
Ask HN: Buddhism - shire
Anyone been looking into Buddhism? it sounds like a very Interesting religion if it is religion or more about the brain than anything.<p>Share some good resources or knowledge to learning more about mind training and buddhism. Books or audio
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ZenoArrow
Whilst it's possible to treat Buddhism as a religion, the true beauty of it
isn't about what you can learn academically but what you can experience.

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.

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bkudria
Books:

What The Buddha Taught:
[http://amzn.com/0802130313](http://amzn.com/0802130313). A straightforward
overview of the foundations of Buddhism.

Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism:
[http://amzn.com/1570629579](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](http://amzn.com/0861719069). A classic
introduction to meditation.

Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind:
[http://amzn.com/1590308492](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](http://www.accesstoinsight.org), especially
essays by Thanissaro Bhikkhu:
[http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/index....](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/index.html)

There are also many fantastic essays on Tricycle:
[http://www.tricycle.com](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.

------
zzzbra
Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind and Mindfulness in Plain English are excellent
texts.

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](http://www.westernbuddhistreview.com/vol1/god_is_dead.html)

------
erbdex
I love the following from Tao te ching:

    
    
      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.

------
andersthue
I have been intersted in Taoism and Buddhism for the last 10 years, mainly
because I practice Taoist Tai Chi.

I can recommend [http://zenhabits.net/lg](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...](http://www.amazon.com/The-Tao-Speaks-Lao-Tzus-
Whispers/dp/0385472595)

------
hackercurious
Here are a few links to start out with.

Zen Buddhism and Alan Watts (aeon.co) \-
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8411762](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-...](http://www.openculture.com/2014/11/the-wisdom-of-alan-watts-in-
four-thought-provoking-animations.html)

------
monroepe
The Way of Zen by Alan Watts is really good. I learned a lot and it helped me
view the world differently.

[http://www.amazon.com/The-Way-Zen-Alan-
Watts/dp/0375705104](http://www.amazon.com/The-Way-Zen-Alan-
Watts/dp/0375705104)

