Via LionsRoar/ 10 Great Buddhist Books, Recommended by 10 Buddhist Teachers

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Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by Shunyru Suzuki (Weatherhill 1970) 
Recommended by Sharon Salzberg: “I read this book soon after it came out in 1973, during my time of dedicated practice in India. It was the book I continually returned to for years to help me remember that we practice not to attain buddhanature, but rather to express it. The book changed my motivation for practice and my entire sense of right effort.”

Peaks and Lamas by Marco Pallis (Readers Union 1939)
Recommended by Gary Snyder: “I started reading it for the mountaineering section, at seventeen, and got drawn into the Tibetan Buddhism section as well. I found my spiritual home there, even before discovering Zen.”

Life of the Buddha by Bhikkhu Nanamoli (Pariyatti Publishing 2003)
Recommended by Ajahn Amaro: “Through his expert translations and flawless feel for the wisdom and wit of the ancient texts, Bhikkhu Nanamoli succeeds in drawing the reader into the dusty paths of India and into the presence of the Buddha himself.”

Moon in Dewdrop: Writings of Zen Master Dogen edited by Kaz Tanahashi (North Point Press 1995)
Recommended by Roshi Pat Enkyo O’Hara: “This translation of essential writings of Dogen has been a vital book for me. Kaz Tanahashi’s insightful and transparent renderings of Dogen’s texts changed my experience of Zen from a supportive practice to a transformational one. I am so grateful to have the opportunity, as an English speaker, to study and practice with these profound teachings.”

Mind in Comfort and Ease by His Holiness the Dalai Lama (Wisdom Publications, 2007)
Recommended by B. Alan Wallace: “This is an outstanding introduction to the Great Perfection tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, and it includes His Holiness’s oral commentary on a major text by Longchen Rabjam. His Holiness places the Great Perfection within the broader context of Buddhism as a whole and also elucidates areas of inquiry that are relevant to science and Buddhism.”

Satipatthana: The Direct Path to Awakening by Analayo (Wind Horse Publications 2004)
Recommended by Joseph Goldstein: “This is an engaging and thorough presentation of the Buddha’s teachings on the four foundations of mindfulness. Ven. Analayo offers an in-depth analysis of this essential text, including a range of interpretations on different points of controversy. His work inspired my own more careful investigation of the depth and breadth of this extraordinary discourse.”

Meditation on Emptiness by Jeffrey Hopkins (Wisdom Publications 1983)
Recommended by Georges Dreyfus: “It brought for the first time a sophisticated account of Tibetan interpretations of Madhyamaka, which was an enormous resource for those interested in Buddhist philosophy.”

Cultivating the Empty Field: The Silent Illumination of Master Hongzhi translated by Taigen Dan Leighton and Yi Wu (Tuttle Publishing, 2000) 
Recommended by Sojun Mel Weitsman: “This is a work of outstanding inspiration. I never get tired of reading it.”

Words of My Perfect Teacher by Patrul Rinpoche, translated by the Padmakara Translation Group (Shambhala 1991)
Recommended by Anne Carolyn Klein: “Almost every teacher I’ve studied with has taught or cited this text, finding within it places of rest and wisdom. Its many famous stories are mini-movies that frame and support the practice of sutra, tantra, and Dzogchen. Straight from the expansive heart of Heart Essence traditions.”

Lankavatara Sutra by D. T. Suzuki (Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers  1978)
Recommended by Jeffrey Hopkins: “It presents in grand detail the horizons of Mind-only and Middle Way thought.”

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Via Daily Dharma: Our Perfect Nature

According to the Buddhist teachings, buddhanature is present in every living being. The natural state of one’s mind, when it is not misconstrued by the power of negative thoughts, is perfection.

—Matthieu Ricard, “Beauty Beyond Beauty”

Via Ram Dass / Words of Wisdom - April 10, 2019 💌

You want to get to the place where, when there is depression, instead of running and hiding from the depression, trying to grab at the next high, you turn around and you look at the depression as though you were looking the devil in the eye, and you say to the depression, "Come on depression, do your trip, because you're just a depression, and here I am." 

-  Ram Dass -

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Mayor Pete Buttigieg and America’s Future

Via Daily Dharma: Letting Go of Suffering

If we understand that the latching on is what makes us suffer, then all we have to do is let go and we’ll see how there’s release from suffering right before our very eyes.

—Upasika Kee Nanayon, “Tough Teachings To Ease The Mind”

Via Daily Dharma: A New Way of Seeing

Enlightenment is always grounded in our own direct experience of mind and its activities, no matter what they may be. When we trust our creative energy, we encounter a supreme kind of enjoyment—an amazement at the natural unfolding of life beyond our ordinary way of looking at things.

—Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche, “Free Expression”

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Via JustaBahai: Is it better to walk away?

When a gay friend wrote:

“My energy could be better served not fighting for inclusion but by focusing on doing good works. I’m starting to see why many people just give up on God completely and decide that, dogma, worship and religious labels get in the way of working towards creating a better world. A world that doesn’t exclude or hurt people.“

I was reminded of ‘Abdul-Baha who said that if religion is not a cause of love and unity then it better not to have a religion. [footnote 1] Some have suggested to me that it is always better to walk away, that unity is most important. I don’t think Baha’u’llah nor ‘Abdul-Baha intended their teachings to be a mouthpiece for the majority. I think Baha’u’llah was serious when he said that ” [t]he best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice” [Hidden Words] but more importantly I think any community, religious or not, needs to value diversity because of the fresh inputs diverse people bring. If those from minority backgrounds are to have a voice, those from a majority perspective need to make it clear that there is ‘space’ for them in their community. In my view, it isn’t about tolerance or sympathy or looking good, but about developing a community where diversity is valued. Diversity doesn’t just happen, it needs to be worked at just as many Baha’i communities have and do work at racial diversity.

I think most Baha’is care very deeply about the importance of diversity, except, it seems, when it comes to our gay and lesbian brothers. I am often told that there is no such thing as a “LGBTQ” voice because we are all one. We are all equal. I agree with the sentiment but by ‘voice’ I mean a particular perspective on the world and society that is different to a majority voice.

I am a human being first and this means acknowledging others as equals, acknowledging that their differing perspectives are of value, however odd or ‘wrong’ they might seem to me personally.

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Via Ram Dass / Words of Wisdom - April 7, 2019 💌

When you have your game all together, and there is still a yearning inside of you, and you say "I don't understand why I'm still unhappy, I've got it all." Well, that yearning is your ticket to spiritual awakening.

- Ram Dass -

Via Daily Dharma: Perfect Wisdom

Wisdom has to do with seeing clearly, seeing things as they are, that is, coming to terms with the way things are. “Perfect seeing” is one translation of vipassana.

—Larry Rosenberg, “Death Awareness”

Via Tumblr: Yo creo en la cura de las personas homosexuales

Yo creo en la CURA de las personas GAY. 

¿Sabes cuándo esa cura ocurre?

Cuando el padre pide que el hijo le dé un beso a su novio para sacarles una foto.

Cuando el nieto le pregunta a la abuela: “¿Que harías si trajese mi novio a tu casa?” Y ella responde: "Café”.

O cuando alguien pregunta: “¿Qué piensas de que un hombre se casa con otro hombre o si una mujer se casa con otra mujer?” Y le responden: “Que va a estar buena la pachanga”.

La cura ocurrirá por completo cuando la culpa inculcada desaparezca y el amor incondicional sea infinito.

Cuando el SER prevalezca sobre la sexualidad. Cuando la felicidad sea alcanzada sin miedo. Cuando sea posible ser feliz sin pensar en el “pecado”. Cuando prevalezca la tolerancia.

La cura vendrá cuando el peso de las críticas pueda ser finalmente retirado, cuando se acabe el sentimiento de ser un “extraño” en tu familia y en la sociedad, cuando todos amemos a todos y a todo por igual sin importar lo que son o prefieren ser, cuando no temas por ser asesinado por alguien que no entiende que tu también puedes ser libre, cuando el mundo aplique el sentido real de la palabra “RESPETO”.

De esa cura es de la que necesitamos todos.

Porque cuando aceptamos que el otro sea… simplemente sea, y lo dejamos SER de la manera que quiere SER, es el momento en el que el mundo se vuelve más fácil y más amoroso.

Así que ya sabemos la cura 😉💛💚💙🧡🧡💜

Via Daily Dharma: Building our Practice

With a strong foundation in how to practice meditation, we can begin to live in a way that enables us to respect ourselves, to be calm rather than anxious, and to offer caring attention to others instead of being held back by notions of separation.

—Sharon Salzberg, “Sticking With It”

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Via Daily Dharma: Right Desire

We cannot awaken to our true nature without a great deal of determination and effort, and determination can only arise from a desire for awakening.

— Jules Shuzen Harris, “In Brief”

Via Ram Dass / Words of Wisdom - April 3, 2019 💌

If we’re going to be free, we’re going to be free about the preoccupation with our worldly conditions. It doesn’t mean we won’t notice them, it doesn’t mean we won’t try to optimize them. The question is: how much emotional, attached mind are we investing in optimizing them?  

- Ram Dass -

Via Daily Dharma: A Greater Vision

The force needed to empower wisdom is compassion. Both wisdom and compassion shift our sense of identity away from ourselves toward the wider human, biotic, and cosmic community to which we belong.

—Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi, “The Need of the Hour”