For years after having been exposed to Mortimer Adler's wonderful (but perhaps a bit oppressive) How to Read a Book, I thought I had to read all of the classics before I could reasonably read anything else and was (hopefully understandably) a bit paralyzed. After having tried for a while to approach this ideal, I have realized that life is short and I now read according to my interests and needs.
English is my native language and the language in which I do most of my reading, but I also read German, Mandarin, and literary Chinese (quite rusty in the latter two). I'm currently also working on learning Pāḷi.
On Mastodon: @sasu@ieji.de
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46% complete! Sasu ☮️☸️ (he/him) has read 7 of 15 books.
In this beautifully written book, Buddhist monk and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Thích Nhất Hạnh …
Meditation is not evasion; it is a serene encounter with reality.
Cover blurb:
The Buddha's teachings center around two basic principles. One is the Four Noble …
Some of the implications of the Buddha’s teaching on the right view of kamma and its fruits run counter to popular trends in present-day thought, and it is helpful to make these differences explicit. The teaching on right view makes it known that good and bad, right and wrong, transcend conventional opinions about what is good and bad, what is right and wrong. An entire society may be predicated upon a confusion of correct moral values, and even though everyone within that society may applaud one particular kind of action as right and condemn another kind as wrong, this does not make them validly right and wrong. For the Buddha moral standards are objective and invariable. While the moral character of deeds is doubtlessly conditioned by the circumstances under which they are performed, there are objective criteria of morality against which any action, or any comprehensive moral code, can be evaluated. This objective standard of morality is integral to the Dhamma, the cosmic law of truth and righteousness. Its transpersonal ground of validation is the fact that deeds, as expressions of the volitions that engender them, produce consequences for the agent, and that the correlations between deeds and their consequences are intrinsic to the volitions themselves. There is no divine judge standing above the cosmic process who assigns rewards and punishments. Nevertheless, the deeds themselves, through their inherent moral or immoral nature, generate the appropriate results.
— The Noble Eightfold Path by Bhikkhu Bodhi (Page 21 - 22)
The bold is my emphasis. Strongly reminded me of what the world is going through right now.
Cover blurb:
The Buddha's teachings center around two basic principles. One is the Four Noble Truths, in which the Buddha …
In this beautifully written book, Buddhist monk and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Thích Nhất Hạnh …
It's my first time reading this one and maybe it's just where I'm at right now, but I'm absolutely flabbergasted by how it feels like nearly everything Thầy has written here is immediately applicable to the circumstances of my life.
@sifuCJC@bookwyrm.social It's really, really good. The story by itself would be excellent hard solarpunk SF, but that KSR intersperses the little set pieces of literary & rhetorical flair throughout really kicks it up even one more notch, I think.
In this beautifully written book, Buddhist monk and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Thích Nhất Hạnh …
Only a few minutes in, and it's already wonderful.
Information architecture (IA) is far more challenging and necessary than ever. With the glut of information available today, anything your …
From the book's website (everydayia.com/):
“The creative organization of information creates new information,” …
A lot of readily applicable practical advice crammed into a small package.
@todrobbins@bookwyrm.social Highly recommended, despite the somewhat "clickbaity" title.
From elementary schools to psychotherapy offices, mindfulness meditation is an increasingly mainstream practice. At the same time, trauma remains a …
"Racism is a heart disease," writes Ruth King, "and it's curable." Exploring a crucial topic …
Very challenging. Giving me a lot to think & reflect upon.
Content warning Recommendation & Early Plot Point
Definitely valuable if one wants a story as a framework to help get familiar with and inspired about Medicine Buddha practice. At the end of the book, David Michie recommends that those interested look on his website for the booklet addressing Medicine Buddha practice, which, as of this writing, can be found here: davidmichie.com/free-downloads/
In a remote, Himalayan monastery, Matt Lester has devoted five years of spiritual preparation for …
Although the story itself was perhaps a bit more exciting than the first book in the series, the integrated Dharma teachings in this one felt a bit forced to me. That said, the vivid descriptions of the practice and exploration of mantra were my favorite part of the book. Outside of the practice descriptions, the writing quality was OK; I had the sense that several scenes could have been left out or at least significantly shortened and the story would have been stronger for it.
In a remote, Himalayan monastery, Matt Lester has devoted five years of spiritual preparation for this moment: it is his …
In a remote, Himalayan monastery, Matt Lester has devoted five years of spiritual preparation for this moment: it is his …
