Buddhism

The fragrance of joss sticks hangs in the air, while in the background there is the constant murmur of monks reciting their mantras. When you experience a ceremony in the Golden Temple of Elista, you'd be forgiven for believing that you're no longer in Europe – but you definitely haven't left the continent. Elista is the capital of Kalmykia. The autonomous federal republic of Russia lies between the Caucasus and Caspian Sea in the southern Russian steppes, and geographically is part of Europe. It is the only predominantly Buddhist region – a piece of Asia on the European continent.

Modern mindfulness strips Buddhism of its spiritual core. We need an ethics of reincarnation for an interconnected world

I quite like the podcast and the thoroughness in referencing things. The podcast is certainly opinioned but it makes its stance pretty clear.

Intro to the linked episode:

"The emptiness of self is a Zen teaching that may seem rather abstract and philosophical, or even kind of nihilistic, depressing, or disorienting. Why does this matter? In brief, knowing the true nature of our self is what liberates us from fear and suffering.

First I’ll give a brief overview of the Buddhist teachings on the emptiness of self, and then I’ll explore what they mean to our daily life and practice."

Currently reading this one and I find it to be a really nice intro to meditation.

My background is that I dabbled in meditation practices, Buddhist and non-Buddhist for some time without ever getting too serious about it. More recently I established a weekly practice and this book certainly gave it a boost.

Definitely can recommend.

We are not the Buddha’s close disciples and the implications of this upon reading Buddhist literature. I am not sure how I feel about this article. I am sharing it because it was thought provoking, I hope others find it so as well.

I found this read to be very enjoyable & useful. I think that you could probably just read the first point. All the subsequent points seem like variations on the first ( and last ). But, either way a good read.

Hi , I want to get this community going!! So I am hoping to spark some constructive discourse over books. Everyone loves them :) I would like to hear what you all are reading.

Here is my active list ( it is pretty Dogen heavy right now ):

1. The Mountains and Water Sutra: A Practioner's Guide to Dogen's Sansuikyo -- I am not very far into this book yet. I am finding it more accessible than reading some of Dogen's works directly.

2. Realizing Genjokoan: The Keys to Dogen's Shobogenzo -- I recently read the Shobogenzo. I enjoyed the read but felt like I didn't grok a lot of the subtler / contextual ideas. This book is illuminating. I would suggest reading it first and then the Shobogenzo , if you're inclined.

3. The Once and Future Witches: Completely unrelated to Buddhism but a fun read :)

Anyways, these are the books I am reading. I am a Soto Zen student , hints the Dogen focus. I would love to hear other Zen book suggestions but I am also very interested in non-Soto Zen books/recommendations :)

I would say my philosophical mindset is an ever expanding garden fertilised by nihilism, stoicism, and buddhism. I try not to fetishise philosophies, leaders, or people and try to learn something from every ideology I come across.

I appreciate the mantra "I will desire nothing" and I think it has helped me many times in my life when things have collapsed around me. If you do not focus on what you want and instead focus on what you can do to improve I find you are always surprised and grateful for what you receive.

One of my rejections of buddhist philosophy is a complete removal of ones self from the physical plane. This includes self denial; acts of self denial can be selfish and I think it's important that the goal of wanting nothing and being a good person should always be considered when denying oneself. It should be the result of a moral decision, not a guide for it. I know this is discussed in the teachings, but I often find anglosised buddhists focusing on their removal rather than their presence.

Something I would like to get better at is to dissolve the construct of my individual self and undergo ego loss. To remove the ideologies I have been taught and stop telling myself stories that prevent me from improving.

Yes I record audiobooks in my spare time. :smiling face:

torrent link