The best Eastern Philosophy eBooks: Reddit reviews

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Almost everyone in this thread could do with checking out Eva Wong's Taoism an Essential Guide. It is a history book on Taoism by a practitioner that gives an overview of all the various things that can be described as Taoist. Much of the western popular knowledge on Taoism comes from purely intellectualized readings of the Tao Te Jing without any of the elements of even the basic refinement practices, because when the west first came into heavy contact with China, Taoism was looked down upon by the ruling Manchu people and the translators were mostly christian missionaries.

https://www.amazon.com/Taoism-Essential-Guide-Eva-Wong-ebook/dp/B00ATMWJZ8

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: an inquiry into values. amazon link to reviews

From their description: “A narration of a summer motorcycle trip undertaken by a father and his son, the book becomes a personal and philosophical odyssey into fundamental questions of how to live. The narrator's relationship with his son leads to a powerful self-reckoning; the craft of motorcycle maintenance leads to an austerely beautiful process for reconciling science, religion, and humanism. Resonant with the confusions of existence, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is a touching and transcendent book of life.”

When Things Fall Apart - Heart Advice for Difficult Times by Pema Chodron

Check out the reviews.

My Boxer girlfriend is 12 1/2. I'm pretty sure she has a slow-growing mass in her gut. She's way too old for surgery, even if I could afford it. I don't know if we'll make springtime, so I just give thanks for every day.

I wish you Peace.

Taoism: An Essential Guide by Eva Wong will probably answer all of your questions. She’s an actual Taoist practitioner, and the book delves into Taoist spirituality, the different sects that have existed, and the ones that survive today

All experiences are legitimate, as every day and every moment is an opportunity to practice. Once it is past, let it go. Any experience in lucid dreaming, etc., should (I think) be taken as a learning experience and, if possible, use that knowledge the next time you get to practice. (Less surprise, in the least) Most people , once they begin to practice and study Buddhism, do have occasional, random psychic experiences, which run the gamut. (just my opinion >>) I think these are a bit like the lucid dream, where our minds either "wake up to what can be experienced" a little bit or maybe the "concepts that we harbor get loosened and occasionally abandoned" so that more of our reality can be seen, if only for a short time. If you read the first 8 Chapters of the "Liberation by Hearing in the Intermediate State" , which is (WOW!) currently priced at $1.99 on amazon for the Kindle, you will get a better understanding of the Intermediate States. (Apple has Kindle apps for the iphone and ipad, etc.)

There are also videos available of a 1-week retreat on the Zhitro, led by Khenpo Samdup Rinpoche. You need to contact Marilyn Lawson at the Garchen Meditation of Canada to get access to those youtube videos. (Donation requested but not required, I don't think.) I found it interesting that Khenpo Samdup Rinpoche said, during the retreat, that listening to the teaching all the way through was the best empowerment for the Liberation by Hearing of the Intermediate States. Very good stuff. Good luck!

I’m not sure how the concept of AP would conflict with mainstream Christian theology. There are a lot of thou shalt nots in the OT and NT, but I don’t recall any that would cover this.

Now, there are a lot of preachers who would insist that it’s the work of the devil or something, but there isn’t really anything in the actual scripture that would back that up, that I’m aware of. Just general warnings about his deceptions.

The Bible has a lot of stuff in it, but no religious text covers every type of spiritual event. Sometimes you’re free to come to your own conclusions, or you can examine the texts that address your experience. In your case, classical Tibetan Buddhism would be a good place to start.

Re: Mental Health Crisis

I don't know what you're going through, but I've dealt with some shit. If you are an unmarried adult with no children, you can go anywhere and do anything, nobody can say shit.

This is helpful. The Stoics were some astute motherfuckers.

This was helpful in learning some self-compassion. I thought the world was treating me like shit. It was, but my own consciousness was the worst offender.

He needs all the emotional support he can get, but give it to him without expectation. If you can come to terms with the fact that his addiction is his battle to fight (or not fight) it will give him the space to make decisions for himself without feeling like he's doing it to ease other people's fears, as shame and disappointment increase addictive cravings.

It would be best if he can get professional support for his bereavement as he doesn't have healthy self-soothing skills. I recommend giving him this book. I don't know how receptive he'd be to reading it but it helped me in a very difficult period of my life.

It hurts seeing someone destroy themselves but everyone has their own story to live through.

There are some excellent resources on the web for simple explanations about Hindu culture. For instance, this book has been monumentally helpful in understanding the Bhagavad Gita: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004DI7R5G/ref=kinw\_myk\_ro\_title

But I'm also Indian myself so that helps, and having relatives that know about the history and myths that I can lean is invaluable.

Sweet! I hope you enjoy them. As far as the mythology is concerned, for Blood of a Novice, that came about from that strange dream I mentioned. It has a philosophical underpinning similar to that of the the first three chapters of the Bhagavad Gita as translated by Eknath Easwaran

It's not like the Shiva Trilogy by Amish Tripathi or anything related to Hinduism in that sense. However, my books do speak to my own history as an Indian in America when there weren't many of us. There's always a longing for India and Indians because of that.

But in specific terms, I'm sorta copying/pasting an earlier answer, but here goes. I am Telugu, and I've always loved our specific names for maternal vs paternal grandmother; younger aunt vs older aunt; older sister and older brother... It's elegant and beautiful, and so that is something I wanted to incorporate into the worldbuilding of The Castes and the OutCastes.
Then there's the food, which I also love. It's easy to get Indian groceries nowadays, but back when I was growing up, not at all. There was one store and it was a forty minute drive. But I love Indian food, so my characters are always eating Indian food when they go to restaurants (dining out is a big thing in some of my books).

There's also the lovely clothing. Simple things like that where it's just part of the world, and I don't bother belaboring the point.

There's also the philosophy, so again, back to the The Castes and the OutCastes, I wanted a nearly biologically based version is the caste system simply to make a point. And as far as Blood of a Novice is concerned, the philosophical underpinning is very much the first three chapters of the Bhagavad Gita as translated by Eknath Easwaran.

My story has a chapter like yours. You're not an "evil person". You're doing your best to get through life with the hand you've been dealt, just like everyone else is.

Coming to terms with loss is extremely painful, but if you allow yourself to experience the pain completely you will come through this experience far stronger and wiser.

I recommend reading this book. It will change the way you view life's painful challenges and help you find the inner strength you need.

It’s also considered to be a Tantra of the highest order so, before it was decided that it would be better to publish it to show exactly what the text was than to have sheer speculation and bad information abound (which it still does anyway), it was only taught to people who had already had many years of training in the Tibetan Buddhist philosophy. So they saw no contradiction in the teachings.

You might be interested in the subject of “Delogs” or Tibetan people who report that they have come back from the dead (or from dying). http://mossdreams.blogspot.com/2019/05/tales-of-delog-those-who-die-and-come.html . I couldn’t quickly find a free pdf of such accounts. Many books include tales of delogs, who are fairly consistent in their tale, and , unsurprisingly, the tales are usually following the Tibetan mythology. (Just as tales of Western folk coming back from being “almost dead” are fairly consistent with Western mythology or culture (or lack thereof).

Finally, in Tibetan Buddhism’s Dzogchen lineage, an very advanced practitioner is supposed to have an experience of seeing the Zhitro Deities in a completely darkened room (or within their eyelids).

Finally finally, the real Tibetan Book of the Dead is the Liberation by Hearing in the Intermediate State , is a AtiYoga tantra, and has 14 chapters. https://smile.amazon.com/Tibetan-Book-Dead-Complete-Translation-ebook/dp/B00452V4AO. I think it’s okay to just read it but, before attempting to practice it, you should get the empowerment either in person or online (with Ven. Garchen Rinpoche, is one possibility, on the recording at his YouTube site).

Well, it is a coincidence but I have a book that I'm giving out free today, 15th. It's called "Infinity and Paradox" and is a series of aphorisms for reflection and introspection. Has a little about taoism, stoicism, panpsychism, I guess. It's not about psychedelics itself, there is no reference on that, but the insights were mostly obtained because of ayahuasca, san pedro and mushrooms mainly. It's like a big trip report excluding the narration of the surroundings and other descriptions, just the insight. If you'd like to have a kindle copy, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09FY2RBCG

That is absolutely going to happen. The depth and nuance on this show. Soon, it’ll be listed here for great minds to ponder:

https://www.amazon.com/Popular-Culture-and-Philosophy-125-book-series/dp/B0897GS1YK

Today, March 10th, is the last day to get this Kindle book for free. It is a book of aphorisms and insights about the foundations of one's own existence and how to find purpose (Philosophical Taoism and Stoicism). Enjoy!

" In Infinity, all utility

is dissolved into something that has no name.

It's not useless, but it's not useful either.

I like to think it's both, a Paradox.

Because only in Paradox is Infinity safeguarded.

Paradox is the conservation of Infinity. "

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09FY2RBCG

SS:

Christians are called to "restore our fellow believers gently" whenever they are "caught in a sin" (Galatians 6:1). (You can probably think of other scriptures that align with this point.)

Oftentimes, though, some - especially those with their own boundary issues - use this ordination as an excuse to attempt to control other peoples' behavior - which is nowhere near the parameters that God has laid out for us.

The posted link goes to a Goodreads quote from the book New Seeds of Contemplation by Thomas Merton.

I pray that God gives us all (me in particular) the awareness and the courage to behave like what Merton outlines with our friends, family, and communities and grace whenever we fail by overstepping our boundaries.

P.S. Here's the Amazon link to the book itself (currently $4.69 for the Kindle edition at the time of posting, though YMMV).

You can contact the Garchen Vancouver Meditation Center. Khenpo Samdup Rinpoche gave a 1 month retreat online a few years ago. (Khenpo Samdup Rinpoche studied under Ven. Garchen Rinpoce, and is the Director of 3 or 4 of Ven. Garchen Rinpoche's Centers.) You would need to commit to the whole course, register for the whole course upon which you will be sent the links to the resultant videos by Rinpoche. (If I remember right, the registration costs 90 US$. All Donations are accepted. ) Rinpoche maintains that watching and studying the whole text with him gains you a proper initiation. (And the course is a complete course.) They use the following text: The Tibetan Book of the Dead: First Complete Translation (avail. in ebook, paperbook, and hardback). It is recommended to read all the book as it really is a "soup to nuts" book. If you complete the course, you will be given, if you wish, the email of a fellow practitioner who has gone to the trouble of re-texting the whole thing into a pecha format with a clear description of what should or could be practiced on that particular numbered day (for personal use or the use of the deceased). Good Luck!!

> Hinduism

I'm not saying you should or need to start here, but when you want to study Hinduism, here are two suggestions:

• The Bhagavad Gita - This is a very good version for newcomers with excellent commentary

• Many Many Many Gods of Hinduism - a very, very casual read that gives a cursory summary of a lot of different aspects

If you are a newbie and a fan of stuff, there's a series called "Pop Culture and Philosophy" that starts with some pretty famous properties and discusses some ideas related to those.

http://www.amazon.com/Popular-Culture-and-Philosophy-125-book-series/dp/B0897GS1YK?ref=dbs_m_mng_awm_0000_ext

These are word games. There are states that are purported to be found when desire and/or attachment has been transcended but these are beyond words. As to the valuelessness of Buddhism, it is stemming from the western distortions of its teachings. By people that have not read the actual primary texts. Here’s what the Buddha had to say in the chapter titled ‘Evil’ from the Dhammapada :

Hasten to do good; refrain from evil. If you neglect the good, evil can enter your mind.

— the Buddha

No, but Thomas Cleary struck a memory-note in my brain piano, and I just did an Internet deep dive to discover that this is the book I was looking for (Instant Zen, also by Thomas Cleary). Thank you Internet Detective, you have helped me immeasurably!

​

Solved!

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Any other recommendations for Zen/Buddhist/Enlightenment teachings? I personally enjoy Stoic philosophy as well and would recommend Marcus Aurelius' Meditations if you haven't already.

Don't lose hope. It is an ultra challenging read. Especially if you are not aware of the full context and allegories. But go through a couple of times and it will start making more and more sense.

The best way to read Geeta is to find an original translation. The best translations are by Gita Press, Gorakhpur. However these are hard to come by if you are out of India.

Another recommendation is this: https://smile.amazon.com/Bhagavad-Easwarans-Classics-Indian-Spirituality-ebook/dp/B004DI7R5G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1530759145&sr=8-1&keywords=Eknath+Easwaran. May be try that.

From a spiritual point of view, the concept is covered in the Gita ... and the introduction in this version touches on how to bring it more into modern reality - briefly - but sufficiently that it blew my mind when I read it.

Would this be the right 'book' to buy with all of those in it? I'm new to all these and the quotes from one of the pages that I found from googling your post was something I'd really like to read more of.

People have groups - like my friend is in a subaru one. You can read up on them, you can research parts, you can find parts and trade them.

There is a really good book called Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance that is pretty awesome about finding goals.

https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Art-Motorcycle-Maintenance-Inquiry-ebook/dp/B0026772N8

Read this book now: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BBXJH2C/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1#nav-subnav

Your suffering is the world's suffering. Your suffering can awaken compassion and your ability to recognize it in other people. Your suffering can be transmuted into something positive. If there is a purpose in life it is to transform the darkness into light. That is your goal now.

Search out for stories of people overcoming tremendous adversity. You are not the only one who's ever been down and out. Become inspired. Work out, meditate, take art classes. Set the bar low for new positive habits so you can incorporate them easily into your life. Stop the negative self talk and get off your ass. If you're depressed get your hands on some ketamine and fix that shit now.

You can do it brother.

Just breathe, breathe, breathe. If you need to see a therapist you'll be ready and willing. I would also recommend reading this book it helps: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BBXJH2C/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1#nav-subnav

Well I could just hop on the "you were irresponsible" bandwagon but it seems like you've gotten enough of that.

I will say in retrospect it boating seems like a terrible idea but not the worst idea especially if you're an experienced boater. First time I did LSD I went stand-up paddle boarding and had zero issues.

Basically it sounds like James everything up. I've tripped many times and the last time I took LSD it was 200ug and I was extremely incapacitated at moments... trouble walking and when I was listening to music it slowed down to a crawl and freaked me out. But I was alone in my house and was able to deal with it and breathe into it no problem. I've heard that doses of LSD can be exponentially higher so 300+ug can feel like 100ug x10, not x3.

Sorry to hear you're having mental troubles as a result. You're probably wondering "why did this happen?" well it did. You can't unring a bell. Everyday supernovas explode in the universe destroying everything around it and people have bad trips here on earth. There is no why.

I'd recommend reading this book right now, it will help you come to grips and hopefully you can transform this negative experience into a positive one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BBXJH2C/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1#nav-subnav

> I want to be a genuinely good person with a clear mind that doesn't think these horribly themed

This is a fantasy you need to let go of. Not because it's not a noble pursuit, but because the brain will always generate thoughts you don't like/agree with even in people without OCD. Don't hold onto a fantasy that doesn't exist.

That being said, the best way to let go of the past is to simply live here in the present, right here, right now. The best way to practice that is with meditation and mindfulness. Try reading this book it will help you A LOT: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BBXJH2C/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1#nav-subnav

Also apathy is your friend. If you have a thought that bothers you, just say (in the voice of a bratty teenage girl) "Who cares?" or "Yeah, so what?" and then the thoughts just go. Random thoughts happen day in, day out to every human being on the planet... you're not a bad person and you didn't do anything wrong.