Dhamma Wheel Buddhist Forum

Hi All. Love the resources link at the top of most threads. They have been very helpful.
But some books are not. Just for fun, I would like to ask this question: are there any books you find unhelpful? Some author you would avoid? Not trying to start a war--just thought it would be interesting to see which, if any, books you've rejected.
I'll start with Stephen Batchelor's "Buddhism without beliefs", just to get things rolling.
P.S. I threw it out the window a few years ago, so please don't ask my to quote what it was that bugged me.
Thought this might be interesting....

I have a nice healthy aversion to about anything by D.T. Suzuki. But that said, he seems to be a highly respected writer for some reason.

"The secret"
"The Law of Attraction"
Anything at all by Deepak Chopra.

No Time to Lose: A Timely Guide to the Way of the Bodhisattva by Pema Chodron

Monkey Mind wrote:No Time to Lose: A Timely Guide to the Way of the Bodhisattva by Pema Chodron

Why is it bad?

I don't think I have any bad resources, they are all good for something.

tiltbillings wrote:

Monkey Mind wrote:No Time to Lose: A Timely Guide to the Way of the Bodhisattva by Pema Chodron

Why is it bad?

I have enjoyed many books by Pema Chodron. In fact When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times was one of the very first books i read on Buddhist practice. I would recommend her in a heatbeat.

Fede wrote:"The secret"
"The Law of Attraction"
Anything at all by Deepak Chopra.

I wouldn't call them 'resources' but 'bad', yes.

zavk wrote:

Fede wrote:"The secret"
"The Law of Attraction"
Anything at all by Deepak Chopra.

I wouldn't call them 'resources' but 'bad', yes.

If they are not being used as a resource then there is nothing bad about them.

Awakening the Buddha Within by Lama Surya Das.

Not only was I really turned off by the mention of levitating within the first few pages, written under the title is "Eight steps to enlightenment," like there's an Alcoholics-Anonymous style list that one can go through and check off, easy as that. I am also turned off by the Tibetan tradition in general, no offense to the Vajras who may frequent this site, it's just not my cup of tea is all.
I read the whole book and it was useful as somebody who is a critical reader of Buddhist literature(which, thankfully I was at the time I read it) , but for someone new to the subject, this would seem like mystical new age crap and is not particularly informative in terms of the basic beliefs of Buddhism.

I am also turned off to Suzuki's writing. Makes my brain melt.

-wc

Manapa wrote:I don't think I have any bad resources, they are all good for something.

it's about how we relate to the words we encounter, and what practical use we make of it

Manapa wrote:I don't think I have any bad resources, they are all good for something.

Maybe being a doorstop, or balancing the wobbly table

tiltbillings wrote:Maybe being a doorstop, or balancing the wobbly table

Sure. Sometimes we're not yet capable of finding value in points of view that challenge our own. So we make the best use we can, and that might involve propping up wobbly things or making sure doors stay where they belong.

Jechbi wrote:

tiltbillings wrote:Maybe being a doorstop, or balancing the wobbly table

Sure. Sometimes we're not yet capable of finding value in points of view that challenge our own.

That is assuming a bad book challenges my point of view. Some books are just poorly written, poorly researched.

So we make the best use we can, and that might involve propping up wobbly things or making sure doors stay where they belong.

I just cannot bring myself to burn them or givie them away.

tiltbillings wrote:I just cannot bring myself to burn them or giving them away.

Giving them away is actually kind of fun. I gave a bunch to the local public library a few years ago. That was an interesting experience, after having hoarded books since childhood. Then I gave away the bookshelves. Come to think of it, those books really did have value in the end.