Books about original teachings of Buddha

[Mika]

So far most books I've read about Buddhism have been modern ones (meaning written in modern times by some still living author) and mostly about Zen tradition too. However I think looking at the "source" might provide some insights as well, or at least be interesting from the historical perspective, so the question arises.

Which books / resources would you people recommend for getting best in touch with the original teachings of Buddha? By 'original' in this context I mean like the sutras and stuff that are reputedly derived directly from Siddhartha Gautama's speeches.

Oh and I don't mean the books have to be hundreds of years old (), just that the contents include the canonical scripture and not just someone's interpretation of them in their own words. I don't mind included commentaries though.

[Jundo]

Re: Books about original teachings of Buddha

Which books / resources would you people recommend for getting best in touch with the original teachings of Buddha? By 'original' in this context I mean like the sutras and stuff that are reputedly derived directly from Siddhartha Gautama's speeches.

Oh and I don't mean the books have to be hundreds of years old (), just that the contents include the canonical scripture and not just someone's interpretation of them in their own words. I don't mind included commentaries though.

Hi Mika,

First, please know that nobody really knows what are the "original teachings of Buddha". We actually have a better idea what are the original teachings of Jesus (because only 4 versions of that were first written down, and that decades, not centuries, after the fact). Still, people have been disputing the "meaning of Jesus" since that time. Same with Buddha ... every "Sutra" was written after the time of Buddha, by people with their own philosophical agenda.

In Mahayana Zen too, we tend to look at Shakyamuni as Henry Ford is to cars ... the founder. That does not mean that we go away from his idea ... a modern car still has 4 wheels, a motor, steering wheel, breaks etc. It is just that we are somehow as focused on later design formulations built upon the basic framework! :-)

That being said, I like this book very much as a good introduction ...

Amazon.com
Beneath the enormous umbrella of Buddhism, there is a diverse galaxy of customs and beliefs, but there is also a kernel of truth that every sect holds dear. Rahula Walpola, scholar and monk, discovers this foundation of Buddhism for us first through straightforward explication, never skipping over a point that has yet to be substantiated, then through translations from key scriptures. Logical and focused, these are the essentials of Buddhism; know them first, then move comfortably on to other Buddhist works.

From Library Journal
Rahula is a scholar monk who trained in the Theravadan tradition in Ceylon. His succinct, clear overview of Buddhist concepts has never been surpassed. It is the standard.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

http://www.amazon.com/What-Buddha-Taugh ... 0802130313

Also, Gregor, I believe you recently recommended a compendium of early writings and Sutra ...

In the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon (Teachings of the Buddha) (Paperback)
by The Dalai Lama (Foreword), Bhikkhu Bodhi (Editor).

I have not read this, but I have ordered one.

I will try to think up more that may come to mind, and I am interested if others have recommendations in this area.

Gassho, Jundo[/quote]

[Mika]

Re: Books about original teachings of Buddha

First, please know that nobody really knows what are the "original teachings of Buddha".

Yes, I am very well aware of the fact and that is why I used the word "reputedly" in my question. Maybe I should've put the whole sentence in quotes like you did though.

It is precisely because I am mostly familiar only with Mahayana and other "later" teachings that I want to check out from what it all started. Building from your Ford quote it might be like some fan of modern sports cars looking for the blueprints of T-Ford, just out of curiosity if not more.

I am glad that despite the perhaps poorly chosen words you understood what I meant precisely and thank you for your suggestions. I'll look those up and look forward to what other sources anyone can suggest.

[paige]

Hi Mika,

I like the Access to Insight website. Lots of excerpts from the Pali canon, even multiple translations of several of the main suttas. Best of all, it's free!

[Dainin]

Re: Books about original teachings of Buddha

Hi Mika,

A good book that I recently read and recommended on another thread is Glenn Wallis's "Basic Teachings of the Buddha." Wallis also translated the Dhammapada, which reads very well. In his new book, he takes 16 suttas probably accepted as essential by most Buddhists. I like this book because of its freshness and readability. Wallis renders some basic Buddhist teachings in some fresh ways. Here is the Amazon link:

http://www.amazon.com/Teachings-Buddha- ... 575&sr=1-1



Hi Jundo,

We actually have a better idea what are the original teachings of Jesus (because only 4 versions of that were first written down, and that decades, not centuries, after the fact).

Please know I understand the point you were making to Mika, but I must respectfully disagree. There are actually many more versions of the teachings of Jesus than just the 4 canonical Gospels. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were simply the ones chosen by the powers that be at the Council of Nicea in 323AD, precipitated by Constantine. It was then that the 4 Gospels were chosen as scripture. However, many Gospels existed that were then considered heretical (e.g., Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Philip, Gospel of Mary Magdalene, Gospel of Judas, and many others). Many contemporary scholars actually consider some of these so-called heretical texts closer to the "real" teachings of Jesus. See the work of Elaine Pagels, John D. Crossan, Marcus Borg, Bart D. Ehrman, Robert Funk, and others.

Gassho,
Keith

[Kelly M.]

I would agree with Jundo that Rahula's "What the Buddha Taught" is an amazing place to start.

When I wanted to start reading some of the 'original' teachings of the Buddha I began with the Dhammapada. It is said to be large collection of verses originating from the Shakyamuni himself, collected and arranged by topic. Though they are individual verses, they book has an unexpected flow, and is wonderful to read from cover to cover. I found it very inspiring and I've been itching to read it again.

There are several translations availlable, one of the more popular seems to be by Muller:

http://www.amazon.ca/Dhammapada-Annotated-Explained-Max-Muller/dp/189336142X/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195436426&sr=8-7

I personally read the translation by Gil Fronsdal and enjoyed it very much.

http://www.amazon.ca/Dhammapada-Translation-Buddhist-Classic-Annotations/dp/1590303806/ref=pd_bbs_sr_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195436301&sr=8-4

[will]

Paige
I like the Access to Insight website. Lots of excerpts from the Pali canon, even multiple translations of several of the main suttas. Best of all, it's free!

I second that. There's a few more I came across. I don't know off hand. All found by Google search.

Also, as a note, some of the more obscure suttas can only be found in Pali.

Gassho Will

[Bansho]

Hi,

'Mettanet' is also quite a good resource for the Tipitaka: http://www.mettanet.org/tipitaka/index.html

Apart from the Pali and Sinhalese versions there are typically 1 or 2 English translations of many Suttas there as well.

Gassho
Kenneth

[Mika]

Re: Books about original teachings of Buddha

Thank you for your suggestions. Plenty of stuff to read it seems.

Then a bit off topic...

See the work of Elaine Pagels, John D. Crossan, Marcus Borg, Bart D. Ehrman, Robert Funk, and others.

I found Ehrman's Misquoting Jesus to be a pretty good (and interesting too) introduction to the textual criticism and history of the Bible.

And speaking of textual criticism, has there been any attempts at Buddhist scripture? Any good books in English about it? I know Buddhists generally take the texts way less seriously than most Christians generally take theirs, but perhaps there have been some scholars who have taken interest?

[Dainin]

Re: Books about original teachings of Buddha

Hi Mika,

Then a bit off topic...

See the work of Elaine Pagels, John D. Crossan, Marcus Borg, Bart D. Ehrman, Robert Funk, and others.

Yes, it was a bit off topic. Sorry if I came across pompous and/or verbose!

I found Ehrman's Misquoting Jesus to be a pretty good (and interesting too) introduction to the textual criticism and history of the Bible.

Yes, I liked that book, too. I also heard Ehrman on NPR. Good interview.

By the way, love the Yoda quote! One of my favorites, too.

Gassho,
Keith

[Rev R]

I don't know an awful lot about textual criticism as it pertains to Christianity, though from what I have read from people interested in such things it is a fascinating subject.

The Way on the other hand is based in practice rather than scripture, so I wouldn't think that someone else's analysis of texts would bring us any greater understanding of this path than our individual insight can.

Even if the Pali Canon is somehow proved to be 100% what Gautama said, it is still only a shadow of what he actually experienced. Kinda like a jigsaw puzzle, we go by the picture on the box for reference but we still have to do all the work on our own.

We aren't totally sure that this being we refer to as the Buddha was real, let alone what exactly he taught. I don't think it's important, at the core we have a solid an open framework for practice in the Four Noble Truths and The Noble Eight Fold Path.

Regardless to our differences of opinion, interpretation, and methods of practice we still have this core to build on. So I guess in a way the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eight Fold path are about as close as one can get to the "original teachings".

But that is just my opinion.

Rodney

[paige]

There's also the sacred-texts.com Buddhism section. And A Buddhist Library.

Both have more Mahayana than Theravada resources I think.

I'm sure there are plenty of good books on the history of the early Buddhist sects, but I've never read them! I can ask my teacher tomorrow if he can suggest any titles.

I know that there are scholars comparing the Pali Nikaya against the Chinese Agamas - apparently they match up very well. And I've read a couple of articles concerning the evolution of some of the texts in the Chinese canon. Can't remember any titles now though, sorry.

It is possible to hurt some Buddhists' feelings with textual criticism. Some do believe very strongly that the Mahayana sutras were taught by the historical Buddha, but in other realms and kept there for a long period of time (the Theravadins have a similar explanation for the Abhidharma).

[Don Niederfrank]

a bio

Karen Armstrong's little Penguin bio of the Buddha was helpful to me, not so much with re. to teachings but clarifying to whom I was listening. fwiw

[Jundo]

Re: a bio

Karen Armstrong's little Penguin bio of the Buddha was helpful to me, not so much with re. to teachings but clarifying to whom I was listening. fwiw

Don! Where have you been hiding? :-)

Nice to hear from you.

Gassho, J

[will]

Rev
I don't know an awful lot about textual criticism as it pertains to Christianity, though from what I have read from people interested in such things it is a fascinating subject.

The Way on the other hand is based in practice rather than scripture, so I wouldn't think that someone else's analysis of texts would bring us any greater understanding of this path than our individual insight can.

Even if the Pali Canon is somehow proved to be 100% what Gautama said, it is still only a shadow of what he actually experienced. Kinda like a jigsaw puzzle, we go by the picture on the box for reference but we still have to do all the work on our own.

We aren't totally sure that this being we refer to as the Buddha was real, let alone what exactly he taught. I don't think it's important, at the core we have a solid an open framework for practice in the Four Noble Truths and The Noble Eight Fold Path.

Regardless to our differences of opinion, interpretation, and methods of practice we still have this core to build on. So I guess in a way the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eight Fold path are about as close as one can get to the "original teachings".

But that is just my opinion.

Rodney

I totally agree, but we have to do something with our time, I guess.

Gassho