Recommended Reading and Other Resources
Satipatthana: The Direct Path to Realization
Here is the review from Windhorse Publications, a Buddhist charitable company based in the UK."Mindfulness and the proper way of putting it into practice are certainly topics of central relevance for anyone keen to tread the Buddha's path to liberation. Yet for a proper understanding and implementation of mindfulness meditation the original instructions by the Buddha on saipatthana need to be taken into consideration."
The Satipatthana Sutta is the teaching on mindfulness and the breath and is the basis of much insight meditation practice today. This book is a thorough and insightful guide to this deceptively simple yet profound teaching.
'With painstaking thoroughness, Ven. Analayo marshals the suttas of the Pali canon, works of modem scholarship, and the teachings of present-day meditation masters to make the rich implications of the Satipatthana Sutta, so concise in the original, clear to contemporary students of the Dharma.
Unlike other popular books on the subject, he is not out to establish the exclusive validity of one particular system of meditation as against other's. Rather, his aim is to explore the sutta as a wide-ranging and multi-faceted source of guidance which allows for alternative interpretations and approaches to practice. His analysis combines the detached objectivity of the academic scholar with the engaged concern of the practitioner for whom meditation is a way of life rather than just a subject of study.
The book should prove to be of value both to scholars of Early Buddhism and to serious meditators alike. Ideally, it will encourage in both types of readers the same wholesome synthesis of scholarship and practice that underlies the author's own treatment of his subject.'
Bhikkhu Bodhi
The Satipatthana Sutta is the teaching on mindfulness and the breath and is the basis of much insight meditation practice today. This book is a thorough and insightful guide to this deceptively simple yet profound teaching.
'With painstaking thoroughness, Ven. Analayo marshals the suttas of the Pali canon, works of modem scholarship, and the teachings of present-day meditation masters to make the rich implications of the Satipatthana Sutta, so concise in the original, clear to contemporary students of the Dharma.
Unlike other popular books on the subject, he is not out to establish the exclusive validity of one particular system of meditation as against other's. Rather, his aim is to explore the sutta as a wide-ranging and multi-faceted source of guidance which allows for alternative interpretations and approaches to practice. His analysis combines the detached objectivity of the academic scholar with the engaged concern of the practitioner for whom meditation is a way of life rather than just a subject of study.
The book should prove to be of value both to scholars of Early Buddhism and to serious meditators alike. Ideally, it will encourage in both types of readers the same wholesome synthesis of scholarship and practice that underlies the author's own treatment of his subject.'
Bhikkhu Bodhi
Perspectives on Satipatthana
A new publication from Windhorse Publications. "As mindfulness is increasingly embraced in the contemporary world as a practice that brings peace and self-awareness, Bhikkhu Anālayo casts fresh light on the earliest sources of mindfulness in the Buddhist tradition.
The Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta is well known as the main source for Buddhist teachings on mindfulness and its place in the Buddhist path. Ten years after Anālayo’s acclaimed study of the Sutta, his current work, Perspectives on Satipaṭṭhāna, brings a new dimension to our understanding by comparing the Pali text with versions that have survived in Chinese. Anālayo also draws on the presentation of mindfulness in a number of other discourses as they survive in Chinese and Tibetan translations as well as in Pali.
The result is a wide-ranging exploration of what mindfulness meant in early Buddhism. Informed by Anālayo’s outstanding scholarship, depth of understanding and experience as a practitioner, this book sheds fresh light on material that is central to our understanding of Buddhist practice, bringing us as close as we can come to the mindfulness teachings of the Buddha himself."
The Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta is well known as the main source for Buddhist teachings on mindfulness and its place in the Buddhist path. Ten years after Anālayo’s acclaimed study of the Sutta, his current work, Perspectives on Satipaṭṭhāna, brings a new dimension to our understanding by comparing the Pali text with versions that have survived in Chinese. Anālayo also draws on the presentation of mindfulness in a number of other discourses as they survive in Chinese and Tibetan translations as well as in Pali.
The result is a wide-ranging exploration of what mindfulness meant in early Buddhism. Informed by Anālayo’s outstanding scholarship, depth of understanding and experience as a practitioner, this book sheds fresh light on material that is central to our understanding of Buddhist practice, bringing us as close as we can come to the mindfulness teachings of the Buddha himself."
‘He offers us a work of great scholarship and wisdom that will be of immense benefit to anyone who wants to seriously study or to establish a practice of mindfulness.’ - Sharon Salzberg |
‘Anālayo builds on his earlier ground-breaking work, 'Satipaṭṭhāna: The Direct Path to Realization'. The brilliance of his scholarly research, combined with the depth of his meditative understanding, provides an invaluable guide to these liberating practices.’ |
‘A treasury of impeccable scholarship and practice, offering a wise, open-minded and deep understanding of the Buddha’s original teaching.’ - Jack Kornfield |
'Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening'
The mind contains the seeds of its own awakening—seeds that we can cultivate to bring forth the fruits of a life lived consciously. With Mindfulness, Joseph Goldstein shares the wisdom of his four decades of teaching and practice in a book that will serve as a lifelong companion for anyone committed to mindful living and the realization of inner freedom.
Goldstein's source teaching is the Satipatthana Sutta, the Buddha's legendary discourse on the four foundations of mindfulness that became the basis for the many types of Vipassana (or insight meditation) found today. Exquisite in detail yet wholly accessible and relevant for the modern student, Mindfulness takes us through a profound study of:
"There is a wealth of meaning and nuance in the experience of mindfulness that can enrich our lives in unimagined ways," writes Goldstein. In Mindfulness you have the tools to mine these riches for yourself.
Goldstein's source teaching is the Satipatthana Sutta, the Buddha's legendary discourse on the four foundations of mindfulness that became the basis for the many types of Vipassana (or insight meditation) found today. Exquisite in detail yet wholly accessible and relevant for the modern student, Mindfulness takes us through a profound study of:
- Ardency, clear knowing, mindfulness, and concentration—how to develop these four qualities of mind essential for walking the path wisely
- The Satipatthana refrain—how deeply contemplating the four foundations of mindfulness opens us to bare knowing and continuity of mindfulness
- Mindfulness of the body, including the breath, postures, activities, and physical characteristics
- Mindfulness of feelings—how the experience of our sense perceptions influences our inner and outer worlds
- Mindfulness of mind—learning to recognize skillful and unskillful states of mind and thought
- Mindfulness of dhammas (or categories of experience), including the Five Hindrances, the Six Sense Spheres, the Seven Factors of Awakening, and much more
"There is a wealth of meaning and nuance in the experience of mindfulness that can enrich our lives in unimagined ways," writes Goldstein. In Mindfulness you have the tools to mine these riches for yourself.
|
|
More on the book and how to order your copy can be found on Sounds True - many voices, one journey.
|
Seeing That Frees
Meditations on Emptiness and Dependent Arising
by Rob Burbea
In this ground-breaking and seminal work, esteemed Buddhist teacher Rob Burbea lays out an original and comprehensive approach to deepening insight. Starting from simple and easily accessible understandings of emptiness, Burbea presents a unique conception of the path along which he escorts the practitioner gradually, through the careful structure of the work, into ever more mystical levels of insight. Through its precise instructions, illuminating exercises and discussions that address the subtleties of both practice and understanding, Seeing That Frees opens up for the committed meditator all the profundity of the Buddha’s radical teachings on emptiness. This is a book that will take time to digest and will serve as a lifelong companion on the path, leading the reader, as it does, progressively deeper into the territory of liberation.
by Rob Burbea
In this ground-breaking and seminal work, esteemed Buddhist teacher Rob Burbea lays out an original and comprehensive approach to deepening insight. Starting from simple and easily accessible understandings of emptiness, Burbea presents a unique conception of the path along which he escorts the practitioner gradually, through the careful structure of the work, into ever more mystical levels of insight. Through its precise instructions, illuminating exercises and discussions that address the subtleties of both practice and understanding, Seeing That Frees opens up for the committed meditator all the profundity of the Buddha’s radical teachings on emptiness. This is a book that will take time to digest and will serve as a lifelong companion on the path, leading the reader, as it does, progressively deeper into the territory of liberation.
"Rob Burbea, in this remarkable book, proves to be a wonderfully skilled guide in exploring the understanding of emptiness as the key insight in transforming our lives... It is rare to find a book that explores so deeply the philosophical underpinnings of awakening at the same time as offering the practical means to realize it." |
Rob makes one of the most (on the face of it) opaque concepts in Buddhism crystal clear and utterly relevant to everyday lives. A transformative text. I have already bought many copies as gifts that have been gratefully enjoyed by my friends. |
Being Nobody, Going Nowhere
Meditations on the Buddhist Path
by Ayya Khema
In this lucid classic, beloved teacher Ayya Khema introduces the reader to the essence of the Buddhist path. She addresses the how and why of meditation, providing a clear framework for understanding the nature of karma and rebirth and the entirety of the eightfold path.
With specific, practical advice Ayya Khema illuminates the practices of compassion and sympathetic joy and offers forthright guidance in working with the hindrances that we all encounter in meditation. Few introductory books are both simple and profound. Being Nobody, Going Nowhere is both.
by Ayya Khema
In this lucid classic, beloved teacher Ayya Khema introduces the reader to the essence of the Buddhist path. She addresses the how and why of meditation, providing a clear framework for understanding the nature of karma and rebirth and the entirety of the eightfold path.
With specific, practical advice Ayya Khema illuminates the practices of compassion and sympathetic joy and offers forthright guidance in working with the hindrances that we all encounter in meditation. Few introductory books are both simple and profound. Being Nobody, Going Nowhere is both.
“Of special help are the Ayya’s simple, grounded instructions to aid us in our everyday lives to develop calmness of mind and insight into our human existence...forthright and resolute guidance for the journey.”—Karuna: A Journal of Buddhist Meditation |
“This book is a valuable guide to the path of meditative insight and loving compassion. It is direct, clear, and inspiring.”—Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness |
Knee Deep in Grace
The Extraordinary Life and Teachings of Dipa Ma
by Amy Schmidt
A tiny Indian woman leading an inconspicuous life in Calcutta profoundly influenced the evolution and teaching of Buddhist meditation practice in America. Knee Deep in Grace presents the life story of Dipa Ma Barua, along with the essential spiritual teachings that make her a towering figure in contemporary Buddhism. While she experienced fame in her lifetime and had a following of many Burmese, Indian, and American students, she was like the women saints of the Vedas, remarkable women...from the dawn of history...who achieved realization while cleaning their homes and raising their children (Daughters of the Goddess: Women Saints of India). Dipa Ma was a primary teacher of Sharon Salzberg Jack Kornfield, and Joseph Goldstein, who have been among the most influential importers of Buddhism to America. Through the centers they founded and the teachers trained in them (the author among them), the example and teaching of Dipa Ma reach multitudes. Knee Deep in Grace is filled with intimate stories collected over a period of ten years, not only from prominent meditation teachers in the West but from Dipa Ma's daughter and grandson and her Calcutta students. Dipa Ma addressed her teaching to ordinary people in her apartment complex and her extended family, and her iconoclastic style of daily life immersion practice brought many of her students to awakening.
by Amy Schmidt
A tiny Indian woman leading an inconspicuous life in Calcutta profoundly influenced the evolution and teaching of Buddhist meditation practice in America. Knee Deep in Grace presents the life story of Dipa Ma Barua, along with the essential spiritual teachings that make her a towering figure in contemporary Buddhism. While she experienced fame in her lifetime and had a following of many Burmese, Indian, and American students, she was like the women saints of the Vedas, remarkable women...from the dawn of history...who achieved realization while cleaning their homes and raising their children (Daughters of the Goddess: Women Saints of India). Dipa Ma was a primary teacher of Sharon Salzberg Jack Kornfield, and Joseph Goldstein, who have been among the most influential importers of Buddhism to America. Through the centers they founded and the teachers trained in them (the author among them), the example and teaching of Dipa Ma reach multitudes. Knee Deep in Grace is filled with intimate stories collected over a period of ten years, not only from prominent meditation teachers in the West but from Dipa Ma's daughter and grandson and her Calcutta students. Dipa Ma addressed her teaching to ordinary people in her apartment complex and her extended family, and her iconoclastic style of daily life immersion practice brought many of her students to awakening.
Without anything said or done, just the impact of meeting a person so developed can be enough to change one's whole way of life - Jack Kornfield
Dhamma Talks and Teachings of Ajahn Amaro
Ajahn Amaro was born in Tenterden, Kent and is Abbot of Amaravati Buddhist Monastery, in Hertfordshire. With strong family connections in Kent, he has visited our group from time to time, for which we feel extremely grateful and privileged. To read more on the biography of Ajahn Amaro, Wikipedia.
We have included a short selection of Ajahn Amaro's Dhamma talks to watch and also to listen to within this website along with providing a link to large archive of many more.
We have included a short selection of Ajahn Amaro's Dhamma talks to watch and also to listen to within this website along with providing a link to large archive of many more.
