We enjoyed our usual tasty treats compliments of Claudine and Ginny and began our discusssion with Nadine relaying her experience of noticing the rising of a thought before it had been formed into words. That morphed into various topics on how to share ones practice with friends who are unfamiliar with Buddhism without proselytizing, how to handle insights that arise in the process of our sitting practice, the distinction between concentration and contemplation (mindfulness) in sitting practice, and others.
Ginny and Claudine shared their experience of the Sharon Salzberg weekend, and we disussed a request to add another book - one on the basics of Buddhism, to the book club. Bob suggested Essential Buddhism, A Complete Guide to Beliefs and Practices, by Jack Maguire (see description and Amazon link below). Please go ahead and get the book if it interests you. We will brainstorm how to work it into our meetings while still continuing with Mindfulness in Plain English at our next gathering. Which by the way, will be the third Sunday in January. Sunday January 17th.
Essential Buddhism by Jack Maguire
Available at Amazon both new and used.
Description:
Four hundred million people call themselves Buddhists today. Yet most Westerners know little about this powerful, Eastern-spawned faith. How did it begin? What do its adherents believe? Why are so many Westerners drawn to it?
Essential Buddhism responds to these questions and many more, offering an accessible, global perspective on the religion's past, present, and future. It identifies how the principal concepts and practices originated and evolved through diverse cultural adaptations into three basic formats:
* Theraveda (including Vipassana, brought from Vietnam in the 1960s and including such practitioners as Jack Kornfield and Jon Kapat-Zinn)
* Mahayana (including Zen Buddhism, originally brought to America by Japanese teachers after World War II and popularized by Jack Kerouac and Thomas Merton)
* Vajrayana (including Tibetan Buddhism, from the teachers who fled the Chinese takeover of Tibet in the 1950s as well as the Dalai Lama, and embraced by Allen Ginsberg, Richard Gere, and countless others)
Essential Buddhism is the single best resource for the novice and the expert alike, exploring the depths of Buddhism's popularity and illuminating its tenets and sensible approach to living. Written in the lucid prose of a longtime professional storyteller, and full of Buddhist tales, scriptural quotes, ancient stories, and contemporary insights, Essential Buddhism is the first complete guide to the faith and the phenomenon.
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3 comments:
Nadine,
Good job on the synopsis. This is why it's so imortant that you are with us at every meeting...well that's actually only one of several.
I like having this as a resource for those interested in attending the meetings and hope that people, if they are unable to be with us, will offer comments or questions related to the updates here on the blog.
Much gratitude to Claudine and Ginny for offering such a warm and peaceful atmosphere to share our life and practice with others.I feel most grateful for being here and having all of you as a part of my life.
What a lovely group to walk along this path with. I too feel such gratitude to be a part of this. Look forward to seeing you all in the New Year.
Here are some useful resources that were mentioned in the meeting today January 17th.
1. The Shambhala Dictionary of Buddhism and Zen, Shambhala 1991
This is a nice little dictionary to have at your elbow when reading buddhist books. I have found it to be quite inclusive and easy to use and understand.
2. Genuine Happiness, Meditation as the Path to Fulfillment, B. Alan Wallace, 2005
3. Awakening the Buddha Within, Lama Surya Das, 1997
titles 2 and 3 are both books in the Tibetin tradition that incorporate readings and guided meditations. This is a good technique to help to transition from reading to meditation.
4. Buddhism Without Beliefs: A Contemporary Guide to Awakening, Stephen Batchelor
5. Buddhism is Not What You Think, Steve Hagen, 2003
Titles 4 and 5 are two of my favorite books on buddhist philosophy and the basics
6. Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomena, Daniel C. Dennett, 2006
This is a great book that uses biology, sociology, psycology and other science to look at the human need and use of religion. This is a very good read, and a compilation of ideas about the the place and value of religious systems and the evolution of their place is human culture. You will never look at a church the same after reading this book.
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