Buddha

[Grandpa Greenman]

As part of my Druidry I need to learn more about the Buddha. What is a good introduction read or site?

[The Id3al Experience]

There is so many variations just like any for buddhism, I follow a more philiophical sence of buddhism called Zen. A chineses/Japanese Philophy build of the foundations of buddhism.

A few Sorces that were helpful for me:

http://www.buddhanet...g/intro_bud.htm

But this is a Nice PDF that sums it up and gives a good understanding on Mantras and things of the sort too

www.thebigview.com/download/buddhism.pdf

About the Buddha himself, well this is a good quick read

http://www.biography.com/people/buddha-9230587

Hope that helps anyways.

‎

Edited June 25, 2013 by The Id3al Experience

[Bendy Demon]

So..what is with the chubby guy that people call "Buddha"?

I read that he was just one aspect of the Buddha or something.

There are different statues of the chubby guy; one is dancing, another holding what looks to be a bowl over his head and so forth.

Is this jolly guy a misrepresentation or a mistaken identity?

[The Id3al Experience]

You are most likely refereing to Budai. This is a common confusion.

Normally referred to as the laughing buddha, or the Good luck buddha.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budai

Edited June 25, 2013 by The Id3al Experience

[Insanity]

I would suggest 'What the Buddha Taught' by Dr Walpola Rahula.

[StarMountainKid]

I'm no expert on the subject, this is just my opinions.

I suppose there are many introductions to the Buddha. I think all will agree with each other in general, but there are many different interpretations of Buddha and of Buddhism, as there are many interpretations of Christianity and of Jesus. So, whatever you read will have its own slant on what the Buddha taught and what Buddhism is.

In my view, the original teachings of the Buddha were psychological in nature. Later, Buddhism became a religion in many parts of the world. The Buddha disliked all religions, and when questioned would remain silent on the subject.

I would say Zen is the simplest and the closest to original Buddhism. Then again, Zen has a lot of Taoist influence in it.

Since the first written teaching of the Buddha were produced about four hundred and fifty years after the Buddha's death, I don't think we can know exactly what the original Buddha's teachings were, except perhaps for the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path and the Five Precepts..

Edited June 25, 2013 by StarMountainKid

[redhen]

Not sure what the connection to Buddhism is for a Druid, but here's a decent documentary on the life of the Buddha.

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There are so many branches and schools, it would be hard to recommend where to start. But Zen Buddhism seems to be popular in the West as there is not so much cultural baggage.

[DeWitz]

The best book about "generic" Buddhism is entitled, If You See the Buddha on the Road, Kill Him . It came out in the '80's, but I cannot recall the author. As a religious professional I have studied several forms of Buddhism over the years. All I have learned is that: 1) Buddhism is not a religion; 2) the essence of Buddhism is detachment from this carnal world, full of suffering which is, after all, an 'illusion;' 3) most Buddhists are pacifists, although in Myanmar (formerly Burma) there is a militant movement of Buddhists in which devotees have attacked and burned Muslims and their mosques; 4) every spiritual movement is full of contradictions and blind spots.

Edited June 25, 2013 by szentgyorgy

[Grandpa Greenman]

You can be a Druid and follow any path, learning from other paths is apart of it. I don't single out one guru to follow I explore all of them. There are some Buddhist who come to our circles I think a discussion would be worth while.

[StarMountainKid]

I would just add that there is religious Buddhism, philosophical Buddhism, and ethical Buddhism. I would also add a transcendent Buddhism, a state of consciousness in which the many manifestations of experience all become one, a unity wherein the self dissolves or merges into the One, where there is no separation between the objective and subjective.

A question asked of the Zen Master Huang Po (?-849)

Q: What Dharma do all the Buddhas teach when they manifest themselves in the world?

A: When all the Buddhas manifest themselves in the world, they proclaim nothing but the One Mind. Thus Gautama Buddha silently transmitted the doctrine that the One Mind, which is the substance of all things and fills the entire world of phenomena. Discuss it as you may, how can you even hope to approach the truth through words? Nor can it be perceived either subjectively or objectively. So, full understanding can come to you only through an inexpressible mystery. The approach to it is called the Gateway of the Stillness beyond all Activity. If you wish to understand, know that a sudden comprehension comes when the mind has been purged of all the clutter of conceptual and discriminatory thought-activity. Those who seek the truth by means of intellect and learning only get further and further away from it.

Not till your thoughts cease all their branching here and there, not till you abandon all thoughts of seeking for something, not till your mind is motionless as wood or stone, will you be on the right road to the Gate.

Edited June 25, 2013 by StarMountainKid

[redhen]

I would say Zen is the simplest and the closest to original Buddhism. Then again, Zen has a lot of Taoist influence in it.

Indeed. Not surprising since Zen evolved out of Chan which was a Chinese term for the Sanskrit dhyana(meditation). So if you're lazy, just head over to Youtube and watch all the old David Carradine Kung Fu tv series, Grasshopper.

nb. textual criticism is not just for Christianity, the same method is applied to Buddhism with similar results. It seems now that there were different interpretations and teachings right from the start.

[Grandpa Greenman]

nb. textual criticism is not just for Christianity, the same method is applied to Buddhism with similar results. It seems now that there were different interpretations and teachings right from the start.

Which is why Druids don't follow a single guru or sacred text.

Edited June 25, 2013 by Darkwind

[The Id3al Experience]

Which is why Druids don't follow a single guru or sacred text.

neither should a true buddhist. He should follow himself.

[redhen]

Which is why Druids don't follow a single guru or sacred text.

Then you also have something in common with Jainism.

"Anekāntavāda (Devanagari: अनेकान्तवाद) is one of the most important and fundamental doctrines of Jainism. It refers to the principles of pluralism and multiplicity of viewpoints, the notion that truth and reality are perceived differently from diverse points of view, and that no single point of view is the complete truth"

Yes, I lifted my avatar from the Jain symbol, minus the Swastika because, well you know.

What's always amazed me is the time period when all these religions and philosophies developed, Buddhism, Jainism, Greek philosophy, Taoism and Confucianism, the Old Testament, all were developed during the Axial Age. It must have been a very special time.

[Bendy Demon]

You are most likely refereing to Budai. This is a common confusion.

Normally referred to as the laughing buddha, or the Good luck buddha.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budai

Thanks a heap for the link. It makes more sense but it seems odd that even among Buddhists there seems to be differing opinions.

As a sidenote I, or rather my father, had a big Buddha statue who had a happy dragon draped over his shoulders.

Thinking back I wish he hadn't given it away.

But at any rate thanks.

There are many people who think Buddhism is a religion when it is just a philosophy..Buddha, as I recall, was merely giving his views and was not demanding that others follow him or be sent to eternal torment (like some religions claim).

But like with all philosophies there are things in Buddhism I do not go along with..especially the whole "Life is suffering" bit..focusing on it so much that balance is being sacrificed right there. To me life is just life...not good, not bad...things happen that hurt us and things happen that help us and some things just leave you going "Huh?".

[ChloeB]

As part of my Druidry I need to learn more about the Buddha. What is a good introduction read or site?

Stephen Batchelor has a book called Buddhism without Beliefs that I liked, short, simple, nice primer into the basics of it.

[Grandpa Greenman]

Thank you all so much, for your help. Hippie flowers and peace all around.

[redhen]

I'll offer one more short video, a collection of wisdom sayings of the Buddha. Some are from the sutras (canonical texts) others from the dhammapada, which are the alleged sayings of the Buddha. While not a sacred text, the dhammapada has been held in high regard for a long time.

While you won't find the core beliefs of Buddhism presented here, it does give you a taste of Buddhist attitudes.

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[The Id3al Experience]

Thanks a heap for the link. It makes more sense but it seems odd that even among Buddhists there seems to be differing opinions.

As a sidenote I, or rather my father, had a big Buddha statue who had a happy dragon draped over his shoulders.

Thinking back I wish he hadn't given it away.

But at any rate thanks.

There are many people who think Buddhism is a religion when it is just a philosophy..Buddha, as I recall, was merely giving his views and was not demanding that others follow him or be sent to eternal torment (like some religions claim).

But like with all philosophies there are things in Buddhism I do not go along with..especially the whole "Life is suffering" bit..focusing on it so much that balance is being sacrificed right there. To me life is just life...not good, not bad...things happen that hurt us and things happen that help us and some things just leave you going "Huh?".

As meany buddhist would tell you, you cannot put something so complex is something not complex like languge, It losing its meaning for there isnt enough vocabulary to explain what its all about.

We tend to think in a very symbolic-meaning way - I see a cup - I assiocate that oject 'cup' with the word ' cup' and the definition of 'cup'. So when I see a cup that doesnt quiet look like a ;cup; I question its existence, but even its definition.

Same with Buddhism. or any spritual path I guess.

There is no ONE way, therefore there technically no ONE buddhism. Hence the variation. You get that with all regilous outfits.

Buddhism is the way of the mind, soul, body - therefore we cannot follow the 'buddhist' way as there really is only your way, which in turn is deferent to my way.

The thing one must realise is the consistancies with each religon baring the most fundermental truths of the human experience. And we all know each regilon has had human leaders, with ther interprations and people follow blindly - Buddhism isnt any different.

Edited June 25, 2013 by The Id3al Experience

[SHaYap]

The best book about "generic" Buddhism is entitled, If You See the Buddha on the Road, Kill Him . It came out in the '80's, but I cannot recall the author.

~snip

Sheldon B Kopp ... THe Pilgrimage of Psychotherapy Patients

mine is Bantam ISBN 0-553-27832-0>>495

Its as much about Psychotherapy as it is about Buddhism / Zen

"The most important things that each man must learn no one else can teach him. Once he accepts this disappointment, he will be able to stop depending on the therapist, the guru who turns out to be just another struggling human being. "

__________________________________

I mostly recommend :

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Siddhartha, by Herman Hesse

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with

almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or

re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included

with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org

Title: Siddhartha

Author: Herman Hesse

Translator: Gunther Olesch, Anke Dreher, Amy Coulter, Stefan Langer and Semyon Chaichenets

Release Date: April 6, 2008 [EBook #2500]

Last updated: July 2, 2011

Last updated: January 23, 2013

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SIDDHARTHA ***

Produced by Michael Pullen, Chandra Yenco, Isaac Jones

It gives a western oriented mind the solid footing to approach the Eastern texts without the mumbo jumbo expectations of 'enlightenment'

it makes texts like :

Zen Classics: Formative Texts in the History of Zen Buddhism

STEVEN HEINE DALE S. WRIGHT, Editors

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS

an easier path for comprehension ...

Then the ancient texts like :

The Gateless Gate ( Sacred-texts.com )

The Gateless Gate or The Gateless Barrier (Chin. Wu-wen kuan; Jap. Mumonkan)

The author is Chinese Ch'an master Wu-men Hui-hai (無門慧開 Mumon Ekai, 1183-1260).

English Translation

By late Zen master Katsuki Sekida (Two Zen Classics 26-137)

a clear pool of mirror like reflection ...

Of course there are many ... countless in fact ... just from the English publications alone ... Gary Zhukav 'The Dancing Wu Li MAsters ... [Fritjof_Capra]_The_Tao_of_Physics ... all great introductions to the basic outlook of Buddhist outlook and basic percepts ...

Then if going to the greater depths would be the sutras .... those ... is a whole entire different world ...

~

[Beany]

A scholarly text about the history of Buddhism might be helpful, as religion, like other social institutions, reflect societal norms & thinking. I took a class at the university I work for on the history of China, Japan, & Korea, and learned some things about Buddhism that won't be found in religious texts. I think the history of any religious institution is as informative as the dogma.

[kajiwara]

ive recently started learning about Buddhism im currently reading a few books by author G.K Gyatso that cover the the three main schools of buddhism and zen which im enjoying alot..also essential buddhism by Jack maguire is a good read

Edited June 30, 2013 by kajiwara

[+Sherapy]

As part of my Druidry I need to learn more about the Buddha. What is a good introduction read or site?

I thoroughly enjoyed this one Darkwind, I feel this course is beautifully done, even the meditations are explored. The professor captures the essence of Buddhism in her presentation, to/for me.

http://educhoices.or...Psychology.html

Edited June 30, 2013 by Sherapy

[redhen]

. The professor captures the essence of Buddhism in her presentation, to/for me.

http://educhoices.or...Psychology.html

Sure, you can strip out the religious and metaphysical aspects of Buddhism to make it more palatable in the West, but that's like "Christians" who strip away Jesus's teachings on the eternal fires of hell.

If all you are after is Vipassana meditation and mindfulness based stress reduction, you're just as well off taking MBSR or CBT programs.

[The Lone Ranger]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsEksMEE2Eg