Any recommended books on buddhism, /x/?

The way of zen by Alan watts

I want to read the Tao te Ching but I'm not sure what is the best translated copy

>>18035269
source materials are always the best. good luck with translating.

also i wouldn't read any new age focused interpretations either. those are filled with empty calories. same goes for alan watts. people like him come off as trying to be a sage without saying it. just stick to source materials.

>>18035698
I think alan watts "way of zen" is pretty good.

I really don't know where to ask this, so i'm gonna ask it here. Is buddhism really worth getting into? I have read a lot on it, some people say it's great, others say it's a "nihilistic death cult". Is it worth it?

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>>18035803
Also, would it just be better to follow the buddhist values (pic related) and meditate.

Dhammapada

>>18035301
>Tao Te Ching
That'd be Taoism. Still a good read though. Stephen Mitchell's translation is pretty standard, I think.

>>18035803
>Is buddhism really worth getting into?
That's for you to decide, I suppose.

>>18035803
>others say it's a "nihilistic death cult".
Those would be people who don't understand what it actually is. Arguably so are those who say it's "great."

>>18035301
>I want to read the Tao te Ching but I'm not sure what is the best translated copy

One of the best I know:

http://terebess.hu/english/tao/addiss.html

>>18035879
>Dhammapada

Yep.

>Stephen Mitchell's translation is pretty standard, I think.

No, not at all. It isn't even a translation. He just read other translations and made up his own.

>>18035803
poor man's christianity

>>18035909

Actually lold.

Thanks!

>>18035909
fuck off lmao

>>18035884
What is buddhism to YOU then if not a nihilistic death cult?

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>>18035915
>>18035930
>structured religion
>strict set of rules
>if you abide them you get rewarded after death if you don't you go to hell (or the other 2 buddhist realms where they punish sinners)
>calls other religions witches
get school'd about asian culture hippies

>>18035909
Poor, rich.
All that is negligible.

>>18035949

Not even close.

>>18035949
>le ebin reductive argument that never actually has anything of substance to say
>implying christianity can even touch buddhist phenomology of mind

get out you memelord

>>18035955
except it is
>>18035959
it's not reductive, it's what buddhism is, go to asia once instead of just reading shit that hippies wrote in california

>>18035963

I like your anti-intellectualism. Very classy.

>>18035963
i'm still gonna be a buddhist faggot

>>18035963
>>18035968

It's what so charming about the slave religions. They don't rob the believers of their primitive barbarism. They've barely crawled out of the Stone Age and are chest-thumping proud of it.

>>18035963
christianity have very opposed views on the self, the nature of existence and salvation/liberation. you're a philistine

>>18035968
nice buzzwords you got there
>>18035970
I'm not saying you can't but at least read about the soga mononobe conflict or you know anything actually relevant about buddhists

>>18035975
like the other guy phrased it, both buddhism and christianity are slave religions that are meant to control masses of people, nothing more nothing less

>>18035972
>slave religions

buddhist ascesis is routinely described as persistent and grueling struggle. overcoming the self is not "slavery". you're reddit-tier

>>18035972
*tips fedora*

>>18035983
>both buddhism and christianity are slave religions

This, too, is incorrect.

Sure is summer up in dis bitch.

>>18035984
>do what I tell you or go to hell/become a preta
yeah, no, they're slave religions, do you even know the six realms of buddhism?

>>18035983
>religion is le tool of control

there are actual fucking children on this board who think this is some profound, earth-shattering insight. kill yourselves the adults are talking

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>>18035988
truth hurts innit lil' hippy
>>18035993
not necessarily, but buddhism is

>>18035992

lel. you think the buddha threatened his followers with hell, or that you are being judged by some outside force in the afterlife.

you're a fucking pleb dude, seriously, don't talk shit about what you don't know

>>18035993

It's a major revelation for them. Like fapping.

>>18035999
You can't handle the truth.

Time to nuke /pol/, again. The stupid's getting pretty thick.

>>18036000
http://buddhism.about.com/od/basicbuddhistteachings/tp/Six-Realms-of-Existence.htm

at least read up what your religion is about
>you are being judged by some outside force in the afterlife
it's called karma, one of the core tenets in buddhism, seriously how are you even arguing about this

>>18036002
no u

>>18036008
>it's called karma,

Which is just cause and effect.

Still losing, pleb.

>>18036008
karma isn't an "outside force" like being judged by God in christianity, it's just the objective effect of past actions made by the grasping ego, buddhism isn't fire and brimstone you fucking retard

not to mention the structures that have accreted around the buddha's original teachings do not in and of themselves refute those teachings

you're a pleb bitch, the truth hurts

>>18036017
mmm no it's not, again read about buddhism but also if you want something more concrete then
>In Buddhism, Yama (Sanskrit: यम) is a dharmapala (wrathful god) said to judge the dead and preside over the Narakas ("Hells" or "Purgatories") and the cycle of rebirth.
there's literally a god who judges your life based on your karma after death and sends you to one of the six realms

>>18036023
> buddhism isn't fire and brimstone
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naraka
again plebs who have no clue about buddhism

I really just wanted to know if buddhism was worth getting into..

>>18036025
Yama is a personification of the Self's self-judging. In the Book of the Dead all deities are manifestations of the mind and simply symbols of its modalities.

literally the first thing on the wikipedia page for "wrathful deities"

>Wrathful deities are representations of negative karmas, in the same way as peaceful deities are representations of positive karmas.
you're a fucking pleb

>>18036031
idk but it was worth fucking your mom heeeyo

>>18035269
The Old Testament of Bhuddism: http://www.dlshq.org/download/kundalini.htm

>>18036030
having a hell is not the same as "abooga wooga follow me or go to hell", the teachings don't involve around the threat of hell. you stupid fucking cuck

>>18036035
rekt

>>18036034
yeah and satan is the personification of being horny, autistic interpretations won't change the structure of a religion, travel to myanmar once and bitch about your hippy dippy bullshit then tell me how it went with the buddhist priests in their buddhist temples

>>18036045
>you're violent? well guess what bitch u goin to hell
>you're addicted to something? well gues what bitch you're a hungry ghost now
>you're ignorant? well guess what bitch you're gonna be an animal now
>no threats
okay then billy

>>18036047
lol, good one bud, stay fucking autistic and thinking the followers of a religion have anything to say about the teachings of the religion itself.

whatever helps you avoid actually discussing the religion with any understanding past wikipedia skims right barista

>>18036055
stop embarrassing yourself you dumb faggot

>>18036047
Don't know what you're on about m8, not that anon btw.

To be fair I don't think it is a "slave religion", but i'm OK with it being a poor man's christianity.

>>18036072
you can dig into the bible or the starcraft lore as deep as you want to, that won't change the fact how a religious church operates and what their core beliefs are

also you had no idea about the six realms, yama or karma in general, it seems like you know jack shit about buddhism

>>18036077
he's basically coming up with the "it's all in ur head duuuude" excuse, sure you can see it as such, just like how you can see anything in christianity as allegorical, but the same thing won't apply to the christian church and 99% of christians, just like how it doesn't apply to buddhist churches and 99% of buddhists who actually live in asia, and not california

>>18036103
>Yama Dharmaraja: The embodiment of the forces of impernanence and the infallible laws of cause and effect. ... In the context of the intermediate state of rebirth, he personifies the process of contronting in death the nature of one's past life's actions and,based on the natural laws of cause and effect, he personifies the process of 'judgment' that determines the consequential outcome of such past actions.

Glossary to an English translation of the Tibetan Book of the Dead by the Dalai Lama, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, as well as scholars Khatrul Rinpoche and Zenkar Rinpoche.

Git gud pleb

>>18036090
nigga you read the wikipedia page on them and that's it, don't lie

What a bizarre thread.

>>18036142
To be honest I just wanted book recommendations.

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>>18036132
>an English translation
aka bullshit written by some hippy in california, might as well quote tumblr

I also read the lotus sutra, look up the "Buddhist Tales of India, China, and Japan" for some actual insight too and I at least I did that much while you had no fucking idea about the samsara, six realms or karma

>>18036158
>anime

Actual Tibetan scholars were consulted on this translation, and it was written by the Dalai Lama and Khyentse Rinpoche. Can you read?

I know about the six realms, karma, and samsara you fucking pillock, it's your understanding of them that's shit.

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>>18035269
>Any recommended books on buddhism, /x/?
yes, The HOLY BIBLE

>>18036167
>consulted
mhm I know how "consultations" work when it comes to vague buddhist texts just like "translations" about yamantaka

nah you literally just googled them or you wouldn't say stupid shit like
>or that you are being judged by some outside force in the afterlife
but yeah disregard everything about what people think about a religion and popular culture because it gives you cognitive dissonance

>>18036186
>tibetans can't be trusted to translate their own traditions because it would demolish my argument
>this nigga still thinks you're being judged in the afterlife and not just suffering the consequences of your karmic debt

lmao, embarrassing

>>18036191
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bardo_Thodol#English_translations
which one am I supposed to see here?

>>this nigga still thinks you're being judged in the afterlife and not just suffering the consequences of your karmic debt
I don't, but buddhists do

>>18036156
Yeah, I didn't think such a simple request would turn into a polarising topic.

>>18036198
>plebs have pleb interpretations of complex traditions

wow epic argument

>>18036203
Three Pillars of Zen
Doctrine of Awakening*
What the Buddha Taught
The Living Thoughts of Gotama the Buddha*
Zen Flesh, Zen Bones

all based

*patricians only

>>18036204
>I know more about the religion of asian people than asian people themselves
okay then billy, you can go back to your woman studies course now at cali uni

>>18036207
>I know just as much about the religion of asian people as asian people themselves because I've read and digested the same teachings that are available to everyone

lol dumb shit

>>18036204
you want to know about buddhism? go to a buddhist temple and ask a buddhist priest, just like you would with any other religion

>>18036219
I know more about their history and the relevance of their religions than you that's for sure
>lol dumb shit
sounds like what a real buddhist would say, oh wait you're just a little shit who knows nothing, who woulda thought

>>18036223
keep fronting you pseud

>>18036226
right back at ya hippy

>>18036231
>there's literally a god who judges your life based on your karma after death and sends you to one of the six realms

>gets posted an interpretation of yama in an asian's own words, still is too autistic to see through the symbolism to what yama represents

>still thinks 99% of asians believe in his pleb watered-down conception of buddhism because he can't into it

>talks down to me then gets indignant when i call him a dumb shit

>A Naraka differs from the hell of Christianity in two respects: firstly, beings are not sent to Naraka as the result of a divine judgment and punishment; secondly, the length of a being's stay in a Naraka is not eternal, though it is usually very long.

A being is born into a Naraka as a direct result of his or her accumulated actions (karma) and resides there for a finite period of time until that karma has achieved its full result.[

>Literally telling me asians don't believe this because reasons

hahah, pseuuuuud

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>>18036243
>MUUUUUUUUUH SYMBOLIIIIIIIIISM
classic, it's still not the point of buddhism and not the point of christianity no matter how much you sperg about it

>>18036256
>the symbolism is wrong, asians don't believe it!!
>okay, th-they do but it's not the point!!!

gotcha faggot

>>18036259
hey I can do that too
>asians history is not centered around stupid interpretations!!!!
gotcha faggot

>>18036264
>asian history having any bearing on the principles of buddhist ascesis
>le tool of le control :)

that might have been deep on reddit friendo

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>>18036267
dude I love shitposting too but do you think we're actually convincing anyone by acting like retards?

Obviously buddhism as a religion with a long history over a great number of countries has multiple theological and political sides to it. Bringing attention to that is not a bad thing but I think we're past that point now.

>>18036283
im sad and alone and argue about philosophy on the internet for amusement

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>>18036291
same, I'm so bored I'm considering resubbing to wow but I don't want to spend so many shekels

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>>18036302

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>>18036317
I should be writing my thesis too but I'm too lazy

>>18036031
>I really just wanted to know if buddhism was worth getting into..

It is. /pol/ is just here to shit all over everything. Ignore them.

>>18036400
if you ask if learning about something is "worth it" then be prepeared to be treated like an autist, doesn't seem like your time is very valuable if you're here so make up your own mind if you want to do something instead of looking for backrubbing

>>18036416

What a silly child you are.

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>>18036431
hey is it worth reading [x]? my time is very valuable and I can't make my own judgement, you have to tell me if I should spend 10 hours studying something if my time is worth 4.20$/48 minutes if it doesn't then I'm not reading it so you better convince me, it's for your own good bitch

>>18036454

Sounds like a personal problem. Take it elsewhere.

>>18036461
nah it sounds like a problem with self entitled autists asking retarded questions

>>18036463

I can't help with your autism, either. You can learn some coping strategies, but mostly you're fucked.

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>>18036472
>he doesn't understand sarcasm
oh shit you were actually autistic, my bad bro

>>18036477

You'll get the hang of this socializing thing, someday. Be strong!

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>>18036031
anon better get to know THE REAL GOD
Jesus Christ

>>18036482
dude it's my fault don't worry about it, I didn't think you have actual autism

>>18036031

nobody can answer that for you, because we're not you. Do the research, and think hard about what feels right to you. There is no other answer

>>18036031
NO it's not.
it is a delusion of misguided perception that they know the truth, they know some parts of the truth but not the whole truth
the whole truth knows only the real GOD JESUS CHRIST
Search Him.
You don't have to join particular church to learn about Jesus Christ,just ask pray to Him to reveal Himself to You.

Just talk (at loud is the best if you can) to Him like you would talk to a friend,ask questions,tell Him your story.

>>18036634

Fuck off, white trash.

Moral of the story: You don't need any retarded religion to have good morals and values.

>>18036863
You must be 18+ to browse 4chan.

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>>18036657
eazy tiger eazy
lot's of people are realizing that your budthism is A pat to A dead end and are switching in mass numbers to Jesus Christ (picture related)

>>18036863
you are right you don't need religion to have good morals and values
but you need GOD you need to know the true God-Jesus Christ
not one of the many fake gods

>>18035895
>He just read other translations and made up his own.
Well alright then.

Fuck. I used to have a really good version on ebook that explained a lot of its translation choices, and I can't remember which one. I wish I had a physical copy of it.

>>18035943
"Nihilistic death cult" kind of presumes that Buddhism ends with the acknowledgement that life is suffering, rather than beginning with it.

Buddhism is, from what I've seen, far more like a self-help seminar. "How to let go." To call it nihilistic is to oversimplify the notion of non-attachment.

I'd argue that Christianity is far more of a death cult, what with their obsession with a dead man, symbolically eating his flesh, and insisting that the destruction of the world is not only imminent, but a good thing.

>>18037173
THIS

>>18035269
It is shit, don't waste your time with this trash.

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>>18037173

>>18037236
no it's not bait,why do you think other person's opinion must be a bait
it's the truth anon,the truth my friend

>>18037241
shut the fuck up you anti-intellectual wanker

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>>18037272
actually I'm the intellectual one in this polemic
you are the retard here with your attacks and vulgarity
carry on lost soul

here is something for ya
look into it - stare in it
it might come you down a bit (or a lot who knows, depends how deep is your hate)

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>>18036181
I don't know that they have anything like the Bible. I tried myself once and the oldest book I could find was "What the Buddha Taught" from 1959. It's sort of a compilation of ancient texts from Buddhism.

>>18037200
>Fuck. I used to have a really good version on ebook that explained a lot of its translation choices, and I can't remember which one. I wish I had a physical copy of it.

All you really need to do is compare his translation to the original. I have. It sucks.

>>18035999
Actually, from what I can see bhudism doesn't a slave religion, infact it may be based on a form of master morality (the goal, Nirvana, seems to be a description of self control). Why do you think it is?

Surely the prospect of hell wouldn't scare a Bhudist (in theory) because suffering is just something you have to deal with.

>>18036486
>Muh Jewish criminal is the real god.

>>18035842

This is Bretty gud!
Thanks anon

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>>18037241
>opinion is truth
That's not how it works. And this is why people who claim something to be the "truth" are so untrustworthy.

You cannot defend something as both opinion and truth. Truth is only derived from through facts. Interestingly, so are opinions, but opinions can also be manipulated by convincing arguments with no basis in reality.

Your post made a claim of one thing being true and another thing being false, in spite of a severe lack of evidence for either position. You did this knowing full well that someone would respond to denounce your post. Ergo, bait. And I can't believe I'm even dignifying your response with a response.

>>18038776
>the original
I'm no good with Chinese though.

>>18039493
>I'm no good with Chinese though.

It's easier than you would think, actually. That particularly text is rather difficult, but the hardest part of Ancient Chinese is learning the characters. A good dictionary and Pulleyblank's grammar will get you surprisingly far.

Thich Nhat Hanh - Peace is every step

>>18035803
4 noble truths and 8 folded path are a very decent alternative to the christian commandments even if you do not adhere to other beliefs

>>18039493
>I'm even dignifying your response with a response.
you did respond to my response because the spirit inside of you is not allowing you to live in your ignorance so is triggering you to respond to what I wrote,
and by doing this you are realizing slowly that the Real Truth needs no proving of it's SUPERIORITY.

English Standard Version.Matthew 12:39
But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign,
but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."

>>18036055
>hungry ghost
Feels alot like what addiction was like for me.

>>18036031
Its not like you're asking should I try cocaine, read up on it check out a local Buddhist place. I have found alot of enjoyment out of alan wats and zen koans however I don't really get into it.

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>>18042054
>you express knowledge because you know you're ignorant
Here's your (You), you stupid cunt.

>>18036031
Well...
>>18042087
This, pretty much. Anything's worth looking into and judging for yourself.

Even if you decide against it as a personal belief, at least you come away with a better understanding of what others believe.

>>18042347
got you deep inside your soul with my post didn't I,
yes I did and you know that I'm right and you are wrong and you just trolling but you are doing such a bad job at it.

hey Troll submit to Jesus Christ
only He can save you and your soul from damnation

>>18043028

Fuck off, white trash.

>>18043037
at least I'm not dirty like you

curious, do /x/-Buddhists also shit in Christianity threads?

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Probably the best book I've found on Buddhist thought is the Wiley Companion to Buddhist Philosophy, however it's very long and not remotely pedestrian, and is aimed at people trained in Western analytic philosophy (although some chapters are in a continental style).

The penguin anthology Buddhist Scriptures is a good way to read some of the key texts in translation, and it has some adequate explanatory notes.

Fritjof Capra's The Tao of Physics links Eastern cosmology with contemporary physics; whilst not focusing exclusively on Buddhism, it's still a good (but difficult) read in terms of getting your head around the ideas.

Anything by the Dalai Lama is an easy introduction to Mahayana Buddhist morality and practice.

Also Robert Anton Wilson's Prometheus Rising, not really about Buddhism but helps to understand a lot of the more difficult concepts.

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Three Pillars of Zen my fampai, it's really good. Also Roshi Suzuki's "Beginner's Mind" would be a great companion

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>>18043053
>trash isn't dirty

>>18045935
Not that I'm a Buddhist, but I tend to avoid them like the plague. The weird, off-putting, ritually cannibalistic, self-righteous plague.

>>18045981
Hitler study this buthist shit to learn how to kill millions of people.
Nice religion for sure.

>>18045988
Hitler also used Christianity to demonize the Jews, but he personally believed in a corruption of the Germanic tradition, so I don't really know what you're talking about.

They also used an eagle in their symbolism, does that mean America is evil?

>>18045996
That means that eagles are evil.

>>18045996
Err well yeah, except that actually wasn't Hitlers fault. I get your point though, the conflation with symbolism and Nazi agenda is fucking tiring. It's not that hard to figure out: Hitler was into esotericism. Whoopty fucking do, cat is out of the bag.

That does not make Hitler good nor does it make esoteric subjects bad. People are fucking moronic, they should stay of /x/ and watch "EXPOSED ILLUMINATI" videos all day.

>>18045935

Of course not. Buddhists don't suffer from a crippling inferiority complex.

>>18045975

Excellent recommendations.

>>18046022
>Err well yeah, except that actually wasn't Hitlers fault.

Died like the coward he was just the same.

>>18038865
>no goy, jesus was the REAL aryan
>redpilled too
>he threw jews out of temple
>so he's definitely not a jew

>>18046213
>can't even read his own bible
>top kek

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>>18035269
Im a big fan of thich nhat Hans stuff
>being peace
>jesus and Buddha as brothers
I also like Pema chodron(sp?)
No specific books just liker her (pema)
Tibetan book of the dead is a must read. Try to get a scholarly copy as the footnotes and prologue stuff help tremendously.
>if you don't like sitting meditation like me then walking meditation is very nice