Luca’s Comments (group member since Aug 28, 2012)

Luca’s comments from the e-Sangha group.

@chami I think we agree about the purpose of the Dhammapada. I wasn't criticizing it. Although, I rethought part of my comments about it - I think it can convey some of the emotional tone of Buddhism to a reader without a background in Buddhism.

@Allison Like Chami says, it can be tricky. There are lots of monks and non-ordained people who are sincere, honest, and knowledgeable, and write with integrity. There are also very many different schools of Buddhism (Theravadan, mostly from southeast asia; Zen, mostly from Japan; Pure Land, mostly from Japan; 4 different schools from Tibet, etc. etc.) Then there are hucksters, etc.

Mindfulness in Plain English I would highly recommend. It is well-written by a very-well respected Theravadan monk, Bhante Henepola Gunaratana. The Heart of Buddhist Meditation: Satipatthna by Nyanaponika Thera is a little more in depth, but also very good. Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind is another very good book, by Shunryu Suzuki, one of the Japanese Zen masters who established Zen in the U.S. There are also good books by non-ordained writers.

If you want to read in the Pali Canon itself, In the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon is a good collection. The website Access to Insight has an enormous collection of translations from the Pali Canon, as well lots of commentaries, mostly by Theravadan monks.

It's very hard to learn to meditate from a book. Finding a teacher and community is important. And if there are different options available in your area, it would be worth checking them out. If you don't mind, may I ask where you are located?

I think The Dhammapada: Teachings of the Buddha is a very good translation by Gil Fronsdal. Though I haven't read any others, so I can't compare.

I didn't find the Dhammapada a very helpful introduction to Buddhism. It doesn't contain meditation instructions, and it doesn't explain Buddhist beliefs. I think it's popular among Buddhists because it touches on themes, beliefs, and experiences they're already familiar with.