Recommended Reading |
| After graduating from college with a degree in Religious Studies with a focus on the Asian Religious Traditions, I was given the opportunity to teach my high school philosophy class for a semester. It was a challenge to say the least. The largest barrier was a cultural one. Western students brought up in the Judaeo-Christian tradition found it very difficult to grasp (1) the profoundly different concept of the "Divine" found in the Asian traditions, (2) the idea that every human being (and all sentient beings, for that matter) is capable of becoming Divine, Immortal, Perfect, and a vehicle of "God" (avatar), and, finally, (3) that at the core of the Asian traditions is a methodology or practice that can transform consciousness so that the "Divine" can shine through each and every body-mind. In short, faith in the soteriological methodology of the Asian traditions is more important than belief-as-an-end-in-itself (see "Religious Faith and Empirical Validation"). Therefore, the first books on the recommended lists (Introductions) are intended for those who have little or no background in the Asian Religious Traditions. If you would like to suggest a book, please submit it to: contributetoknowledge@hotmail.com. (FYI: check out WWW.HALF.COM and WWW.AMAZON.COM used book selection) |
| General Introductions Life After Life by Raymond A. Moody, Jr. An introduction to near death experiences (NDEs). Astral Projection: a Record of Out of the Body Experiences by Oliver Fox. Children Who Remember Previous Lives : A Question of Reincarnation by Ian
Stevenson. Buddhism Early Buddhism (Often referred to as Hinayana or "small vehicle" Buddhism) The Buddha : His Life Retold by Robert Allen Mitchell. An excellent (out of print) introduction to the life of the Buddha from Pali and Sanskrit sources. What the Buddha Taught by Walpola Sri Rahula. A more academic explanation of the Buddha's unique teaching. The Dhammapada : Sayings of Buddha translated by Thomas F. Cleary. Ch'an or Zen Buddhism (Mahayana or "large vehicle" Buddhism) The Way of Zen by Alan W. Watts. Although I would rate Watts as one of the "Dharma Bums," he did have a very good intellectual and intuitive grasp of Zen. This book is a great intro for those with no background. Manual of Zen Buddhism by Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki. A classic of original sources. The Zen Teaching of Huang Po : On the Transmission of the Mind translated by John Blofeld. Enlightened Ch'an master; died ca. 850 AD. The Zen Teaching of Rinzai translated by Irmgard Schloegl. Another classic by an enlightened Ch'an master; died 866. Founder of Rinzai lineage. Sayings and Doings of Pai-Chang translated by Thomas Cleary. Another classic. Pai-chang was Huang-po's teacher and "the Dharma grandfather of Rinzai." [Cleary]. The Zen Teaching of Hui Hai (on sudden illumination) translated by John Blofeld. See also http://hjem.get2net.dk/civet-cat/zen-writings/hui-hai.htm. The Practice of Zen translated by Garma C. C. Chang. The short autobiographies of five Zen Masters is a must read. Ch'an and Zen Teaching (First, Second & Third Series) translated by Charles Luk (Lu K'uan Yu). The Diamond Sutra and the Sutra of Hui-Neng translated by A. F. Price and Wong Mou-Lam. Zen Buddhism (Selected Writings of D.T. Suzuki) edited by William Barrett. The Gateless Barrier : Zen Comments on the Mumonkan translated by Zenkei Shibayama and Sumiko Kudo. Original Teachings of Ch'an Buddhism by Chang Chung-Yuan.
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