I was just wondering....
If you had to make a list of essential canonical and non-canonical books/texts/talks that you feel every vipassana meditator should read, what would you put?!
I'm curious to see what you would put
Essential readings for satipatthana
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Re: Essential readings for satipatthana
Hi Kabouterke
There are a number of books and other resources listed in this Recommended Reading thread in the Medication section:
http://dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=341
These cover all aspects of meditation, but you should be able to pick out what interests you from there.
My opinion is that there is so much out there that finding an "essential" set of references (apart from the key suttas) is a hopeless task. My advice would be to simply pick one or two books and investigate in detail. Different teachers have different ways of introducing meditation, and it can be confusing to mix advice. Different members here have experiences of which advice is most helpful. I listed some resources in that thread that I have found particularly helpful. As have others.
Mike
There are a number of books and other resources listed in this Recommended Reading thread in the Medication section:
http://dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=341
These cover all aspects of meditation, but you should be able to pick out what interests you from there.
My opinion is that there is so much out there that finding an "essential" set of references (apart from the key suttas) is a hopeless task. My advice would be to simply pick one or two books and investigate in detail. Different teachers have different ways of introducing meditation, and it can be confusing to mix advice. Different members here have experiences of which advice is most helpful. I listed some resources in that thread that I have found particularly helpful. As have others.
Mike
Re: Essential readings for satipatthana
In the canonical category, the Samyutta Nikaya will definitely give you a lot to chew over and think about.Kabouterke wrote: If you had to make a list of essential canonical and non-canonical books/texts/talks that you feel every vipassana meditator should read, what would you put?!
In the non-canonical category, whatever piques your interest and helps you to better understand the practice. That may differ from practitioner to practitioner, so there's no set pathway that can be recommended. As mikenz66 has pointed out, this could be just about anything. In that list that he linked to, I tended to like dipping into a number of authors just to see how they compared with what I experienced and how they came together on the practice. In that vein, Ajahn Chah, Bhante Gunaratana, Ajahn Sumedho, Soma Thera, Sayadaw U Pandita, and of course the ever present Thanissaro Bhikkhu were all grist for my mill.
But when it comes to books that I got the most out of in terms of practice, there are only two, and both of them are classics:
The Heart of Buddhist Meditation by Nyanaponika Thera and Ven. Analayo's Satipatthana: The Direct Path to Realization.
If you read and practice with Nyanaponika's book first, Analayo's book will take up where that book leaves off and provide you with veritable mountain of suggestions for continued practice that will take you into the heart of what Gotama taught and recommended in the Satipattana Suttas.
"The gift of truth exceeds all other gifts" — Dhammapada, v. 354 Craving XXIV
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Re: Essential readings for satipatthana
Interesting slip of the finger.mikenz66 wrote:Hi Kabouterke
There are a number of books and other resources listed in this Recommended Reading thread in the Medication section:
http://dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=341
As for suggested talks:
http://dharmaseed.org/teacher/96/?search=satipatthana
These are by Joseph Goldstein, an excellent, highly experienced teacher. It would be hard to find better.
>> Do you see a man wise [enlightened/ariya] in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.<< -- Proverbs 26:12
This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” HPatDH p.723
This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” HPatDH p.723
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Re: Essential readings for satipatthana
Thanks, everybody!