The Heart Of Buddha's Teaching

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Sorry, because there is no leap of faith, I can't swallow this whole. In Catholicism, too much faith. In Buddhism too little faith. Translator Bhikkhu Bodhi provides an insightful, in-depth introduction, a guide to the individual suttas, extensive notes, a list of parallels to the discourses of the Suttanipāta, and a list of the numerical sets mentioned in the commentaries. This is a very tough book to rate or review - the 5 star rating is largely on an emotional basis, as many parts of this book were absolutely brilliant!

In this volume acclaimed scholar-monk Bhikkhu Bodhi has collected and translated the Buddha’s teachings on conflict resolution, interpersonal and social problem-solving, and the forging of harmonious relationships. The selections, all drawn from the Pāli Canon, the earliest record of the Buddha’s discourses, are organized into ten thematic chapters. The chapters deal with such topics as the quelling of anger, good friendship, intentional communities, the settlement of disputes, and the establishing of an equitable society. Each chapter begins with a concise and informative introduction by the translator that guides us toward a deeper understanding of the texts that follow. It covers a lot of ground, and maybe it’s one of those books that one really needs to re-read before getting it completely, and I think I will do that in some time. But I got a lot out of it anyway. Especially the first half.

Eight Right Practices of Buddhism (The Fourth Noble Truth)

A remedy for a suffering you and a suffering world. No violence, no smiting, no hate, nobody is better than you so lose the ignorance and learn some truth. this is a very useful book for me, helping to clarify exactly what is the difference between religious and philosophical texts, what I like about Buddhist thought, what I learn, what I generally do not note. as far as difference: ethical assertions within a metaphysical superstructure, ontological arguments, referring often to texts or authorities or stories, is religion. conceptual exploration of said superstructure, of metaphysics, of arguments, referring often to other philosophical texts, is philosophy... The most ardent skeptic about Buddhism will be moved by this book. If you think Buddhism is a lot of bunk and that you can solve the problems of live on your own, think again. The path of happiness comes from all edges of the forest. This book will lead you to a clearing in your life. For a thinking person, a person with an open heart and an open mind, this book is truly tranformative. Read it aloud to yourself and to others. Everyone will benefit.

The flip side to this is that the comprehensiveness of this book, coupled with the abstract, philosophical nature of many of the teachings, can get overwhelming after a point, if the reader is not careful in pacing the read. Add to this the fact that many of the teachings in the second half of the book are very similar in essence to the teachings in the first half (at least, appeared that way to me on a first reading) even if arrived at differently, and it is very easy to get the teachings mixed up by the end. This could be intentional as it is reiterated several times in the book that if someone understands one teaching completely, they would understand all of them. In any case, it is probably unimportant to know the exact source of a particular teaching or the jargon for a casual reader, who is more interested in getting a general idea of the Buddha's teachings and how they can be applied to their daily life. In that regard, this book more than serves its purpose. Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist, which is one of many traditions of Buddhism, and there are passages about the Vietnam War, and one of his students being killed. Perhaps this is not the right view of Buddhism for me. The elements of the Eightfold Path are Right View, Right Thinking, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Diligence, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration. The elements are interdependent—to practice one is necessarily to practice all the others—and all are oriented toward the cultivation of compassion and the alleviation of suffering. Introduced with a vivid account of the Buddha’s life and times and a short survey of his teachings, The Long Discourses of the Buddha brings us closer in every way to the wise and compassionate presence of Gotama Buddha and his path of truth. And now, I must explain the 5 star rating. I cannot recall the last time that a piece of writing has had an almost therapeutic effect on me. The language is simple, but often very soothing and has a lyrical flow, especially in the first half where we learn about The Noble Eightfold Path. My favorite part of this book was when he talks about the importance of resting adequately - just reading the words made me feel relaxed and refreshed (also, I will never forget his advice to rest like an animal!). It is possible that I was in exactly the right frame of mind while reading this, but I believe it also has to do with the care and affection Thich Nhat Hanh has exercised in writing this book. There is a chapter dedicated to mindful communication (Right Speech) and its benefits on both the communicator as well as the recipient - this book (which the author mentions was written with mindfulness) is a strong example of the difference that writing with mindfulness can make on the reader. For that alone, I give it 5 stars!Imagine a circle divided in two. Below is the store consciousness and above is mind consciousness. All mental formations lie deep down in our store consciousness. Every seed in our store consciousness can be touched and manifests itself on the upper level, namely our mind consciousness. Continued practice means trying our best not to allow the negative seeds in our store consciousness to be touched in our daily life, not to give them a chance to manifest themselves. The seeds of anger, discrimination, despair, jealousy, and craving are all there. We do what we can to prevent them from coming up. We tell the people we live with, 'If you truly love me, don't water these seeds in me. It is not good for my health or yours.' We have to recognized the kinds of seeds not to be watered. If it happens that a negative seed, the seed of an affliction, is watered and manifests itself, we do everything in our power to embrace it with ou The book also contains a good deal that would be of value to a more experienced practitioner. Yes, it’s good as a reminder of the basic teachings but the poetry and imagery of this work make it well worth reading as a guide to deeper understanding and encouragement to deeper practice. Conveniently, this book also took up a position in my reading challenge in the “A book that will make you smarter” category. Thich Nhat Hanh (Who I will refer to as Thầy (teacher) from now on) is not only a Zen master but a poet too and this look is laced with sections of poetry on related topics. It’s a nice touch although I confess I am far to ignorant of poetry to be able to suggest how good it is. So why don't I want to be tested? Too many details. There are Three Dharma Seals, Four Noble Truths, Four Dhyanas, Four Establishments of Mindfulness, Four Great Elements, Four Immeasurable Minds, Four Reliances, Four Standard Truths, Four Wisdoms, Fourfold Right Diligences, Five Aggregates, Five Faculties, Five Mindfulness Trainings, Five Powers and Five Remembrances. This covers two digits. There are dozens more. Reading about each of these details, they all make sense. But as far as remembering them all, I remember about a dozen by name. So don't test me. But they are all one, so I could get at least 50% on an exam.

Distinguished by its lucidity and technical precision, this new translation makes this ancient collection of the Buddha’s discourses accessible and comprehensible to the thoughtful reader of today. Like its two predecessors in this series, The Connected Discourses of the Buddha is sure to merit a place of honour in the library of every serious student of Buddhism. Among the four large Nikāyas belonging to the Pali Canon, the Saṃyutta Nikāya serves as the repository for the many shorter suttas of the Buddha where he discloses his radical insights into the nature of reality and his unique path to spiritual emancipation. This collection, it seems, was directed mainly at those disciples who were capable of grasping the deepest dimensions of wisdom and of clarifying them for others, and also provided guidance to meditators intent on consummating their efforts with the direct realization of the ultimate truth. Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi is an American Buddhist monk from New York City, born in 1944. He obtained a BA in philosophy from Brooklyn College and a PhD in philosophy from Claremont Graduate School. After completing his university studies he traveled to Sri Lanka, where he received novice ordination in 1972 and full ordination in 1973, both under the leading Sri Lankan scholar-monk, Ven. Balangoda Ananda Maitreya (1896-1998). From 1984 to 2002 he was the editor for the Buddhist Publication Society in Kandy, where he lived for ten years with the senior German monk, Ven. Nyanaponika Thera (1901-1994), at the Forest Hermitage. He returned to the U.S. in 2002. He currently lives and teaches at Chuang Yen Monastery in Carmel, New York. Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi has many important publications to his credit, either as author, translator, or editor. These include The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha ( Majjhima Nikāya, 1995), The Connected Discourses of the Buddha ( Saṃyutta Nikaya, 2000), and The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha ( Aṅguttara Nikāya, 2012). In 2008, together with several of his students, Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi founded Buddhist Global Relief, a nonprofit supporting hunger relief, sustainable agriculture, and education in countries suffering from chronic poverty and malnutrition.Thich Nhat Hanh 's book is hard to rate for a variety of reasons having to do with its laudable accomplishments and/but embarrassing shortcomings. His scholarship is undeniable: each section of the book is organized, each concept is fleshed out and Nhat Hanh goes through great lengths to interweave tangential abstractions together in the hopes of elucidating the more complex teachings Buddhism and its many schools has to offer. As a source of contemporary Buddhist criticism, however, The Heart of Buddha's Teaching staggers. This has to do with Nhat Hanh 's approach to teaching and the unorthodox and contemporary method he uses to convey information. Each section begins with an introduction of some core idea, be it the Dharmas, The Four Noble Truths, or the Eightfold Path (among many other pillars of Buddhist thought). Nhat Hanh then ties his explanations to some major criticism or religious text (often a Sutra). Finally, Nhat Hanh tries to make a contemporary statement about their meaning that often takes the form of a politically correct comment or even a general tone. Having not looked at the book's date of publication, it did not take me long to guess that it was written in the 90's with its recurrent emphasis on vegetarianism, plurality, and the push for world peace. While on the surface such an interpretation (or use) of Buddhist texts may appear to be progressive and productive, coming to them nearly twenty years later has shown them to - more often than not - sound cliche, generic, or naive. Several instances referring to the Israeli-Arab conflict come to mind. Nhat Hanh uses this incredibly complex and polarising conflict to push his interpretation of how we can apply a certain Buddhist interpretation of love to solve the conflict: if only the Isralies could empathize with the Arabs and vice versa, the conflict would end. Such naive and simplistic interpretations just ruin the actually profound knowledge nested in much of Nhat Hanh writing. The number of issues like this, where Nhat Hanh imposes simplistic politically correct solutions to incredibly complex issues under the guise of Buddhist wisdom really hurt the integrity of this book giving it a New-Agey kind of vibe. That being said, again, Nhat Hanh scholarship is great, and if you have the patience to read past all the fluff, The Heart of Buddha's Teaching is actually a remarkably well organized and informative book.