Favourite Buddhist Books

[daojones]

Thanks for these recommendations. I will look through them and pilfer and the great knowledge

I've actually found a bunch of stuff from thanissaro bikhu. I really like listening to his audio lectures - he has a very calm voice and I find the information he gives over to be clear and precise...it's clear what he's saying and not saying. Again, I'm really not interested in the sectarian pissing contests that seem to be abundant, or the ins and outs of histories (although that can obviously be important for understanding context) of this teacher and that. Just the goods people!

Free stuff is here:
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/index.html#notselfstrategy
http://www.audiodharma.org/teacher/16/

[xabir2005]

I second the recommendation on Measureless Mind -- really good presentation of Buddha's teachings backed up by scriptures. http://measurelessmind.ca/

 

Another good book is What the Buddha Taught: Revised and Expanded Edition with Texts from Suttas and Dhammapada by Venerable Walpola Rahula

http://www.amazon.com/What-Buddha-Taught-Expanded-Dhammapada/dp/0802130313

[xenolith]

What the Buddha Taught by Walpola Rahula

 

xeno

[goldisheavy]

I strongly recommend not to bother reading introductory books or commentary of any sort. 99.9% of commentary is junk and introductory books are garbage by and large, where you can expect severe distortions and dilutions of the message as a rule.

 

I strongly recommend going to primary sources. This means Sutras, Suttas, and Tantras if you fancy Tibetan stuff. That's it. End of story. Period. So, Mahayana canon, Theravada canon, and Vajrayana canon. Only read canon. Only read primary sources. Absolutely 100% stay the fuck away from anything that isn't an original source, because even very highly elevated names have said incredibly limiting and dumb stuff that isn't found in the original sources.

 

At the same time, the original sources have a rough surface. If you read the Pali Canon you'll see how flawed Buddha's personal character was. But you won't see any of these flaws if you keep reading commentary and intro books which always paint Buddha as beyond reproach in every conceivable way.

 

So the original sources are more nuanced, they have more rough surface, they are stranger, more challenging, more mind-blowing, harder to swallow in some ways, but vastly more liberating than anything else. The originals are simultaneously more beautiful and more ugly, with some real warts that will be papered over by the sycophantic, drooling, star-struck commentators.

 

Almost all the original sources are available for free reading online too, unlike the commentaries and other fluff.

 

This advice of mine is in line with my general advice: always strike the heart. Don't strike the extremities. Don't waste time.

Edited August 13, 2014 by goldisheavy

[Apech]

I strongly recommend not to bother reading introductory books or commentary of any sort. 99.9% of commentary is junk and introductory books are garbage by and large, where you can expect severe distortions and dilutions of the message as a rule.

 

I strongly recommend going to primary sources. This means Sutras, Suttas, and Tantras if you fancy Tibetan stuff. That's it. End of story. Period. So, Mahayana canon, Theravada canon, and Vajrayana canon. Only read canon. Only read primary sources. Absolutely 100% stay the fuck away from anything that isn't an original source, because even very highly elevated names have said incredibly limiting and dumb stuff that isn't found in the original sources.

 

At the same time, the original sources have a rough surface. If you read the Pali Canon you'll see how flawed Buddha's personal character was. But you won't see any of these flaws if you keep reading commentary and intro books which always paint Buddha as beyond reproach in every conceivable way.

 

So the original sources are more nuanced, they have more rough surface, they are stranger, more challenging, more mind-blowing, harder to swallow in some ways, but vastly more liberating than anything else. The originals are simultaneously more beautiful and more ugly, with some real warts that will be papered over by the sycophantic, drooling, star-struck commentators.

 

Almost all the original sources are available for free reading online too, unlike the commentaries and other fluff.

 

This advice of mine is in line with my general advice: always strike the heart. Don't strike the extremities. Don't waste time.

 

Could you give some idea of the flaws you see in the Buddha's character (genuine question not challenging your view just interested).

[goldisheavy]

Could you give some idea of the flaws you see in the Buddha's character (genuine question not challenging your view just interested).

 

Buddha was very much a "my way or the highway" type of person. There are some Suttas that describe a situation where Buddha receives a compliment from a person, and it's interesting how the Buddha reacts. Usually, paraphrased, it goes like this, "I hear that you say my wisdom is great and I see everything just as it is. However, you are a moron, and when you praise me like this, you actually have no idea what you're talking about. You're talking out of your arse. Therefore, I reject your praise. I find your praise to lack meaning and purpose. Nonetheless, you are absolutely correct that I am the best, but that's pretty much by dumb luck, and not because you understand me."

 

The Buddha was spiritually brutal to people. He'd skewer everyone who disagreed without any compromises or seeking some middle mutual ground. He'd only ever accept people's opinions if they were mirror copies of his own, and even then, he'd often deny people the validity of those opinions, even when they were mirror copies, if the Buddha didn't consider those people sufficiently elevated.

 

The Buddha wasn't perfected. For example, there is one Sutta that describes how Buddha became annoyed and ran away from the monastery to spend time alone in the forest. This is not someone who has a patience perfection.

 

The Buddha very often used fear mongering. He often presented karmic consequences in dramatically exaggerated ways. For example, for throwing a rock at himself Devadatta was said to have entered Avici hell. Obviously to anyone with the understanding of how intentionality produces the various realms we find ourselves in, this is incoherent. A tiny crime toward someone who is patient and tolerating, and therefore presumable doesn't mind, is answered by a punishment/reaction out of all proportion? Of course not. The Buddha was just being petty.

 

In fact the Buddha admitted that he was spiritually brutal to people on purpose, if he considered people to be dumb. Which Sutta? The one where Buddha uses the simile of a horse trainer. He even discusses the case where some unruly horses must be killed. Some must be whipped. And some are guided gently.

 

The Buddha was conflicted about psychic powers and couldn't arrive at a consistent doctrine. He heavily praised psychic powers on numerous occasions, but he also had reservations connected with the ignorant people drawing the wrong conclusions after witnessing amazing displays. He never was able to reconcile this issue in his own mind, apparently, because he expressed anger and admiration and praise toward psychic powers on different occasions.

 

The Buddha was a monk who didn't follow the rules for monks. That's hypocritical. Example: Buddha displayed psychic power to Angulimala when Angulimala was a lay person. Of course the Buddha also had a loophole. At the high level of realization, attachment to precepts and practices as a fetter is given up. So Buddha was not 100% hypocritical, but there is a level of hypocrisy there because there is no clear guidance when it's OK to break the rules. Obviously at some point it's OK. If Buddha really wanted the rules to stick 100%, he should have followed them himself. And indeed, as far as I know, the Buddha never broke 1 meal a day rule, so that rule he did keep, even though he wasn't attached to precepts and practices, supposedly.

 

Now, people should not misunderstand my intent. I still consider the Buddha to be one of the best publicly known teachers in this realm! And in a way, his flaws only make him an even better teacher. You can learn from the flawed person more than from some idealized caricature of a person.

[Apech]

Thanks very interesting. I think that many great masters are subject to death by hagiographication (if that is a word). Once we make a teacher a divine saint we lose an opportunity to relate to them or even understand what they were saying or doing. Glossing due to the wish to deceive or through fear is a crime.

[Simple_Jack]

I am looking to understand the foundational components of what the buddha taught - no sectarian stuff or practices per say, but just what are the theoretical foundations of his teachings. I recall a book title what the buddha taught or what the buddha said - I thought it was by an academic, but I can only find one online by a monk.

 

Do a search for Peter Harvey's "An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History, and Practices".

 

The Buddha very often used fear mongering. He often presented karmic consequences in dramatically exaggerated ways. For example, for throwing a rock at himself Devadatta was said to have entered Avici hell. Obviously to anyone with the understanding of how intentionality produces the various realms we find ourselves in, this is incoherent. A tiny crime toward someone who is patient and tolerating, and therefore presumable doesn't mind, is answered by a punishment/reaction out of all proportion? Of course not. The Buddha was just being petty.

 

The "5 heinous crimes", in Buddhism, are all considered causes for being born in Avici Hell. They are: 1. Matricide 2. Patricide 3. Killing an arahant 4. Causing a schism in the [monastic] sangha 5. Shedding the blood of a buddha. IMO, the reason for the disparity in offence between 3 and 5, is for the same reason that Buddha explains [http://dharmafarer.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/22.12-Dana-Vacchagotta-S-A-3.57-piya.pdf] the difference in merit accrued from giving offerings to a stream entrant and so on: that is, in terms of spiritual development (e.g. 2 accumulations of merit and wisdom), a buddha surpasses that of an arahant.

Edited August 13, 2014 by Simple_Jack

[Simple_Jack]

Do a search for Peter Harvey's "An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History, and Practices".

 

For an in depth coverage of Hinayana and Mahayana tenets you might be interested in "The Way to Buddhahood": http://books.google.com/books?id=eGVL9j9mDnkC&source=gbs_navlinks_s.

[Simple_Jack]

Perfect Wisdom: The Short Prajnaparamita Texts trans. by Edward Conze

 

The Perfection of Wisdom In Eight Thousand Lines & Its Verse Summary trans. by Edward Conze

 

Diamond Sutra Explained by Nan Huai-Chin

 

Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva trans. by Buddhist Text Translation Society

 

The Scripture on the Explication of Underlying Meaning [Samdhinirmochana Sutra] trans. by Numata Center for Buddhist Translation

 

Expository Commentary on the Vimalakirti Sutra by Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai

 

A Comprehensive Commentary on the Heart Sutra by Numata Center for Buddhist Translation

 

Zen's Chinese Heritage: The Masters and their Teachings by Andy Ferguson

 

The Record of Linji [2009 edition] trans. by Ruth Fuller Sasaki

 

The Sayings of Layman Pang: A Zen Classic of China trans. by James Green

 

Treasury of the True Dharma Eye: Zen Master Dogen's Shobo Genzo trans. by Kazuaki Tanahashi

 

Secrets of the Blue Cliff Record: Zen Comments by Hakuin and Tenkei trans. by Thomas Cleary

 

The Gateless Gate: All 48 koans with commentary by Ekai, called Mumon

 

The Weaving of Mantra: Kukai and the Construction of Esoteric Buddhist Discourse by Ryuichi Abe

 

Shingon Texts trans. by Numata Center for Buddhist Translation

 

Tantric Buddhism in East Asia by Richard K. Payne

 

Basic Buddhism: Exploring Buddhism and Zen by Nan Huai-Chin

 

An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and Practices by Peter Harvey

 

What The Buddha Taught: Revised and Expanded Edition with Texts from Suttas and Dhammapada by Walpola Rahula

 

The Way to Buddhahood: Instructions from a Modern Chinese Master by Venerable Yin-shun

 

Adding these to the list:

 

In the Buddha's Word's: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon by Bhikkhu Bodhi

 

The Vimalakirti Sutra trans. by John R. McRae/Numata Center For Buddhist Translation

 

The Mirror of Zen: The Classic Guide to Buddhist Practice by Zen Master So Sahn trans. by Boep Joeng

 

Book of Serenity: One Hundred Zen Dialogues by Thomas Cleary

 

Zen Sand: The Book of Capping Phrases for Koan Practice by Victor Sogen Hori

 

Poison Blossoms From a Thicket of Thorn by Hakuin Zenji trans. by Norman Waddell

[Simple_Jack]

Perfect Wisdom: The Short Prajnaparamita Texts trans. by Edward Conze

 

The Perfection of Wisdom In Eight Thousand Lines & Its Verse Summary trans. by Edward Conze

 

Diamond Sutra Explained by Nan Huai-Chin

 

Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva trans. by Buddhist Text Translation Society

 

The Scripture on the Explication of Underlying Meaning [Samdhinirmochana Sutra] trans. by Numata Center for Buddhist Translation

 

Expository Commentary on the Vimalakirti Sutra by Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai

 

A Comprehensive Commentary on the Heart Sutra by Numata Center for Buddhist Translation

 

Zen's Chinese Heritage: The Masters and their Teachings by Andy Ferguson

 

The Record of Linji [2009 edition] trans. by Ruth Fuller Sasaki

 

The Sayings of Layman Pang: A Zen Classic of China trans. by James Green

 

Treasury of the True Dharma Eye: Zen Master Dogen's Shobo Genzo trans. by Kazuaki Tanahashi

 

Secrets of the Blue Cliff Record: Zen Comments by Hakuin and Tenkei trans. by Thomas Cleary

 

The Gateless Gate: All 48 koans with commentary by Ekai, called Mumon

 

The Weaving of Mantra: Kukai and the Construction of Esoteric Buddhist Discourse by Ryuichi Abe

 

Shingon Texts trans. by Numata Center for Buddhist Translation

 

Tantric Buddhism in East Asia by Richard K. Payne

 

Basic Buddhism: Exploring Buddhism and Zen by Nan Huai-Chin

 

An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and Practices by Peter Harvey

 

What The Buddha Taught: Revised and Expanded Edition with Texts from Suttas and Dhammapada by Walpola Rahula

 

The Way to Buddhahood: Instructions from a Modern Chinese Master by Venerable Yin-shun

Adding these to the list:

 

In the Buddha's Word's: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon by Bhikkhu Bodhi

 

The Vimalakirti Sutra trans. by John R. McRae/Numata Center For Buddhist Translation

 

The Mirror of Zen: The Classic Guide to Buddhist Practice by Zen Master So Sahn trans. by Boep Joeng

 

Book of Serenity: One Hundred Zen Dialogues by Thomas Cleary

 

Zen Sand: The Book of Capping Phrases for Koan Practice by Victor Sogen Hori

 

Poison Blossoms From a Thicket of Thorn by Hakuin Zenji trans. by Norman Waddell

 

"The Collected Works of Korean Buddhism" -- http://www.acmuller.net/kor-bud/collected_works.html

[Toni]

my favourite book is the Dhammapada, a classic, so much wisdom in a relatively short text. I can only recommend it to everybody

[doc benway]

I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in Tantra or Dzogchen, especially Bön. It describes energetic anatomy and physiology, then some advanced Tummo practices.

 

https://www.vajrabookshop.com/categories/vajra-publications/products/the-practice-of-the-tigle-of-the-elements--inner-fire-practice-in-the-mother-tantra

 

PS - transmission highly recommended but approved for open publication

Edited June 24, 2019 by steve