Buddhism
Original Goodness/Noble Soul
Homage to the Perfection of Wisdom,
the Lovely, the Holy!
Bibliography
Buddhism:
Its essence and development
by Edward Conze, 1959
Buddhism Wisdom Books
Containing
The Diamond Sutra and The Heart Sutra
Translated and Explained
by Edward Conze, 1972
The Tibetan Book of the Dead
Compiled and edited by W. Y. Evans-Wentz, 1960
What the Buddha Taught
by Walpola Rahula, 1962
The Secret Oral Teaching in Tibetan Buddhist Sects
by Alexandra David-Neel and Lama Yongden, 1967
A Buddhist Bible
edited by Dwight Goddard
Introduction by Huston Smith, 1970
The Way of the White Clouds:
A Buddhist Pilgrim in Tibet
by Lama Anagarika Govinda, 1970
Magic and Mystery in Tibet
by Alexandra David-Neel, 1971
Buddhist Wisdom Books
Containing
The Diamond Sutra and The Heart Sutra
Translated and Explained
by Edward Conze, 1972
The Tantric Mysticism of Tibet
A practical guide to the theory, purpose,
and techniques of Tantric meditation
by John Blofeld, 1972
Psycho-cosmic Symbolism of the Buddhist Stupa
by Lama Anagarika Govinda, 1976
The Flower of Chinese Buddhism
by Daisaku Ikeda
translated by Burton Watson, 1986
Rebel Buddha
On the Road to Freedom
by Dzogchen Ponlop, 1993/2010
Thoughts without a Thinker
Psychotherapy from a Buddhist Perspective
by Mark Epstein, M.D.
Fordward by the Dalai Lama, 1995
A Path with Heart
A Guide through the Peirls of Spiritual Life
by Jack Kornfield, 1993
Whever You Go, There You Are
Mindfullness Meditation in Everyday Life
by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., 2005
Meditation for Beginners
by Jack Kornfield, 2008
The Wise Heart
A Guide to the Universal Teachings
of Buddhist Psychology
by Jack Kornfield, 2009
Bring Home the Dharma
Awkeing Right Where You Are
by Jack Korfield, 2012
Mindfulness for Beginners
Reclaiming the Present Moment and Your Life
by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., 2012
A Lamp in the Darkness
Illuminating the Path Through Difficult Times
by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., 2014
The Art of Noticing
by Ellen J. Langer, 2014
Los Angeles Times
Sunday, November 26, 2017
OP-ED Page A23
Mindfulness is not just a wellness fad
It may be tempting to dismiss 'mindfulness culture.'
But nearly four decades of research have shown
there are wide-ranging benefits to mindfulness itself.
By Ellen Langer
The heart of the Buddha's teaching lies in the Four Noble Truths
which he expounded in his very first sremon
to his old colleagues, the five ascetics, at Isipatana near Benares.
The Four Noble Truths
The First Noble Truth: Dukkha
The First Noble Truth is generaly translated as "The Noble Truth of Suffering", and
is interpreted to mean that life according to Buddhism is nothing but suffering and pain.
The Second Noble Truth:
Samudaya: 'The Arising of Dukkha'
The Second Noble Truth is that of the arising or origin of dukkha.
The most popular and well-known definition of the Second Truth
as found in innumerable places in the original texts runs as follows:
'It is this "thrist" (craving) which produces re-existenence and re-becoming,
and which is bound up with passionate greed, and which finds fresh delight now here and now there, namely, (1) thrist for sense-pleasures, (2) thirst for existence and becoming
and (3) thirst for non-existence (self-annihilation.
It is this 'thirst', desire, greed, craving, manifesting itself in various ways,
that gives rise to all forms of suffering and the continuity of beings.
The Third Noble Truth:
Nirodha: 'The Cessation of Dukkha'
The Third Noble Truth is that there is emancipation, liberation,
freedon from suffering, from the continuity of dukkha.
This is called the Noble Truth of the Cessation of dukkha, which is Nirvana.
To eliminate dukkha completely one has to eliminate the main root of dukkha,
which is 'thirst', as we saw earlier. Therefore Nirvana is known also by the term
Tanhakkaya 'Extinction of Thirst'.
The Fourth Noble Truth:
Magga: 'The Path'
The Fourth Noble Truth is that the Way leading to the Cessation of Dukkha,
This is known as the 'Middle Path', because it avoids two extrems:
one extreme being the search for happiness through the pleasures of the senses, which is 'low, common, unprofitable and the way of the ordinary people';
the other being the search for happiness trrough self-mortification
in different forms of asceticism, which is 'painful, unworthy and unprofitable'.
This Middle Path is generally referred to as the Noble Eightfold Path, because
it is composed of eight categories or divisions: namely,
The Noble Eightfold Path
1. Right Understanding
2. Right Thought
3. Right Speech
4. Right Action
5. Right Livelihood
6. Right Effort
7. Right Mindfulness
8. Right Concentration
Practically the whole teaching of the Buddha, to which he devoted himself during 45 years,
deals in some way or other with this Path.
These eight factors aim at promoting and perfecting the three essentials
of Buddhist training and discipline:
(a) Ethical Conduct (Sila), (b) Mental Discipline (Samadhi) and (c) Wisdom (Panna).
Meditation is in Buddhism easily the chief means of salvation.
The stress is throughout far less on "doing something" by overt action,
than on contemplation and mental discipline.
What one aims at is the control of mental processes by meditating on them.
The Four Jannas or Holy Stages
1. Compassion
2. Joy
3. Peace
4. Equanimity
Buddhist Meditation
Bare Attention
A period of silent attention to mind and body.
Note the physical sensations of the in and out breath.
Buddhist meditation takes the untrained, everyday mind
as its natural starting point, and it requires the development
of one particular attentional posture of naked, or bare, attention.
Defined as:
"The clear and single-minded awareness of what actually happens to us and in us at the successive moments of perception."
Bare attention takes this unexamined mind and opens it up by observing the mind, emotions, and body the way they are. It is the fundamendal tenet of Buddhist psychology that this kind of attention is, in itsetf, healing.
Concentration
In the Eightfold Path, the Buddha spoke specifically about cultivating two particular kinds of attention: concentration and mindfulness. They are not the same. Traditionally, concentration is taught first. By repeatedly returning one's attention to a central object of awareness---a word, a sound, a sensation, a visual image, or an idea---feelings of tranquility are generated in mind and body. The chattering, discursive mind is quieted, and the experiences of delight begin to unfold.
Mindfulness
The Buddha taught that one must not escape into the concentrated absorption of the tranquil mind but rather contemplate what he called the "Four Founations of Mindfulness," particularly the body, the feelings, the mind, and the thoughts and emotions, which he called "mental objects" or "mental factors." Like bare attention, mindfulness means being aware of exactly what is happing in the mind and body as it is occurring: what it reveals is how much of a flux we are in at all times.
Mindfulness
To be more present; Moment to moment awareness.
Zen Buddhism
Zen Flesh Zen Bones
A Collection of Zen and Pre-Zen Writings
Compiled by Paul Reps and Nyogen Senzaki, 1957/85
Zen in English Literature and Oriental Classics
by R. H. Blyth, 1960
A History of Zen Buddhism
by Heinrich Dumoulin, S. J.
Translated from the German
by Paul Peachey, 1963
Manual of Zen Buddhism
by D. T. Suzuki, 1960
Essays in Zen Buddhism: First Series
by D. T. Suzuki, 1961
An Introduction to Zen Buddhism
by D. T. Suzuki, 1964
The Field of Zen
by D. T. Suzuki, 1969
What is Zen?
by D. T. Suzuki, 1971
Zen and Japanese Culture
by Daisetz T. Suzuki, 1971
Zen in the Art of Archery
by Eugen Herrigel, 1971
The Method of Zen
by Eugen Herrigel, 1974
The Three Pillars of Zen:
Teaching Practice Enlightenment
Compiled and Edited
by Philip Kapleau, 1972
The Sound of the One Hand:
281 Zen Koans with Answers
Translated with a Commentary
by Yoel Hoffmann, 1975
Zen Mind Beginner's Mind
by Shunryu Suzuki, 1976
Zen in the Art of Flower Arrangement
by Gustie L. Herrigel, 1979
Zen and Zen Classics Volume Five
by R. H. Blyth, 1979
Zen Enlightenment:
Origins and Meaning
by Heinrich Dumoulin, 1985
The True Dharma Eye
Zen Master's Dogen's
Three Hundred Koans
with Commentary and Verse
by John Daido Loori
Translated by
Kazuaki Tanahashi and John Daido Loori, 2005
Buddhist Meditation
Bare Attention
A period of silent attention to mind and body.
Note the physical sensations of the in and out breath.
Buddhist meditation takes the untrained, everyday mind
as its natural starting point, and it requires the development
of one particular attentional posture of naked, or bare, attention.
Defined as:
"The clear and single-minded awareness of what actually happens to us and in us at the successive moments of perception."
Bare attention takes this unexamined mind and opens it up by observing the mind, emotions, and body the way they are. It is the fundamendal tenet of Buddhist psychology that this kind of attention is, in itsetf, healing.
Concentration
In the Eightfold Path, the Buddha spoke specifically about cultivating two particular kinds of attention: concentration and mindfulness. They are not the same. Traditionally, concentration is taught first. By repeatedly returning one's attention to a central object of awareness---a word, a sound, a sensation, a visual image, or an idea---feelings of tranquility are generated in mind and body. The chattering, discursive mind is quieted, and the experiences of delight begin to unfold.
Mindfulness
The Buddha taught that one must not escape into the concentrated absorption of the tranquil mind but rather contemplate what he called the "Four Founations of Mindfulness," particularly the body, the feelings, the mind, and the thoughts and emotions, which he called "mental objects" or "mental factors." Like bare attention, mindfulness means being aware of exactly what is happing in the mind and body as it is occurring: what it reveals is how much of a flux we are in at all times.
Mindfulness
To be more present; Moment to moment awareness.
Last Updated: 10/19/22 |