The Heart Of Buddha's Teaching

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Buddhism has a few guiding principles. Actually more than a few. Maybe several thousand few principles. But you can get by with a dozen or so. Hanh starts off with the Four Noble Principles and the Eightfold Path. Compare this with Judaism. You believe in God? Prove it. Abraham, sacrifice your son. Compare it with Christianity. You believe in God? He sacrificed his son. A little stiff to my way of thinking. Everyone generally. I would recommend this book to everyone actually – the contents are very Buddhism-centric (obviously) but there are lessons to be learned from this book that everyone from all works of life could make use of. Venerable Sumedho Thera writes in his foreword: “[These suttas] are not meant to be ‘sacred scriptures’ that tell us what to believe. One should read them, listen to them, think about them, contemplate them, and investigate the present reality, the present experience, with them. Then, and only then, can one insightfully know the truth beyond words.” Simultaneously, the author admits that there are exceptions to this concept. For example, changing seasons and gravity should not be perceived as the result of a particular violation in the past. In other words, if some population group faces a natural disaster, such as an earthquake, it should not be considered a collective karmic punishment. In turn, this action should be regarded as a sign to join forces and become stronger in the future. The Use of Metaphor

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. Stopping, calming, and resting are preconditions for healing. If we cannot stop, the course of our destruction will just continue. The world needs healing. Individuals, communities, and nations need healing.”This volume offers a complete translation of the Saṃyutta Nikāya, The Connected Discourses of the Buddha, the third of the four great collections in the Sutta Piṭ aka of the Pā li Canon. The Saṃ yutta Nikā ya consists of fifty-six chapters, each governed by a unifying theme that binds together the Buddha’s suttas or discourses. The chapters are organized into five major parts. 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. To further assist the reader, the translator has provided an extensive body of notes clarifying various problems concerning both the language and the meaning of the texts. Or guilt. I was raised a Presbyterian and converted to Catholicism in my thirties. Either way, original sin. You're a goner from day one. Presby - predestination. Catholic - although baptism receives you into the church, you get a few years, then you have to start confessing sins. Sins - in your thoughts (thoughts!), in your words, and what you have done, and what you haven't done. Did I miss anything? Is there any moment when I am not sinning?

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 our mindfulness and help it return to where it came from. The longer such seeds stay in our mind consciousness, the stronger they become." pg. 206-207 The first step of this model is based on the idea of accepting the fact that difficulties can be the result of personal irresponsible behavior. Second, the author encourages readers of the book to understand the fact that both positive and negative experience is an integral part of everyone’s life. Third, mindfulness should be the priority on the path of transforming suffering into peace and love. For instance, the author recommends taking into consideration mindful walking and breathing. Lastly, it is essential to accompany mindfulness with gratitude for health and life in general. Thus, Hanh interprets the meaning of The Third Noble Truth so that the modern population understands the significance that this teaching has. Eight Right Practices of Buddhism (The Fourth Noble Truth) The last time I read this book was ~20 years ago. I barely remember it and it was fascinating to see what I underlined at that point in my life vs now. Clearly, you cannot read the same book twice as neither you, nor the book are the same. It serves as a clear, condensed, approachable summary of the central tenets of Buddhist teachings (according to my limited understanding). Sorry, because there is no leap of faith, I can't swallow this whole. In Catholicism, too much faith. In Buddhism too little faith. 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.This book is actually doing it for me! Buddhism is the most truly beautiful philosophy I have found. Not sure about the karma and reincarnation parts but then it doesn't matter to me.

In times of social conflict, intolerance, and war, the Buddha’s approach to creating and sustaining peace takes on a new and urgent significance. Even readers unacquainted with Buddhism will appreciate these ancient teachings, always clear, practical, undogmatic, and so contemporary in flavor. The Buddha’s Teachings on Social and Communal Harmony will prove to be essential reading for anyone seeking to bring peace into their communities and into the wider world. The author also takes into account the fact that suffering can be ended if it is faced directly by the person. This idea has been discussed by supporters of Buddhism since the development of this religion. Thich Nhat Hanh modifies this Buddha teaching into a 4-step model that is recommended to be used by human beings who are intended to transform suffering into qualities of enlightenment.

Simultaneously, the author of the book pays a huge amount of attention to intentions and consciousness. For example, Thich Nhat Hanh describes consciousness in this way: «Human beings tend to chew the cud of their suffering, their despair, like the cows chew the regurgitated grass» (Nanh, 1999, p. 52). This expression is used by the author to demonstrate that we should control our consciousness as it has a considerable influence on our lives. Additionally, our intentions can frequently become the main barrier to unconditional happiness. For instance, the author admits that high status is usually perceived as one of the main goals in personal and professional life. In contrast, Hanh states that the uncontrolled intention to succeed usually leads individuals towards more unhappiness. It can be explained by the fact that people frequently make sacrifices to achieve a goal that is not worth it. This book offers a complete translation of the Majjhima Nikāya, or Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha, one of the major collections of texts in the Pali Canon, the authorized scriptures of Theravāda Buddhism. This collection—among the oldest records of the historical Buddha’s original teachings—consists of 152 suttas or discourses of middle length, distinguished as such from the longer and shorter suttas of the other collections. The Majjhima Nikāya might be concisely described as the Buddhist scripture that combines the richest variety of contextual settings with the deepest and most comprehensive assortment of teachings. These teachings, which range from basic ethics to instructions in meditation and liberating insight, unfold in a fascinating procession of scenarios that show the Buddha in living dialogue with people from many different strata of ancient Indian society: with kings and princes, priests and ascetics, simple villagers and erudite philosophers. Replete with drama, reasoned argument, and illuminating parable and simile, these discourses exhibit the Buddha in the full glory of his resplendent wisdom, majestic sublimity, and compassionate humanity.