First of all, I sincerely thank you for the opportunity to participate in this online forum.
I have been practicing Buddhism for approximately 2 months. I began this journey upon reading an English translation of the Dhammapada that I Incidentally purchased at a shop on my first wedding anniversary trip. Some of my first steps have been daily learning from Dhamma teachings, very basic breathing meditation to begin the process of calming the mind, beginning to purify the mind through the avoidance of defilements, and working on cultivating empathy.
I am proactively seeking out Dhamma teachings that are consistent with primary Canonical literature. This is quite difficult in the modern information age when distortions and misinterpretations of the Buddhas teachings abound. Another challenge that I recognize is the availability of many conflicting English translations of the Pali texts. On that note, I am interested in beginning the process of learning Pali.
At the moment I am studying The Greater Discourse on the Destruction of Craving (Mahatanhasankhaya) in John Holder's Early Buddhist Discourses.
Lastly, I am highly interested in looking into the potential role of pure abstract mathematics as a tool (amongst many others) for training the mind for crystal clear thinking. By actively exercising the mind in a clear, open and peaceful way, this may reduce its tendency to become muddled and otherwise distract one from spiritual insight during meditation. I suspect that this practice may aid ones capacity to quiet the mind and intuitively see the world as it is, without so much assumption and preconditioned bias. Just a thought
Take care, and I look forward to all sorts of positive discussions to follow.
-Rusty
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