/lit/ - Literature

>>2884934
You should strive to accept impermanence.

I'm serious.

I'm looking for a good translation of the Dhammapada. Would anyone happen to have a recommendation?

>>2519321
I believe Thoreau had some Homer with him but never read much of it because just chilling in the woods was better.

Also, the holy knots are clearly pointing towards you taking up the cloth. The Franciscan order of monks wear a rope with their habit, known as the Franciscan cord. This cord contains knots that each symbolize aspects of their order and the true Christian life.

http://rhinoweb.org/the-five-knots-of-the-franciscan-cord

In all honesty, if I were you I would look into the Thai Forest Tradition of Buddhism. It is a bit like the poor monks of christianity without the theism. There are active monasteries in America and Europe. These people live in the utmost simplicity as forest dwellers, often in little solitary huts, wear a single robe and once a day beg for some leftover food and spend the rest of their time dedicated to meditation and such. It would probably be one of the most hassle free ways of living. Maybe you can learn to live without suffering from it to this extend. I wouldn't resort to killing myself before trying to live according to such a time tested way to alleviate suffering.

1/2

>>2502156
>Rigid social roles didn't stop him from running off and meditating, so they shouldn't have stopped him from feeding that poor kid or stopping those soldiers from abusing people.
Running off to meditate was basically a culturally embedded practice in those days. It was acceptable, even though many of course didn't like that he did so.

>And reincarnation is a justification for the caste system, i.e., a justification for why some people get treated like slaves and others get to be parasites that live in luxury. Basically Buddha was morally bankrupt.
Reincarnation can be used for such purposes yes. It did so according to Brahmanic theory. Buddhism however went beyond the class system and in that way was pretty revolutionary. Buddha dedicated his life to the enlightenment and end of suffering of others. If that is morally bankrupt, I don't know what isn't. Apart from that, he helped plenty of people. Just, as a small example, consider the refuge he created for the hopeless with his monastic orders.

>mfw you people come up with all kind of fancy terminology for your imaginary problems while all you have to do is just let go of the chatter and observe how problems cease to exist when you cease to engage yourself with them

So /lit/

I was wanting to read up on Buddhism and Taoism, and was wondering what books to begin with?

I found Lau Tzu: Tao Te Ching, but don't know where to start with Buddhism! Any suggestions?