Buddhism ~ LB-69

im interested in learning the basics of buddhism.
i find it interesting that the religion doesnt judge anyone for their gender issues or sexual preferences. (unlike others).
has anyone read any books that explain the basics ?
where it all started, the do,s and donts .....etc.
thanks in advance.

Ladyboy Hunter Joined: 10 Jul 2007 Posts: 218 Points: 270

Can't say I've read any books on it since college...which was some time ago.

Have you checked out any websites? I found this one fairly interesting and informative:

http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/index.htm

Which is a part of a bigger site:

http://www.buddhanet.net/index.html

Moderator Joined: 21 Jun 2006 Posts: 2483

I'm not well read on Budhism or religion as a whole, but I'm pretty sure the main Buddhist text is called The Tibetin Book of the Dead.

There is a westernized translation of it called The Tibetin Book of Living and Dying, which I remember trying to read when back in college, but didn't get that far into it before tossing it on to the shelf.

It's kind of a series of little stories and anecdotes, each one explaining one of the buddihst values/lessons.

I was too busy at the time and just couldn't get into it, but I'm sure I still have a copy of it somewhere in the bookcase. If so I'll bring it along to Sparkle for you.

Anthony
I’ve been reading about Buddhism since I was 16. and that is 30 years ago and long before I ever dreamt about Thailand. Smile

There are many books out there, the Tibetan book of living and dying, is a “heavy “ book to start with. But a very interesting book, and very thorough.
But you might want to start with some more concentrated and easier ones, to get your interest going. I am sure you can find some easier ones in a comprehensive bookstore, or try a search on amazone.com.
I have a few “ thinner” books about Buddhism like ”what the Buddha taught” and “Buddha for beginners”. Most of my books are translated in to Norwegian.

The Tibetean book of dead is not the book to begin with either. It is not so big, but it is a guide how to come to the right place after your dead. How to control your thoughts in the moment of dying, and on the travel to next level. Also guidance for those sitting next to you when you leave this world. Not so much about what you should do now, and what buddha’s teaching is all about.
My first book to catch my interest of Buddhism was Lobsang Rampa’s “The third eye”.
An amazing storie about a young boy in Tibet, which become a high rank and trusted monk by Dalai Lama. Not the current Dalai Lama, the one before.

I have lost all belief in the Christian religion, and Buddhism make a lot more sense to me.
And it’s also interesting to talk with the girls about it, in a more serious setting, and go to the temples with them, and have them explain what they do and why. When they know you are not laughing behind their back they will talk to you about it.
To me it is the inner essence of Buddhism that make sense, with karma and reincarnation as the two most important things. But also things like everything starts with your thoughts. And we are living in an illusion, capture by the wheel of karma.

In Buddhism there is no God, it is a teaching on how to think, behave and live, so you can escape the wheel of karma, and not have to be reincarnated to life on earth. Exclamation

Happy reading
Smile

Ladyboy Hunter Joined: 09 Oct 2005 Posts: 106 Points: 86

buddism is the only religion worth giving a second glance, basically it all comes down to our saying "smile at the world and the world will smile back at you".
its open minded, intelligent (really fucking intellignet if u get into it, too much for me lol), and basically its about being nice and if ur nice u get niceness back and the world is a happier place.
the thais have a weird slant on it though- go for the tibetan vibe for the real shit.

I decided to try to learn a little more about it because I wanted to try to understand how these people think. So much of what they do is so alien to me, so I thought maybe buddhism would shed some light. So far, no luck. They still baffle me.

With that said, I've read two books so far. I started with Buddhism For Dummies. Overall it was not that good, however, it did give a good tutorial on the history of Buddhism. It explained quite a bit about Buddha and his life and death. The part I found most interesting was how different forms of Buddhism spread from India to other parts of Asia. I do find it sort of ironic that the thais follow a strict form of buddhism since the only thing they are remotely strict about is reverence to the king. Other than that, their life is based on "mai pen rai".
The next book I've been reading is "What Buddha Taught" by Dr. W. Rahula. I've not finished it, but I like the way it clearly goes through the "noble truths". I would highly recommend it. I'm not sure if it's available outside Thailand, though.
Hope this helps.