I am not a religious man, but I have a great deal of respect for a good amount of buddhist teaching and philosophies. Last year I read "Advice on Dying- And living a Better Life" by the Dalai Lama and it has profoundly changed my life and the way I look at both myself and the world for the better. I want more. Tell me something of that Caliber. I also attempted to read "Anger" by some dude with a name I can't remember to spell and didn't care for it at all. Seemed very patronizing to me. Pissed me right off.
http://www.amazon.com/What-Buddha-Taught-Expanded-Dhammapada/dp/B002EQ9LHG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1270040138&sr=8-1"]What the Buddha Taught, Walpola Rahula. You can find it at Amazon.com
The Dhammapada. I could be wrong, but I think it may be the oldest surviving Buddhist literature around.
Herman Hesse, who wrote Steppenwolf, Demian and Sidartha, derived his philosophies and beliefs mainly from his buddist teachings that he received during the years he spent out in the East. Now of course it isnt strict Buddhism per se, but truly qulity PHILOSOPHICAL literature stemming from a core of buddhist philosophy (and I must admit, I am not well versed in Buddhism myself so this part is what I know from reading and learning about Hesse), but I STRONGLY reccommend these three books- all very short, and EXTREMELY powerful!!
The Dalai Lama’s book, “Becoming Enlightened” is well worth your time! I am about halfway through and have learned so much. He shares his knowledge of the basics and his deeply authentic wisdom. I do not worship the Dalai Lama, but I do wholeheartedly believe that any time he speaks we would do well to listen. : )
'The Art of Living: Vipassana Meditation: As Taught by S. N. Goenka' by William Hart. This book covers the Buddhist philosophy well and the intrinsics of Vipassana. You can find this at Amazon.in. You can also read it online here. For more information on Vipassana and its teachers S.N.Goenka and Sayagyi U Ba Khin, you can go through the book 'The Clock of Vipassana Has Struck'. It focuses on the teachings and writings of Sayagyi U Ba Khin with commentary by S.N.Goenka. You can find this at Amazon.in. You can also read it online here.
Hello all Has anyone here ever come across a Zen Buddhism book titled [SIZE=11pt]“The Little Manual of Practice” (I believe it was written by Kuai Chan)[/SIZE]
I found a link to download it but I got one of those your computer is infected messages so I'd stay away.
And those who are thinking of practicing. Three types. ....and those who practice thinking. four types. and the practically thinking. Five types. Thinking practically... Six types.
The most accessible and least inscrutable books I know of are "Taking the Path of Zen", and "Mind of Clover", by Robert Aitken roshi.