Recommended reading

General discussion of issues related to Theravada Meditation, e.g. meditation postures, developing a regular sitting practice, skillfully relating to difficulties and hindrances, etc.
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ancientbuddhism
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Re: Recommended reading

Post by ancientbuddhism »

The Origin of Insight Meditation, by L.S. Cousins

Edit: rerouted link
Last edited by ancientbuddhism on Mon Aug 26, 2013 1:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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A Handful of Leaves
Javi
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Re: Recommended reading

Post by Javi »

Vayadhammā saṅkhārā appamādena sampādethā — All things decay and disappoint, it is through vigilance that you succeed — Mahāparinibbāna Sutta

Self-taught poverty is a help toward philosophy, for the things which philosophy attempts to teach by reasoning, poverty forces us to practice. — Diogenes of Sinope

I have seen all things that are done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a chase after wind — Ecclesiastes 1.14
SamKR
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Re: Recommended reading

Post by SamKR »

bodom wrote:The Heart of Buddhist Meditation: Satipatthna : A Handbook of Mental Training Based on the Buddha's Way of Mindfulness, With an Anthology of Relevant Texts Translated from the Pali by Nyanaponika
I found this book is also available online for free in google books: http://books.google.com/books?id=UaIuXn ... e&q&f=true" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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no mike
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Re: Recommended reading

Post by no mike »

Here you'll find a list of awesome Thai forest tradition books; with writings, translations, and commentaries by Ajaan Dick Silaratano.

http://www.forestdhamma.org/books/english/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

You can order hard copies, or download pdf, epub, or mobi files, or audio files.
User156079
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Re: Recommended reading

Post by User156079 »

I recomend reading Tyranny of Words by Stuart Chase. It deals with communication, abstract/conceptual thinking and general semantics i think it is no less than extremely helpful for understanding the Dhamma.
https://tzmvirginia.files.wordpress.com ... k-scan.pdf
JiWe2
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Re: Recommended reading

Post by JiWe2 »

Buddhist Meditation In Theory and Practice
A General Exposition According to the
Pāḷi Canon of the Theravādin School

Original Author Paravahera Vajirañāṇa Mahāthera (1962)
New Edition Revised and Edited by Allan R. Bomhard (2010)
"In preparing the Charleston Buddhist Fellowship edition of this manual, the original has been thoroughly reworked. New material has been incorporated from various sources, including the Visuddhimagga (Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli’s translation), the translations from the scriptures given in the original have been compared against more modern translations and have been changed accordingly, the English has been reworded where necessary to improve clarity, new footnotes have been added, and Pāḷi terms have been reviewed and corrected where required. Thus, the current edition is virtually a new work."
https://archive.org/details/BuddhistMed ... ndPractice
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bodom
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Re: Recommended reading

Post by bodom »

JiWe2 wrote:Buddhist Meditation In Theory and Practice
A General Exposition According to the
Pāḷi Canon of the Theravādin School

Original Author Paravahera Vajirañāṇa Mahāthera (1962)
New Edition Revised and Edited by Allan R. Bomhard (2010)
"In preparing the Charleston Buddhist Fellowship edition of this manual, the original has been thoroughly reworked. New material has been incorporated from various sources, including the Visuddhimagga (Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli’s translation), the translations from the scriptures given in the original have been compared against more modern translations and have been changed accordingly, the English has been reworded where necessary to improve clarity, new footnotes have been added, and Pāḷi terms have been reviewed and corrected where required. Thus, the current edition is virtually a new work."
https://archive.org/details/BuddhistMed ... ndPractice
I have been searching for a hard copy of this book for months. I haven't had any luck.

:namaste:
Liberation is the inevitable fruit of the path and is bound to blossom forth when there is steady and persistent practice. The only requirements for reaching the final goal are two: to start and to continue. If these requirements are met there is no doubt the goal will be attained. This is the Dhamma, the undeviating law.

- BB
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Manopubbangama
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Re: Recommended reading

Post by Manopubbangama »

bodom wrote: Thu Sep 07, 2017 1:28 pm
JiWe2 wrote:Buddhist Meditation In Theory and Practice
A General Exposition According to the
Pāḷi Canon of the Theravādin School

Original Author Paravahera Vajirañāṇa Mahāthera (1962)
New Edition Revised and Edited by Allan R. Bomhard (2010)
"In preparing the Charleston Buddhist Fellowship edition of this manual, the original has been thoroughly reworked. New material has been incorporated from various sources, including the Visuddhimagga (Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli’s translation), the translations from the scriptures given in the original have been compared against more modern translations and have been changed accordingly, the English has been reworded where necessary to improve clarity, new footnotes have been added, and Pāḷi terms have been reviewed and corrected where required. Thus, the current edition is virtually a new work."
https://archive.org/details/BuddhistMed ... ndPractice
I have been searching for a hard copy of this book for months. I haven't had any luck.

:namaste:
Bodom, I found one but the book-sharks jacked up the price, as they tend to do with hard-to-find limited hard copies.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/BUDDHIST-MEDIT ... :rk:7:pf:0

this copy is cheaper:
https://www.amazon.com/Buddhist-Meditat ... d+Practice

and this copy cheaper still, but appears to be out of stock at the moment:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/buddhi ... 9679920413



:namaste:
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Omit
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Re: Recommended reading

Post by Omit »

I can recommend "Finding the missing peace" by Ajahn Amaro. Well written book on meditation. Simple and not too rigid.

https://amaravati.org/dhamma-books/find ... editation/

available online :twothumbsup:
Ontheway
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Re: Recommended reading

Post by Ontheway »

The Buddha's Ancient Path by Ven. Piyadassi Thera

What the Buddha taught by Ven. Walpole Rahula Thera

What Buddhists Believe by Ven. Dr. K Sri Dhammananda Mahanayaka Thera

Simple, crystal-clear, concise and informative. All available free download online.
Hiriottappasampannā,
sukkadhammasamāhitā;
Santo sappurisā loke,
devadhammāti vuccare.

https://suttacentral.net/ja6/en/chalmer ... ight=false
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jwstone
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Re: Recommended reading

Post by jwstone »

I am so confused because of all the different books, schools and methods out there on meditation. I want to follow whatever the Buddha taught, not whatever some guru is teaching. What suttas point to Theravada methods only? Also, which books up above are more in line with the traditional Theravada methods? I feel like if I don't learn correctly, I am just wasting my time. I don't have access to teachers, so I need to learn on my own.
Philosophy
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Re: Recommended reading

Post by Philosophy »

jwstone wrote: Wed Jul 12, 2023 4:35 pm I am so confused because of all the different books, schools and methods out there on meditation. I want to follow whatever the Buddha taught, not whatever some guru is teaching. What suttas point to Theravada methods only? Also, which books up above are more in line with the traditional Theravada methods? I feel like if I don't learn correctly, I am just wasting my time. I don't have access to teachers, so I need to learn on my own.
The rest of us are confused too. Even within Theravada there is a huge range of disagreements, all producing different schools, methods, and meditation techniques. And they all think they're the "right way." Although they all use the Sutta Pitika to justify themselves, and often focus on the same set of suttas (Anapanasati, Sattipathana, etc), they often disagree on which commentaries should be used and whether Abhidhamma was taught by the Buddha or not.

I'm sure painting this picture is disappointing, as you're hoping to get "the right way." I've seen folks say, "It's our kamma to be born in a time of degradation of the Dhamma. We don't get to get it straight from the Buddha's mouth." I consider myself to be fortunate enough to have even been born in an age of split, degraded Dhamma myself.

Basically, anyone attempting to complete your request as you've made it is just going to be directing you toward their own sectarian preferences. You'll just have to dive in and learn from a variety of sources and decide what makes sense to you.

One thing the Buddha taught for sure was taking a good look at your suffering and then letting go. So, you can do that in this instance. Is your desire to find the "one true way" worth holding on to? To me it seems rather stressful and anxiety producing: if you believe there's a "one true way," it seems you would be obligated to find it. Idk, maybe investigate that impulse.
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jwstone
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Re: Recommended reading

Post by jwstone »

Philosophy wrote: Wed Jul 12, 2023 4:58 pm
jwstone wrote: Wed Jul 12, 2023 4:35 pm I am so confused because of all the different books, schools and methods out there on meditation. I want to follow whatever the Buddha taught, not whatever some guru is teaching. What suttas point to Theravada methods only? Also, which books up above are more in line with the traditional Theravada methods? I feel like if I don't learn correctly, I am just wasting my time. I don't have access to teachers, so I need to learn on my own.
The rest of us are confused too. Even within Theravada there is a huge range of disagreements, all producing different schools, methods, and meditation techniques. And they all think they're the "right way." Although they all use the Sutta Pitika to justify themselves, and often focus on the same set of suttas (Anapanasati, Sattipathana, etc), they often disagree on which commentaries should be used and whether Abhidhamma was taught by the Buddha or not.

I'm sure painting this picture is disappointing, as you're hoping to get "the right way." I've seen folks say, "It's our kamma to be born in a time of degradation of the Dhamma. We don't get to get it straight from the Buddha's mouth." I consider myself to be fortunate enough to have even been born in an age of split, degraded Dhamma myself.

Basically, anyone attempting to complete your request as you've made it is just going to be directing you toward their own sectarian preferences. You'll just have to dive in and learn from a variety of sources and decide what makes sense to you.

One thing the Buddha taught for sure was taking a good look at your suffering and then letting go. So, you can do that in this instance. Is your desire to find the "one true way" worth holding on to? To me it seems rather stressful and anxiety producing: if you believe there's a "one true way," it seems you would be obligated to find it. Idk, maybe investigate that impulse.
You made some great points! It's definitely stressing me out. LOL So definitely not the correct way to be going about things. There are some teachers I feel led to online, and they make the most sense to me and at least appear genuine. Also, from what I can tell so far they seem to follow the suttas. I was recommended a few books by one, so I guess I'll start there.
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NAD
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Re: Recommended reading

Post by NAD »

jwstone wrote: Wed Jul 12, 2023 4:35 pm I am so confused because of all the different books, schools and methods out there on meditation. I want to follow whatever the Buddha taught, not whatever some guru is teaching. What suttas point to Theravada methods only? Also, which books up above are more in line with the traditional Theravada methods? I feel like if I don't learn correctly, I am just wasting my time. I don't have access to teachers, so I need to learn on my own.
The more you read the more confused you’ll become, because as stated by another member, different teachers have different interpretations. You’ll then likely end up reading the Suttas, but will remain confused due to the seemingly many contradictions and words used in different contexts. Then you will probably give up when you realise that meanings change over your lifetime, let alone over the last 2500 years. Maybe you won’t, but that’s what I done…….
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