Ask HN: Buddhism Anyone been looking into Buddhism? it sounds like a very Interesting religion if it is religion or more about the brain than anything. Share some good resources or knowledge to learning more about mind training and buddhism. Books or audio |
All you really need to know is how to meditate. Sit somewhere (doesn't have to be cross legged, can be in a comfy chair if you wish). Close your eyes. Breathe naturally.
The key to meditation is to observe without reaction. It's common to start by observing your breathing, as this can have a calming effect.
Your mind will frequently try to distract you. Recognise that it is happening, but without judging yourself then return to observing your breath. In time as your awareness builds it may be possible to take more in, but the idea at first is to improve the stillness of your mind, and it is easier to do that when you can focus on something like your breathing.
There are a multitude of interpretations about what you learn about yourself from meditation. If I told you what I thought it meant I'd put barriers in the way of you finding your own interpretation. That's all reading the books will do too. Your experience is your primary guide, any other sources should be in addition to your experience, to offer guidance to make sense of the experience, but not the focus.
Good luck.
What The Buddha Taught: http://amzn.com/0802130313. A straightforward overview of the foundations of Buddhism.
Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism: http://amzn.com/1570629579. In your journey, your ego will be tempted to claim your spirituality for itself. Don't let that happen.
Mindfulness In Plain English: http://amzn.com/0861719069. A classic introduction to meditation.
Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: http://amzn.com/1590308492. A mind-opening taste of Zen, and a classic. Read with your heart, not your brain.
Other recommended Zen authors: Seung Sahn. Taizan Maezumi. Brad Warner. The aforementioned Alan Watts.
Also, an invaluable online resource: http://www.accesstoinsight.org, especially essays by Thanissaro Bhikkhu: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/index....
There are also many fantastic essays on Tricycle: http://www.tricycle.com
Finally: reading about Buddhism is like reading about the most delicious food. It won't satisfy your hunger. It's mind-medicine - only for your mind. The only soul-medicine is sitting down every day on a cushion and looking at a white wall. (Or variations thereof.) You cannot reach enlightenment and save all beings from suffering by reading a book. Don't take my word for it - you have to see for yourself.
However I recommend that the single best thing you can do early on, either to figure out if this is anything your interested in or to actually get to the matter of the thing, which is to say to appreciate the practice of it, is to visit a zen center and take some sort of intro to zazen. It wasn't until I tried zazen that I felt I really 'got' what all the thinking is about.
I also found this article on Nietzsche and what impact the lineage of Buddhist thinking had on his thought (and by extension, Freud, who is widely speculated to have taken a lot of his ideas about the unconscious from Nietzsche) to be instrumental in deepening my understanding of Buddhism: http://www.westernbuddhistreview.com/vol1/god_is_dead.html
The ancient Masters
were damn impressive.
They were deep. Real deep.
Words can't even begin to describe
how deep they were.
You can only talk
about how they acted.
They were careful,
like a man walking on thin ice.
They were cautious,
like a soldier behind enemy lines.
They were polite,
like a guest at a party.
They moved quickly, like melting ice.
They were as plain as a block of wood.
Their minds were as wide as a valley,
and their hearts as clear as spring water.
Can you wait
for that kind of openness and clarity
before you try to understand the world?
Can you hold still
until events have unfolded
before you do the right thing?
When you act without expectations,
you can accomplish great things.I can recommend http://zenhabits.net/lg a book about letting go, a concept so hard to do and so easy to say :)
Edit: the best book about Taiosm that explains Lao Tzu's words is http://www.amazon.com/The-Tao-Speaks-Lao-Tzus-Whispers/dp/03...
Zen Buddhism and Alan Watts (aeon.co) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8411762
The Wisdom of Alan Watts in Four Thought-Provoking Animations - http://www.openculture.com/2014/11/the-wisdom-of-alan-watts-...