Reddit mentions: The best buddhist rituals & practice books

>I've only heard that you need to reach the pure lands through chanting, and pure living love is for lay-men.

There are different interpretations of Pure Land Buddhism. Some (the majority, I suspect) believe it's beneficial to try to accumulate merit through our actions while chanting Amitabha's name. For example, Pure land teachers often encourage people to practice vegetarianism on certain days. On the other hand, there are people who think the age of dharma decline is so profound that no action besides chanting Amitabha creates merit, but even then, Buddhists still agree that it's better to live with compassion and altruism and coldness and selfishness. All in all, shutting love out of your heart is not conducive to the Mahayana lifestyle.

>Please quote the Buddha on that one, loving is seizing upon a person or self and those attributes are impermanent, which would only cause suffering at least from my understanding. So please provide quotes, unless this is your own understandings.

Love is inseparable from the Mahayana path. The Prajnaparamita Sutra in 8000 Lines says:

The bodhisattva who is irreversibly established in the principle of Mahayana [...] remains always clearly directed and profoundly sensitized by the most tender compassion.

Bodhisattvas generate love and impartiality side by side, and they do this while seeing the emptiness in sentient beings. A bodhisattva's love is altruistic and unattached; it's the opposite of the love you're describing. Because they have love, they tirelessly aid suffering beings in every way they can. Because they have impartiality, they don't become attached to others or cling at their impermanent aggregates. The Avatamsaka Sutra says:

“Good Man, you should understand these principles in this way: When the mind is impartial towards all living beings, one can accomplish full and perfect great compassion. By using the heart of great compassion to accord with living beings, one perfects the making of offerings to the Thus Come Ones. In this way the Bodhisattva constantly accords with living beings.

Mahayana sutras regularly mention the importance of bodhicitta, to the point of stating everything a bodhisattva does depends on their bodhicitta. The Absorption That Encapsulates All Merit Sutra says:

Nārāyaṇa, there is no bodhisattva great being who forms the resolve toward unsurpassed and perfectly complete awakening without also taking possession of this absorption that encapsulates all merit. How is this? Because the arousal of the mind of awakening gathers together and includes all that is meritorious.

[...]

In the same way, Nārāyaṇa, the initial moment a bodhisattva great being arouses the mind of awakening gathers together and includes every possible merit—the merit of ordinary beings, the merit from training, the merit not from training, the merit of solitary buddhas, and the merit of bodhisattvas. From these descriptions, Nārāyaṇa, you should understand how those beings who form the resolve toward unsurpassed and completely perfect awakening come to possess all merit.

> Edit: Isn't a Sravaka one who accepts the Buddha as their teacher, or one who accept the Buddha's teaching so wouldn't the same apply generally?

Sravakayana is a word some use to describe the non-Mahayana teachings, since Hinayana is offensive and Theravada is sometimes inaccurate.

Sorry brotha, but I can't allow you to do this. I'm not going to sit here and drop the usual cliche on how you can improve your life. I'm sure you heard it all before. I can only tell you that I know how you feel. My whole life I have been battling with mental health problems because of a fucked up childhood. I was only a kid when I first tried to end my life. I could never dream of a day where things would have gotten better for me.. but it did. There's no cookie-cutter solution I can give you that would immediately improve your life. We are all different and your particular outlook on life is a product of your own life experiences.

I know though my own experiences and interacting with others who were contemplating suicide that the main source of our angst is our own toxic mindset and loneliness. There is nothing wrong with you. Just to put it into context, if you were the same person you are now, but surrounded by many who adored and loved you, your outlook on life and yourself would be drastically different. In a way your validation of yourself and your life comes externally instead of from within. Because your life is void of many elements that you believe is needed to constitute a satisfying life you have come to the conclusion that it is not worth living.

If you believe race is a major contributor to your misery than remove race as a factor. Move to an Asian enclave where you are the majority and no one would give a second thought about your race.

If your dead end job is reinforcing this perception of yourself of being a person of little value than find something that will give you fulfillment. It doesn't have to be something that brings you a shitload of money, but just something that you can be proud of or you enjoy doing. Heck, if you're seriously thinking about ending your life, go balls to the wall and start your own business on the side! It can be anything that you have interest in. With outsourcing (cheap labor), cloud, and the wealth of information online, you can start many businesses without much capital. At my gf's workplace there's this doctor who didn't become one until he was 45. It's never too late to pursue whatever you want if you have the drive and willingness.

If past failed dating experiences have jaded your views on relationship than replace it with new experiences. The truth is, most of us have had bad experiences at one time or another. Most people in general make shitty partners. But don't let a few rotten apples prevent you from hopping on the horse and trying again. Download every dating apps you can think of, go on those dating meetups, or do whatever you have to do get your tip wet or find that true love if that's what you're looking for. There are just as many women out there who are single and nearing middle age/30s+ that are in desperate need of loving. For women it's even more difficult being single when you start getting older. Worst comes to worst, tap into the divorcee pool and get yourself a heartbroken hunny looking for a rebound.

If you have few close friends than it's time to make some more by opening yourself up and actively seeking some. A solid homie is not just going to pop up in your life. Good friends are hard to come by and takes work like any relationship. What are your interests or hobbies? It's easier to make friends when you have a common interest. There's a meetup, convention, local chapter, etc. for everything you can possibly conceive of. If being Asian is a big part of your identity and life, go join an Asian org or asian club sports team at your local community center. There's leagues for every age range, so you can find others similar to yourself. Once you graduate college, it's difficult for most to make new meaningful friendship. You're going to have to put in the effort. Finding that bromance is no different than find a great woman.

Ultimately, you don't have to be different to belong. You just have to find your place. For some it comes easy and natural, for others we have to work for it. The moment you adopt a defeatist attitude is the day you pretty much accepted that life is unfair and hard but it's not within your control to dictate. We both know that's not true. Yes, your cards may be stacked against you. Yes, being Asian is like playing hardcore mode in America, but it's not impossible. All you have to do is get more skilled at playing the game of life.

Ask yourself what you really want out of life. Make a list of short term/long term goals, things you want do, see, accomplish however big or small. Having a direction in life and something to work towards is very important because it gives our lives meaning.

And all it really takes is one person to really change our lives around. Whether it is yourself after finding that self-empowerment or through another, don't lose hope until the very end. We become discontent with our lives when our lives become stagnant. Progress is important. Keep working on yourself, read and watch a shitload of self-help books and videos. Start caring less about what other people think. Put yourself out there. Open yourself up to the world. Take risks. And after all this if you still feel the same than at least you have the satisfaction knowing that you didn't leave one rock left unturned and you lived your life to the fullest.

I recommend this book to you. It can help you on adopting a new outlook on life and replacing it with your current toxic views: https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Buddhas-Teaching-Transforming-Liberation/dp/0767903692/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1482592780&sr=8-3&keywords=buddhism

You deserve to be happy. You have to let yourself. Happiness is a state of mind. It truly is. Buddhist monks in Bhutan are considered the happiest in the world, yet they have none of the things you speak of. It's like if you took an exam for class that was hard af, and you just found out you aced it. Immediately, your whole day starts looking brighter and everything starts going your way. The exam itself did not give you the feeling of happiness or your newfound positive outlook on life, it's just a meaningless piece of paper.. you did. You created that sensation, that release of hormones, by perceiving things in a more positive lens. You have to become aware that your perception and reality is not actually reality. It is a sum of your own bias life experiences and exposures. Keep fighting for the life you want. We're all rooting for you brotha!

This is a fair question. A condition to practicing toward awakening is a desire to awaken, which comes from good teachings. For pragmatic dharma resources, I recommend you check out the sidebar links, particularly Daniel Ingram's MCTB and Ron Crouch's website (and, specifically, his post "Why Meditate?". Those inspired me to practice.

There are lots of other interesting books on the subject too, including Shinzen Young's recent book The Science of Enlightenment, Sam Harris's Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion, and Adyashanti's The End of Your World: Uncensored Straight Talk on the Nature of Enlightenment. Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now also is quite popular.

And, really, depending on your bent, you can't get any better than the original Buddhist teachings. On the subjects of Enlightenment, the Diamond Sutra and the Heart Sutra are two of my personal favorites. (These are as translated by Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh.)

So, I'd recommend reading and seeing if you feel inspired by the teachings. For me, there was something about the very idea of "Enlightenment" that stirred a desire deep within my heart. It was palpable, and it started at an early age, sometime in middle school or high school when I had to do a project on religions and happened to be assigned Buddhism. Encyclopedia-like resources don't necessarily point you in the direction of Enlightenment, but the explanation of "Nirvana" had some sort of primal appeal to me.

Once pragmatic dharma teachers like Daniel Ingram and Ron Crouch started claiming that some form of "awakening" was actually possible for Average Joe Layperson (like me), I was intrigued, and I decided to give the experiment a shot. Of course I did.

What changes? It depends on how you define "stream entry" and who you ask. There are lots of different models for Enlightenment (as discussed in Daniel's MCTB). Using the pragmatic dharma definition, stream entry is defined as the first time a practitioner completes a fully cycle of insight (typically measured against the Progress of Insight maps) and experiences a "cessation" event. What changes varies from practitioner to practitioner, but on the Fetters Model, which I think is as good as any, three important "fetters" are dropped: (a) belief in self, (b) doubt about the Path, and (c) attachment to rites and rituals.

Concretely, based on my experience, the fetters model (filtered, of course, through my still sometimes cloudy conceptual lens) made a lot of sense. Regarding "self view," the "cessation" experience has a way of kicking you out of the linear way of looking at your life, as an existent self living chronologically in time. While often this insight fades for a while, it is pretty clear at the point of initial awakening, and I speculate that a part of your mind never forgets that. This insight deepens with further practice. Your perspective on your experience shifts from being caught typically in the horizontal dimension of time to instead tuning into the vertical dimension of "just this," in which time, like all things, including the self, is seen as just a concept, a particular way of looking at this immediate, obvious, and manifest reality. Seeing "just this," and recognizing that there is no permanent self that is just this or that provides tremendous relief. Most of our lives are spent trying to protect the self, improve it, make it happy. Seeing through this delusion, even for a moment, has a way of radically transforming one's perspective on experience.

Second, after you complete a cycle of insight, you don't really doubt "just this." There's a lot of work necessary to integrate and deepen that insight. But it feels like you have directly touched reality, the Tao, Nirvana, God, or whatever. Interestingly, in my experience, that which seems to remains when all else fades is all that you ever wanted to begin with. So, the value of this Path becomes obvious. Faith is no longer necessary. A deep part of your mind understands that "this is it."

Finally, the attachment to rites and rituals goes away because you realize that it's "just this." You might have done a lot of work to realize that, but once you do, it's all pretty simple. That realization can't be taken away from you. It's done. It's always available. As a practical matter, that realization tends to fade, come and go, which teaches us an interesting thing about "awakening experiences," a lesson we will have to learn well as we continue to deepen our practice. But generally speaking, after "stream entry," one realizes that awakening is not somehow external to one's present situation, indeed the very idea of internal and external is just another concept which has no concrete, permanent status (is ultimately empty). Thus, the need for rites and rituals is seen through.

All that said, these realizations may not be perfectly obvious at the conceptual level after stream entry. As a practical matter, people generally feel lighter, relieved, happier, at least for a time. But those states are just states, which are not permanent. Enlightenment, Awakening, Liberation, Nirvana, or whatever you want to call it is something that goes beyond particular states or this or that. Once you begin to open up to that dimension of being, you experience a much more profound and lasting sense of peace with just this existence, as it is. It's a nice spot to be in. :)

Hope that helps.

Life situations usually allow time for self-centered motivation and expectations to arise, but if a blind guy is a few steps from walking into mortal danger, we would rush to help, almost instinctively and without any concern for potential praises, rewards, karma points, etc. -- which seems to be the ideal mindset when doing good deeds:

“The practice of all the Bodhisattvas is to give out of generosity, with no hopes of karmic recompense or expectation of reward.” -Gyalse Tokme Zangpo

“Also you must practice giving without expecting anything in return, or any [karmic] ripening effects.” -Pabongka Rinpoche

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Keep doing good deeds even if we're not free of self-serving motivations:

"For example, if a man is extremely thirsty and you give him water with your ego piously doing something good, the man still quenches his thirst. It’s a good action and good karma comes from this because we’ve helped another person. Although it’s not particularly influential in achieving Buddhahood, this kind of charity would still be considered accumulation of merit. So although it’s tainted by ego, it’s still important to do. Please keep doing it, because if we wait until we have a first class, non-egoic motivation, that motivation may not happen in time to quench the man’s thirst. Then the beneficial action does not happen. So even though there’s less then perfect motivation, still do it. Remember, people are not waiting for our motivation; they’re waiting for the tangible things they need." -Tsoknyi Rinpoche

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Once done, we should rejoice in the good deed to deepen the positive karmic imprint on our mindstream:

"Even if the karma is not powerful, if you subsequently rejoice, its strength increases. You should therefore, after engaging in any virtuous action, cultivate a special sense of rejoicing, free of any self-importance." -Geshe Thupten Jinpa

An old guy who lived in China has a great answer for this question:

>Meet the ancestral teachers, be familiar with their instruction

Song of the Grass-Roof Hermitage - translation by Daniel Leighton

Basically, learn from other people. The Zen teachings are based on the writings of masters going back to the 5th century. However, these writings aren't particularly accessible. Luckily, we are currently living through an explosion of Buddhism in the west and there are many teachers that explain these ancient concepts in a manner that westerners can understand easily.

Here are some recommendations for entry level, western-targeted Zen books:

>Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind - Shunryu Suzuki

Suzuki Roshi was one of the earliest Zen masters to immigrate to the United States back in the 1960's. His teachings are very simple and fundamental. He gets at the very heart of Zen in a concise, plain manner. This book is a collection of transcribed Dharma talks he gave in California during the 60's. It is likely the most well known book on Zen in the west. It is short and clearly written, making it one of the best places to start learning about Zen.

> The Miracle of Mindfulness - Tich Nhat Hanh

Tich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Zen monk. He has been a huge contributor to the spread of Zen in the west. He has established practice centers in France, New York, California, Mississippi, and Germany. This book is a practical guide to bringing Zen practice into your life. He offers a lot of analogies that make you take a step back and think about the way you live your life. Another short and accessible book.

> Inside the Grass Hut - Ben Connelly

Ben was my guitar teacher for many years before he introduced me to Zen. He is a Zen priest in the lineage of Dainin Katagiri, the founding abbot of the Minnesota Zen Mediation Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This book is a study of the poem I have linked and quoted above, The Song of the Grass-Roof Hermitage by the 8th century Zen master Shitou. It was extremely useful book for me when I was at my darkest point. Ben distills Shitou's somewhat arcane parables into a simple, practical set of recommendations for living a life that will free you of suffering. Ben offers a lot of insight into incorporating Zen practice into a modern lifestyle. Like the other two, it also short and easy to read. This is a great introduction to what a lot of historic Zen writing is like. I think it is a particularly useful book for people struggling with addiction. Ben had some trouble with alcohol himself and I believe he is 10+ years sober.

Those are some great places to start, but you can read all the books you want about Zen and not get the picture if you don't meditate. Meditation is the foundation of Zen and all of Buddhist practice. The great thing about meditation is that you can do it on your own just about anywhere. The Miracle of Mindfulness gives a good description of how to meditate. There are also plenty of free resources available online. There are many ways to meditate and it is best to find one that works for you.

A daily mediation habit is not an easy thing to develop. Similar to abstinence, it takes discipline and commitment. I still struggle with it myself. It is, however, the best way to fully realize the benefits of Zen. Some things that might help with this is to find a Sangha to practice with or download an app like Headspace. Having a community to practice with has been the biggest help in getting me on the zafu. Doing something with other people makes it easier to do, a little bit like how this subreddit works. Headspace is really popular, although I have not used it myself. It can be used to track mediation sessions and work towards mediation goals. The app that I have found useful is MindBell, but really it's just a glorified timer. The last thing I would recommend are the guided meditations by Jon Kabat Zinn. JKZ is a professor emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and has conducted many clinical studies on the benefits of mindfulness in medicine and healthcare. He is a long time practitioner of Zen and has written several books about his work. I haven't read much of his work, but I have utilized his guided meditations extensively. I particularly like this body scan one. Even when I was at my most depressed and couldn't find the strength to get out of bed, I was able to get myself to queue this video up and follow along. There are a lot of other guided meditations floating around the web. I also like this one by Sam Harris that's only 9 minutes.

Zen is not necessarily an easy thing to get involved in. It requires a commitment of time and it is not particularly fun or pleasurable. However, any level of Zen practice will produce concrete rewards. If you have any question, I am always available for answers.

> While I cannot assume the knowledge of all people in the hongwanji, the ones I have spoken to have given that specific reason or similar. It is a very small community, and most of them are very old.

Fair enough. I've just seen similar statements before and I tend to take them with a grain of salt because the live Dharma talks I check out on youtube and podcasts reference plenty of Buddhist topics and scriptures.

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> Yes, and I think it's because English doesn't have more nuance in the words we use, so all the services and songs just sound like worship, which has made me more uncomfortable and unsure of myself over time.

There is a devotional aspect; yes, but it may not be what you're thinking. One of the running themes in Shin hymns is that Amida represents the light of wisdom and the great compassion that supports you every moment in your life. Most Shin ministers will point out that this great compassion ranges from the animals that died in the production of your food, to the chain of relatives that led to your mom bearing you for 9 months, to the people that pave the road you drive on to go about your daily business. They will refer to that infinite chain of cause and effect that brings you to this current moment as "Amida". The Midwest Buddhist Temple podcast is a good source for this type of info, I believe there are over 200 episodes available for free.

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> But also, can we not continue to try to follow the eightfold path in hopes that we can entrust Buddha to take us to the Promised Land?

Yikes, what an unfortunate word choice. The Pure Land is either a Buddha-field (field of Buddha perception, adorned with a Buddha's merits from eons of practice) where one directly learns from Buddhas & Bodhisattvas to continue on the path towards Buddhahood (the rather simple understanding), or the Pure Land is the formless realm of Nirvana (the more advanced understanding). In either case, the Pure Land is not a paradise in the Christian sense. Entrusting in the Buddha to enter the Pure Land is following the eightfold path.

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> Or we already have to have this belief before we can really help ourselves?

As I said before, it's very little to do with belief & more to do with overcoming mental chatter. Using the self to transcend the self is a fool's errand according to Shin; but even Shin greats like Kiyozawa Manshi had to exhaust self-powered pursuits before finally realizing to entrust the Buddha. FYI - there are some very strong parallels with Zen here. I recommend Dogen's Zazen as Other-Power Practice by Taigen Dan Leighton

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> For me it is more of a "I think this is an actual thing that can happen, but I don't know if I fully trust Buddha yet." Does that make sense?

Makes total sense. The trust part is the faith of Shin. Once that trust is there, one undergoes a radical shift in perception with regards to one's relationship with the world. It's kind of a radical self acceptance to realize that one is embraced just as one is.

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> Is Shinran even a Buddha?

He would never say so himself, but there's a statue of him at a Zen monastery near Tokyo (called Ho-onji) and they maintain the tradition that Shinran and Dogen were friends. I've run into other Zen people who said Shinran is considered an Enlightened being. I find Shinran fascinating because he's a completely relatable human being, rife with frailties, and brutally honest about it.

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> Then why is it so hard to find any books on it?

Let me give you a quick list of authors so you can find their books on Amazon:

Alfred Bloom

Taitetsu Unno

Jeff Wilson

Monshu Koshin Otani

Hiroyuki Itsuki

Kenneth Tanaka

Mark L Blum

DT Suzuki

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> The minister was going to teach the volunteers; we have a few months under him to learn them. This was moreso the main reason why I thought it might be good to do. I would have more one on one time with the minister. But Now that I word it like this, it seems maybe a little selfish to only volunteer for the chants for this purpose.

Shin patriarch Rennyo is the one that really started with encouraging followers to recite Shinran's hymns as a daily practice. So in that sense it's not selfish to really try to learn the basic doctrines of the sect, expressed in the hymns.

First, forget your preconceptions:

> tantra is another balancing quest, just one that is a little more sexually oriented. ... it is not about the poise or libido, it is about the balance of breath and energy.

>I am well aware of my vibratory position

This is the sort of thing that makes me despair of western New Age spiritualism and its ongoing attempts to sell a fake, cotton candy version of tantra. Most of the ideas you are referencing here can be traced back to 19th century European mysticism, not to Asian religions, and especially not to Tantra. Even the most basic elements, like chakras, were words borrowed from the East, given totally different meanings in the West, and then exported back to Asia in an unrecognizable form.

I don't blame you for the misconceptions, but no matter what you have been told, Tantra is NOT just another flavor of Western mysticism in Eastern clothing.

If Tantra means anything different from some goofy crystal-brained Californified gurus selling you nirvana on the installment plan – and it does – it is a muscular, no-nonsense application of a pragmatic problem-solving philosophy to this world.

Tantra is not only NOT a flavor of woo-woo mysticism. It is an an outright rejection of mysticism in general and of all of the fundamental ideas of New Age spiritualism in particular.

It begins with the acceptance – or, perhaps more appropriately, the non-rejection – of the self:

> There is nothing fundamentally wrong with you.

> You are just fine—just as you are. That is tantra’s main claim about the self.

> “Ego” is not evil. It is not a spiritual problem.

> No upgrade required

> You do not need to:

> + fix your self
> + improve your self
> + get rid of your self
> + see through the illusion of your self
> + transcend your self
> + transform your self
> + analyze or understand your self

> Tantra is about living here and now. Whatever self you do or don’t have—you are how you are, now. Waiting to get fixed before living is not helpful.

> You cannot, and do not need to:

> + find your True Self
> + get in touch with your higher self [much less your guardian angel]
> + awaken the Buddha Within
> + unify your little self with the cosmic All-Self

> These are just fantasies. They are imaginary ideals that spiritual people try to live up to. All they will ever do is make you feel inadequate and miserable.

(from Your self is not a spiritual obstacle)

And Tantra continues with the non-rejection of reality:

> Spirituality tries to sell you the idea that everything will be peachy-keen forever, if only you apply an all-purpose spiritual solution. Somehow, that is supposed to solve all practical problems, as well as the big hairy cosmic one.

> Tantra thinks that’s twaddle.

> Spirituality claims that the mundane world is total garbage. There’s nothing worth having here; it causes nothing but misery in the long run. You should abandon it.

> Spirituality claims there’s some kind of heaven, or nirvana, or transcendent reality, or domain of emptiness, that is all-good. You should move on to that spiritual plane. That’s salvation. That’s the solution to everything.

> Tantra is about this everyday, concrete world, just as it appears. It is not interested in escapist fantasies about Neverland.

> This world is where we are. There is nothing fundamentally wrong with it. It’s real, it’s workable, it’s enjoyable, and it needs our help.

(from Tantra is anti-spiritual)

If you want to DO Tantra, and not just play pretend Tantra or study the myriad traditional forms of historical Tantra, you need to first forget everything you think you know about Tantra, especially in terms of spirituality and spiritual energy. Because...

> + Tantra is not nice
> + Tantra is not secret
> + Tantra is not compatible with Sutra (mainstream Buddhism)
> + Tantra is not intellectual
> + Tantra is not spiritual
> + Tantra is not mystical
> + Tantra is not a bunch of rituals
> + Tantra is not esoteric Mahayana
> + Tantra is not Tibetan Buddhism (nor vice versa)
> + Tantra is not traditional
> + Tantra is not superstition
> + Tantra is not for monks
> + Tantra is/not all about sex
> + Tantra is not safe
> + Tantra is not all that dangerous

(from Tantric denials)

A tantra is a ritual, formula, recipe, or algorithm for achieving a specific goal. It is a discrete expression of technos, or "know-how." To be valid, it must survive an empirical test: does it work?

Historically, there have been many false tantras, including elaborate spells, black magic rituals, prayers for rain or victory, and mystical rites for achieving perfect health and immortality. Empirically, these are dead ends. There will always be people attracted to magical claims, but they never pan out. Instructions for manipulating spiritual energy or aligning your chakras or tuning your spiritual vibrations may give you a feeling of religious superiority, but they repeatedly fail any sort of real-world pragmatic test of efficacy, so they are not tantric.

On the other hand, any decent cookbook contains dozens of tantras that work. Any engineering, physics, or chemistry handbook, or do-it-yourself handyman guide is filled with tantras that work.

Youtube is full of tantras, for everything from crochet to carpentry, from arc welding to playing exotic instruments. Some are better than others. A set of step-by-step instructions for vipassana (aka mindfulness meditation) is a tantra, and we would consider it a valid tantra if most people, following those instructions, achieve the specified results.

However, Tantra itself is much more than just a collection of tantras, of rituals and formulas. It is a stance toward life, one of robust, even heroic, engagement with the REAL. It is science, technology, and craftsmanship done with intelligence, passion, and integrity, but it is also a clear-eyed and non-dogmatic approach to social, cultural, and personal experimentation and a passion for finding ways to make ordinary life better.

> just one that is a little more sexually oriented

If you want better sex, there are tantras for better sex. I wrote an extended handbook on the subject. But for real success you need to have a partner to whom you are deeply committed, and vice versa.

If you want a better understanding of Tantra in general, this is a good place to start: Introduction to Tantra : The Transformation of Desire by Lama Thubten Yeshe. After that, or along with it, I recommend David Chapman's online book Meaningness and his blog Vividness. (It's a blog, so the articles are in reverse order. Read from the bottom up and use the date index at the right to find the next page.)

Enjoy the voyage!!

The Brahmavihara meditations are based of the Brahmavihara sutta.

There's a good description of them here:

http://www.buddhanet.net/mettab5.htm

And a link of audio talks here:

http://www.audiodharma.org/series/1/talk/2710/

The Visuddhimagga has a chapter which goes into a lot of details on doing the practice as well.

The meditation on them is actually quite simple.

For example, if you were to do the meditation on compassion (the desire that some being be free from suffering), you would you sit in your meditation posture and imagine someone suffering who you didn't want to suffer in front of you. The idea here is just to be able to generate that feeling of compassion -- if you can feel it on your own without that visualization, that's just fine.

Once you have that feeling of compassion, make it as intense as possible and make it fill your whole body. After that, direct your compassion to all beings in front of you, to each side, behind you, all the 4 corners, up and down (you can do these directions separately as well as all at the same time, it's good to alternate in my experience). Keep doing this for your meditation session -- have the feeling of compassion intensify and fill your body, directing it outwards towards all sentient beings in all directions. You don't need to do this very long (even 5-10 minutes a day is great), just make sure you do it daily, no matter what.

You can do this for all the Brahmaviharas:

1. lovingkindness - the desire that all beings have all happiness
   
2. compassion - the desire that all beings be freed from suffering
   
3. sympathetic joy - rejoicing in the happiness of others
   
4. equanimity - not seeing any sentient being as higher/lower, better/worse than any other. the point here is you want your other three Brahmaviharas to be completely undiscriminating towards all sentient beings, including yourself).
   
   The only thing that changes is the feeling you're generating (of course each will have their own sticking points depending on your habits and karma).
   
   In some sense, the first three require a bit of the fourth. When you start practicing loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, when you start directing it outwards you want to make sure you don't prefer some beings and not others.
   
   If anger is your problem, I'd really recommend starting with lovingkindness or compassion. You don't need to do all four if you don't want, you can pick one or another. Once you get good at it, you basically can turn on your lovingkindness or compassion like a switch, and intensify it so that it's a very strong feeling.
   
   Once you gain this basic proficiency, when you get angry you can just overwhelm that anger with the power of your lovingkindess and/or compassion, because you've spent so much time practicing it.
   
   In a lot of ways, it's like going to the gym. Initially you can't bench press 100 lbs, and you might struggle with even 45 lbs (just the bar!) -- that's how heavy your anger is. But if you go to the gym for a month or two, you'll notice that you can now bench 100 lbs and 45 is a piece of cake. The stronger your compassion and lovingkindness meditation is, the easier it is for you to completely overwhelm your anger with it.
   
   If you also do some mindfulness meditation, you'll be able to see when your anger is starting to arise and immediately apply compassion/lovingkindness before it even has a chance to get too strong. You'll also notice what thoughts and habitual patterns lead you to situations where you'll get angry, and will be able to avoid them as well.
   
   
   You can think of mindfulness as a preventative measure to anger, and of the Brahmaviharas as the antidote for when you've already swallowed the poison of anger. It's good to practice both, because even though ideally we'd like to never get angry, we do - so we need to figure out how to best deal with it when it happens.

The first thing to know in shamanism is that everything comes from mind and is made of mind. The trouble starts when these things are thought to have an independent, external reality. Of course, the same is true of our everyday life: trouble arises because we are unaware that it all comes from our own mind, it is all projection.

Shamanism is the practice of bridging the gap between deep mind (called 'soul consciousness', 'dreamtime', 'non-ordinary consciousness', or various other terms) and regular waking life. The shaman bridges the realms in order to facilitate the healing that comes through that communication -- she/he facilitates integrity that we have difficulty finding on our own. That integrity is sometimes named 'soul'.

The power by which the shaman travels to the depths and returns is essentially the willingness and ability to go into the pain, suffering, fear, and uncertainty that others habitually avoid. This is where the training takes root. One leans into the difficulty, into the dark places of the mind, for the sake of others.

So shamanism is not 'for me' but for others.
But gathering one's power is an essential process and practice. This is where the power animal, which represents and evokes aspects of your own hidden power or untapped integrity, comes in. The power animal is not conceived of as a figment of imagination, but as a representative of the earth, strengthening our bond with all beings and energies. This is a very respectful and compassionate path, a path not only internal but emphasizing great harmony with and care for the world we live in. But that care has great courage behind it.

Even so, realms of consciousness, power animals, and the earth itself are all projection of mind. Don't forget that!

If you are interested in the connection between shamanism and meditation, I recommend studying with Joan Halifax, a Zen Master who is a leading authority on shamanism and medical anthropology (particular, the subject of death and dying). Her book The Fruitful Darkness covers many of these topics. You can check out her other writings as well as podcasts, video talks, and face-to-face study opportunities at Upaya Zen Center in New Mexico.

Rather than relying on the r/shamans and r/shamanism subreddits I highly recommend studying with an experienced traditional teacher. Correct, meticulous adherence to the steps of training and acquisition of power are extremely important. This is not a situation where you can afford to mess around or let laxity or vagueness enter.

The ability to ground yourself is of utmost importance, because many people can go into altered states, but not everyone can find their way back. And beyond the issue of returning with your mind intact is the issue of digesting what you have experienced in a way that leads to integrity. So grounding is very important; and an established tradition offers grounding in ways that other paths cannot. It offers the grounding of a verified teacher, a community of clear intent, of lineage, of ritual, and of place -- connection with the earth.

Good luck on this journey for the sake of others.

Hmm, good question. I can't claim to have read a lot of Thay's work (because as you said, there's quite a bit), but my hunch based on what I have read is that where you should start depends on your current knowledge of Buddhism.

Thay seems to write two types of books: a "general audience" type book that draws on Buddhism, but only to the extent that the teachings can be practiced by anyone regardless of their background. The Miracle of Mindfulness might be an example of this, or his "one-word-title books" as I call them: Power, Savor, Fear, etc.

The other type of book he writes seems to be intended for readers who either are already Buddhist or interested in going more deeply into Buddhist teachings. To know where to start with these works, a lot depends on how familiar you already are with the Buddha's teachings. I can tell you the order I read them, which seemed to work quite well:

Started with: The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: This is Thay's overview of the core teachings of Buddhism. I see this book like this: if Buddhism was a country, this would be a map of it. It shows you all the major points of interest, and the roads connecting all of them together. After reading this, you'll have a good grasp of what the different pieces of Buddhism are and how they work together to help you toward awakening/enlightenment.

But if you've never read anything about Buddhism at all before, I'm personally not sure if this is a good first book as it's not exactly a light read. Don't get me wrong: it's written with Thay's usual elegance and clarity, but it's packed with a lot of stuff (in the best sense). I was already somewhat familiar with the basics of Buddhism, so for me it was easy to build on that; but for someone brand new, I think the "general audience" books would still be a better start.

After that first book: In the first book itself, Thay recommends three sutras every serious practitioner should study regularly: the Bhaddekaratta Sutra, the Anapatasati Sutra, and the Satipatthana Sutra. Thankfully, Thay has translated and written commentaries on all three sutras and my links go to his books on these sutras.

Not much more I can share given that I'm about halfway through Thay's book on the Anapanasati Sutra. What I can say is that I can see why he says these are sutras to be studied throughout your life. They have some really powerful teachings that I have no doubt will take me years to grasp and practice properly.

Hope that helps. I'm sure others have read far more of Thay's work than I have, and can either correct my attempt here or give better recommendations.

> All of these weird things started at the same time, so I’m wondering if any of it can be accounted for by the awakening process.

Always see a doctor if you're concerned, but yes. Everything you're saying sounds very familiar to my own experience.

My own theory about it is that egoic mind takes up a lot of energy (or attention), so when that energy is freed up, it goes elsewhere. The body becomes more sensitive and open.

> I’m not tired when I wake up, but it’s still somehow unsatisfying.

I know exactly what you mean here, and can empathize. For me, a lot of that unsatisfactoriness was my mind not accepting the 'weirdness' of the situation. "I'm only getting 3 hours of sleep per night! This can't be healthy!" Etc.

Physically I felt fine, and the doctor confirmed I was very healthy. Eventually (after hearing Adyashanti talk about something similar) I quit mentally arguing with the reality of the situation, and accepted that even though things were a bit weird, they were find. Mind is used to our bodies being a certain way, and when that changes it takes a bit for mind to get onboard, in other words.

I can only speak to my own experience, but for me at one point it all just settled. I was getting ~3 hours of a sleep per night (and like you beautiful phrased, it felt more like a 'trance of being-ness'), weird physical sensations (including profuse sweating at night) and a whole lot of other stuff, then one day there was another 'shift' (not dissimilar to the awakening itself), and it was like a switch was turned off and a bunch of the 'weird' stuff disappeared (though others showed up, heh).

The yoga and healthiness are your friends. If your diet is really light, it may be helpful to introduce heavier, 'grounding' foods like beets, sweet potatoes, etc, but listen to your body here. Bodies are mysteriously wise, and know what they need - it's more a question of how much we can get out of the way.

All of that to say: you're not alone and what you're describing could certainly be related to the awakening.

If you haven't already, I'd strongly recommend reading Adyashanti's book The End of Your World. There's a lot of helpful info inside.

I would like eventually to be able to handle the non-secular Buddhism, part of the mess I got myself into was convincing myself there is no god. I like that Buddha didn't take a stance on it.

No. I saw your post; I saw your post history; I'm having a pretty good time with my understanding of Zen and Zen practice, but I'm only a month or so in. I was hoping for someone who appears to me to be critical of Zen, you could offer an alternative based on your understanding. I know I could disembowel a Buddhism tradition to create my own, but I felt ... you would be a good person to ask.

I've been to the local zendo, and the lay practitioner told my wife that the sutras they chant "they don't believe in the words." I mean, if you don't believe in the words, why bother saying them?

It seems hard to meet with the teacher, and ... I don't understand why you would want to. My understanding of Zen is everything comes from zazen, which seems to me to be the same kind of enlightenment the Buddha received. If that's true, what are the teachers for? If the teacher is important, how often should you talk to them to help your practice? The zendo near me, it looks like you need to spend 3 months of practice before formally meeting with the teacher. Is that reasonable?

Zen is very mapless. Meditate and you will arrive eventually. Do this one thing with a singular focus. Trust it.


Contrast that to .... Daniel Ingram (yes, I understand most everyone fucking hates this guy), ... who literally has a map of the terrain.

I have no interest in group study, other then maybe a circle of friends, of which, I'm the focal point.

I've never in my life learned well from other people talking to me, I'm more of a read the book, test it out, kind of person. I'm reading this currently

I like doing zazen, I'm starting to understand why it would be advantageous to focus single minded on breath and posture, asymmetry is nice, not being worried about perfection is nice, and being continuously in the now is nice.

Do you think I can get the above with Zen?

I've been reading Thich Nhat Hanh's Peaceful Action, Open Heart, which is wonderful, concurrently with A Guide to the Threefold Lotus Sutra, by Nikkyo Niwano, that gives a concise overview of each chapter. It also helps to have an introduction, in the form of a talk or short articles. There's a short chapter in Cultivating the Mind of Love on this Sutra.

I was at a retreat with TNH in the 1990's where he spoke about the Avatamsaka and Lotus Sutras, that's since been issued by Sounds True as The Ultimate Dimension.

Most of the talks were on the foundational practices for entering into the kinds of experiences described in these Sutras, and I found that his framing them in this way actually made them accessible. Remarkable!

These are good places to start.

As Thay said in his commentary, these are not so much works to be studied with the rational part of ourselves as they are to be received as inspired poetry, lived with and enjoyed. Then meaning of these sutras and the truth they speak of can reveal themselves to us gradually.

He says, in the beginning of The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching:

“When we hear a Dharma talk or study a sutra, our only job is to remain open. Usually when we hear or read something new, we just compare it to our own ideas. If it is the same, we accept it and say that it is correct. If it is not, we say it is incorrect. In either case, we learn nothing. If we read or listen with an open mind and an open heart, the rain of the Dharma will penetrate the soil of our consciousness.

“The gentle spring rain permeates the soil of my soul.
A seed has lain deeply in the earth for many years just smiles.

“When reading or listening, don’t work too hard. Be like the earth. When the rain comes, the earth only has to open herself up to the rain. Allow the rain of the Dharma to come in and penetrate the seeds that are buried deep in your consciousness.

“A teacher cannot give you the truth. The truth is already in you. You only need to open yourself - body, mind, and heart - so that his or her teachings will penetrate your own seeds of understanding and enlightenment. If you let the words enter you, the soil and the seeds will do the rest of the work.”

Best wishes to you in your practice.

This is the last place you'll find any sort of helpful information on zen. Ewk and a few other ideologs have pretty much hijacked the forum. /r/zendo is good, but its not nearly as active. You're not wrong for assuming zen can be peaceful and elegant, its what you want it to be. A lot of what you see here is westerners confusing zen with nihilism. If I were to mention the Two Truths Doctrine here, many wouldn't really know what I was talking about. Things like this getting over looked is why you seen so much arguing here. Its mostly due to lack of understanding of buddhist doctrine by westerners that are new to the religion.

With that said, Suzuki Roshi's Zen Mind Beginner's Mind was a great starting point for myself. If you want tot just download it for free, Heres a link to the pdf. Also this website gives rough details into soto zen practice and forms. http://global.sotozen-net.or.jp
Last book, this isn't zen, but Zen is considered Mahayana Buddhism and shares many of the same teaching as Tibetan Buddhsim. The Dalai Lama give a wonder discourse of some of the core beliefs of Mahayana Buddhism. Essential Teachings Dalai Lama

I started around when I was your age, and that was along time ago :) Hope you find what you are looking for. Good luck!

disclaimer: ewk please don't reply to my comment. thank you.

Describe the Four Noble Truths? I sometimes like looking at Wikipedia's simple english version of pages to get good, short overviews of things. I don't think that description of the first step of the Eightfold Path is very good though. The normal english article is better for that one, but other than that it's a good summery.

Many Zen teachers express things differently. They might not go into a lot of detail or focus on lists and texts as much. There are also some differences. For example under Right Action, some Japanese Zen lineages allow monks to marry and have families. In general though all that page will still apply to Zen.

Zen is pretty hard to learn on your own. Koans, which are things you might call spiritual questions, make up a lot of the practice in a lot of Zen, and to practice them you pretty much need to be working with a teacher. I don't know of any good resources that I'd recommend for learning to practice Zen on your own.

If you'd like a good book to learn about Zen from an scholarly point of view this is a good one. It's only going to teach you about Zen, like things you'd learn about the subject if you took a college class. It won't teach you how to practice Zen. If you'd like a book that isn't from an academic point of view this is a nice one, but still, it's not really going to teach you how to practice Zen.

In a sense, enlightenment is not in your hands at all. In another, equally true sense, you really can beckon the solution.

The best advice I have found for people trying to beckon the solution is to work in cycles. You need to know spiritual truths - that desire breeds anger, that life without attachment to worldly things is better than life bound to the ups and downs of the world - in every cell of your body. You need to know them with your heart, with your stomach, with your intellect, with your emotions. This means, read spiritual works and meditate like it was the last thing on earth you could do. But then go out and live them, get your hands dirty on life, let those ideas really digest, let them sink in deeply. Figure things out through experience, through seeing things as they really are. Then go back and meditate more, read more, see what new truths are uncovered through this cyclical learning process.

Clearing your mind of these false notions of salvation/happiness creates an incredible amount of space. In this space of non-grasping, of not-doing, clarity is born. Clarity is the means and the end of the spiritual path. You see life as it really is. With true clarity, there is no hope or fear at all. Clarity turns into transcendent knowledge; knowledge without words, without the limits of language, without reason. Silent knowledge composed of pure certainties. One day you will feel a click.


If you want to study some beautiful, simple, universal (as in, it isn't dogma) eastern philosophy, check out the Bhagavad Gita. It is as close to perfection of the path to self-knowledge as I have found.

We see Arjuna on the battlefield, this impressive warrior, bent, burdened, eyes glistening, pleading for the meaning of life.


Krishna, totally calm, responds in effect, "Oh, you really want to know?"


http://www.amazon.com/The-Bhagavad-Gita-Walkthrough-Westerners/dp/1608680142



Another good book at the beginning/middle of the path is The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle. He frames the awake state in a very persuasive, intuitive manner: as an alternative to the mind's insistence of living in the past or the future. It shows you the power of clarity, of living fully in the present moment.

If you are far on the path already, then I suggest these two books to help fine-tune your search:

http://www.amazon.com/The-End-Your-World-Enlightenment/dp/1591797799

http://www.amazon.com/Cutting-Spiritual-Materialism-Shambhala-Classics/dp/1570629579/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1412001113&sr=1-1&keywords=cutting+through+spiritual+materialism+by+chogyam+trungpa

Good luck/shoot me a PM if you have questions

ps: tripping can be a tool, but it is limited. any realizations you have under the influence of psychedelics, you will have to re-realize while sober. sometimes this is incredibly easy, but sometimes not so much. if you depend too much on them, the realizations while on drugs will never be there when you really need them. think of psychedelics as "advance scouts" into your consciousness - showing you what level of clarity is possible if you keep on this path, showing you what silent knowledge feels like. they don't give you that level of clarity, but they show you that it is possible, and give you faith and determination to see it become your natural state.

In the Mahayana tradition, this very subject topic is covered by the Lam-Rim, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamrim , (good book on the topic: Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, which is an introduction of the Lam-Rim, the Stepped Path to Enlightenment. HH the Dalai Lama also gave a great introduction on the Lam-Rim, https://www.holybooks.com/wp-content/uploads/Illuminting-the-Path-to-Enlightenment-by-Dalai-Lama.pdf Here is him teaching the Lam-Rim, in podcasts: http://lamrim.com/hhdl/atishaslamp.html Also, the Discovering Buddhism Program at FPMT is a great place to start: https://fpmt.org/education/. Most of these courses have Youtube video intros (and the 2nd course, Intro to Meditation, is free. The others do cost a bit, but these courses are the best Buddhism courses on the internet. They include teachings by very knowledgeable teachers and all the texts you might need for the courses. Enjoy! And Good Luck!

As suggested by others, the best thing to do first is try to find a local center or online teachings. (FPMT.org/education has an education program for all levels of students.)

​

If you find you enjoy and practice in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, [the Easy Path, by the First Panchen Lama](https://www.amazon.com/Easy-Path-Illuminating-Panchen-Instructions-ebook/dp/B00B3M48K2/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?keywords=easy+path+khensur+rinpoche&qid=1565701149&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmr0), and taught here by Gyurmed

Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Jampa. The book provides teachings and meditation practices on all topics of the Lam-Rim. [Youtube videos of Rinpoche teaching the book are available here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AG5JrBzfW8M). Enjoy!

No, starting at about 3:00 where he taught that giving without expectation -- the practice of Bodhisattvas -- is a "low view" of a "lower school", and giving with expectation is the highest view. Is that taught anywhere else?

"But it is maintained in the suttas (A.iv,62) that alms should be given without any expectations (na sapekho danam deti). Nor should alms be given with attachment to the recipient. If one gives with the idea of accumulating things for later use, that is an inferior act of giving. If one gives with the hope of enjoying the result thereof after death, that is also an inferior act of giving. The only valid motive for giving should be the motive of adorning the mind, to rid the mind of the ugliness of greed and selfishness." -Bhikkhu Bodhi


"Also you must practice giving without expecting anything in return, or any [karmic] ripening effects." -Pabongka Rinpoche



"The practice of all the Bodhisattvas is to give out of generosity, with no hopes of karmic recompense or expectation of reward.” -Gyalse Tokme Zangpo (1297-1371)

"Generosity is said to be the best family and relative. But we should do good deeds without any expectation of gain.... The definition of generosity is giving fully without attachment or expectation. Generosity is defined as a mind co-emergent with non-attachment and with the motivation of giving." -Kenchen Konchog Gyaltsen

"Both virtuous and nonvirtuous actions are formed in the mind. Actions, though more apparent, are secondary to our motivation. Even an apparently virtuous action is of little benefit if the root of our motivation is selfishness." -Mindrolling Trichen Rinpoche

"When you persevere in Dharma practice, it is essential to always train in turning any virtuous root of action, through body, speech, or mind, to be for the benefit of others. First, train gradually in this with the smallest deeds. From time to time, check to see whether or not you are tainted by the defilement of self-interest. You will not be successful if you retain even the tiniest taint of selfishness. Make sure not to be tainted by the defilement of self-interest." -Padmasambhava

So why does GMR teach the opposite to tens of thousands of people every year? Is it because otherwise people will see that his Four-Step method would fall apart at the very first step?

I wouldn't say those in recent times who study the Way do not try hard, but often they just memorize Zen stories and try to pass judgment on the ancient and modern Zen masters, picking and choosing among words and phrases, creating complicated rationalizations and learning stale slogans. When will they every be done with this? If you study Zen like this, all you will get is a collection of worn-out antiques and curios.

When you "seek the source and investigate the fundamental" in this fashion, after all you are just climbing up the pole of your own intellect and imagination. If you don't encounter an adept, if you don't have indomitable will yourself, if you have never stepped back into yourself and worked on your spirit, if you have not cast off all your former and subsequent knowledge and views of surpassing wonder, if you have not directly gotten free of all this and comprehended the causal conditions of the fundamental great matter-then that is why you are still only halfway there and are falling behind and cannot distinguish or understand clearly. If you just go on like this, then even if you struggle diligently all your life, you still won't see the fundamental source even in a dream.

This is why the man of old said: "Enlightenment is apart from verbal explanations-there has never been any attainer."

Deshan said: "Our school has no verbal expressions and not a single thing or teaching to give people."

Zhaozhou said: "I don't like to hear the word buddha."

Look at how, in verbally disavowing verbal explanations, they had already scattered dirt and messed people up. If you go on looking for mysteries and marvels in the Zen masters' blows and shouts and facial gestures and glaring looks and physical movements, you will fall even further into the wild foxes' den.

All that is important in this school is that enlightenment be clear and thorough, like the silver mountain and the iron wall, towering up solitary and steep, many miles high. Since this realization is as sudden as sparks and lightening, whether or not you try to figure it out, you immediately fall nto a pit. That is why since time immemorial the adepts have guarded this one revelation, and all arrived together at the same realization.

Here there is nowhere for you to take hold. Once you can clear up your mind and you are able to abandon all entanglements, and you are cultivating practice relying on an enlightened spiritual friend, it would be really too bad if you weren't patient enough to get to the level where the countless difficulties cannot get near you, and to lay down your body and your mind there and investigate till you penetrate through all the way.

Over thousands of lifetimes and hundreds of aeons up until now, has there ever been any discontinuity in the fundamental reality or not? Since there has been no discontinuity, what birth and death and going and coming is there for you to be in doubt about? Obviously there things belong to the province of causal conditions and have absolutely no connection to the fundamental matter.

My teacher Wuzu often said, "I have been here for five decades, and I have seen thousands and thousands of Zen followers come up to the corner of my meditation seat. They were all just seeking to become buddhas and to expound Buddhism. I have never seen a single genuine wearer of the patched robe."

How true this is! As we observe the present time, even those who expound Buddhism are hard to find, much less any genuine people. The age is in decline and the sages are further and further distant. In the whole great land of China, the lineage of Buddha is dying out right before our very eyes, We may find one person of half a person who is putting the Dharma into practice, but we would not dare to expect them to be like the great exemplars of enlightenment, the "dragons and elephants" of yore.

Nevertheless, if you simply know the procedures and aims of practical application of the Dharma and carry on correctly from beginning to end, you are already producing a lotus from within the fire.

You must put aside all the conditioning that entangles you. Then you will be able to perceive the inner content of the great enlightenment that has comedown since ancient times. Be at rest wherever you are, and carry on the secret, closely continuous, intimate-level practice. The devas will have no road to strew flowers on, and demons and outsiders will not be able to find your tracks. This is what it means to truly leave home and thoroughly understand oneself.

If, after you have reached this level, circumstances arise as the result of merit that lead you to come forth and extend a hand to communicate enlightenment to others, this would not be inappropriate. As Buddha said, "Just acquiesce in the truth, you surely won't be deceived." But even for me to speak this way is another case of a man from bandit-land seeing off a thief.

Source

Links:

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Zen Letters 46

I am 15 months into my ongoing healing process from the greatest loss of my life, so I'd like to share some things I've learned:

Rushing into another relationship is unsound advice, and most likely to hurt you and the next person you prematurely involve yourself with.

The best thing I can tell you is that healing from a loss is not like getting a cut on your flesh, where there is consistent and predictable healing. If healing from a physical wound is a straight line, then healing from an emotional loss is a jagged, swirling journey, where you sometimes take one step forward and 10 steps back. Don't get frustrated by these setbacks--just understand that the timetable for healing is not set, and trust in the heart's ability to heal:

"When an emotional injury takes place, the body begins a process as natural as the healing of a physical wound. Let the process happen. Trust the process. Surrender to it." --from "How to Survive the Loss of a Love"

Don't make any rash life-altering decisions, don't turn to drugs or alcohol (which only postpone or subvert healing), give to those who are less fortunate than you, and surround yourself with family and friends that love you unconditionally.

Here is a link to the book quoted above, which I wholeheartedly recommend:
http://www.amazon.com/Survive-Loss-Love-Peter-McWilliams/dp/0931580439

And another I'm in the midst of reading, which, so far, is also exceptional:
http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Past-Your-Breakup-Devastating/dp/0738213284

This is a beautiful recounting of the Buddha's journey to understanding suffering:
http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Buddhas-Teaching-Transforming-Liberation/dp/0767903692/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411858603&sr=8-1&keywords=heart+of+a+buddha

And this is a pocket book available for free from the Amida Society:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2040437.Heart_of_A_Buddha?from_search=true

For me, feeling her "fade away" from my memory was so hurtful that I would hold on to the pain to keep the memories fresh. That is not conducive to healing. What helped me was creating a document (I used Google Docs so I could update from anywhere), and whenever a sweet memory surfaced of something she did, said, or was, I would write it down. It provided a catharsis--like a treasure chest of everything she was. I no longer compulsively read it, but it is comforting to know it's there, and has definitely helped my healing process.

For the first six months of my loss, I could barely leave the house. Since I love movies, I started trying to find ones that contained people being kind to one another (they are very rare). They helped me in reconnecting to and believing in kindness again, and I found myself watching some of my favorites just to get myself to sleep at night. I compiled a few into an IMDb list:
http://www.imdb.com/list/ls056580941/

Take care of yourself
--D

Source: Losing my dear wife--the sweetest, kindest person I've ever known.

I can identify with many of the replies to this post, so I wanted to share some personal insights that have helped me tremendously with these existential anxieties/depression (although I still struggle with them). Please excuse me if I'm not as well-spoken as others here, but I'm not a native speaker and... even worse, I'm an engineer.

First, you have to realize that this kind of existential anxiety has been recognized as part of the human condition by many philosophers and thinkers from almost the beginning of our recorded history. So, even though it is true that it can be hard to find peers to whom you can talk openly about these problems, and who will understand you from personal experience, this is not true if you count the experiences of the thousands of persons who had exactly the same feelings and have written about them. Of course they all had their own experiences, insights and solutions which may not apply to you, but it would be stupid to think that there is not some valuable wisdom to be gained from these thousands of years of tradition of thinking about these issues.

I don't want to elaborate too long about all the things out there, neither do I want to force my own opinions on others, but here are some personal recommendations:

• Albert Camus (as mentioned numerous times in this thread)
  
• Herman Hesse - Siddhartha
  
• I recommend reading any good book on the history of philosophy that sticks to a few pages per school/person to get a good overview of how people have been approaching these issues throughout history. You can just skip all the guys who where thinking about irrelevant shite that has long become obsolete because of modern science. I have used Joachim Storig's excellent book for this, although I think it is only available in German, Dutch and Spanish.
  
• If you consider yourself more of a deep physical/metaphysical thinker and you think these practical philosophies are not relevant to your issues or too superficial, try the following approach:
  
  • get at least a limited understanding of the following fields of science: quantum physics, systems theory/cybernetics, some neuroscience, the problems of mathematics (i recommend the graphic novel logicomix as an easy to read and interesting introduction)
    
  • read about Buddha's (Siddhartha Gautama's) life and how he developed his philosophy/doctrine. This guy is extra relevant because he made existential anxiety the core of his practical philosophy (This is often misunderstood because 'dukkha' is somewhat misleadingly translated as just 'suffering'). I highly recommend Osamu Tezuka's graphic novel, Wikipedia's Buddhism template, Alan Watts talks on Buddhist philosophy, or any basic introduction to buddhist concepts such as this one. While doing this keep in mind that he was just a regular spoiled-ass prince who was really smart, had too much time on his hands and was suffering from the same existential anxieties as you are. Try to really understand his philosophy (especially non-self, impermanence and nirvana) in the context of modern science, and be amazed at how well it holds up (hence the interest in Buddhist thought among physicists and neuroscientists).
    
  • ???
    
  • Profit!
    
    Peace and good luck y'all.

Hi Porkgreen,

It sounds like you're having an awakening. Strap in, buckle up, and take some deep breaths, but I can assure you that in the end everything will be just fine.

There are basically three levels on which things begin to restructure themselves such that your whole being is brought more into alignment with the truth of things. And when things are changing on all these levels it can feel quite disorienting. The three levels are the physio-energetic (aka the body, aka traditional kundalini), your external life (job, relationships, etc.), and your internal life (your sense of who and what you are).

When people begin to awaken, there are two main reasons they suffer. First, awakening brings phases of great change which most have a tendency to resist at least initially. Resisting 'What Is' will always bring suffering. Thus it's important to learn to surrender to, and trust in what is happening. You will need to meet your experience as it arises and learn to open to it, however it may reveal itself.

The second main reason people suffer during an awakening is that they feel disoriented as identities and external circumstances begins to change/fall away because they do not have a conceptual framework for understanding what is happening. This is where spiritual teachings can be helpful. A good teacher, even if a personal relationship isn't possible is extremely helpful. I recommend this book, and in general the Non-dual teachings of Adyashanti. He won't steer you wrong.

Weird energetic phenomena (pressure, vibrations, tingling, etc) and visions are normal. The important point here is not to indulge in them too much, and don't believe them (the visions especially). But if they arise, allow them to happen and just witness what is going on without believing or identifying with them.

If you live among close minded people, it may not be necessary to tell them about kundalini. However, act how you feel you should. Feel free to let me know if you have any more questions.

If you have the patience for it, listening to the current Dalai Lama can be interesting. Here are some recordings of his appearance in Mountain View, CA in 2001 (the "Heart Sutra" mp3 files). The only problem is he speaks slowly and with an accent, so if you have a short attention span or aren't really that interested, it probably isn't for you. You can probably get similar material in book form, but I don't have a reference handy. (edit: duh, the link to [Essence of the Heart Sutra](
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0861713184/ref=lamrimcom) on that page is probably the way to go.)

The interesting thing about the Dalai Lama is that he's totally into accepting and integrating scientific results, and his interpretation of Buddhism reflects that, being more metaphorical in cases where something would obviously be in conflict with reality if taken literally. This doesn't usually appear forced, because much of Buddhism is expressed metaphorically, so it's really those who take it too literally who are probably missing the point a bit.

Re Alan Watts, first of all it's important to note that he focused on Zen Buddhism, which is one of the most distinct branches of Buddhism, quite different from most of the others. Second, you have to keep in mind that he was one of the earliest popularizers of Zen in the West, and as such his personal perspective perhaps had a greater influence on his approach than those who came later, once there was a more established Western Zen tradition. Part of that personal perspective was a somewhat Californian proto-New Age ethic which used Buddhism as a prop for ideas that didn't themselves come from Buddhism, and combined them with Western ideas about psychology and cosmology. The ones you mention, like "we are all one" etc., certainly fit that mold. If you look at the sources in Buddhism for such positions, they are never quite as literal as Watts tends to imply.

For a no-nonsense intro book to Zen, you could try something like Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. It focuses on teaching how and why to do Zen meditation, along with plenty of psychology and philosophy, but very little by way of Watts-style mysticism.

I'm not sure that this is a forum that specializes in issues of this nature, though we may be able to provide support in related areas of subject matter. I would assume that many of us have been in the business of confronting and dealing with our various pains, sufferings, and other shadows in the dark night of the soul.

History and myth are ripe with tales beings of ambiguous or crossed genders. They have played an important part of many traditions as symbols and sacred figures representing alchemical principles and equanimity of the soul, an androgyny that forms a balanced human being comprised of both masculine and feminine principles.

It is my opinion that if you face this conflict within you earnestly and seek to understand it that you will begin to unravel the knot of your pain and come to a better understanding of what is going on within you. Learn self-reflection and seek to understand yourself. Helpful tools include meditation and consumption of as much relevant literature on any related subjects.

Possible starting points:

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

http://chemicalmarriage.wordpress.com/2011/03/23/the-great-hermaphrodite-explained/

http://pathofsoul.org/2013/03/09/carl-jung-the-hermaphrodite-creative-union-of-opposites/

For a compassionate guide to practicing self-reflection and meditation I cannot recommend a better starting point than The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh. I would make the case to you that it will help you do the real hard work of refining yourself as a human being. And if you do decide to delve further into occult practice and study, a good foundation in meditation, mindfulness, and present moment awareness can be invaluable, particularly on chemognostic psychedelic voyages into other realms of reality.

I apologize if this is not the sort of thing that you are looking for. Magic and occult practice isn't necessarily about quick fixes and easy solutions. But I can almost guarantee that if you work at it sincerely it will be transformative of who you are in unexpected and most often beneficial ways. Good luck and feel free to message if there is anything I can do to further assist you.

I see a therapist when I know something isn't right, but I am unsure what. Sometimes having someone to ask the right questions (with no vested interest) helps me come to realizations I wouldn't have otherwise.

I was terrified of going at first, but I am so happy I did! If you want to go but are scared, feel free to ask me questions.

I also enjoy guided journals. Right now I am doing one called "Design The Life You Love"

Zen/Buddhism/mindfulness books help me when I am stuck in my head, feeling as though my existence has no meaning. This book is the first one I read along those lines, and here is a popular Buddhist author whose books I find easy, relatable, and enjoyable to read. If you enjoy challenging books, there are plenty of those too - here is a hugely popular one.

Lastly, is there anyone close to you who you trust with this concern? Could you share your observations with this person, ask if they have noticed it as well, and ask what suggestions they might have?

I think TNH's views are 100% compatible with "Buddhism" in both its historical/traditional and modern forms. Overall though, it is hard to classify TNH's views. It's known that he practices within the Mahayana and Zen traditions, but his emphasis on mindfulness of breathing has a lot in common with the Theravadan Thai Forest tradition.

 

The one thing I can confidently say about TNH is that he is one of the least dogmatic Buddhist teachers I know of, rather, it's immediately obvious that nearly every sentence he writes or talk he gives comes from deep personal experience. He's not going to tell you something is true just because some book or old tradition says so, he's only going to tell you something if he's verified it through personal experience and has found it to be relevant and useful in overcoming suffering. In this sense, he teaches in a very similar spirit as the Buddha by using skillful means rather than dogma.

 

I do not think TNH is "secular", but I think he cares deeply about making the liberating teachings of Buddhism accessible to as many people as possible, and he has done an amazing job at this. For proof that TNH is not a secular materialist, see his commentary on the Lotus Sutra which is a very non-secular and almost supernatural-esque text. In addition, as far as rebirth goes, in his book The Heart of the Buddha's Teachings, there is a small section which explains that a Bodhisattva can intentionally keep being reborn in the world to continue helping all beings, thus implying a literal form a rebirth. However, in the few of his books that I've read, I will admit that he spends very little time or focus on traditional forms of samsara and rebirth.

>"If you and Mom sit here and take his shit, then that's on you guys. It's not my fault if you don't want to stand up to him."

this is a good sentiment because you'd just be enabling his bs. Eventually they will enable him or get tired of it.

>I can't dye my hair, get piercings, or get tattoos which to me are all things that are beautiful. Plus being overweight. I don't even want to try to lose weight because I feel like I still won't be beautiful and like I'm never going to be able to be myself and love myself.

You seem really concerned with your outward image and it seems like a lot of energy is spent worrying about this. If you feel so negatively about it, then you should do what you can to improve it instead of doing nothing. This is a big problem for you that you have the power to fix, SO FIX IT. less shit on your plate, know what I mean? And you don't have to have a strict regiment of working out and stuff. Just change your diet, go walking, and the fat will fall off. Use myfitnesspal to log your calories too. also don't weigh yourself all the time.


It seems like youre stuck in a depression and it sucks but in order for things to be different, YOU have to be different. It will seem pointless at times, but work towards the change you want to happen. You say that you believe your image limits your income and you generally don't feel happy about it? Diet and exercise is a good place to start.(I lost almost 40lbs when I became a vegan last november. I never go to the gym, but if you do this make sure you are eating for nutrition too)

As for work, look into retail sales merchandiser positions if you have a car. Most have super flexible schedules.



You may not have anyone that understands, but that's okay because you have yourself. While corny, true happiness comes from within. Those that cant find it in within themselves waste time and energy constantly searching for the next thing to provide them pleasure in things that are impermanent. this is a good book


Understanding yourself and taking wisdom from where you can is paramount, for the applications derived from both are innumerable

This is my first time posting here. I'm going to pledge an hour and a half every day for the next 66 days. I look forward to being a part of this virtual sangha, and I wish you all the best of luck with your practice. I've practiced meditation for a year and a half now, but have only become serious about it for 3 months. I'm currently reading Wisdom Wide and Deep, which is an excellent guide to jhana and vipassana that I recommend to anyone interested in Buddhist meditation.

17th April (1/66): 1 hour anapanasati sitting on a chair in the morning, 30 minutes anapanasati sitting in half-lotus position before bed. It's getting much easier for me to make the full hour and the surge of pleasure following meditation is growing stronger. Both recollection of the object and equanimous experience of thoughts are slowly becoming easier. Uncomfortable sitting posture has always been a hindrance to my meditation, but daily stretching is making half-lotus position easier to remain in. Looking forward to sitting in full lotus position.

>what does the Buddha mean when he references his teachings simply as a raft meant to cross a river in Chapter 6[1] ?

This is actually a very deep simile, rich with many layers of meaning. I've sat here for a while and typed out several explanations, then deleted them realizing none of them captures all the levels of what the Buddha was saying here. That would be an entire essay, really.

The essence of it is that the Buddha did not want people to get caught up in his words, thinking that by analyzing his words they would attain enlightenment. He had to use words because that was the primary way he could communicate the Dhamma, but what he was teaching is beyond words.

This connects to your second question, because later in the Diamond Sutra the Buddha said:

>Subhuti, as to speaking truth, no truth can be spoken.

A clue to understanding this is given by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh when he wrote in The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching (emphasis mine): "Right View is the absence of all views."

So when you ask, "Here is my view now, is it valid?" The answer is most likely "No."

The Buddha taught purely out of compassion. He didn't teach because we lacked something, or he needed to "save" us, or any of that. He sat for days after his enlightenment deciding what to do, because he realized that there was nothing to do. And that is why he says there is no teaching, and that to consider the teaching as having an existence is false.

You are therefore right to connect no-self with the non-existence of the teaching as well. The teaching of no-self, anatta, is something also deep and requiring a good teacher to go through with you. I am definitely not a master or teacher of that caliber, so all I can do is recommend this video on non-self that might help you understand it.

Hi Steve!

I would recommend reading Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki who was a Sōtō Zen monk and teacher who helped popularize Zen Buddhism in the West. I would also recommend The Mind of Clover by Robert Aitken which is an excellent guide on Zen Buddhist ethics (and important part of the practice).

If you haven't already started, I would recommend you pick up a regular zazen habit, sitting daily even for just five minutes if that's all you can manage. Sitting zazen is the most important thing in the Sōtō school and Master Dogen could not recommend it enough!

Books are good but practice is much better!

Beyond that, I'm a big fan of all of Brad Warner's books. He has a great approach to Zen, I think, and makes understanding some of its more obscure and hard-to-penetrate ideas easier to digest.

And of course you can always come here and ask as my questions as you like!

Nice, man. I wish for you to persevere in your practice. Just like you I've studied and now practice Zen, Buddhism, and some of the Taoism.

I should look into the set of authors you've written. If you have time look into it, some of the books I found most inspiring in my practice are:

Zen mind, Beginner's Mind
Not always so
The two above are for inspiration and breathtaking take on the spirit of practice, the once below are for the practical and daily aspects of the practice:
Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha - Supremely useful!
Mindfulness in Plain English - Of course "Beyond Mindfulness" is equally as impressive, just goes into a greater detail on what to expect, and how to achieve higher jhanas.

I appreciate you responding to me and taking me up on a debate. I can tell that you really put time and effort into thinking about these particular issues and thats great.

I think in order to get the whole gist of buddhism you should try to look it through the view of someone else who claims to know about buddhism https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Buddhas-Teaching-Transforming-Liberation/dp/0767903692/ref=pd_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=A88VX0WPXS0XGDAPBRNF this book is great for plenty of reasons, goes throughout the history of how we know what we know and what that means.

I would say that your view of karma is correct in a sense, however its not the whole idea. To be honest I think a lot of the things in Buddhism can get lost without proper practice. That reading on the idea of emptiness and reading on the idea of no-self can be disconcerting and misunderstood. The only way to fully grasp these ideas is to practice. By practicing the ideas taught through meditation we can fully understand and embrace the teachings.

In terms of reincarnation I believe reincarnation to be true (maybe not in the same sense that you believe), and true we cannot scientifically test this to be true. But I do believe I have a intellectually rational view on the subject.

I think if you are interested in Buddhist philosophy you should try meditation and "buddhist like practice", its scientifically proven that meditation does great things and you can even approach the meditation from a secular point of view.

If you need any resources let me know. I would also not mind continuing this discussion if you are inclined to do so.

>He told me that he has never felt more calm and happy. [...] He says he is having an insight that no one else can possibly imagine because he says it scares them.

I've experienced just that. He will most likely come out of it. Like kirkirus said, just give him time to sort things out and he'll become more responsive.

Whatever he's thinking about, tell him that he is most likely not alone. Human beings in all cultures have spent months contemplating in isolation, and a lot of them have used psychedelic substances.

I would actually be very interested in hearing what your friend has to say. But well! Let him rest, and make sure to tell him you love him! Best of luck.

---
Also, The End of Your World by Adyashanti may be useful to him, or even to you! And perhaps this television series by Alan Watts for a different cultural context.

If you want to find the Oneness and bliss back, you can do it with Jhana meditation. You don't need drugs. Jhana is the Buddhist way of connecting with the One and feeling that bliss. There are two great books about Jhana meditation on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0861715608/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/086171623X/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

In addition to 1 hour of meditation a day, you must help the situation with the following:

1. Half an hour of yoga, or simply walking out in nature.
   
2. Half an hour out in the sun (or get some D3, although you also need sun's UV to help lift depression). You can do this while you're doing #1.
   
3. Diet changes (as important): Avoid gluten completely (which is known to creating depressive symptoms). Limit sugar and processed foods, eat more veggies/fruits. Also avoid vegetable seed oils, which promote inflammation: go for coconut oil for cooking (grass-fed butter occasionally), which creates more ketones that benefit the brain (use olive oil for salads). Eat more WILD fish (low-mercury ones), shellfish, and sea vegetables to get more DHA (that also benefit the brain). Consider also supplementing with Magnesium (you can't get enough via food post-Industrial revolution), and CoQ10 Ubiquinol (not Ubiquinone).
   
   Do these four things to yourself, and you will see a major change to your being within 15-20 days.

There are some scathing reviews in there. Especially the one where he's talking about levitation.

I have to say that I don't completely disagree with some of the reviewers' complaints. Lama Surya Das is a decent writer in my opinion, and the book is entertaining. But as others have said, it really is more of an autobiography. And while he has led an interesting life, this is not why I originally read the book. He definitely tries to put a "Western spin" on Buddhism, and this is obviously because westerners are his target audience. But what winds up being produced is a new-age self-help kind of book.

If you are interested, my top 4 recommendations for easy to read, entertaining books that cover some different aspects/sects of Buddhism (in order of my personal preference) are as follows:

1. What the Buddha Taught by Walpola Rahula.
   
   
2. Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki.
   
   
3. The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh.
   
   
4. The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche.
   
   As I said, those are my personal favorites and will give you a good look at some of the major Buddhist traditions.

I really like https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Buddhas-Teaching-Transforming-Liberation/dp/0767903692/ as a good introductory book.

It's great to go to practice with a group, but even better if possible is to go practice with several groups, to get a feel for the variety of the traditions within Buddhism. You can then pick the one that feels best for you. Also, as your practice evolves, maybe you will start to feel a bit stuck somehow, and you will know about other groups that might help you get unstuck. Really Buddhism is like a vast toolbox or medicine chest. Use what helps you. As you evolve, your practice can and should evolve.

I usually recommend Zen Essence as a primer: very easy to read quotes from 18 Chan masters, they each get a dozen or so, so they all get to talk to each other without any one particular master or style dominating the conversation. Because of the format it also lets you see through the translator because each master has a different style (thus making the translator's colorations and mudding easier to notice).

Then of course Mumonkan, Faith in Mind, and then the records of whomever you're interested in based on either mumonkan or Zen Essence. The Cleary translation has multiple poems about each case from different Masters.

I also think it's crucial to read the treatment of Baizhang's fox in the Book Of Serenity, and not just Mumonkan.

The Blue Cliff Record is in my mind the ultimate mountain peak, and the BoS is the perfect compliment to it. But to start, ZE plus Mumonkan, then spiraling into the records of whom you're interested in makes a very strong foundation.

Opening the Hand of Thought and Zen Mind, Beginners Mind have both been very helpful to me. Especially the second one, but the first one is a little easier to understand.

In Zen, there's sort-of an oddity. How-tos are often blended with Introductory texts. Both of those books have sections that describe the practice of Zazen more then sufficiently enough to begin.

There's also the r/buddhism and r/zen subreddits, which both have plenty of helpful recommendations and explanations.

Good luck :)

Hey

Your post was likely caught in the sub's spam filter, but I invite you to check out a list that one of our sub's users, /u/ewk, has compiled of many Zen Texts:

https://www.reddit.com/r/zensangha/wiki/getstarted

​

As a personal recommendation (though it's not how I started), I'd recommend beginning with The Sayings of Joshu (Green translation):

https://www.amazon.com/Recorded-Sayings-Zen-Master-Joshu/dp/157062870X

​

It makes a nice "Bathroom reader" and is useful for getting you primed for "Wait wtf how does that response make sense?" because, buckle up, that's the game, my friend!

​

Since you mention Dharma Talks, I think you'll probably like Bankei:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802131840/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

​

However, definitely check out the Mumonkan. It's a primary source (rather than secondary source "Sayings Texts") with commentary on various "Cases" by an actual Zen Master himself: Mumon. It's claimed by Mumon himself to be intended for novices.

​

Have fun!

I'm not against therapy at all, but might I suggest another angle? Meditation.

If you really want to get better as you say you do, find a zen practice center and learn to sit. Meditation is all about opening up space in your mind and learning to observe it. It's a long process, but very enlightening since the beggining.

If you'd like to start by reading a book, I'd like to suggest this one. It's very simple and straightforward. You don't have to be a buddhist to read it.

This video is incredible too. Watch it right now. It goes straight to the point. Alan Wallace is a very wise dude.

+++

If you don't mind me saying, by your description it seems like you just might suffer from Borderline personality disorder. Get yourself a professional opinion on this.

Thanks for your response Shuun. I've been exposed to these by this book (get the audio if you can as Ben Kingsley's read is wonderful). https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Buddhas-Teaching-Transforming-Liberation/dp/0767903692

Ty has done a lovely job updating the precepts for modern living too including things like how what you eat effects the climate of the world and how sensory entertainment effects right mind.

Anyhow, I am definitely putting these into practice daily, it's definitely a process which is why I was meant to find the word Kenshō.

In the chan tradition, they have what are known as an Upāsaka a lay person who abides by the precepts without need for ordaining or staying within the temple. This is definitely the middle path I'm taking.

Oh wow. As to specific books. Hmm. That's sort of all over the place but each one had something to offer. The ones I remember are:

• Conversations with God books 1 and 2.
  
  
• The Power of Now
  
  
• Sacred Heart Yoga
  
  
• Change You Aura Change Your Life
  
  
• Children Who Remember Previous Lives
  
  
• Old Souls
  
  
• Dreams, Evolution and Value Fulfillment
  
  
• A New Earth
  
  
• Practicing the Power of Now
  
  
• The Chakra Deck and The Walking Deck
  
  
• Some books by Doreen Virtue
  
  
• Some books by Deepak Chopra
  
  Books on my list to read:
  
  
• The Mind Made Prison
  
  
• The Untethered Soul
  
  
• The 7 Ancient Keys to Happiness
  
  
• Zen and the Perception of Happiness
  
  
• Making Sense of People
  
  
• The End of Your World
  
  
• Flow
  
  
• Starting from the End
  
  
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Dummies
  
  I have also dabbled in the study of Zen and a few types of Buddhism, Tao, other Eastern Religions and philosophies as well as some Western religions, ho'oponopono, mindfulness and reiki.
  
  Deepak Chopra and Eckhart Tolle have some good techniques for separating yourself from your ego.

There are several popular 'flavors' of Buddhism, but unfortunately I have not read any general overview books covering all of the sects. Most of my generalized knowledge has come from podcasts like Buddhist Geeks and Zencast. Gil Fronsdal and Jack Kornfield are both enjoyable to listen to.

But back to books!

The most accessible Zen book I've read was Nishijima's To Meet The Real Dragon. Other overviews like Alan Watt's What Is Zen and Shunryu Suzuki's Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind are good but a little obtuse.

And while I can't give it a general recommendation because the writing style isn't for everyone, I really enjoyed Brad Warner's Hardcore Zen and Sit Down and Shut Up.

Of those mentioned, I would go with To Meet the Real Dragon unless you prefer a much more informal style -- then I would pick Hardcore Zen.

To attain right view is to really understand by experience (wisdom) the teaching of the four noble truths.

Right resolve/intention, would be that the backbone of your practice and desire to learn more about buddhism etc, is to help ease the suffering of all beings (including yourself).

Right action, speech, livelihood are basically that you behave accordingly with right view and intention. Etc etc.

Honestly i dont like the way of separating each into groups like that. All the eightfold path are completely related and dependent on one another. To have one, you need them all.

Here's a book recommendation. Great thich nhat hanh book, that does a phenomenal job explaining the core teachings.

https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Buddhas-Teaching-Transforming-Liberation/dp/0767903692

Heh, you know I was just thinking about the same sort of stuff today, complete with the amplification. I think negative emotions are quite "sacred", or perhaps rather they carry with them a lot of energy that has the potential to lead to something more blissful.

To me strong emotion is just strong, duality is what imposes the negative connotation. I've had some luck taking that strong emotion, in my case anxiety and some other neurosis, and meeting them for what they are though consistent meditation practice. (The book Roaring Silence has been an amazing help meditating, from one person with OCD to another).

I really want to try CBT, I've been looking for a therapist. I don't think it's anti-natural at all. It's hard to get a good perspective on whats going on in your head, your probably the most biased. I think CBT would only -accelerate- the process of facing strong emotions.

Here's a brief series of videos, a few minutes each, of Thich Nhat Hanh discussing the Buddhist concepts of the Buddha, karma, dharma, nirvana, impermanence, eternalism/nihilism, and meditation from his own very naturalistic perspective.

Nhat Hanh has studied Buddhist scriptures extensively, especially the earliest ones thought to have been transmitted with the fewest errors like the Satipatthana and Anapanasati Suttas, and developed his own lineage with an emphasis on openness, non-attachment to views, and freedom of thought. If that sounds like something you may be interested in then be sure to check out http://plumvillage.org/, or perhaps his overview of Buddhism recommended in the FAQs, The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching

I'm in a similar situation and after having looked around a bit I've put these two books on my Christmas list. (My family still celebrates the holiday and I look at it more as a time for giving and being with Family.)

• Zen Flesh, Zen Bones by Reps and Senzaki
  
• The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh
  
  If anyone here as any specific praise or criticism of either of these books as starters I would love to hear it. I'm also reading electronic copies of Mindfulness in Plain English and Zen and the Brain.

Thanks for the link. Looks interesting.

There might be a bit of rebuilding concentration, but not much in my experience. The key for Leigh's method is feedback loops. Once the mind has found a pleasant object to focus on, it stops chasing after other sensations, and it allows itself to get absorbed with little effort. This in turn deepens the pleasant sensation which in turn deepens absorption and so on. Leigh's method works.

I don't know enough about Rasmussen and Snyder to say much, but it is possible that they are talking about a deeper level of absorption that can be cultivated...where you stop hearing sounds around you, and the senses are almost or completely withdrawn. This (I think) requires a different approach than Leigh's.

But, the lighter jhanas are enough to get the work done. (some people say you only really need access concentration). If you'd like to hear from a more experienced practitioner about the subtleties we're dancing around here, check out Upasaka Culadasa's retreat on the Jhanas.

edit: And Pa-Auk wrote the foreword to Wisdom Wide and Deep. Which is great. And so I'm remembering that he does emphasize the deeper absorptions.

I haven't read Mindfulness in Plain English either, but I've heard good things. I found Zen Meditation in Plain English by Buksbazen to be a helpful intro. For more inspiration than instruction, I liked Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Suzuki.

Thich Nhat Hanh's The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching is a really wonderful primer I discovered recently. My own introduction was the free podcast by Gil Fronsdal. He's a terrific speaker and communicates from an easy Western perspective.

tbh, I intended it to be taken fairly lightly, a bit tongue in cheek, it wasn't meant to be very serious advice, I leave that to people in the sub that actually practice Zen, I've just done some basic reading and sat with a nearby group on occasion

but, to make up for my error, if OP bothers to read this, I'll write something a bit more serious:

my understanding of Zen practice is that it all boils down to meditation, at least the way it's been imported to and developed in the West. I know here in the US in most larger cities there are quite a few Zen groups, my advice would be to go and ask for meditation instruction, they'll either have a teacher or materials they suggest you turn to - if you can't find a Zen center, I'd recommend a Shambhala center; their meditation instructors are pretty good, in my experience, and imo a beginner won't see a difference between zazen and shamatha

for books, many people recommend Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuku - I read and really enjoyed The Three Pillars of Zen by Philip Kapleau


hope this is helpful

These two are good for all levels: A book on the Tao, A Thousand Names for Joy: Living in Harmony with the Way Things Are by Byron Katie. For using journaling to support meditation: Quiet Mind, Open Heart. Lots of thought provoking questions, as well as meditation practices.

For people who have practiced a while: The End of Your World: Uncensored Straight Talk on the Nature of Enlightenment. It can really help give direction beyond basics.

• Focused and Fearless. A Meditator's Guide to States of Deep Joy, Calm, and Clarity by Shaila Catherine. Beginning to Intermediate.
  
• Mindfulness, Bliss and Beyond. A Meditator's Handbook. by Ajahn Brahm. All Levels.
  
• The Attention Revolution. Unlocking the Power of the Focused Mind by B. Alan Wallace. All Levels.
  
• The Open-Focus Brain. Harnessing the Power of Attention to Heal Mind and Body. by Les Fehmi. Beginner.
  
• Emptiness Dancing. by Adyashanti. Intermediate.
  
• The End of Your World: Uncensored Straight Talk on the Nature of Enlightenment by Adyashanti. Intermediate/Advanced.

• Yuttadhammo Bhikkhu has lots of videos and covers tons of stuff. He does weekly videos explaining scriptures and frequently does Q&A. Check out his most popular videos for beginner stuff. Watch his videos for tips on meditation.
  
  
• The Heart of Buddha's Teachings by Thicht Nhat Hanh and What the Buddha Taught by Walpola Rahula are going to be the two most recommending books you'll hear from most people in this sub. I've only read Thicht Nhat Hanh's book, I can can definitely vouch for that.
  
  
• This is a basic quick read guide covering the fundamentals. Here is the Noble Eightfold Path in more detail. and this is an archive of Dharma talks by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Each of these sites contain other good info, so I encourage you to do some exploring
  
  

> You stop to think (or focus on your breath if you can't simply stop thinking) and when thoughts arise you observe that you're thinking about something as if someone has shoved an object in front of your face

One should not try to stop thinking, that is a futile effort, like turning off fire with fire. Also by imagining thoughts are being shoved in front of your face you're highlighting their intrusion, that is no good either. It is best to realize that thoughts will come, and when they do gently become aware of them and then focus back on your breathing. Without anger, without judgement, coming back to the here and now.

That is the muscle you exercise, the ability of getting out of your head and coming back to the now. With practice you'll be able to do this effortlessly without even trying, to the point where you live in the here and now permanently without going back into your head full of fear and doubts.

When you see that approach anxiety is only the act of being in your head and not in the present moment with a woman. You can see how the ability to leave that state at will can be beneficial to Game.

Here is the best book on the subject for anyone who wishes to learn how its done from a Master. Shunryu Suzuki is the Japanese Zen Master who brought Zen practice to the United States. It's a small book, contains no theology or religion, just practice:

Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind |
---------|
In one of the best and most succinct introductions to Zen practice, the important teacher Shunryu Suzuki discusses posture and breathing in meditation as well as selflessness, emptiness, and mindfulness. |

Here's a free PDF of Bhikkhu Bodhi's Noble Eightfold Path book. If you can get your hands on a copy of Thich Nhat Hanh's Heart of the Buddha's Teaching, it's an excellent complement to Bodhi's book, and expands on the 8fold path and other Buddhist teachings in a very accessible way.

The heart of the Buddhas teaching:Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation by him is a really good book. If you ever have time to read it I highly recommend it.

Zen is super confusing at times, which might frustrate the inquirer. Also, there's a lot of seemingly contradictory information, and a lot of the zen masters actually admonished meditation. Without context it's a little unclear as to why, aside from the fact that they didn't want their disciples to meditate for the sake of blissing out. That said, I'd wholly recommend this book, since it's very lucid:

http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Essence-Shambhala-Dragon-Editions/dp/1570625883/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1464891954&sr=8-1&keywords=zen+science+of+freedom

Foyan is featured in it, and his book is fantastic as well:

http://www.amazon.com/Instant-Zen-Waking-Up-Present/dp/1556431937/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1464892102&sr=8-1&keywords=instant+zen

For something a little more challenging but great, go with:

http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Teaching-Huang-Po-Transmission/dp/0802150926/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1464892139&sr=8-1&keywords=zen+teachings+of+huang+po

Have fun!

Please read this book, it will help you a lot: https://www.amazon.com/End-Your-World-Uncensored-Enlightenment/dp/1591797799. It's basically written for you - you will relate, just like I did.

What I learned from it is what you're experiencing is normal - he says most people lose it before they gain it for good. And even then it's somewhat possible to lose it haha. What he says is it's all part of the process, it's important not to fight it, not to resist it, because the more you fight something the more you get of it.

I don't feel I'm gonna lose it, but I could be wrong and I don't much care either way. I was already pretty happy before it happened through openness and honesty. I had 1.5 years of the worst depression in my life before I learned to be happy. I'm not in a position to give advice (I feel like a newborn), but if I was forced to, I'd say: don't sweat over it, "sweating" is what ego does best, don't give it that power.

As for me, I meditate every day for 20-30 minutes because I find it enjoyable and I like the process of quieting my mind. I am also going to Vipassana in about a month. Mostly I plan to just chill and unfold with the flow. I distinctly feel that the fear of losing it is counter-productive. It's all ego talking.

Yeah, but then some days I wonder if I'm such a nihilist that I would never even consider myself a nihilist. A potentially terrifying prospect! What can you do.

If you wanted, Zen Mind Beginner's Mind is a good, quick, accessible read. Basically its about knowing enough to know that you know nothing. I'm not sure how Jehovah's Witnesses feel about cross-pollination, but a lot of Christian sects, particularly those crazy Jesuits, integrate Zen into their practice since, as I've said, it's more of a practice than a belief system. I've even meditated with a Muslim friend, although I'm pretty sure any Imam would have considered that a no-no. I like your style.

I really enjoyed The Heart of the Buddha's Teachings by Thich Nhat Hanh. Could be another good one to help introduce you to some things.

There are a lot of different approaches to Buddhism.

Thich Nhat Hanh's The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation is a great introduction.

Hmm yes, the comparison you made is between a collection of discourses from Master Huangbo and a collection of Koans and stories. I can recommend really any more discourse oriented Chan teachings ranging from Master Foyan's "Instant Zen" to the recorded sayings of Master Linji. The Recorded sayings of Master Linji also include some interactions and stories, but also some clear discourses from the Master... the same with the Recorded sayings of Master Zhaozhou, which is mostly interactions and some discourses. Another one that you might find interesting is "Ch’an Master Hui Hai- Zen Teaching of Instantaneous Awakening" or The Letters of Chan Master Dahui Pujue.... but really, reading those discourses and not doing the practice won't be very helpful... hence the 'clear discourses' are rather rare since you should penetrate it yourself directly and not have it chewed out by those old grandmothers

please start by encouraging her to seek help from a mental health professional. a book is not going to help anyone truly depressed, no matter how enlightening it is.

that out of the way, I did find "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind" helpful for dealing with anxiety and smaller bouts of depression.

best of luck to you.

Master Sheng Yen was a master of both the Caodong and Linji lineages. He wrote some books that are actually transcriptions, more or less, of retreats he led.

One book that I have listed in our wiki is "The Method of No-Method". I personally do like this book. For the most part, as I understand it, the schools of Chan aren't as different as the schools of Zen. They share practices and whatnot as well. I also wholly recommend Essential Chan Buddhism and Attaining the Way, also by Sheng Yen, seems to be a hit as well, but I've not read it yet.

Unfortunately, my knowledge of hummingbirds is limited to the fact that they are adorable and flap their wings really fast.

I hope you get much better. Namo Amituofo.

I would suggest reading a few zen books. Be careful, because some of the words are supposed to be vice grips that trap you, but you will read things that cause you to wonder, thus growing your mind, and zen is not about the religious aspects of Buddhism so much as the tangible, concrete, here-and-now perceptions of deeper and deeper wisdom. I can give you . . . four recommendations of zen books that I really enjoyed.

Zen Bridge

Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind

Don't Be A Jerk

The Zen Teaching of Huang Po

Meditation is amazing. Usually instructions for beginners say that it's best to start by focusing on your breathing. Watching every in and out breath as if it were the most important thing in the world. Since you can watch your body, it can not contain you-the-watcher. You discover, as you already have, that you can watch your thinking mind and again, since you can watch it, it can not contain you. So where and what are you? Some meditation guides, like zen, suggest you keep your eyes a tiny bit open, without focusing on anything, because if you close your eyes, you get drift away from reality and according to zen, the purpose of meditation is to experience pure reality prior to conceptualization. It's important to remain grounded and to avoid abstraction. Watching the breath is a good technique for remaining grounded in reality. Congrats on a great beginning. Check out Shunryo Suzuki's Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. In this book, he calls the thinking mind "small mind" and the observer mind "big Mind". It provides a good starting point but you can read it over and over and get more out of it every time.

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.

If you are embracing suffering you're still doing it wrong, i suggest you read "the heart of buddha" , "a beginners mind", and "living christ living buddha" as both holistic teachers tought the same thing, but had different methods to help people obtain the goal of unlocking the door to the inner true self, conciousness, the shadow within.

Opening the hidden door in the bible: https://www.openbible.info/topics/doors

An entire website dedicated to finding the hidden door buddha talks about: https://www.buddhistdoor.net/features/the-all-knowing-buddha-a-secret-guide

If you think the bible is about "God" you still havent solved the riddle.

Maybe reading up on the ancient poet Rumi would be a nice place to look.
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/5322592-1-one-went-to-the-door-of-the-beloved-and

You still havent found the door, youre embracing suffering rather than ending it.

Behind the door is a familure face, dont blink.

"Occasionally he stumbled over the truth but he always picked himself up and hurried on as if nothing had happened. " (Winston Churchill)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0767903692/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_1u2SBbZ1N3G98

https://www.amazon.com/dp/159448239X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_aX2SBbYPPCCYE

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1721250093/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_9U2SBbJSXH2A6

Uhm.. it all depends on what you want to write about!

1. Buddhism for Beginners
   
   
2. This may help too
   
   
3. This is a classic
   
   
4. Another good book
   
   Im sure google would help in your search as well

Ci sono diverse scuole buddiste con diverse interpretazioni dei sutra di Buddha e con pratiche diverse: le varie tibetane (più teorici ma anche meditazione), le varie scuole zen (più meditazione e koan), buddismo del s-e asiatico (mix strano), ecc...

Ti consiglio qualche titolo, magari leggili tutti, se leggi in inglese dovresti trovarli facilmente.

• Joyful Wisdom - E' più un'introduzione alla meditazione molto discorsiva che altro ma introduce anche i concetti più importanti del buddismo (relativismo, impermanenza, quattro nobili verità) in modo semplice. [tibetano]
  
• Buddhism without Beliefs - Ex monaco(tibet/zen coreano) di origini occidentali fa una critica costruttiva del buddismo tibetano, proponendo un approccio "secolare", in Confession of a Buddhist Atheist l'autore racconta la sua storia. [tibetano]
  
• Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind - Introduzione al buddismo zen, meditazione, molto bello. [Soto zen]
  
• Qualcosa di Thich Nhat Nahn tipo La pace è ogni respiro, tutti libri molto discorsivi (evita magari quelli con i titoli più banali) che più che parlare di buddismo introducono il modo di pensare. [zen s-e asia,vietnam]
  
• The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching - Altro libro di thn molto teorico con rimandi a diversi sutra. [tutte le scuole]
  
  Magari inizia da Zen Mind e Joyful Wisdom.

Honestly a lot Eastern religions are non-theist, like Buddhism or Taoism (I realize they certainly have mystic elements). But I would recommend checking out those religions. Here's a good book on Zen: http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Mind-Beginners-Informal-Meditation/dp/0834800799

Depends what you mean by questioning your religion and heck what your religion is currently.

From my perspective the numbers are a nice thing to do if your mind tends to wander constantly.
Once you have a little space in your mind and there are moments with no distractions just pure presence, shifting to zen meditation or another breath based meditation would be a natural progression.

Here are the two best books on meditation I have ever used.
https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Mind-Beginners-Shunryu-Suzuki/dp/1590308492/
https://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-Action-Yourself-Meditation-Awareness/dp/1611803535

I am sure you can find them free online too.

Here's a book I wish I'd have found when I had my first experience like yours...

​

Enjoy the journey my friend.

All you need is Love!

Speaking of love, how about this one?

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

> How do the tathāgatagarbha ideas fit into the Madhyamaka

You'll find a lot of background on this from one of the most popular Buddhist teachers around - Thich Nhat Hanh. In particular refer to his book Zen Keys, and his seminal book The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching. He also goes into quite some depth about Yogacara in his book Understanding the Mind.

Recorded Sayings of Zen Master Joshu, trans. by Green.

A wonderfully entertaining book. Zhaozhou (Joshu) is famous for his very short but nonetheless often very complicated or laugh out loud answers to a really wide variety of questions.

Maybe your ambition is to just sit there. Maybe you should look into Buddhism and travel the globe and hone your meditation craft. Find peace within you.

Edit: since this is getting upvotes, I'll put some more advice in here. If you're looking to get into Buddhism, which personally I find to be so very very fulfilling. It teaches inner peace and happiness. I read about Buddhism during a very rough time in my life, where I was trying to find something or someone to blame on the problems. Buddhism taught me that anger, hatred & sadness are reactionary emotions. By reacting in that way towards those feelings, I am myself creating the anger and hatred. It taught me to look at every situation from other points of views. I was made angry by XYZ but their actions that cause my anger was because they had a shitty day and took it out on me, etc etc. It's my reaction that I can control, and it's my reaction that causes the anger and sadness.

The book that I read was by Thich Nhat Hanh and is titled The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation and/or Old Path White Clouds. I included a link to purchase on amazon. My best friend recently went through some trying times and I shipped him this book. I really recommend it to anyone going through struggle, or if you'd just like to see ways to handle stress.

Edit 2: So the book I suggested just went from around #2,300 on Amazon to #409 since the post. Reddit, that's pretty damn cool.

Here are a few books that opened my mind to questioning reality, and a few books that I've read to help me understand this shift in consciousness I've been going through.

1. https://www.amazon.com/Book-Taboo-Against-Knowing-Who/dp/0679723005
   
   
2. https://www.amazon.com/Wisdom-Insecurity-Message-Age-Anxiety/dp/0307741206/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=7Y1AS7AQTH1C1NRRCDQ7
   
   
3. The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle (don't let the commercialization of that book strip you from believing it to be authentic; plenty of profound truths in that!)
   
   
4. The Law of One
   
   
5. https://www.amazon.com/Falling-into-Grace-Suffering-Adyashanti/dp/B00MF18YFU/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1497199153&sr=1-2&keywords=adyashanti+falling+into+grace
   
   
6. https://www.amazon.com/End-Your-World-Uncensored-Enlightenment/dp/1591797799/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1497199264&sr=1-1&keywords=adyashanti+the+end+of+your+world
   
   I highly suggest, whenever you're going for a long drive or walk out in the park, taking out your phone and searching "Adyashanti" in the YouTube search bar. There are tons of profound talks by him, all on this subject. He has changed my life and opened my mind hugely. Enjoy!

> I used to practice zen

You didn’t. What you did was some mind relaxation to not lose your cool.

If you’re interested in zen, I recommend you to dive deeper into the topic.

Would it help you with your housemate problem? Oh boy, you have no idea what’s waiting for ya :D

1. [Blue Cliff Record] (https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Cliff-Record-Thomas-Cleary/dp/159030232X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1479373811&sr=8-1&keywords=blue+cliff+record)
by the Cleary brothers.

The preface will provide you a good introduction to the history of zen. Plus, insights into the lineage of the masters.

This book is actually a collection of koans. But my advice is: Don't jump into cold water. Make yourself familiar with the background first (preface's).

2. [Zen Essence] (https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Essence-Shambhala-Dragon-Editions/dp/1570625883/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1479374319&sr=8-1&keywords=zen+essence+thomas+cleary) by Thomas Cleary.

Cleary provides quotes/ sayings from the masters referring to “topics” or “questions”, like “Zen Teaching?”, “Basis of Zen?”, “Summary of Zen Practice?”.

I think this approach is very helpful for people who want to get introduced to Zen, in terms of “What the hell is this shit about?” -- good guy Thomas Cleary!

3. Gateless Gate
by Robert Aiken.

This is rather a workbook for the practitioner than literature regarding zen.

I haven’t read the book I’ve linked to, but in my opinion, starting with the Mumonkan without any notes or comments from contemporary scholars/ students/ teachers/ translators is not the right approach. Use the commentaries from Aitken only as an orientation or a hint. The meaning itself has to be found by you!

The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching

The Miracle of Mindfulness

Ah, thank you. That's quite interesting!

The only English translation of Zhiyi's text I could find was this one. I wonder if there are any other translations; it seems like a pretty important text to be neglected until 2009.

Respectfully, your first question is a bit too personal for me to answer. You didn't mean it that way; I understand. But to answer it I would have to reveal more than I choose.

What I can say is that I have survived grief. I experienced it, explored its depths, and came out the other side. There was a time in my life, literally, when everyone I ever had loved was dead.

Life doesn't offer any promises. All it offers is itself. And it will end soon enough, anyway.

To address the issues you raise in any sort of competent way would require far more space than I have here. I suggest--and I don't mean this as a brush-off--that you read the Bhagavad-gita, the other Upanishads, the writings of the Buddha. You also probably would want to read commentaries, as the texts probably would be indecipherable without them. You also might want to try The Razor's Edge and Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, which are a couple of accessible novels that at least introduce certain ideas.

This may seem like a puzzle, but the main thing to understand is that your sense of permanence is illusory. This concept is so fundamental to life that it transcends and infuses atheism, philosophy, religion. From it flows the idea that many other things also are illusory--pain, suffering, grief, desire, hope, happiness.

In any event, as you ask such valid and profound questions, it would make sense to arm yourself with the equipment to answer them, right?

I'd like to second the simplicity of such insightful synthesis.

Apparently both -decreasing dissociation and fulfilling most-basic needs- are closely intertwined; and a major common obstacle to both lies precisely in the lack of self-trust we've been acculturated into adopting –making us believe that this process never actually happened and that we are indeed faulty and helpless by Nature's 'mistakes' (i.e. breaking through the Consensus Trance is a first step towards genuine self-agency).

Trust yourself all along the process even especially when encountering difficulties -all along your trial-and-errors- for these are potential sources of great understanding and learning.

​

>It's not the Path that is difficult,
>
>but the difficulty IS the Path.

–S. Kierkegaard.

​

​

Persevering in this attitude one may also get to fully experience a buddhist approach:

​

> Pleasure is not different from difficulty. Good is not different from bad. Bad is good; good is bad. They are two sides of one coin. We know we will experience both pleasure and difficulty. If you try to escape difficulty, your effort will be in vain.
>
> With the acceptance of the fact that everything changes, we can find pleasure in difficulty. This is the basic teaching of how to live in this world.
>
> You have to make the effort. Sometimes it is not so difficult, sometimes it is more difficult. That is okay. The important thing is to make the effort; accept that things change, and find perfection in imperfect existence.

–Shunryu Suzuki's Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind

​

​

cc: u/SRV1981 (here another author/works worth digging in)

I was a big fan of DT Suzuki's writings when I was a beginner. Check out Outline of Mahayana Buddhism. The Kindle version is only $0.99!

Thich Nhat Hanh's The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching is also very popular for beginners, but I caveat this by saying that TNH uses a very unique language... his attempt at being poetic and reaching the western audience in a very particular way, so while he transmits a true understanding of the dharma, it can be as difficult a learning curve as it is now to have that translate to broader Mahayana ideas and terminology.

Those aren't books of instruction, ewk. They are popular collections of certain people's enlightenment encounters.

Is Red Pine's translation of Bodhidharma not a direct teaching? Are letters of practice instructions from Foyan, Yuanwu, and Hongzhi not direct teachings? I suppose that Takuan Soho's instructions to Munenori on maintaining no-mind in daily life doesn't count either?

Why is it better for novices to dive deep into stories about Gutei's finger or think about whether the flag moves or not than it is to read directly from Huangpo? Isn't that like asking a baby to chew a piece of meat?

You could check out the Hsin Hsin Ming, but there are some issues with relying on only a single text. If you treat it as an explanation of your own life, and then bring your own ideas into it, you end up with a modified version of your own ideas, which isn't what Zen talks about.

So, I'd recommend you try and read many different authors that talk about the same thing, in the form of Zen Essence, or just by buying a bunch of different Zen Master books and studying until you see the common theme outside of words.

Not sure what "meditate on your anxiety" exactly means, but that sounds the exact opposite of what meditation is about. It is not about pscyhoanalysis, or ruminating on things too much. Be aware, let things come and go, exist in the now, don't try to grasp or attain anything by meditation, just let it happen and let it be.

I found dharma from zazen practitioners really helpful in how it articulates ideas about meditation. I would really recommend Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1935413007/

best of luck on your spiritual journey.

If you like that, check out "The heart of Buddha's Teaching" by Thich Nhat Hanh. This book really helped me put a lot of thought into my everyday life.

http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Buddhas-Teaching-Thich-Nhat/dp/0767903692/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1300900345&sr=1-1

Come join us over at [/r/meditation] (http://www.reddit.com/r/Meditation). It'll keep your reddit browsing a bit more mindful.

As a personal recommendation, a great book, and guide, on a keeping a clear mind is [Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind] (http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Mind-Beginners-Shunryu-Suzuki/dp/1590308492) by Shunryu Suzuki. Being in the present isn't a destination, it's a practice!


When you find yourself thinking too much about the possible futures and mistakes of the past, just breathe in and breathe out, and focus on that. Nothing like some oxygen to remind the mind and body where it is (right here).

I think http://www.amazon.com/Roaring-Silence-Discovering-Mind-Dzogchen/dp/1570629447 has pretty good descriptions and more information about practices that some of the other books.

This book will teach you the basics and understanding. I very highly recommend it to you.

http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Buddhas-Teaching-Transforming-Liberation/dp/0767903692/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1465259878&sr=8-4&keywords=buddhism

Edit: Youll see the name Thich Nhat Hanh often. His reading are, in my opinion, the easiest to understand.

Any book or teaching will only give you just what you get from it.

I would suggest that you read a bit about zen from various sources to get a general idea of it's foundation and practice. Then, let your expectations go and practice zazen everyday. If you have access to a teacher or zendo, all the better, but even if you don't, practice everyday.

EDIT: This is generally considered a good place to start: Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki

I like this book by Thich Nhat Hanh and this one by Charlotte Joko Beck.

Googling "Buddhism" will provide you with a treasure trove. The about.com Buddhism page isn't bad.

The Dhammapada was the first book I bought on Buddhism. I carried it around for about 6 months, reading it over and over. It led me to study and practice Buddhism, which has become so dear to me, and life changing. I have read or glanced over the other books, especially enjoying the i Ching, but the Dhammapada was so simple and pure that it really spoke to me. If you chose to pursue more information on Buddhism I'd suggest getting a book like this next.

I've read about it in this book: http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Tantra-Lama-Thubten-Yeshe/dp/0861711629/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417589506&sr=1-2&keywords=introduction+to+tantra+lama+yeshe


Hope that helps.

If you're tempted by something more traditional, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind is a wonderful introduction to zen buddhism. The first couple of chapters are about the proper meditation position, and the rest about the mindset.

It's the Western branch of Japanese Soto Zen, which means it contains literally zero religion or mysticism of any kind (and explicitly so). I tried to read different books, and most of them leave too much of an aftertaste to go well with my atheism.

I just finished The Buddha's Brain, which my therapist suggested and I really enjoyed. Now I am working on The Heart of the Buddha's Teachings. The writing itself is clear and concise, which is helpful for someone who is just beginning to explore these ideas. The ideas themselves, though, are extremely challenging. Thich Nhat Hanh says at one point that "Rightness or wrongness is not objective. It is subjective....[A]ll views are wrong views. No view can ever be the truth. That is why it is called a "point of view." If we go to another point, we will see things differently and realize that our first view was not entirely right," (56).

As someone who has p'shawed moral relativism my whole whole life as a form of wishy-washiness and as a back door for allowing immoral behavior, I spent a lot of time thinking about this last night. I have established that I have an attachment to this idea, but I don't know that I have come to the conclusion that it is wrong, per se. Interesting stuff.

Edit: Grammar/formatting.

The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching is probably the best for OP to start with.

The first two books I read were The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching and Mindfulness in Plain English. They'll get you started with the basics.

One of the best texts is the sayings of Joshu:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Recorded-Sayings-Master-Joshu/dp/157062870X

I have some of the sayings in a lecture here:

http://ericgerlach.com/asianphilosophy6/

If your interested in Zen, I recommend Zen Mind, Beginners Mind.

I love the Visuddhimagga (Path of Purification) by Buddhaghosa, written in the 4th century, it's the Granddaddy Meditation manual, very detailed, very scholarly and a ponderous read with tons of detail. Over 900 pages organized into 3 Sections 1) Sila and Ascetic practices. 2) Concentration - Detailing over 50 types of meditations along with detailed explanations of all aspects including cultivation of the powers. 3) Insight section.

PDF

AMAZON

If you have been meditating for a while now go read Master Shengyan’s “Shattering Great Doubt”. It’s the most accessible book on meditating on the Keyword or a Huatou, in this case it’s “what is Mu?”.

https://www.amazon.com/Shattering-Great-Doubt-Practice-Huatou/dp/159030621X

A few of my favorites:

• Shambhala by Chogyam Trungpa
  
• Paths to God by Ram Dass
  
• The First and Last Freedom by Krishnamurti
  
• Zen Mind, Beginners Mind by Suzuki Roshi
  
• A Path with Heart by Jack Kornfield
  

The most informative resources will be through books on the subject, such asthis one by Thich Nhat Hanh that I often reference. sites like tricycle.org and lionsroar.com also have various, more condensed, articles on the subject as well

See /r/Buddhism's suggested reading list. I can personally (and highly) recommend Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind as well as Buddhism Without Beliefs.

That one looks interesting, had not heard of it before. You may also want to check out this one http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Buddhas-Teaching-Transforming-Liberation/dp/0767903692/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1382492646&sr=1-5&keywords=thich+nhat+hanh
I was able to incorporate a lot of these teachings into my daily life after reading it.

Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind is frequently mentioned as a good introduction to Zen.

thanks, I will. i have my own reading materials.

I like the zen cases, and the "sayings of literature" for the zen characters where its available. There are the Sayings of Joshu, Sayings of Layman Pang, and Sayings of Dongshan.

Some translations are so horrible, and the preface/introduction parts so slanted it is hard to take, but if you have any immunity at all to religious rhetoric, you should be able to cope with texts like

https://www.amazon.com/Sayings-Layman-Pang-Classic-China/dp/1590306309

and

https://www.amazon.com/Recorded-Sayings-Zen-Master-Joshu/dp/157062870X/ref=pd_sim_14_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=157062870X&pd_rd_r=ZD18X8D9RYN83KG1972P&pd_rd_w=xOAri&pd_rd_wg=U5T69&psc=1&refRID=ZD18X8D9RYN83KG1972P

and

https://www.amazon.com/Just-This-Dongshan-Practice-Suchness/dp/1611802288/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1519943814&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=Sayings+of++Dongshan

People get very particular, find their favorite editions and translations, go very deep into it, but for me, years ago, starting out, even this simple little book

https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Flesh-Bones-Collection-Writings/dp/B001Q745TS/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1519943904&sr=1-2&keywords=Paul+Reps+flesh+bones

or

https://www.amazon.com/Way-Zen-Alan-W-Watts/dp/0375705104/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1519943976&sr=1-1&keywords=alan+watts+the+way+of+zen

were real gifts that I could and did read over and over. The main thing is to pick up the scent and be able to avoid frauds that take you down a dead end or a different path than what the zen stories were pointing to.

If you don't mind u/ewk, just look at the texts he quotes in his posts: https://np.reddit.com/user/ewk/submitted/

there is a treasure right there, for free.

If you want to understand and experience jhana I would recommend reading Wisdom Wide and Deep: A Practical Handbook for Mastering Jhana and Vipassana.

Actually I do have a Zen suggestion for you. I highly recommend Zen Mind Beginners Mind by Suzuki Roshi.

Also while Lojong is more out of the Tibetan Tradition. There is a Zen teacher by the name of Norman Fischer who has given many talks on and written a book about Lojong from a Zen'ish perspective.

You might be interested in reading Adyashanti's The End of Your World. He addresses this pretty directly

It's a core zen thing, they talk about always being the student. Dan Abramov is a very accomplished developer who has had a massively large impact on the development world so im not sure why this makes you guys so upset if he wants to emphasize always being a beginner.
https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Mind-Beginners-Informal-Meditation/dp/1590308492

I'd recommend Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. It's dense and interesting, but can still be a quick read.

Yea sure! it was this book. I bought the audio version on itunes https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Buddhas-Teaching-Transforming-Liberation/dp/0767903692

Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind.

The problem (for me) with reading books like these is that you can drink them down like water, then you ask yourself to summarized what you've just read...and have to go back and read the whole thing again...ad infinitum.

This might be just what you need right now. It can't hurt to try.

Came here to suggest this book. It is sitting on my shelf right now.

Link to the Amazon Store

This is kind of relevant: https://i.imgur.com/DSSOL.jpg

While this may not be everything you're looking for, it should be able to give you an idea of what Buddhism is about.

This is coming from a Buddhist-atheist

Edit: there's also this book on amazon.

Also found this: https://youtu.be/b4r4cgCiZGw

Well first off, figure out your goals and seek out a position that best aligns with them.


Second, and very importantly during the day-to-day work, enough caffeine to kill a small child.


Finally, this book can teach you a lot about getting the most from difficult situations. https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Mind-Beginners-Shunryu-Suzuki/dp/1590308492

I don't know about a fire kasina, but using a mind-based kasina achieved the same outcome. I used the instructions listed in Wisdom Wide and Deep.

Quite simply, read this: http://www.amazon.com/The-Heart-Buddhas-Teaching-Transforming/dp/0767903692

Zen mind, beginners mind

This may be preferred:

http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Tantra-Lama-Thubten-Yeshe/dp/0861711629/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376586725&sr=1-1&keywords=introduction+to+tantra

It covers similar concepts but in a more comprehensible way.

The jar represents entangling thoughts and calculations/confusions.

Kicking it over is zen.

What is zen? Words can only barely point to it, but here is a start:

https://www.reddit.com/r/zen/wiki/lineagetexts

Or here:

https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Essence-Shambhala-Dragon-Editions/dp/1570625883

Here!

I'd guess it's from that same book he mentioned before, http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Essence-Shambhala-Dragon-Editions/dp/1570625883

Zen Essence