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Good Pdf Book Suggestion Please

Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:19 am
by CalBudd
Hello,

What is a good free pdf book to learn Buddhism from Theravada perspective from ? I have K S Dhammananda's What Buddhists Believe ".

Does anyone have any suggestions ? The book should explain Sila, Samdahi, Panna, three marks of existence, Dependent Arising, kleshas etc - that is the whole Buddhist religious philosophical structure. I do not mind if it is lengthy. I need a particular name. Browsing through dozen pdf documents makes me confused ( since I am a beginner ).

If anyone suggests more than one book please mention the order in which I should read it.

:anjali:

Re: Good Pdf Book Suggestion Please

Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2013 3:05 am
by DNS
For a basic introductory book:

http://www.goodquestiongoodanswer.net/

For something more advanced, then the Suttas themselves, many of them are now online at access to insight and other sites.

Re: Good Pdf Book Suggestion Please

Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2013 3:30 am
by mikenz66
Here's a free PDF that I think is very helpful:

The Noble Eightfold Path By Bhikkhu Bodhi
http://www.lulu.com/shop/bhikkhu-bodhi/ ... 11135.html

There is an HTML version here: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/auth ... toend.html

:anjali:
Mike

Re: Good Pdf Book Suggestion Please

Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2013 3:43 am
by Dhammanando
I suggest you buy the Kindle version of Rupert Gethin's The Foundations of Buddhism and convert it to a pdf.

http://www.amazon.com/Foundations-Buddh ... _bnp_1_kin

CONTENTS

List of Tables and Figures
List of Maps
A Note on Buddhist Languages
INTRODUCTION I
I. THE BUDDHA: THE STORY OF THE AWAKENED ONE
The historical Buddha
The legend of the Buddha
The nature of a buddha

2. THE WORD OF THE BUDDHA: BUDDHIST SCRIPTURES AND SCHOOLS
Dharma: texts, practice, and realization
The first recitation of scriptures
Sutra and Abhidharma
The origin of the ancient Buddhist schools
The Mahayana sutras

3· FOUR TRUTHS: THE DISEASE, THE CAUSE, THE CURE, THE MEDICINE
The orientation of the Buddha's teaching
The disease of suffering
The origin of suffering: attachment, aversion, and delusion
The cessation of suffering: nirvana
The way leading to the cessation of suffering

4· THE BUDDHIST COMMUNITY: MONKS, NUN, AND LAY FOLLOWERS
The Buddha's followers and the origin of the Buddhist order
Ordination and the Buddhist monastic ideal
The underlying concerns of the Vinaya
From wandering to settled life
The spiritual life
The lay community
Spiro's schema: apotropaic, kammatic, and nibbanic Buddhism

5· THE BUDDHIST COSMOS: THE THRICE-THOUSANDFOLD WORLD
Of space and time: world-systems
Cosmology and psychology: macrocosm and microcosm
Cosmology, folk religion, and modern science

6. NO SELF: PERSONAL CONTINUITY AND DEPENDENT ARISING
The Buddhist critique of self as unchanging
The problem of personal continuity
Ignorance, attachment, and views of the self
The elaboration of the teaching of dependent arising
Did the Buddha deny the existence of the self?

7· THE BUDDHIST PATH: THE WAY OF CALM AND INSIGHT
Introductory remarks
The role of faith
Good conduct
The practice of calm meditation
The stages of insight meditation
The relationship of calm and insight

8. THE ABHIDHARMA: THE HIGHER TEACHING
Stories, legends, texts, and authors
The Abhidharma as a system of Buddhist thought
The consciousness process, karma, and rebirth
Some Abhidharma problems

9· THE MAHAYANA: THE GREAT VEHICLE
The beginnings of the Mahayana
The vehicle of the bodhisattva
Transcendent buddhas
Emptiness and the 'perfection of wisdom'
Nagarjuna and the 'middle' (Madhyamaka) school
'Ideas only' (vijnapti-matra) and the Yogacara
The Tathagatagarbha

10. EVOLVING TRADITIONS OF BUDDHISM: SOUTH, EAST, NORTH, AND WEST
Theravada Buddhism in Sri Lanka and South-East Asia: Southern Buddhism
China, Korea, and Japan: East Asian Buddhism
Tibet and Mongolia: Northern Buddhism
A final note: Buddhism in the West
Select Bibliography
Glossary
Index

Re: Good Pdf Book Suggestion Please

Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2013 3:52 am
by Virgo
What is most important is that you develop Right Understanding, not just learn lists and facts like most people. You will need a skillful teacher to understand just how thick ignorance really is.

Pick any book from this list:

http://archive.org/bookmarks/Alan%20Weller

Some are in PDF format, others are not.

All the best,

Kevin

Re: Good Pdf Book Suggestion Please

Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2013 4:13 am
by Ajisai
I agree with David: Good question, Good answer is a very good book to discover Buddhism.

I also found 'Fundamentals of Buddhism' by Dr.Peter D.Santina very interesting.

Then ùaybe you can read the Dhammapada.
There is also a book called 'The Dhammapada Stories' by Gambhiro Bhikku which is supposed to be a children's book, but it puts some parts of the Dhammapada into context and makes it easier to understand.

'The Sigalovada in Pictures' by Ven.K. Dhammasiri is a very pleasant read too.

Re: Good Pdf Book Suggestion Please

Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2013 4:53 am
by Samma
Some audio if that is ok.

http://www.dhammaloka.org.au
search for "early Buddhism course"
http://media.bswa.org/documents/EarlyBu ... seBSWA.pdf
6 sessions, might be more entertaining than reading!

Bhikkhu Bodhi's introduction to Buddhism:
http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma10/bbodhi10.html

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/begin.html

Re: Good Pdf Book Suggestion Please

Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2013 6:48 am
by cooran
Dhammanando wrote:I suggest you buy the Kindle version of Rupert Gethin's The Foundations of Buddhism and convert it to a pdf.

http://www.amazon.com/Foundations-Buddh ... _bnp_1_kin

CONTENTS

List of Tables and Figures
List of Maps
A Note on Buddhist Languages
INTRODUCTION I
I. THE BUDDHA: THE STORY OF THE AWAKENED ONE
The historical Buddha
The legend of the Buddha
The nature of a buddha

2. THE WORD OF THE BUDDHA: BUDDHIST SCRIPTURES AND SCHOOLS
Dharma: texts, practice, and realization
The first recitation of scriptures
Sutra and Abhidharma
The origin of the ancient Buddhist schools
The Mahayana sutras

3· FOUR TRUTHS: THE DISEASE, THE CAUSE, THE CURE, THE MEDICINE
The orientation of the Buddha's teaching
The disease of suffering
The origin of suffering: attachment, aversion, and delusion
The cessation of suffering: nirvana
The way leading to the cessation of suffering

4· THE BUDDHIST COMMUNITY: MONKS, NUN, AND LAY FOLLOWERS
The Buddha's followers and the origin of the Buddhist order
Ordination and the Buddhist monastic ideal
The underlying concerns of the Vinaya
From wandering to settled life
The spiritual life
The lay community
Spiro's schema: apotropaic, kammatic, and nibbanic Buddhism

5· THE BUDDHIST COSMOS: THE THRICE-THOUSANDFOLD WORLD
Of space and time: world-systems
Cosmology and psychology: macrocosm and microcosm
Cosmology, folk religion, and modern science

6. NO SELF: PERSONAL CONTINUITY AND DEPENDENT ARISING
The Buddhist critique of self as unchanging
The problem of personal continuity
Ignorance, attachment, and views of the self
The elaboration of the teaching of dependent arising
Did the Buddha deny the existence of the self?

7· THE BUDDHIST PATH: THE WAY OF CALM AND INSIGHT
Introductory remarks
The role of faith
Good conduct
The practice of calm meditation
The stages of insight meditation
The relationship of calm and insight

8. THE ABHIDHARMA: THE HIGHER TEACHING
Stories, legends, texts, and authors
The Abhidharma as a system of Buddhist thought
The consciousness process, karma, and rebirth
Some Abhidharma problems

9· THE MAHAYANA: THE GREAT VEHICLE
The beginnings of the Mahayana
The vehicle of the bodhisattva
Transcendent buddhas
Emptiness and the 'perfection of wisdom'
Nagarjuna and the 'middle' (Madhyamaka) school
'Ideas only' (vijnapti-matra) and the Yogacara
The Tathagatagarbha

10. EVOLVING TRADITIONS OF BUDDHISM: SOUTH, EAST, NORTH, AND WEST
Theravada Buddhism in Sri Lanka and South-East Asia: Southern Buddhism
China, Korea, and Japan: East Asian Buddhism
Tibet and Mongolia: Northern Buddhism
A final note: Buddhism in the West
Select Bibliography
Glossary
Index
Here is an online version:

http://www.scribd.com/mobile/doc/97597834

With metta,
Chris

Re: Good Pdf Book Suggestion Please

Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2013 10:00 am
by appicchato
...Rupert Gethin's The Foundations of Buddhism... as a pdf.
http://www.watflorida.org/documents/The ... n_1998.pdf :coffee:

Re: Good Pdf Book Suggestion Please

Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2013 10:06 am
by appicchato
You will need a skillful teacher to understand just how thick ignorance really is.
Debatable... :candle:

Re: Good Pdf Book Suggestion Please

Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2013 6:57 am
by hermitwin