Hurrah, I've finally finished what can only be described as the mother of all bad deadlines. I'm definitely walking away from the wreckage with this one. You know it's been bad when you end up too drained to even drink to celebrate. All I can manage is some feeble chanting and a sea of sighing. Never, ever again.
The silver lining may be that I've seen the enormous strength chanting can give. I am grateful for such a clear demonstration of the huge personal benefits. It has been quite an eye-opener, and I wonder quite how I've managed to get through such trials unaided in the past.
Another nugget has been nestling sweetly in my thoughts. I'd stumbled across a beautifully crafted blog from an American under the blog name "Dharma Monkey". Consequently, I'd allowed myself a hefty dose of displacement blog reading out various moments of intolerable boredom and exhaustion. One reference in particular has filtered through my hazy thoughts. The author mentions one book, and one book alone, as being the springboard for his journey into Buddhism. It apparently was THE reason he started practising.
This got me thinking about how amazingly inflential a book can be. It's truly remarkable that one single book can so effectively change the course of one's life. But then, one particular lady in one cafe one afternoon did that for me too.
I've cruised onto the "dummies.com" website to check out the "Buddhism for Dummies" book for myself - many thanks to Dharma Monkey. I'm seriously impressed by the blurb. In fact I wanted to share it here, at the risk of some stroppy copyright emails or the such like. Here's the clever blurb as I think it's amazing.
"From the outside, Buddhism seems like a bundle of contradictions wrapped inside a paradox. It is a religion without a god, a belief system without rules, and a faith that encourages its adherents to question everything, including its own teachings. You could spend a lifetime studying Buddhist texts and following its observances and still feel like you’ve only just barely scratched the surface. Yet, over the past 2500 years, this lovely religion that preaches compassion, generosity, tolerance, selflessness and self-awareness has commanded the fervent devotion of hundreds of millions of people around the world who believe it to be the true path to enlightenment.
If you’re curious about Buddhism but feel intimidated by all the exotic jargon and strange trappings, this book is for you. Written by two leading American Buddhist teachers and scholars, it offers you a uniquely friendly way to explore the fascinating history of Buddhism..."
..."How Buddhism works as a religion, philosophy of life and a practical approach to dealing with life’s problems, all rolled into one
The idea that the mind is the source of all happiness and suffering
How the practices of wisdom and compassion can connect you with your inner spiritual resources
Meditation and other core Buddhist practices and how they can affect your everyday life
How to apply Buddhist teachings at each stage along the spiritual path
Whether you’re a searcher of truth, a student of religions, or just curious about what’s got Richard Gere and all the rest of those celebrity Buddhists so excited, Buddhism For Dummies is your intro to Buddhism basics."
I know what I'm buying on Amazon tomorrow. Night, night.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I'm really happy that you liked the book. I read Buddhism for Dummies at a point where I was struggling to define what I wanted my spirituality to look like. And believe it or not, in 2003, there weren't that many high-quality resources about Buddhism on the Internet, so Buddhism for Dummies really helped to fill a void.
And, of course, as you read on my blog, the book explained Buddha and his basic teachings in a way that filled me with hope.
Glad you like Dharma Monkey! The RSS links to subscribe are at the bottom of the page.
Best of luck to you, Buddha Belle, on your journey. Know that you have many, many friends who are right there next to you! :-D
With metta,
Sean
Post a Comment