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7096422 No.7096422 [Reply] [Original]

Buddhism. Where to start?

>> No.7096423

The Pali canon

>> No.7096427

Greeks.

>> No.7096431

>>7096427
kek

>> No.7096432
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7096432

As someone who has been at it for years... My recommendation is The Dhammapada, Eknath Easwaran Translation (These are the Buddha's Words).

If you enjoy Buddhism after this read, consider going further.

>> No.7096434

i search a nice introduction

>> No.7096436

>>7096432
thankssss

>> No.7096440

>>7096422
Journey to the west
Monkey Magic
36th chamber of shaolin

>> No.7096478

>>7096427
nice maymay

>> No.7096483 [DELETED] 

FORGET EVERYTHING YOU KNOW

>> No.7096587

buddhism without beliefs

by stephen batchelor

>> No.7096748
File: 45 KB, 748x745, 1422427701363.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
7096748

>>7096422
what matters in buddhism is to understand the message of the buddha, that is to say the dharma. To understand the dharma is to understand the dependant origination of conditioned phenomena that we perceive through our six senses from which we are led to believe in a self, but this self is nothing but a bundle of five aggregates which bring us nothing but dukkha.
The state of nibbana nor making good or bad khamma are not the goal of a student of the dharma. The state of nirvana and making good khamma follows instantly form the comprehension of the dharma. What matters is the understanding of five aggregates. How to understand them ?

There are two aspects of the study
>mediation on our selves [for beginners]
>meditation on the (external) world [for beginners]
>mediation on suttas [almost mandatory]
the following two are the most important things to do to be called a student of the dharma:
>moral behaviours towards others and ourselves [crucial]
>contemplation[crucial]

the logic is the following: once we experience superficially dukkha, inwards and outwards with respect to our body/mind, we understand that dukkha is not to be sought IF we want a robust hapinness [more robust than the pleasures from the hedonism].
This leads us to hear about the dhamma, then to read a bit of suttas.
Once we learn the dhamma superficially, we want to put an end to dukkha.
To put an end to dukkha is to understand the five aggregates.
This superficial right view/vipassana at the beginning brings tranquility [samatha] then, samatha permits samadhi which permits an observation pertaining to the development of the right view/ vipassana. Vipassana permits to understand what goes on in us and furthers the tranquility, tranquility which betters the concentration, and the virtuous cycle is formed.
The samadhi, samatha, vipassana will make the dharmic morality intuitive, natural. We cannot have smadhi without vipassana, we cannot have vipassana without samsdhi [beginning with samatha]

>> No.7096749

>>7096748
>The five skandhas[edit]
>The sutras describe five aggregates:[d]
>"form" or "matter"[e] (Skt., Pāli rūpa; Tib. gzugs): external and internal matter. Externally, rupa is the physical world. Internally, rupa includes the material >body and the physical sense organs.[f]
>"sensation" or "feeling" (Skt., Pāli vedanā; Tib. tshor-ba): sensing an object[g] as either pleasant, unpleasant or neutral.[h][i]
>"perception", "conception", "apperception", "cognition", or "discrimination" (Skt. samjñā, Pāli saññā, Tib. 'du-shes): registers whether an object is recognized or >not (for instance, the sound of a bell or the shape of a tree).
>"mental formations", "impulses", "volition", "fabrications" or "compositional factors" (Skt. samskāra, Pāli saṅkhāra, Tib. 'du-byed): all types of mental habits, >thoughts, ideas, opinions, prejudices, compulsions, and decisions triggered by an object.[j]
>"consciousness" or "discernment"[k] (Skt. vijñāna, Pāli viññāṇa,[l] Tib. rnam-par-shes-pa):
>In the Nikayas/Āgamas: cognizance,[7][m] that which discerns[8][n]
>In the Abhidhamma: a series of rapidly changing interconnected discrete acts of cognizance.[o]
>In some Mahayana sources: the base that supports all experience.[p]
>The Buddhist literature describes the aggregates as arising in a linear or progressive fashion, from form to feeling to perception to mental formations to >consciousness.[q] In the early texts, the scheme of the five aggregates is not meant to be an exhaustive classification of the sentient being. Rather it describes >various aspects of the way an individual manifests.[9]

>> No.7096753

>>7096749
>Suffering and release[edit]
>Bhikkhu Bodhi (2000b, p. 840) states that an examination of the aggregates has a "critical role" in the Buddha's teaching for several reasons, including:[r]
>Understanding suffering: the five aggregates are the "ultimate referent" in the Buddha's elaboration on dukkha (suffering) in his First Noble Truth: "Since all four truths revolve around suffering, understanding the aggregates is essential for understanding the Four Noble Truths as a whole."
>Clinging causes future suffering: the five aggregates are the substrata for clinging and thus "contribute to the causal origination of future suffering".
Release from samsara: clinging to the five aggregates must be removed in order to achieve release from samsara.
>some secular teacher for those who enjoy them
The Experience of Samadhi: An In-depth Exploration of Buddhist Meditation by Richard Shankman
https://www.youtube.com/user/MettaDharma/playlists
http://audiodharma.org/teacher/135/


>begin with a youtube video:
ven rakkhita Foundations of Buddhist Culture Modules Playlist
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLS8CNXvOOJGgz64i07kaYIOxdBYNvqcUZ


>Entire collections of the suttas and comparisons with other famous sources
Index to Sutta Indexes
http://obo.genaud.net/backmatter/indexes/sutta/sutta_toc.htm


>resources for explanations of the suttas
Piya Tan, a former Theravada monk
http://dharmafarer.org/wordpress/


>A Comprehensive Course in Buddhism
http://obo.genaud.net/dhammatalk/the_pali_line/course/table_of_contents.htm

>> No.7096757

>>7096753
>MINIMAL LIST OF THE MOST IMPORTANT SUTTAS

>THE GOALS
>To understand the difference from the common person, the person under training, the aharant, the buddha
Mulapariyaya Sutta from the Suttas of the Majjhima Nikaya Book I The Mulapannasa — The Root 50
1. Mulapariyaya Sutta (Muulapariyaaya, Mūlapariyāya), I.1
http://obo.genaud.net/backmatter/indexes/sutta/mn/idx_majjhima_nikaya_1.htm#p1


>THE DETAILS OF WHY DUKKHA
>to understand dependent co-arising (paticca samuppada) and not-self (anatta)
MahaNIdana Sutta for Paticca Samuppada from the Suttas of the Digha Nikaya
15. Mahanidana Sutta, (Mahaanidaana, Mahā-Nidāna), II.55
http://obo.genaud.net/backmatter/indexes/sutta/dn/idx_digha_nikaya.htm#p15


>MORALITY
>BEHAVIOR TOWARDS OURSELVES
>to understand how to behave towards ourselves, that is to say the contemplation, the establishment of ''mindfulness''
Satipatthana Sutta from the Suttas of the Majjhima Nikaya Book I The Mulapannasa — The Root 50
10. Satipatthana Sutta (Satipa.t.thaana, Satipatthāna), I.55
http://obo.genaud.net/backmatter/indexes/sutta/mn/idx_majjhima_nikaya_1.htm#p10
Mahasatipatthana Sutta from the Suttas of the Digha Nikaya
22. Mahasatipatthana Sutta (Mahaasatipa.t.thaana, Mahā-Satipatthāna), II.290
http://obo.genaud.net/backmatter/indexes/sutta/dn/idx_digha_nikaya.htm#p22


>What is concern? From taking its stand on non-attachment (alobha), non-hatred (adveDa), and non-deludedness (amoha) coupled with diligence (vīrya), it considers whatever is positive and protects the mind against things which cannot satisfy. Its function is to make complete and to realize all worldly and transworldly excellences.

>> No.7096759

>>7096757
Appamāda Carefulness, Earnestness, Diligence
http://obo.genaud.net/backmatter/glossology/glossology/appamada.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/apradama


Nekkhamma Dumping, Giving Up, Renunciation
http://obo.genaud.net/backmatter/glossology/glossology/nekkhamma.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nekkhamma


Upekkha Objective Detachment, Equanimity
http://obo.genaud.net/backmatter/glossology/glossology/upekkha.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upekkha


>BEHAVIOR TOWARDS OTHERS AS WELL AS OURSELVES
four immeasurables/Brahmavihara/apramāna/appamaññā
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahmavihara
>The four immeasurables are:
>Loving-kindness/benevolence (Pāli: mettā, Sanskrit: maitrī) towards all: the hope that a person will be well; "the wish that all sentient beings, without any exception, be happy."[11]
>Compassion/charity (Pāli and Sanskrit: karunā): the hope that a person's sufferings will diminish; "the wish for all sentient beings to be free from suffering."[11]
>Empathetic joy (Pāli and Sanskrit: muditā): joy in the accomplishments of a person—oneself or another; sympathetic joy; "the wholesome attitude of rejoicing in the happiness and virtues of all sentient beings."[11]
>Equanimity (Pāli: upekkhā, Sanskrit: upekkā): learning to accept loss and gain, good-repute and ill-repute, praise and censure, sorrow and happiness (Attha Loka Dhamma),[12] all with detachment, equally, for oneself and for others. Equanimity is "not to distinguish between friend, enemy or stranger, but regard every sentient being as equal. It is a clear-minded tranquil state of mind—not being overpowered by delusions, mental dullness or agitation."[13]

>> No.7096760

>>7096759
Metta Sutta: Good Will from the Samyutta Nikaya SN 46.54 translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn46/sn46.054.than.html


Brahmavihara Sutta: The Sublime Attitudes from the Anguttara Nikaya AN 10.208 translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an10/an10.208.than.html
>an approach focused more on vipassana
In This Very Life, The Liberation Teachings of the Buddha, Sayādaw U Pandita (1992), (Serialised with the Sayādaw’s Express Permission)
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/pesala/Pandita/index.htm


>a book to become a yogi in vipassana
Pa Auk Sayadaw Knowing and Seeing 4th Ed 2010.pdf
http://www.dhammatalks.net/Books13/Pa-Auk-Sayadaw_Knowing-and-Seeing-4th-Ed-2010.pdf
The Practice Which Leads to Nibbana (.pdf)
http://www.visuddha-m-c.com/vmc%20sg/books%20doc/Pa%20Auk%20Sayadaw%20Books/10Mindfulness%20of%20Breathing.pdf


>a book to become a yogi in samatha or rather samadhi
Pa Auk Sayadaw on samadhi
Ten Kasinas and Others (.pdf)
http://www.visuddha-m-c.com/vmc%20sg/books%20doc/Pa%20Auk%20Sayadaw%20Books/Ten%20kasinas%20&%20others.pdf
Mindfulness of Breathing (.pdf)
http://www.visuddha-m-c.com/vmc%20sg/books%20doc/Pa%20Auk%20Sayadaw%20Books/10Mindfulness%20of%20Breathing.pdf
>an exposition of the flaws ''vipassana mediation'' which focuses more on loving-kindness meditation
The Anapanasati Sutta --A Practical Guide to Midfulness of Breathing and Tranquil Wisdom Meditation by Ven. U Vimalaramsi
http://www.ic.sunysb.edu/clubs/buddhism/vimalaramsi/main.html


>insisting on the setting the samatha first, this book recast the use of the mindfulness through the three angas
A History of Mindfulness Bhikkhu Sujato.pdf
http://santifm.org/santipada/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/A_History_of_Mindfulness_Bhikkhu_Sujato.pdf

>> No.7096769

omg, thanks. thanks a lot.

>> No.7096770

>>7096760
>an exposition of the flaws of pure ''vipassana mediation'' which focuses more on loving-kindness meditation
The Anapanasati Sutta --A Practical Guide to Midfulness of Breathing and Tranquil Wisdom Meditation by Ven. U Vimalaramsi
http://www.ic.sunysb.edu/clubs/buddhism/vimalaramsi/main.html


>insisting on the setting the samatha first, this book recast the use of the mindfulness through the three angas
A History of Mindfulness Bhikkhu Sujato.pdf
http://santifm.org/santipada/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/A_History_of_Mindfulness_Bhikkhu_Sujato.pdf


>the direct path to nirvana via the famous satipatthana sutta exposed by a theravadan
Anãlayo satipatthana direct path analayo free-distribution-copy2.pdf
https://ahandfulofleaves.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/satipatthana_direct-path_analayo_free-distribution-copy2.pdf


>exposition of path by one of the monk from the monastery of the forest
Ajahn Maha Bua
http://www.luangta.eu/site/downloads.php


>collection of sermons on Nibbana
>This penetrative study[5] shed new light on the early Buddhist views on the psychology of perception,[6] the conceptualizing process and its transcending.[7]
Katukurunde Nanananda Thera
Nibbana - the mind stilled
http://www.seeingthroughthenet.net/eng/gen.php?gp=books&cat=ms&p=1
http://www.seeingthroughthenet.net/eng/gen.php?gp=sermons&cat=nn&p=1


>talks on Vipassana meditation
Sayadaw U Pandita
http://www.panditarama.net/#ui-tabs-9

Burmese forest tradition
The Essential Practice Part I Dhamma Discourses of Venerable Webu Sayādaw
http://www.bps.lk/olib/wh/wh375-u.html
The Essential Practice Part II Dhamma Discourses of Venerable Webu Sayādaw
http://www.bps.lk/olib/wh/wh384-u.html
The Essence of Buddha Dhamma
http://host.pariyatti.org/treasures/The_Essence_Buddha_Dhamma-Ven_Webu_Sayadaw.pdf
The dhamma is the beginning of our lives by a reflection on the end of our lives.

>> No.7096772

>>7096422
Start with the Pali Canon.

>> No.7097128

Eat a bunch of mushrooms. It turns white college students into Buddhists all the time

>> No.7097173

meditation, but which one?
shikantanza?
vipassana?

>> No.7097185

What are the essential Sutras?

>> No.7097189

>>7097173
What are your goals? Do you want to be a Buddhist? Just meditate and follow your own path?

>> No.7097190

>>7096587
It's like milk without cookies

>> No.7097197

>>7097189
probably i want to be a buddhist and not follow my own path

>> No.7097204
File: 27 KB, 250x394, Lamafag.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
7097204

>>7096422

By turning to something worthwhile instead. Consider Bertrand Russell.

Buddhism is nothing more than ancient bigotry and irrationality dressed up in woolly New Age claptrap:

>buddhists spit at disabled children
>provided legitimacy for Japanese imperialism
>no basis in reality or logic
>drivel

>> No.7097209

>>7097197
There are many different schools of Buddhism. I'm no expert, so I can't help too much (hopefully the anon from earlier can help you). I'd recommend reading about the various schools of Buddhism and seeing which one is most congruent with yourself. I believe the Oxford VSI: Buddhism covers most schools and practices.

>> No.7097232

All this resource dump and copypasta dump is not really helpful for beginners, from my experience. Books like Knowing & Seeing are extremely difficult for them, and the translations at Genaud are really strange to say the least. It would be good if we could just give a dharma resources pill, but it doesn't work like that (except for the Pali Canon/Agamas).

I recommend Foundations of Buddhism to get a solid and relatively short introduction to the subject. Then (or even at the same time) reading something like In The Buddha's Words will help see how it all connects in the Pali Canon or the Agamas, which are the foundation of most Buddhisms. ITBW is good because even though it's only a fraction of the Canon, its contents are very well chosen.
After just these 2 books one will have established a foundation and then can do whatever he wants in terms of finding more material to read, it won't be chaotic like it is for someone who is a complete beginner. You can find tons and tons of books easily when you know what is it you want to look for.

The best way, whether to start or to advance, is learning from legit teachers.

>> No.7097247

>>7097173
>>7097209
It doesn't really matter as long as it's "Buddhist meditation".
You can consider questions of school and whatnot later, focus on obtaining solid basics if you're just starting out. You can direct yourself with that.

>> No.7097265

The Ego and its Own

>> No.7097278

>>7097204
>provided legitimacy for Japanese imperialism
Wasn't that Shintoism?

>> No.7097281

>>7096422
if you're white or from the west, don't bother. stop being ashamed of your western heritage and just become a christian mystic or something.

>> No.7097287
File: 36 KB, 600x454, imperial_morrowind-600x454.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
7097287

>>7097281
>all westerners have Christian mystics in their family
>we ought to 'follow tradition'
>colour of skin decides what one ought to do

>> No.7097291

>>7097278
It was and he's trolling, but there are those who actually think that Zen's rhetoric being twisted to "you can kill people cuz they ain't actually there!" had any real importance in the Imperial Military's campaign in the first place. The exact same things would still have happened regardless.

>>7097281
>he thinks Buddhism didn't have contact with the West before the modern era

>> No.7097297

>>7097287
eating sushi and doing yoga with your trust fund faggot friends doesn't make you a buddhist my nigga

>> No.7097316

>>7097281
Zen buddhism isn't mysticism.

>> No.7097337

>>7097297
Irrelevant; you are a poor troll.

>> No.7097358

>>7097291
What is the modern era?

>> No.7097379

>>7097358
18th century (at least) to the present day.

>> No.7097448

>>7097316
Zen buddhism is interesting and probably what I "identify" with the most.

>>7097204
I also recommend some Bertrand Russell

>> No.7097456

>>7097316
?? Yes it is. It's a tradition that focuses on spiritual attainment.

>> No.7097458

>>7097281
You do realize that if it weren't for "Whites" Buddhism would never have become popular, right?

You DO understand that the first group to convert to Buddhism en masse were Greeks, right?

You are aware that up until the Turkic and Mongol invasions of Central Asia the majority of Buddhists were Indo-Europeans, right?

You wouldn't just go out and spew le enlightenend crusader rhetoric without being knowledgeable of the fact that the majority of people at the 2nd Buddhist Council were Greeks, right?

>> No.7097484

>>7097456
I don't think there's necessarily anything spiritual about enlightenment.

>> No.7097491

>>7097484
Ok.

>> No.7097651

>>7097458
literally none of this is true

>> No.7097714

>>7096432
How do we know they are the Buddhas words? Buddhism was an oral tradition for a few hundred years before it was written down and there are more texts claiming to be words by the Buddha than can possibly be read in a lifetime.

>> No.7097725

>>7096422
With the Cabala and Gnostic texts so you don't get caught in the inherent limitations of Buddhist enlightenment.

If you just want to live a better life, sans enlightenment seeking, then read Epictetus and Aurelius.

>> No.7098516

>>7097714
>How do we know they are the Buddhas words?
Not him but you don't. It is known that the Pali Canon has later date additions for example, those are mostly in the form of reformulations and condensations. The Pali Canon and the Agamas share most of their material and most Mahayana sutras aren't very removed from those, so there is ground to suppose that the Buddha's actual teaching hasn't been altered much.

>there are more texts claiming to be words by the Buddha than can possibly be read in a lifetime.
Reading the Theravada plus the Mahayana sutras won't take you a lifetime, not even close.

>> No.7098534

>>7097281
I can't understand this kind of mentality, isn't religion about truth? There can only be one.

>> No.7098537

"What is Buddhism?"

An essay by Bimal Matilal

"Describing the Elephant"

An essay on American Buddhism with multiple contributors

If you have access to a school library with JSTOR etc. you should be able to find both.

You can find the first essay in "Mind, Language and World" -- an anthology by Matilal.

>> No.7098546

Also, reading through the thread, do not start with scriptures (you need to read a general text first).

And fuck everyone who answered "Where to start studying Buddhism" with various western authors they deem analogous/superior. That's not the thread.

>> No.7098604

>>7098534
Mystic traditions like Cabala and Gnosticism agree pretty heavily on the wisdom aspects of their beliefs, so in that sense they've all found the truth.

>> No.7098607

>>7098546
It all depends on the author. The Foundations of Buddhism is written by a western author for example and I recommended it because it's the best "newbie" material I've read. As long as the writer has actual knowledge on the subject, the nationality plays no part.

>> No.7099757

>>7097714
I dont think it really matters. The beauty of the Dhammapada is that it covers a wide variety of buddhist topics with short poetic phrases. After reading it you could get a vague understanding of buddhism. Then if you decide to study deeper into the theories and come back to the Dhamma, you find deeper meanings. Its like the Tao Te Ching.

Great place to start imo.

>> No.7099764

>>7096748
hikikomori buddhist? Im glad your still coming back. If I gave you my email, would you mind sending me a message, so we can discuss buddhism further?

>> No.7100032

>>7099764
no mate, I am not him.

>> No.7100299
File: 294 KB, 1920x1280, 1433977522896.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
7100299

>>7096422
what happens to a girl is this:
-as a child, she can be saved by buddhism [or any doctrine not promoting hedonism]

-once she learns to spread her legs, she falls too much, too fast into hedonism

-after decades of her liberation, after her cunt used-up, she is exhausted by the hedonistic life, she calms herself a bit.
If she stumples into a religious person, she is willing to explore her spiritual side, through an exotic religion, since she remains still a hedonist.


Liberated women cannot be salvaged from hedonism. they just love hedonism and love to love hedonism. Sure the grannies are calmed enough to listen to another doctrine a bit, but they are old and remain incapable to make headway since they have been lacking reflexivity all their lives.
The least effort is already too much, and they will swing back into a milder hedonism many times before they reach an intermediate level.
Plus, they are scared of not reaching the goals as they feel the death coming for their relatives and themselves.


The sole female who can be in buddhism [or any religion which is studied AND applied] are little girls and the effect of the spiritual life must be appear before the liberation.

In passing, note that many future-nuns spread their legs, just like the other girls, before going into a monastery. generally, the young nuns became nuns because they think that they were hurt by chads and alphas in failing to understand what women are doing on earth.


the enrolment is different for men, because most men being betas, they experience dukkha far more than the whores. They gain a mild reflexivity quickly and durably so that they can make headway in buddhism.

BUT

many bikkhus still long for some meaning through women especially when their results have stalled. they loose faith and go back to their betaness.

>> No.7100303

>>7100299

whitest twenty something jaded male thing I've ever read

>> No.7100367

>>7100299

god this is so fucking awful

>> No.7100417

"What the Buddha Taught" by Walpola Rahula was useful for me. It's short and easy to read.

>> No.7100609

after The Dhammapada, where one should go?

>> No.7100874

>>7100032
Would you mind at least engaging in a conversation over email?

theredpikmin@openmailbox.org

>> No.7100910

>>7100874
Oh whoops, I just read that you are not him.

But judging by the idiosyncratic writing style, I kind of dont believe you.

>> No.7101877

ok

>> No.7102472

where should someone move to to be buddhist? it seems like i have to pay rent and work here in canada

>> No.7102482

>>7102472
You do not have to move to be Buddhist.

>> No.7102508

>>7102482
should i just be homeless?

>> No.7102510

>>7102508
Nor do you need to be homeless

>> No.7102517

>>7102508

It's the middle way man. Not living in extreme affluence or extreme poverty.

>> No.7102533

>>7102517
>>7102510
would you work somewhere part time and live simply in an apartment so you could spend the rest of the time meditating?

>> No.7102536

Start by releasing your prejudices about Buddhism. The general image of Buddhism as a tranquil religion is accurate, but the wholesome states only arise when Enlightenment is achieved. You are still human and will suffer: suffer even greater for the possibility to become too attached to the Buddha's teachings. Most trustafarians that dabble in Buddhism forget this. Nothing other than suffering arises. Nothing other than suffering ceases.

>> No.7102557

>>7102533
If that's what I wanted to do; I'd rather meditate in my spare time, in between reading and socialising.

>> No.7102595

>>7102557
id rather not work at all and be a buddhist

>> No.7103587

>>7097281
That's some pretty odd logic there my friend

>> No.7103717

>>7097458
I love the half truths in all your points.

>> No.7103725
File: 109 KB, 1269x654, buddha-quote-2.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
7103725

>>7098534
>There can only be one.

I once heard a Buddhist Monk say, "Everyone is trying to reach the mountain top, traveling up different paths and side paths. The only idiot is the one running around the base of the mountain screaming at everyone they are going the wrong way."

In other words, there are many truths, and many paths one can take. If you start believing there is only one path, well.. All I can say is:
>pic related

>> No.7103746

>>7096422
There is no "self" but there are independent minds, right? If consciousness is a unified phenomenon then wouldn't one person attaining nirvana mean that all people attain Nirvana?

>> No.7103775

>>7103746
Read the burning house parable in the Lotus Sutra. It addresses this fully.

>> No.7103802

>>7103746

there are pieces of the universe that think they are persons, and also have the property of not being able to think they are anything else

>> No.7103806

buddhism doesn't real fuck what you heard

>> No.7103820

>>7103746
welcome to some dead schools of buddhism

>> No.7103826

>>7097651
Except Literally all of it is true.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greco-Buddhism

>> No.7103837

>>7103826
Except for the "whites" thing of course.

>> No.7103872

>>7103837
>>7103826

god shut up you fucking idiots

>> No.7104088

>>7103837

Bodhidharma in all of the earliest records was described as a barbarian from the west with the physical attributes of a Caucasian.

>> No.7104152

I think that the dhammapada is really the last book to read. the content is what you need to click to get awaken, in the perspective of a sudden enlightenment

>> No.7104158

>>7097281
>>7098534
apparently, the meditations of the other religion miss completely vipassana. So they are good to begin on the samatha path, but not to reach nirvana.

>> No.7104218

>>7096748
I like that you stress that both samadhi and vispassana are equally important meditations to practice. Why else would both mindfulness and concentrations earn spots on the noble eightfold path?

A lot of scholars and teachers these days try to strip buddhist meditation into an all or nothing deal. Either devote all of your energy being mindful or devote it to trance. From my experience, doing either of these is ignorant and dangerous. It is important to pursue both.

I noticed this topic was also covered in one of the books you provided. Well done.