi author. I have heard awesome things about this trilogy and I can't wait to read it.

Dune by Frank Herbert.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series by Douglas Adams. You have probably read it, but if you haven't, it's superbly funny sci-fi comedy.

The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco. A book that I re-read once every few years, and every time I find something new in it.

Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets by David Simon. A gripping, heartbreaking non-fiction book about police detectives. It inspired the acclaimed TV series "Homicide: Life on the Street." Simon would go on to create "The Wire."

The Big Nowhere by James Ellroy. Noir-ish procedural crime fiction. If you enjoy "Homicide," you may well like this.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera, "a philosophical novel about two men, two women, a dog and their lives in the Prague Spring of the Czechoslovak Communist period in 1968," according to Wikipedia. One of my favorite books.

Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami. Detective novel meets sci-fi in one mind-bending existential work. If you watch "Fringe," well, this book is Fringe-y... and more.

To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis. Time travel. Victorian England. A tea cozy mystery of sorts.

Graphic novels! Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. Maus: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman. Love And Rockets by The Hernandez brothers. The Sandman by Neil Gaiman. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki. Elektra: Assassin by Frank Miller and Bill Sienkiewicz. And of course, Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. To discover yet more great comic books, check out the Comics College series.

I agree with friend numserv about the pali cannon. This book by Bhikkhu Bodhi is also great in bringing together important suttas and bhante explaining the teachings: http://www.amazon.com/Buddhas-Words-Anthology-Discourses-Teachings/dp/0861714911



I would add though that if she is looking for something less cannoical text wise id suggest any of the books from Ajahn Chah.

The books out contain his talks and teachings which are amazing for putting the deep teachings into basic understandable words.

Most of it can be found for free here : http://www.ajahnchah.org/book/index.php or on Amazon in paperback form.

I wrote this in another thread, sounds like it applies to your question:

​

In the Buddha's Words

https://www.amazon.com/Buddhas-Words-Anthology-Discourses-Teachings-ebook/dp/B003XF1LIO

It is an absolutely fantastic book. How many books can you say are appropriate both for people totally unfamiliar with Buddhism, and for already devout practicing Buddhists? For beginners and experts alike? A perfect balance of summary with original texts.

His (Bikkhu Bodhi) summaries of the teachings and his explanations of core concepts (such as karma) are really among the highest quality and clarity I have seen. He is truly a brilliant teacher and linguist.

Not sure about scifi movies, but there's a book, The Three Body Problem that has won the Hugo award. The title refers to the famous three-body problem in physics, which is known for having no closed-form general solution. People around this sub generally agree that the original Chinese version is better than the translation, no surprise there; but many English readers I've asked say they still liked the translation. It also has 2 sequels, so it's a trilogy really. And they're coming out with a film adaptation next year.

An alternate translation, also from Bhikkhu Bodhi:

---

"There are, O monks, eight reasons for giving. What eight?

People may give out of affection;

or in an angry mood;

or out of stupidity;

or out of fear;

or with the thought: 'Such gifts have been given before by my
father and grandfather and it was done by them before; hence it would
be unworthy of me to give up this old family tradition';

or with the thought, 'By giving this gift, I shall be reborn in a good destination, in
a heavenly world, after death';

or with the thought, 'When giving this gift, my heart will be glad, and happiness and joy will arise in me';

or one gives because it ennobles and adorns the mind."

---

AN 8:33; IV 236-3

---

From

In The Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon Edited and introduced by Bhikkhu Bodhi. Page 169

---

>i dont want to buy it

Sorry but there are no other way as the fan TLer has been taken down.

Volume 1:

iTunes (digital)

Google Play (digital)

Google Play US (digital)

Amazon (physical and digital)

Book Depository (physical)

Rightstuf (physical)

Volume 2:

iTunes (digital)

Google Play (digital)

Google Play US (digital)

Amazon (physical and digital)

Book Depository (physical)

Rightstuf (physical)

Volume 3:

iTunes (digital)

Google Play (digital)

Google Play US (digital)

Amazon (physical and digital)

Book Depository (physical)

Rightstuf (physical)

Volume 4:

iTunes (digital)

Google Play (digital)

Google Play US (digital)

Amazon (physical and digital)

Book Depository (physical)

Rightstuf (physical)

Volume 5:

iTunes (digital)

Google Play (digital)

Google Play US (digital)

Amazon (physical and digital)

Book Depository (physical)

Rightstuf (physical)

Preorder Volume 6:

iTunes (digital)

Google Play (digital)

Google Play US (digital)

Amazon (physical and digital)

Book Depository (physical)

Rightstuf (physical)

So here's some of the textbooks I read (and still own) from my Asian History courses at college. All are worth reading over, but you'll also want teachers to help you, to talk with historians from China, and eventually just to go to China and see a lot of stuff for yourself.

The Cambridge Illustrated History of China, by Patricia Ebrey.

Chinese Civilization: A Sourcebook, edited by Patricia Ebrey.

Quotations from Mao Tse-Tung, written by the man himself.

Fiction:

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, by Dai Sijie.

The Outlaws of the Marsh, by Shi Nai'An and Sidney Shapiro.

The Three Body Problem, by Cixin Liu and Ken Liu.

These are a relatively good start to help you get a grounding in China's history. Everyone in this thread has also given some good suggestions. And visit /r/askhistorians; they'll have some better sources you can check out.

For beginners?

Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World-- Time, Duality, Left Brain/Right Brain Dillema

Norwegian Wood-- Memory, death (and therefore life), music

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle-- Surrealism, Defilement, Water (if you didn't like Kafka, you might not like this. It's like two steps back on the weirdness scale but twice as long).

He is easily one of my favorite authors of all time and I personally think every single one of his books is fantastic. Granted, Kafka was the last one I read, and I had read so many others before it that I wasn't phased by all the weird shit that goes down.

In my opinion, Murakami is the type of author that everyone will find at least one of his books enjoyable. It might be Norweigian Wood for some, 1Q84 for others, and maybe even A Wild Sheep Chase or Dance, Dance, Dance for a someone else.

I think there are certain works of his that are basically you either "get" them or you don't. This isn't an intellegence/educational thing, it's more like you're in a different place emotionally. That's okay, though, because his body of work is so large, complex, and thought provoking that it touches upon a lot of variable subjects.

Talk To Me In Korean, I would say is pretty good for beginners. They have free grammar lessons on their website and you can also buy their grammar books. They also have some reading books that you can buy. You could also buy this book https://www.amazon.com/Korean-Stories-Language-Learners-Traditional/dp/0804850038/ref=pd_sbs_14_3/142-5694319-4706627?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0804850038&pd_rd_r=49359b2f-410c-4ddc-ac1c-b28166ef4fed&pd_rd_w=KLmK7&pd_rd_wg=Jjw7r&pf_rd_p=52b7592c-2dc9-4ac6-84d4-4bda6360045e&pf_rd_r=VZ81PCTPQ1ATEFBYBQKV&psc=1&refRID=VZ81PCTPQ1ATEFBYBQKV

The folktales are highly modified to help the learner understand each story. However, as you progress through each story, the difficulty will increase and get longer (but not too hard, I would say). You could also use this popular dictionary https://korean.dict.naver.com/english/main.nhn?sLn=kr (really helpful). I'm reading 엄마를 부탁해 (really difficult for my level) right now and it's helpful.

American Theravada monk Bhikkhu Bodhi is a well read writer and has some of works available for free on this website.

I'd also pick up a book about Therevadan buddhism as its considered the least liberal and closer to the source material (yes, this is arguable). Bodhi has a book on this subject. Rahula's "What The Buddha Taught" I find to be very readable and an easy intro into the life and teachings of Buddha.

Per usual, the wikipedia entry on him is good too.

/atheist who likes to study religion, if you're interested in my criticisms please pm me

I just looked it up (I was in bed last night when I posted the previous message) and it seems Birthday Girl is in the Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman collection. So if you want more short fiction that's probably the best route to go.

If you're interested in jumping right into a novel, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is one of his most generally well received novels and a good place to start for some of the signature Murakami weirdness. Kafka on the Shore would be a great choice as well, and Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World is many Murakami readers' favorite novel of his, but I haven't read either of those yet so I'm more hesitant to recommend them.

I'd suggest reading the blurb of each and picking the story that sounds like it'd appeal to you most.

There are very good, recent translations of the Buddha's discourses; the 'long', the 'middle length, the 'connected' & the 'numerical', I've read all but one of them & IMO, they're great translations. LINK. The best overall summation of Buddha's teaching is In The Buddha's Words by an American Buddhist monk. It describes & explains everything in the Buddhist scripture in a compact and accessible form.

If you want to jump into well-recognized contemporary works of fantasy, I highly suggest you have a go at Haruki Murakami's Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. This book earned him praise all over the world from those highbrows you speak of.

It's not technically "low fantasy", and it's more like one (thick) book than a series, which could be described as a mix of cyberpunk and high fantasy.

So yeah. Probably not what you're looking for. A pretty damn fine book nonetheless (the rest of his work is also awesome btw)

http://www.accesstoinsight.org

Has over 1,000 translated sutras available for free, with suggestions as to which to read / where to start - plus writings by contemporary teachers and practitioners.

A great book is In the Buddha's Words, an anthology of sutras edited by Bhikku Bodhi which seems to be widely praised as a great starting point (I own it and find it very useful).

http://www.amazon.com/Buddhas-Words-Anthology-Discourses-Teachings/dp/0861714911

When I first started reading the Pali Canon it quite astonished me to read religious mythology where gods came to pay their respects to a human for what he accomplished and praise him.

The friendliest introduction to Theravada writings might be The Dhammapada a very small book.

The monk Thannisaro Bhikkhu has an anthology of discourses called "The Wings To Awakening", loads of free electronic copies and if you write to him via snail mail ( he doesn't do email ) he MIGHT send you a copy in real book form.

The monk Bhikkhu Bodhi has a much larger and more comprehensive anthology of the Pali Canon called In The Buddha's Words. It has a lot of religious trappings in it and isn't all sunshine and rainbows. If you can stand it, you can stand the Pali Canon.

Most Theravada Buddhists have never read more than a few discourses, let alone the whole Pali Canon ( huge and repetitive ).

Both anthologizes are very dry, be warned.

I definitely want to recommend one I just finished: Hard-Boiled Wonderland and The End of The World. Without spoiling anything, think along the lines of Inception. Absolutely one of the best books I've ever read.

If you enjoyed The Hunger Games, you'll probably like The Bartimaeus Trilogy (this links to book 1). Has a more Harry Potter feeling to it but the humor is so well done. Really fun read.

What books?
There are easy and hard books in every languages in terms of vocabulary and grammar.

The first book I read in Chinese was

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sherlock-Holmes-Curly-Haired-Company/dp/1941875017/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1464085663&sr=1-1&keywords=sherlock+curly

I have no idea what HSK level it is but I would guess 70-75% of the words are in the HSK 1 & 2 word lists, and the rest are in a glossary at the back (around 400 - 500 chars in total).

I definitely started with HSK word lists and these "1000 most common used char" they give you some useful words but you also pretty quickly realise what they are missing.

Obviously you want to learn question words etc which may or may not appear in those lists.

Grab the app Dechiper. All of the articles have a hsk level on them so you can gauge a rough idea of your progress. I would guess im around hsk 3 after 4-5 months of daily study. I take it "semi-seriously" (every day, but maybe just for an hour).

I have to admit, I'm certainly more left fiscally, but possibly more right socially. I think the opposition to free speech on public campuses is a somewhat uncomfortable shift too far to the left. If you want a really interesting (fictional) look at what moving too far left does to speech, I highly recommend reading the first few chapters of The Three Body Problem, a scifi novel writen by Cixin Liu, a chinese guy, whose focus (before coming to the present day) is on the Chinese communist revolution.

From Bhikkhu Bodhi (I think it's in the preface to the Anguttara Nikaya book):

> An intriguing divergence between two traditions [i.e., the Pali and Chinese canons] occurs in a discourse widely known as the Kālāma Sutta, which records the Buddha's advice to the people of Kesaputta. In contemporary Buddhist circles it has become almost de rigueur to regard the Kālāma Sutta as the essential Buddhist text, almost equal in importance to the discourse on the four noble truths. The sutta is held up as proof that the Buddha anticipated Western empiricism, free inquiry, and the scientific method, that he endorsed he personal determination of truth. Though until the late nineteenth century this sutta was just one small hill in mountain range of the Nikāyas, since the start of the twentieth century it has become one of the most commonly quoted Buddhist texts, offered as the key to convince those with modernist leanings that the Buddha was their forerunner. However, the Chinese parallel to the Kālāma Sutta, MĀ 16 (at T I 438b13-439c22), is quite different. Here the Buddha does not ask the Kālāmas to resolve their doubts by judging matters for themselves. Instead, he advises them to not give rise to doubt and perplexity and he tells them point blank: "You yourselves do not have pure wisdom with which to know whether there is an afterlife or not. You yourselves do not have pure wisdom to know which deeds are transgressions and which are not transgressions." He then explains to them the three unwholesome roots of kamma, how they lead to moral transgression, and the ten courses of wholesome kamma.

It depends on which school of Buddhism you are interested in. Different schools of Buddhism have different scriptures. For example, the school of Theravada Buddhism cherishes the Pali Canon, which consists of Vinaya Pitaka (monastic rules and disciplines), Sutta Pitaka (Buddha's discourses) and Abhidhamma Pitaka (philosophical treaties). The school of Mahayana Buddhism cherishes the Tripitaka, while the school of Tibetan Buddhism also has their own scriptures.

If you are into the Theravada school of Buddhism, which is the oldest school and also closest to the original teaching of the Buddha, then I'd recommend the following books:

The Long Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Digha Nikaya

The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Majjhima Nikaya

The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Samyutta Nikaya

The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha: A Complete Translation of the Anguttara Nikaya

The Suttanipata: An Ancient Collection of the Buddha’s Discourses Together with Its Commentaries

In trying to better understand this question, I have found it useful to study how Buddhism evolved over the last 2500 years. To get a better sense of what the historical Buddha may have said and taught, I have found Bhikku Boddhi's translations of the Pali canon and the Theravada tradition useful and it does not seem to emphasize inherent buddha nature.

https://www.amazon.com/Buddhas-Words-Anthology-Discourses-Canon/dp/1536614688

However, later Mahayana schools of thought seem to have emphasized the inherent buddhahood or buddha nature or Tathāgatagarbha nature. I have found Gethin and Williams books useful to understand these later evolutions of the theory and practice of buddhism.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tath%C4%81gatagarbha_S%C5%ABtra

https://www.amazon.com/Mahayana-Buddhism-Doctrinal-Foundations-Religious/dp/0415356539

I just got this book on Amazon called Korean Stories for Language Learners. I like it a lot because it has traditional folktales. For each short story, it has its English translation as well as some vocabulary, culture notes, and comprehension questions! I would definitely recommend getting a good grasp on some grammar first, as the stories difficulty scales with each one. It also comes with a CD!

EDIT: I realize it’s not exactly what you’re looking for, but thought I’d recommend it since you’re starting out. :)

Here are some quick recommendations from my list of favorites for those who are interested (I hope mods are OK with links to make looking easier, otherwise I'll happily remove them). These books engaged and inspired me and my imagination:

The Alchemist:

>The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho continues to change the lives of its readers forever. With more than two million copies sold around the world, The Alchemist has established itself as a modern classic, universally admired.

>Paulo Coelho's masterpiece tells the magical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure as extravagant as any ever found.

The Three Body Problem is a Chinese Science Fiction novel that has recently become popular in the West thanks to a good translation (I recommend reading my synopsis and not the Amazon one, to avoid spoilers):

>Set against the backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution, a secret military project looks for signals in space from alien civilizations. Meanwhile, in the present day, a physicist joins a grizzled detective to investigate why famous scientists are all committing suicide.

Fahrenheit 451:

>Guy Montag is a fireman. In his world, where television rules and literature is on the brink of extinction, firemen start fires rather than put them out. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden.

The Art of Happiness (by the Dalai Lama):

>Nearly every time you see him, he's laughing, or at least smiling. And he makes everyone else around him feel like smiling. He's the Dalai Lama, the spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet, a Nobel Prize winner, and a hugely sought-after speaker and statesman. Why is he so popular? Even after spending only a few minutes in his presence you can't help feeling happier.

Snow Crash:

>Hiro Protagonist delivers pizza for Uncle Enzo’s CosoNostra Pizza Inc., but in the Metaverse he’s a warrior prince. Plunging headlong into the enigma of a new computer virus that’s striking down hackers everywhere, he races along the neon-lit streets on a search-and-destroy mission for the shadowy virtual villain threatening to bring about infocalypse.

The Dhamma. The second gem of the triple gem. For a theravada buddhist, that means The Pali Canon.

The pali canon is a collection of 2,000 or so texts that come from disciples of the buddha, and record his teachings. The big ones are the dhammapada, the nikaya's and the tipitika. As for what to buy, go for these books of dhamma compilations by bhikku bodhi, In the Buddha's words, Middle-length Discourses, The Connected Discourses, and The Long Discourses.

Here's a good free copy of the dhammapada.

As one last suggestion on dhamma books, I would recommend the The Path of Purification as a must own-must read guide to the entire path from the beginning to enlightenment.

Take your time on the diet and don't force yourself. Do it because you want to. Your focus should be on the triple gem and meditation. Read the booklet I linked in the last thread to get a COMPLETE understanding on what meditation is and what it does. After you have read the booklet, I will be happy to answer any remaining questions you have.

I also made an edit to the original post at the ending of the first answer I made on this thread.

Open Heart, Clear Mind by Thubten Chodron, great book and easy to read, I have to say the best beginner book on Buddhism I have ever read. She has her email at the end and she will actually write back to you.

Open Heart, Clear Mind: An Introduction to the Buddha's Teachings https://www.amazon.com/dp/0937938874/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_WIw7CbRQ6T3N0

If you are looking for something more studious you can get the Buddha's discourses, they are a bit dry at times but they are the closest thing to the Buddha's own words you will be able to find.

The Long Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Digha Nikaya (The Teachings of the Buddha) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0861711033/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_jIw7Cb6WRBSMW

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami.

Had to stop myself in multiple parts for different reasons. Either “I feel odd” or “that was oddly uncomfortable” or at one specific part “I might vomit holy shit” (but in a good way).

Haruki Murakami is like the Stephen King of being surreal as fuck. If you have never read one of his books I would recommend reading another one before you read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. It's easily the most surreal thing I have ever read.

I recommend starting with either
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and The End of The World
or
A Wild Sheep Chase

then follow with The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle


They are all very surreal and weird and fun to read.

As far as I know, the two main English translations of Journey to the West are Anthony Yu's version and Arthur Waley's version

Its a great story and its an awesome read. Waley's version (just called "Monkey") is a bit more abridged, but its easier to read, and I'd recommend starting with that one.

I'm at a really basic level as well, so IDK much about learning in the long run, but I got The Chairman's Bao as well as this: https://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Curly-Haired-Company/dp/1941875017/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1482680117&sr=8-3&keywords=Mandarin+Companion There's a few other in that series on different skill levels: I can comprehend MOST of it, and I have it on a Kindle so I can just touch any character I don't know/understand in that context. Good luck!

Not Rks1157, but I've already asked him this question, and he recommended reading as much as possible from the Buddha's original teachings, as cited in the Pali Canon.

This recommendation brought me to the most important book I've read so far (out of several): "In the Buddha's Words" by Bhikkhu Bodhi.

You can get it in digital and audio form from Amazon. I recommend the audio form, since it is so powerful to listen to these words rather than read them.

I have found collections very helpful where the editor has arranged important sutras to give the reader a step-by-step guide through increasingly complex dharma topics. In particular Bhikkhu Bodhi's In The Buddha's Words. Thich Nhat Hanh's Awakening of the Heart gives what the editor feels are the most crucial texts, (so fewer sutras and more in-depth commentary), and includes Perfection of Wisdom texts.

Edit: links

It's been licensed for both physical and digital release in English. Keep track of licensed release dates with the subreddit wiki in the sidebar.

Volume 1:

iTunes (digital)

Google Play (digital)

Google Play US (digital)

Amazon (physical and digital)

Book Depository (physical)

Rightstuf (physical)

Volume 2:

iTunes (digital)

Google Play (digital)

Google Play US (digital)

Amazon (physical and digital)

Book Depository (physical)

Rightstuf (physical)

Volume 3:

iTunes (digital)

Google Play (digital)

Google Play US (digital)

Amazon (physical and digital)

Book Depository (physical)

Rightstuf (physical)

Volume 4:

iTunes (digital)

Google Play (digital)

Google Play US (digital)

Amazon (physical and digital)

Book Depository (physical)

Rightstuf (physical)

Volume 5 (preorder):

iTunes (digital)

Google Play US (digital)

Google Play (digital)

Amazon (physical and digital)

Book Depository (physical)

Rightstuf (physical)

First, I'm a bit agnostic when it comes to characters. You'll often find me on the other side when the argument that Chinese could never go full romanization. I just hate it when people say that using characters is stupid or wrong.

> Show me the article that says there's currently an epidemic of otherwise literate adults forgetting how to write basic words in English.

Mere anecdote but it reminds me of the ongoing blurring between there, they're, and their.

> I mean, there's "effective" and there's "optimal", right?

You mean letting better be the enemy of good? Using optimal in opposition to effective is a bit disingenuous as well, especially when we're using the clearly suboptimal orthography of English to discuss the matter.

At the same time, China had been exposed to an alphabet (or at least an abugida) when they imported Buddhist texts, and they still felt that Chinese characters were a more effective way of recording their thoughts. That might have been cultural inertia, but the choice was made. At the same time, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese all made use of the characters in the past. Part of that may have been because of cultural and prestige factors, but it was seen as an effective as a way of recording information for a number of languages over centuries. Sure, it's not perfect, but few writing systems are (unless you listen to the Korea-philes who claim Hangul is).

> I'm not sure what you mean here.

You're getting caught up on the specific meanings rather than seeing it as an example of a larger trend in English. Many of the specialty words that are in common use come from three main sources : Germanic, Latin and Greek. While related, the links are not always clear in their expression. The example of doctor, medic and physician shows words from different roots that are used in a way to distinguish different roles in a single field where the links are not clear from the words used. A doctor studies medicine. In Chinese, an 医生 studies 医学。 In English the related nature of the two words is not as clear as it is in Chinese. Even the idea of study (学/学习） is more closely linked to medicine.

> Ehhhhh, again, technically true, but so what? It's not even that big of a difference. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in English is 309 pages while in Chinese it's 242. This is not that much value-added.

That's because you're looking at the language through the perspective of the modern language. If you go back and look at the Analects or the Art of War, they are tiny slivers of books. You can easily fit the text of the Art of War on 4 or 5 letter-sized pages. When the language was establishing itself, and was being written on bamboo slips, brevity made a lot of sense.

And it would be better to see how the length looks from Mandarin to English. The Three Bodies Problem is 302 pages in Mandarin, and 400 in English. Ask any publisher or environmentalist if 98 pages (per book) makes a big difference. Even the 67 pages that you're dismissing as "not that much value-added" is a reduction of over 20% of the length of the English novel, which is nothing to sneeze at.

> Arguing that Hanzi has some benefits over romanization

I am not trying to argue that Hanzi is better than romanization; I'm arguing that Hanzi shouldn't be dismissed by learners who are coming at it from a romanized background. They overlook some of the qualities that helped it endure for centuries. I do not consider it perfect. I can't imagine, for instance, trying to write computer code in it. But I am sure going to push back against the people who say that it's dumb.

> It just strikes me as a pride thing.

looks in mirror
laughs

I guess you think I have some sort of cultural connection with China and Chinese characters. That would be wrong.

That was my initial reaction too. But even if you just read Bikkhu Bodhi's excellent concise anthology In The Buddha's Words, it is clear that even a great deal of Theravada is all about setting up the infrastructure necessary to maintain the monasteries.

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?

Volume 1:

iTunes (digital)

Google Play (digital)

Google Play US (digital)

Amazon (physical and digital)

Book Depository (physical)

Rightstuf (physical)

Volume 2:

iTunes (digital)

Google Play (digital)

Google Play US (digital)

Amazon (physical and digital)

Book Depository (physical)

Rightstuf (physical)

Volume 3:

iTunes (digital)

Google Play (digital)

Google Play US (digital)

Amazon (physical and digital)

Book Depository (physical)

Rightstuf (physical)

Volume 4:

iTunes (digital)

Google Play (digital)

Google Play US (digital)

Amazon (physical and digital)

Book Depository (physical)

Rightstuf (physical)

Volume 5:

iTunes (digital)

Google Play (digital)

Google Play US (digital)

Amazon (physical and digital)

Book Depository (physical)

Rightstuf (physical)

Preorder Volume 6:

iTunes (digital)

Google Play (digital)

Google Play US (digital)

Amazon (physical and digital)

Book Depository (physical)

Rightstuf (physical)

I recently bought In the Buddha's Words by Bhikkhu Bodhi and am very happy with it. It covers the main components of Buddhism and the author has some great explanations on many of the concepts as well.

Is it a religion?

Read this if you need something simpler, but really, it doesn't get simpler then just sitting.

> Also, as an aside, what, if anything, are considered the "scriptures" of Buddhism?

The tripitaka, though what that collection entails changes from lineage to lineage. For the Theravadins, it is the Pali Tripitaka, for the various lineages of Chinese, Korean, Japanese it is the Taisho Tripitaka, ect.

The Pali Tripitaka would perhaps be the easiest and least confusing to start with. This is my favorite collection from the Pali Tripitaka.

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

I'm looking forward to The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu, out in November. First in a trilogy, this is reputedly the shit in China, & has spawned an SF trend there.

It's interesting because Chinese fiction has to pass Chinese censorship, which often makes it unpalatable for readers outside the firewall. But this series has a western publisher and some impressive resources, so the hype is on.

It's not really "rational" at all, but I enjoyed the hell out of DanMachi. Very fun power fantasy Light Novel in an RPGMechanicsVerse. Was also adapted into an anime. I can send you the EPUBs if you have any interest.

You might want to read just one of the four Nikayas, or an anthology like Sayings of the Buddha or In the Buddha's words.

On the Mahayana side, it is better to start with the books of modern teachers like others have recommended. My personal recommendations are any book by Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche and "The method of no method" by Chan master Sheng Yen. Mahayana sutras can be underwhelming or confusing to the beginner - I can recommend the Prajnaparamita sutra (i.e. the Diamond sutra or a longer version.)

In the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon for Theravada

Awakening of the Heart: Essential Buddhist Sutras and Commentaries for Mahayana

The canons are so vast that it can help to have a broad collection of discourses with commentary from an expert. I keep a copy of Awakening of the Heart on my nightstand and it functions like a Bible for me.

Why its cheap, you should support novels you like that are translated into your language so that you can give support and possibly more incentive for other companies to translate

"Monkey" is the only abridge version of Journey to the West I can recommend.

I own a revised edition of Journey to the West that I picked up early last year. It's the most modern version of Journey to the West. Alex Yu's translation is the best one out there. Wu Cheng'en's translation used to be recommend. If you were to compare both translations together, Wu Cheng'en's is a bit dated.

Get a job hippie!


Seriously though, it costs money to plant trees, let them grow, pay someone to cut them down and then turn that into paper. That's not even counting the numerous hours that someone has to dedicate to translating the sutras and their living expenses during that time. Some of the essential buddhist books cost around $60 each which is expensive, but I look at it like an investment, the greatest investment.


*PS, you will never get out of the research phase.