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Buddhism in Daily Life
is a general introduction to the main ideas of Theravada Buddhism. The book helps the reader gain insight into the Buddhist scriptures and the ways in which the teachings can be used to benefit our everyday lives. Some chapters are written in question and answer form inspired by questions posed by ordinary people who were confronted with difficulties in the practical application of the teachings. An invaluable aid to those individuals who wish to develop the Buddhist path of insight meditation this book is suitable for both practicing Buddhists and newcomers to the teachings.
- GenresSpirituality
187 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 5, 2022
3.5 stars This is an excellent book for someone who is familiar with Buddhism.
It will be an excellent tool to help you progress with insight meditation.
It helps a lot in honing your understanding of consciousness.
It speaks on some real important points for those who are well versed at insight meditation.
You see the Buddha explained that there is no seer, there is no seen there is only the seeing which is real. and that it is the seeing which sees.
For those unfamiliar with Buddhism, this statement can be totally baffling, so the book may not be for beginners, but for those who have battled with the Buddhist doctrine for many years, we understand what it means.
Well this book goes even deeper and explains that for example, when hearing occurs, it is dependent on an ear and a sound...and that hearing itself is the hearer.. that hearing is one of the six doors of consciousness. and it enables the buddhist to detect the keen difference between, the sound in hearing.... and the hearing in hearing....
sorry its a bit hard to explain , but its a bit like looking into a mirror and seeing the mirror itself or seeing the reflection...and that you cant do both these things at the same time.. and that insight meditation will help you notice the difference and hence get a better grasp of reality.
and there is tons of stuff about understanding there is no self actually hearing or seeing, that only the hearing itself, and the universal seeing itself are the hearers or seers...
Like i said, this book is really beneficial for the experienced buddhist, but for those familar it will add depth of understanding and may improve your approach to mediation, until you understand the world in which you currently think you live, is in reality a world of concepts, and not a world of reality ......you are looking at the reflection, and not seeing the mirror.
It will be an excellent tool to help you progress with insight meditation.
It helps a lot in honing your understanding of consciousness.
It speaks on some real important points for those who are well versed at insight meditation.
You see the Buddha explained that there is no seer, there is no seen there is only the seeing which is real. and that it is the seeing which sees.
For those unfamiliar with Buddhism, this statement can be totally baffling, so the book may not be for beginners, but for those who have battled with the Buddhist doctrine for many years, we understand what it means.
Well this book goes even deeper and explains that for example, when hearing occurs, it is dependent on an ear and a sound...and that hearing itself is the hearer.. that hearing is one of the six doors of consciousness. and it enables the buddhist to detect the keen difference between, the sound in hearing.... and the hearing in hearing....
sorry its a bit hard to explain , but its a bit like looking into a mirror and seeing the mirror itself or seeing the reflection...and that you cant do both these things at the same time.. and that insight meditation will help you notice the difference and hence get a better grasp of reality.
and there is tons of stuff about understanding there is no self actually hearing or seeing, that only the hearing itself, and the universal seeing itself are the hearers or seers...
Like i said, this book is really beneficial for the experienced buddhist, but for those familar it will add depth of understanding and may improve your approach to mediation, until you understand the world in which you currently think you live, is in reality a world of concepts, and not a world of reality ......you are looking at the reflection, and not seeing the mirror.
July 26, 2014
This is not an easy book, but books on such matters as religion can not be rated based on easiness. For readers who are interested in understanding the depth of the Buddha's Teaching, this is a very good introduction. It gives a clear summary of the main points without simplifying the vastness and complexity of the Buddha's wisdom, something that has become unfortunately a common tendency in many Buddhist books written in modern time. It is to be read with much reflection and consideration, since the Buddha's message has to be the one that challenges completely our perception and world view, not something that we can also think out by our-self. With such respect and pondering, much, much benefit can be gained from reading this book. Recommended.
August 19, 2019
Fantastic and deep.
September 29, 2010
I didn't enjoy reading this book at all. I think the author abused of the Pali language. I felt I was reading a text book. Imaging reading an entire book with this kind of language:
"Viriya is a type of nāma but is it not true that we take it for self? There are different kinds of viriya. There is viriya which is akusala and there is viriya which is kusala. There is viriya with dāna, viriya with sīla, viriya in samatha and viriya in vipassanā, which is right effort of the eightfold Path (sammā-vāyāma), and all these kinds of viriya have different qualities."
"Viriya is a type of nāma but is it not true that we take it for self? There are different kinds of viriya. There is viriya which is akusala and there is viriya which is kusala. There is viriya with dāna, viriya with sīla, viriya in samatha and viriya in vipassanā, which is right effort of the eightfold Path (sammā-vāyāma), and all these kinds of viriya have different qualities."
July 8, 2014
This is exactly the opposite of what I would consider a primer of Buddhism in daily life for a Westerner. It is extremely repetitive. How many times do you need to talk about nama and rupa? Apparently at least a few more because I still don't really get it. Maybe if the author had not insisted on using Sanskrit terms (or whatever language... I really wasn't paying close attention after the first third of the book) and had just used English it would have made more sense.
Skip this book and just read Pema Chodron. That's my advice.
Skip this book and just read Pema Chodron. That's my advice.
July 21, 2014
This is a rather tedious book. The author is clearly trained in a very strict Thai tradition. The format alternates between transcribed Q&A and very esoteric points of Buddhist meditation practice. Lots of jargon. Not very engaging--many better sources for the same material. Strictly for dedicated advanced practitioners. Available for free download: https://archive.org/details/BuddhismI...
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews