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/lit/ - Literature

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1811664 No.1811664 [Reply] [Original]

What are some good basic level readings on Buddhism (and spirituality in general)?

Non-fiction or fiction, doesn't really matter.

>> No.1811667

HERMAN HESSE

>> No.1811674

"don't read kerouac" - ashton watts

>> No.1811675

>>1811664

Towards the end of "The Razors Edge" is a impassioned speech that a certain character goes on about Hinduism and his connection with spirituality. The book is a novel showing the progression of characters in their spirituality and interactions. I recommend it always

>> No.1811677

>>1811675

> The book is a novel

>> No.1811680

>>1811667

What's a good starting point with him? Only really aware of Steppenwolf.

>> No.1811683
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1811683

>>1811680
Well, Siddartha.

>> No.1811687

>>1811680
Steppenwolf is also influenced by the Buddha's views of consciousness and personality.
Journey to the East would also probably be a good one.

>> No.1811689

I recommend this every time..

Shambhala by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche

Going further beyond that grab The Words of My Perfect Teacher and Natural Liberation.

It's been a while since I read books on Buddhism and had an interest in it, so I don't have much else to say. One day when I'm drunk enough I'll pack up the 30 odd books I have on Buddhism and ship them out to some cunt on here.

>> No.1811708

"Taking the Path of Zen" by Robert Aitken

"Zen in English Literature and Oriental Classics" by R.H. Blyth

>> No.1811713

Holding the Lotus to the Rock: The Autobiography of Sokei-an

Sokei-an is one of the primary people responsible for introducing Zen Buddhism to America, and the book is as much a story of the slow process of this introduction as it is a story about him specifically. It's a very easy read, while at the same time also imparting a lot of knowledge about the reasons Zen Buddhism is viewed and presented the way it is in the English-speaking world today.

While some people might turn up their nose at the idea of learning about Buddhism from a biography, I would actually almost consider it essential reading for anybody wanting to learn about Buddhism outside of any country where it is a dominant religion.

>> No.1811714

A Buddhist Bible by Dwight Goddard

>> No.1811727

Buddhism: Introducing the Buddhist Experience by
Donald W. Mitchell was a good textbook assigned for my religious studies class.

>> No.1811728

Anything by Allen Watts is good.

>> No.1811855
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1811855

The Dhammapada is a classic Buddhist text. Many translations can be found online for free. Some famous quotes from it are: "All that we are is the result of what we have thought" (1) and "Having taught myself, to whom shalll I point as teacher" (353)?