study guide 08/09

As we begin our eleventh year of classes, I thought it would be good to spend this year on the basics. I will be covering the following fundamental topics: (the topic which appears in blue is the current topic we are investigating, the ones before it have already been covered on this blog).

The Five Hindrances

The practice of anapanasati–mindfulness with breathing

The Threefold Training

The Four Foundations of Mindfulness

The Three Characteristics of Existence

The Four Noble Truths

The Eightfold Path

The Four Divine Abidings

How to use this site: As this is a blog, when you click a category on your right you will see a page that presents a summary of the posts which have been published under that particular category in reverse chronological order. For example, when you click on the “five hindrances” category you will see a list of the posts that have been written to date addressing this topic, with the most recent first. Find the post (weekly entry) which interests you, and click on it to read the full entry. The “Home” page simply presents the most recent posts, regardless of category, in reverse chronological order. I will be adding commentaries and homework assignments every Saturday night.

Additionally, I will be supplementing each topic area with recorded talks on CD that I will make available at the weekly meetings.

I would suggest that you consider the following book purchases for this year:

Essential reading-if you buy only two books, these are the ones:

1. Mindfulnes in Plain English, by H. Gunaratana. You can also read it online, or even download it, for free here: http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma4/mpe.html. This book is absolutely essential and very easy to read and understand. It covers all the basics of mindfulness meditation (also known as vipassana meditation).

2. Breath by Breath: The Liberating Practice of Insight Meditation, by Larry Rosenberg. We could call this book “Anapanasati in Plain English.” This is the clearest and most comprehensible guide to this crucial meditation practice. We all need to become established in this practice as a basis for understanding of the topics for this year.

Highly recommended

1. Being Nobody, Going Nowhere, by Ayya Khema. I would suggest you try to get it published by Wisdom Publications; third edition. As one reviewer on Amazon wrote: “this is the book for when you forget why you’re on the Path.” The book is made up of edited talks given by this Buddhist nun during a retreat in Sri Lanka. This book is an overview of the most important aspects of Buddhist practice.  

Supplemental

You might find it helpful to have one or both of these books as reverences to the original source teachings preserved in the Theravada tradition.

1. What the Buddha Taught, by Walpola Rahula. Try to get the revised and expanded edition.

2. In the Buddha’s Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon, by Bhikkhu Bodhi.

Each topic area will have postings which will correspond to material presented at the weekly meetings–so you don’t have to attend in order to participate in this year-long guided study and practice period.

Postings in the individual categories most likely will contain suggested homework assignments for you to do during the week.

Feel free to leave comments or questions on any of the postings.