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Reddit mentions of The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Majjhima Nikaya (The Teachings of the Buddha)
Sentiment score: 10
Reddit mentions: 16
We found 16 Reddit mentions of The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Majjhima Nikaya (The Teachings of the Buddha). Here are the top ones.
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- Wisdom Publications MA
Features:
Specs:
| Height | 8.5 Inches |
| Length | 5.25 Inches |
| Number of items | 1 |
| Release date | November 1995 |
| Weight | 2.78 Pounds |
| Width | 2.1 Inches |
>I'd love to do the Vedas or the Tripiṭaka, but from what I'm reading, these are almost impossible to understand without the formal training and would take more than a year to complete (if you can even find English translations of them).
The Tripitaka actually has a lot of very accessible parts -- reading the entire thing would be a massive undertaking (this would be thousands and thousands of pages), but the Majjhima Nikaya (the middle length discourses of the Buddha) and the Digha Nikaya (the long length discourses of the Buddha) are IMO extremely accessible and cover most of the non-Mahayana Buddhist teachings. Both come with very good forwards which serve as a good introduction for understanding the rest of the text.
For Mahayana Buddhism, there are a number of sutras translated, but probably the most foundational/important would be the Bodhicharyavatara (the way of the Bodhisattvas) which is amazing, but really needs more unpacking to fully appreciate. For that I'd recommend The Nectar of Manjushri's Speech which is an excellent and detailed commentary on it.
Depends on what I want, study or practice. But my most recent have been...
Silence: The Power of Quiet in a World Full of Noise
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silence-Power-Quiet-World-Noise/dp/1846044340/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1453563033&sr=1-1&keywords=silence+thich+nhat+hanh
For daily living the books by Thich Nhat Hanh are fantastic, especially the power of silence. The book is aimed at all audiences but really goes in to depth showcasing how life in the west especially has become out of control, we are constantly imbued with noise, constantly thinking and never truly coming home to ourselves, so our suffering is always 'ours' carried by us everywhere until it begins to spill out in our actions and thoughts.
In the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon (Teachings of the Buddha)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Books-Buddhas-Words-Anthology-Discourses-Teachings/dp/0861714911/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1453563240&sr=1-1&keywords=Bikkhu+bodhi
I really like both this book and the middle length discourses for when I desire to feel 'closer' to the teachings. This book in particular takes teachings from the the pali canon and presents those which bear the most relevance to life today. The teachings are very profound and each suttra is very powerful. Many of the questions here could be easily answered by reading these translations of the discourses by Bikkhu Bodhi.
Although I do feel these are books for the book shelf as the suttras are kept purposely intact but it means there is a lot of cumbersome repetition and one or two suttras a session are best I find.
Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha: Majjhima-Nikaya: New Translation (Teachings of the Buddha)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Middle-Length-Discourses-Buddha-Majjhima-Nikaya/dp/086171072X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1453564072&sr=1-1&keywords=bhikkhu+bodhi+the+middle+discourses
This book focuses more on the Buddha's time at jetta grove and a lot of the pages describe his dealings with the monastics, but also detail his meetings with all walks of life from princes to simple villagers. There is the classic hell suttra too, which is gruesome and had me in contemplation for a while! The teachings are profound though and any discerning Buddhist would benefit from reading the texts.
http://www.buddhanet.net/chin_bud.htm
'The translated teachings of Miao Yun'
This is not so much a book as a collection of teachings which have been translated for a western audience. The words however contain a lot of wisdom and really detail the framework of a path from human to buddha-hood and the importance of cultivating core values such as wisdom and compassion.
Rupert Gethin's Foundations of Buddhism is a thorough introduction to Buddhism. For starting reading the Pāli discourses, there's Bhikkhu Bodhi's In the Buddha's Words - this is a selection of discourses serving as an entry point.
Then you can start with the discourses directly: start with the Majjima Nikāya and then you can also go through The Dīgha Nikāya and the Samyutta Nikāya. And then the last but not least: Aṇguttara Nikāya and the Khuddhaka Nikāya (search on Amazon). These texts would be important references for the rest of your life if you seriously pursue Buddhism.
Regarding insight meditation, Bhikkhu Anālayo's Satipaṭṭāna book is the best modern day commentary available. Highly recommend it. His "Excursions into the Pāli Discourses" Part 1 and Part 2 are also very useful since they summarize many of the topics discusses in the discourses.
Books by Shaila Catherine or Ajāhn Brahmavaṃso would be good texts regarding samatha meditation.
There are the various texts written by the Ledi Sayādaw and Mahāsi Sayadaw - two Burmese scholar-practitioners who popularized insight meditation in the last century. You can go through Ven. Ledi Sayādaw's Vipassanā Dīpani (Manual of Insight) and you can find Ven. Mahāsi Sayadaw's books here.
Bhikkhu K. Ñānānanda has many books discussing deep questions about dependent arising, the nature of nirvāna, and so forth. You can find them here.
I'll let others recommend Mahāyāna, Vajrayāna and Zen material. In general, Reginald Rays books on Tibetan Buddhism are great entry points to Tibetan Buddhism, and then there's Gampopa's Jewel Ornament Of Liberation. There's also Shantidēva's Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra, useful for any Mahāyāna practitioner. With Zen there's always Dōgen Zenji's Shōbōgenzō.
You should be able to find all of the above by googling if it's available for free or on Amazon (or a University library) otherwise.
If you have the money, you can buy In the Buddha's Words, which is an anthology of selections from the suttas organized around themes. Because of this organization, it's a great place to start and it's not at all overwhelming (as is the case if you just start on page 1 of one of the major collections).
Another alternative is the very good lectures by Bhikkhu Bodhi (probably the foremost translator of Pali to English and the compiler of 'In the Buddha's Words') on the Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha. You can download these here and if you can't afford to buy the text, you should be able to find copies of the suttas being discussed at Sutta Central
A third alternative is the Handful of Leaves collections by Ajarn Thanissaro, which you can download for free from dhammatalks.org
Why don't you read the Pali Canon? Perhaps the Majjhima Nikaya or In the Buddha's Words which is an anthology of discourses from the Pali Canon are good places to start.
I recommend the Middle-Length Discourses, the Majjhima Nikaya. It is a colledtion of suttas, which are discourses, that is part of something called the Pali canon, which is the oldest surviving complete collection of Buddhist writings.
It's a long book, but one of the reasons why I would recommend it is because each of its discourses is not predicated on any other, and they're usueally only a few pages long each, so they're good for intermittent reading. They are also aimed at people of varying levels of understanding, so there will be something (hopefully several somethings) in there that speaks to you, from the start and as your understanding develops.
It's also quite a good way to familiarize yourself with the context of Buddhism and what most likely went on two and a half thousand years ago, as the discourses take place in many locations, from towns, meeting halls, and huts to forests, lake beds, and groves, and involve many people, from monks to contemplatives to "the Niganthans" (Jains) to laypeople and kings.
I hope you consider this, which is one of the books on which modern Theravada Buddhism is based, and if you have questions about the Pali canon in general, I may know the answer or how to find one as I have been reading them/about them for about a year. But know that they're probably a little more difficult to read than most of the suggestions out there, because they are very old and were translated from their original language.
Best of luck in finding a good book for you.
Any of the books from the Sutta Pitaka would be appropriate. Amazon has some nice hardcover versions.
The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Majjhima Nikaya (The Teachings of the Buddha) https://www.amazon.com/dp/086171072X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_oy.ozbVWT1KFM
Bhikkhu Bodhi has released some amazing translations recently.
Amazon Link
It depends on which school of Buddhism you are interested in. Different schools of Buddhism have different scriptures. For example, the school of Theravada Buddhism cherishes the Pali Canon, which consists of Vinaya Pitaka (monastic rules and disciplines), Sutta Pitaka (Buddha's discourses) and Abhidhamma Pitaka (philosophical treaties). The school of Mahayana Buddhism cherishes the Tripitaka, while the school of Tibetan Buddhism also has their own scriptures.
If you are into the Theravada school of Buddhism, which is the oldest school and also closest to the original teaching of the Buddha, then I'd recommend the following books:
The Long Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Digha Nikaya
The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Majjhima Nikaya
The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Samyutta Nikaya
The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha: A Complete Translation of the Anguttara Nikaya
The Suttanipata: An Ancient Collection of the Buddha’s Discourses Together with Its Commentaries
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.
Middle length discourses
Long discourses
Connected Discourses
Those 3 make up the Nikayas and will keep you busy until infinity. They're also a bit pricey.
I have a copy of Buddhist Suttas that contains many of the key suttas in it.
A Buddhist Bible contains some of the more important Mahayana suttas as they relate to Zen especially.
And then of course there is the Lotus Sutra, an epic classic unto itself.
And if you want to more obscure but real religions:
And if you want to be very snarky:
I had kind of a hard time thinking about a response I felt good about. Below are resources roughly sequenced as "stages". All the resources are within or related to the Theravada tradition. I tried to keep everything free. When a preferred resource is not free, I include a free alternative. Buddhism is very much a practice, so when instructions are given put them into practice the best you can. There is also a need to understand why you are practicing, so there is a need to understand Buddhist theory. Some of these resources might not be seem immediately applicable to you, which is fine, just think of it as being similar to reviewing a map before going on the hike. This small collection of selected resources may seem overwhelming, but learning the dhamma is a long process, so there is no hurry to read or listen to everything. It is like walking through mist, you don't necessarily notice getting wet. I just want to reiterate that practicing is very important. Buddhism is about doing, and to lesser degree about acquiring book knowledge. One caution, I put several different meditation styles below; go a head and experiment with them, but figure out which one fits you best and stick with it for a while. If you have any questions, I will do my best to answer skillfully. Remember that persistence will bring rewards. Good luck.
Books:
"Stage 1"
With Each & Every Breath: A Guide to Meditation by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana [not free] (Free older version)
Noble Strategy by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
The Buddha’s Teachings: An Introduction by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
"Stage 2"
In the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon edited by Bhikkhu Bodhi [not free] (A free "clone" can be found at www.suttacentral.net. It has all of the introductions Bhikkhu Bodhi wrote, but uses free translations of the suttas)
The Dhammapada: A New Translation of the Buddhist Classic with Annotations translated by Gil Fronsdal [not free] (A free and reliable translation of the Dhammapada by Anandajoti Bhikkhu)
"Stage 3"
The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Majjhima Nikaya translated by Bhikkhu Nanamoli & Bhikkhu Bodhi [not free] (Free translations of all of the Majjhima Nikaya suttas can be found at www.suttacentral.net. Thanissaro Bhikkhu has translated a free anthology of the Majjhima Nikaya called Handful of Leaves, Volume II: an Anthology from the Majjhima Nikaya)
The Wings to Awakening: An Anthology from the Pali Canon by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
Talks:
"Stage 1"
Introduction to Meditation is an audio course by Gil Fronsdal.
Basics is collection of talks by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
The Buddha's Teaching As It Is: An Introductory Course is a series of talks by Bhikkhu Bodhi
Eightfold Path Program is a series of talks by Gil Fronsdal.
Four Noble Truths is a series by Gil Fronsdal and Andrea Fella.
"Stage 2"
Don't eat your fingers. Seriously though, just listen to talks and get a better feel for the dharma.
"Stage 3"
Seven Factors of Awakening is a series of talks by Gil Fronsdal.
A Systematic Study of the Majjhima Nikaya by Bhikkhu Bodhi
Resources:(There are a huge number of great resource. Below are the ones I frequent or have frequented)
Texts: www.suttacentral.net, www.accesstoinsight.org, www.buddhanet.net, www.dhammatalks.org, www.ancient-buddhist-texts.net
Talks: www.dharmaseed.org (huge variety of teachers have talks here), www.dhammatalks.org (Thanissaro Bhikkhu has a huge catalog of talks. He has a straight forward style.), www.audiodharma.org (Gil Fronsdal has very accessible teaching style. He presents the dharma in an almost secular way, but doesn't doesn't diminish it in the process.)
Video: Buddhist Society of Western Australia (Ajahn Brahm is a much loved and accessible teacher), Yuttadhammo Bhikkhu (Yuttadhammo Bhikkhu has a very calm demeanor, and does live Q&A regularly, StudentofthePath (Bhikkhu Jayasara is a recently ordained monk and is an active redditor, u/Bhikkhu_Jayasara), Dhammanet (Bhikkhu Sujato has "loose" and friendly teaching style, but is a serious scholar.)
Bhikkhu Bodhi's collection of sutras.
http://www.amazon.com/Buddhas-Words-Anthology-Discourses-Teachings/dp/0861714911
http://www.amazon.com/The-Middle-Length-Discourses-Buddha/dp/086171072X/ref=pd_sim_b_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0JGB8GYHNJYWS360RV6E
http://www.amazon.com/The-Connected-Discourses-Buddha-Translation/dp/0861713311/ref=pd_sim_b_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=0JGB8GYHNJYWS360RV6E
http://www.amazon.com/The-Long-Discourses-Buddha-Translation/dp/0861711033/ref=pd_sim_b_8?ie=UTF8&refRID=0JGB8GYHNJYWS360RV6E
They have commentaries, but they are seperate from the sutras themselves.
Just don't read the commentaries if you are opposed to them, but if you have questions about the meanings of the sutras, you should read the commentaries as Bhikkhu Bodhi is a very well established pali translator, and thus can discern subtle differences in the pali that don't come across in English.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Middle-Length-Discourses-Buddha/dp/086171072X/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370103869&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=middle+length+suttaa