/lit/ - Literature

>>18495628
You could start with the dhammapada (teachings of the buddha), the Holy Scripture of the Buddhists (Pali Canon) is massive (pic)
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/dhp/dhp.intro.budd.html

>>18495661
Are there any good secondary materials out there? I know Thannissaro Bhikku is held in pretty high regard but many of his words are hard to come by. Other than him, the only "legit" Bhikku I can think of is Bhikku Bohdi, though im not too sure about him for obvious reasons.

>>18495679
There is probably a lot of good secondary material out there, I haven't read much of it.

>>18495628
If you want the "actual tradition" you will have to go to the places the tradition is still alive and immerse yourself there. You will not get it from a book.

guenon

>>18495707
Most cities have temples nowadays, my friend became a monk for a few years.

>>18495679
>im not too sure about him for obvious reasons
I don't think you're cut out for this. Guy becomes a legit monk and devotes his life to practicing and studying something you want to know more about and that's your attitude?

>>18495707
traditionalistfag

>>18495750
In fact no, I'm only familiarized with them and the phrase "detached from the actual tradition" triggered me to respond as if the OP was in that mindset.

>>18495628

>>18495628
practice buddhism. meditate and cultivate mindfulness and compassion. it is as intuitive as it is rational

>>18495734
Its not my fault the main purveyors of silicon valley secular mindfulness stuff come from a similar background as Bodhi. Maybe he's legit, I'm not sure.

>>18495862
Can you figure out the difference between the people who run multinational corporations worth billions of dollars and do everything they can to make more money, and someone who becomes a monk?

Has anyone encountered Jayatilleke? He has some nice general works on Buddhism and came highly recommended to me.

>>18495804
This one seems interesting, what is it about?

>>18495894
Is he legit or is he not? He seems legit to me, but I don't know.

>>18495628
Unironically read translations of the Nikayas (some of the original texts) along with the introductory commentary and notes that the translator gives with it. Get Maurice Walshe's translations. I'm telling you now that no "summary", especially by Westerners, does it justice.

>>18496917
I've read his translation and introduction and notes of the Majjhima Nikaya which I think was probably last partially translated over a hundred years ago as part of the "sacred books of the east" project. So unless you want to learn Pali it's really the only complete translation. But really if you end up reading a lot of Buddhist literature translated into English by different writers you'll eventually pick up 50-100 terms in Sanskrit/Pali and moreover be able to recognize when someone has translated something awkwardly, because nine times out of ten a decent translator will actually leave most of the vocabulary intact, ie. Nirvana/Nibbana is not translated as enlightenment.
>>18496932
Walshe is just the Digha Nikaya iirc. But similar case to Bodhi; really the only complete translation. I think the BDK series also has one of the nikayas translated (but pretty sure it's from the Japanese/Chinese canon, which would make it a translation of a translation)

The best book for you is 'The Foundations of Buddhism' by Rupert Gethin, it's very short and very readable
The next step would depend on what you wanted to get out of Buddhism and what you liked.

Read Essays in Theravada Buddhism by Pannobhasa Bhikkhu - a based and redpilled take on Buddhist topics.

Buddhism as Philosophy by Siderits is pretty good.

>>18495707
You mean places like most major cities in the west?

Don't waste your time on those brain dead nihilists who got BTFO in India so bad they never returned. Study Hinduism instead.

>>18497075
>

>>18497075
The fuck is the point of your post?

>>18497095
He shouldn't waste his time studying sophistry which was thoroughly refuted centuries ago.

>Don't waste your time with sophistry, play with cow dung instead

>>18497115
What makes it not worth studying exactly?

>>18497075
This thread is now blessed by Jamgön Ju Mipham Gyatso. Understanding that Consciousness and Emptiness are non-dual will rise from the ocean of nectar like a white lotus, but only if you post "/lit/ forced guenonfag to read a book" in this thread

How do I get better at meditation. I try to do strong determination sits. I managed half an hour today morning, but a lot of it I spent distracted and looking at the clock, I can’t focus consistently for that long

>>18497000
There are also the complete translations of the Nikayas by the Pali Text Society in the early 20th century, they are available for download on archive.org

>>18497122
>cow dung
nice

>>18495628
https://www.wisdomlib.org/buddhism

>>18497038
>based and redpilled
>>>/pol/

>>18497532
Try to practice controlling your thoughts throughout the day. So if you're in the car or shower and notice yourself daydreaming or thinking about stuff that doesn't really matter, stop yourself and focus on your breath. Try to get to 10 breaths, or even 5 at first. It's like learning to lift weights, you have to start slow.
Also look into walking meditation if you find it hard to sit still.
>>18495679
dhammatalks.net has writings by tons of monks. Ajahn Chah is listed at the top and lots of people enjoy him.

>>18499225
>Try to practice controlling your thoughts throughout the day.
>controlling your thoughts
retard

>>18497038
This.

>>18495628
The Dhammapada and then Understanding Our Mind by Thich Nhat Hanh

>>18495628

Well, avoid the whole "Spirit Rock" brigade, like Bhikkhu (((Bodhi))) and company. Their "Buddhism" is whatever they want it to be, and they want it to be a commodity sellable to the SJW crowd...
Unfortunately, up until now most attempts at presenting Buddhism to Occidental audiences have managed to water down, ignore and/or contradict the basic tenets of Buddhism, catering to the socio-political prejudices of their left-wing, NPC audience. These audiences subsequently spend a lot of money on a "Buddhism" which does little more than give them reassurance about, and enablement of, their decadent lifestyles.
The one thing that most of these modern teachers want to avoid is anything that contradicts the prejudices of their audience, or make them in any way uncomfortable!
And this is a great pity, since serious students who are seeking a path to enlightenment will turn away in disgust from such teachings. "This is Buddhism?" they will say, and will thus miss an opportunity to have access to the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha. It is through the Sangha that the average seeker encounters the Dhamma on the way to the Buddha, and when the "Sangha" is a joke, and the "Dhamma" no more than excuses for degeneracy, one is not likely to find the Buddha!
Real Buddhism is a demanding path, very difficult to live up to, and totally incompatible with a lot of the ideas held by the average audience of paying "seekers" at Spirit Rock.
There are a few decent books about Buddhism, though.
Looking at Western writers (who are often more accessible to the Western student), for the Theravada School you can't go wrong with /ourmonk/ Pannobhassa Bhikkhu's latest, Essays in Theravada Buddhism, a collection of his very insightful writings on the subject as well as some of his original translations from Pali. It gives a good look at what Buddhism actually is, as opposed to what they sell you as "Buddhism" at Spirit Rock.
So far as Mahayana/Vajrayana Buddhism goes, I recommend Alexandra David-Neel's The Secret Oral Teachings in Tibetan Buddhist Sects. This is an excellent description of Nagarjuna, whose work is central to all Mahayanist schools.
These two will reference other writers, including primary sources, which the reader can use as a springboard to further research.

>>18499504
https://suttacentral.net/mn20/en/sujato
There are types of meditation where you allow thoughts to come and go, and just observe them, but that doesn't seem like what the above poster was trying to do.

>>18497165
/lit/ forced guenonfag to read a book

Unironically, just read this and work towards Bhakti. Buddhism is incredibly incompatible with Western conditioning. Hindu paths of Jñāna, Bhakti and Karma yoga are far more compatible.

Ramana Maharshi is good too. Although, Western audiences typically read a book about his teachings, try to understand and then forget in a year or so. Bhakti is better for westerners.

>>18500645
>don't care about eternal divine truths, just read whatever is easiest for someone of your upbringing
I'm an atheist but that's idiotic.

>>18500654
Bhagavad Gita and Śrīmad Bhāgavatam are full of divine truths.

Just offering advice to the Westerners. You can choose to follow Buddhism, but will probably see little in way of satiation or satisfaction in practice. I run into Westerners that follow the Buddhist path and it doesn't work well with their conditioning and they end up never getting it. I swear it shrivels up some Western men into complainers. Westerners who follow the Bhakti tend to get along much better.

>>18500645
It's as if you've never seen any western hare krishnas in person. I don't see how that would be any more 'compatible' with angloid religious attitudes.

>>18500718
You may be confused with the material aspect of the practice.

It is helpful for the Westerner to be reminded of the rejection of the material. It is a more defined practice that Westerners can hang their hat on. The compatibility is all in practice. Westerners who practice Bhakti yoga yield better results. Westerners who practice Buddhism don't yield such great results.

>>18500753
I can't even begin to imagine how you would measure who has the more compatible form of yoga for westerners. But if I had to guess by numbers, I am almost positive that given the various watered down retreat centers all over the US, France, UK etc. the buddhists outnumber the hare krishnas. And if you are so thoroughly attached to being able to call yourself a westerner following western-compatible yoga, what is it exactly you are trying to achieve again?

>>18500773
Christianity is similar to Bhakti in that it is a devotional type of spirituality, no?

"Hare Krishnas" are just one type of Bhakti. Buddhism is easier to sell. Big sales does not reflect the efficacy of the product.

I am not trying to achieve anything. Merely suggesting that Westerners yield better results on the path of Bhakti. I love Buddhism.

>>18500822
>Christianity is similar to Bhakti in that it is a devotional type of spirituality, no?
As far as I can tell, plenty of westerners approach Buddhism the same way, as if the Buddha is a less judgmental Jesus.

>>18500845
In my experience Western devotion of Jesus is different than Western devotion of Buddha. I see a lot of Western Buddhists stripping away devotional aspects.

My point was that Bhakti yoga is more similar to Christianity than Buddhism.

>>18500888
>My point was that Bhakti yoga is more similar to Christianity than Buddhism
I would think that would work against it, since the non-immigrant western adherents of Asian religions are almost universally apostates of Abrahamic religion

>>18500926
They are already conditioned to devotional types of spirituality. Merely one reason I think Westerners have more success with Bhakti.

I think the corrosiveness of capitalism is another reason there is a decline in devotional spiritual paths. It's much easier to be a practicing Western Buddhist than a practicing Bhakti Yogi in our society. Possibly that commitment to the path and the rejection of the material is another reason why Bhakti's have more rewarding spiritual paths.

>>18503263
Wtf I love Jesus now