Nonfiction, Philosophy
A quick and easy to follow introduction to Buddha and Buddhism. An illustrated book that can easily be read in a day. It goes in to explain Buddha and his path to enlightenment, from there on to his moral obligation to share his teaching with others. The spread of Buddhism from then occurred, through the centuries and across the globe.
“As human beings we all suffer from a fundamental anxiety that creeps into all our activities and makes lasting peace or joy impossible.”
“We are all subject to birth, sickness, old age and death, and without an awareness of death, life can only be lived on a shallow level.”
“Enlightenment is the total sense of freedom that comes from letting go of the concept of being an individual “self”.”
“In meditation practice, we learn to let go of the thoughts and fantasies that block the direct intuitive experience of who and what we really are. Our constant mental activity is what maintains the illusion of a separate self, and this effort makes us weary.”
“We are preoccupied with the past, which has already happened, and we are pre-occupied about the future, which does not yet exist. We worry about what will happen and we think about various things that make us feel anxious, frustrated, passionate, angry, resentful, afraid. While we are so preoccupied, our awareness of the here-and-now slips by and we hardly notice its passing. We eat without tasting, we look without seeing and live without ever perceiving what is real.”
“Karma literally means “action”–it is the law of cause and effect. Karma is both the power latent within action and the results our actions bring. Each action, even the smallest, will have consequences.”
“By seeing clearly how we cause harm to others by our own selfishness, we can take personal responsibility for reducing the suffering in our environment.”
“We become hard when we habitually deny our own woundedness and blame others for causing our pain. In admitting our own hurt, we become soft and vulnerable.”
“Western Buddhism is developing its own shape, with an emphasis on community rather than monastery, a re-evaluation of the role of women and attempting to work with hierarchy in a more intelligent way.”
This was a very interesting read for someone who has no knowledge of or exposure to Buddhism.