November 10, 2007
Recommended Reading: Buddhism
Recommended Reading: A Spiritual Reading List
Selected Topics
Selected Topics
Buddhism
According to this former Buddhist monk, you don’t need to believe anything in order to apply the practices of Buddhism such as mindfulness. Much of it comes down to being fully awake and present from moment to moment.
Bhante Henepola Gunaratana. Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness: Walking the Buddha's Path. ISBN: 0861711769
Happiness is a skill. According to Gunaratana (a Buddhist monk from Sri Lanka), “The present moment is your teacher.” The eight steps to happiness (the Buddhist noble eightfold path) are: skillful understanding, skillful thinking, skillful speech, skillful action, skillful livelihood, skillful effort, skillful mindfulness, and skillful concentration.
Happiness is a skill. According to Gunaratana (a Buddhist monk from Sri Lanka), “The present moment is your teacher.” The eight steps to happiness (the Buddhist noble eightfold path) are: skillful understanding, skillful thinking, skillful speech, skillful action, skillful livelihood, skillful effort, skillful mindfulness, and skillful concentration.
Bhante Henepola Gunaratana. Mindfulness in Plain English. ISBN: 0861713214
This book is a Theravadan Buddhist meditation manual emphasizing Vipassana (insight) meditation. Theravada means “Doctrine of the Elders.” Gunaratana emphasizes that mindfulness is the key to waking up. Excellent for beginners. Learn it quickly, master it over a lifetime.
Steve Hagen. Buddhism Plain and Simple. ISBN: 0767903323
According to Hagen, Buddhism “is…about awareness. Not awareness of something in particular, but awareness itself, being awake, alert, in touch with what is actually happening. It’s about examining and exploring the most basic questions of life. It’s about relying on the immediate experience of this present moment. It’s about freedom of mind.”
Thich Nhat Hanh. Heart of Buddha’s Teaching. ISBN: 0767903692
Thich Nhat Hanh’s skill as a poet is apparent in this excellent introduction to Buddhism. All of Hanh’s writing emphasizes mindfulness—being fully present in the now moment.
The Dalai Lama and Jeffrey Hopkins. How to Practice: The Way to a Meaningful Life. ISBN: 0743427084
The Dalai Lama teaches how to make every action part of your spiritual practice and, in doing so, create a meaningful life filled with happiness. He recommends disconnecting the attachment of your happiness from the material circumstances of your life and opening instead to the true source of your happiness which is your inner peace of mind. There is a section on Buddhist Tantra and a discussion of how sexuality can be used in the search for peace and kindness. Dalai Lama means “ocean of wisdom.” The fourteenth Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso) won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 as the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet. At the age of two, in accordance with Tibetan tradition, he was recognized as the reincarnation of his predecessor, the thirteenth Dalai Lama. In 1950 (the year of the Chinese invasion of Tibet), at age 16, he was called upon to assume full political power and leadership. Since 1960 he has resided in Dharamsala, India, aptly known as “Little Lhasa,” the seat of the Tibetan government in exile.
Sharon Salzberg. Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness. ISBN: 1570621764
Salzberg is founder of the Insight Meditation Society in Massachusetts. Her loving kindness (compassion) meditations are designed to help you realize deeper connections of intimacy with others and peace of mind within. She encourages you not just to think about loving kindness but to take action.
Salzberg is founder of the Insight Meditation Society in Massachusetts. Her loving kindness (compassion) meditations are designed to help you realize deeper connections of intimacy with others and peace of mind within. She encourages you not just to think about loving kindness but to take action.
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