Favourite book ?

[Aloka]

Hi friends,

What's your favourite Dharma/Dhamma book.....and why?

Please share a significant quote from it, if possible.


Thank you

[Olderon]

My favorite dhamma book is a collection of writings / stories about The Dhamma. I find it very similar to Aesops Fables in its character and objectives in that it presents poetry, prose, stories, and narratives regarding Buddha's Teachings.

I have seen The Dhamma Pada written in several variations and is timeless in its messages, lessons, and , not unlike the Christian parables found in The New Testament:

The Dhamma Pada: Verses & Stories

http://www.tipitaka.net/tipitaka/dhp....php?verse=001

Excerpt / Verse 1: "Verse 1: All mental phenomena have mind as their forerunner; they have mind as their chief; they are mind-made. If one speaks or acts with an evil mind, 'dukkha' 3 follows him just as the wheel follows the hoof print of the ox that draws the cart."

When I first read this verse, while still in the military in The Far East, I committed it to memory and recited it in cadence on the march in poetic verse as follows:

"Mind leads the heart,
as the ox pulls the cart."

[Aloka]

Hi Ron,

Thanks for sharing. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean books (or websites) mainly containing translations of Pali Suttas, the Dhammapada, Visuddhimagga, Jataka Tales, Mahayana Sutras and ancient verses etc

I should have made it clearer that I meant recent books written about Buddhist practice by modern authors .

[Doshin]

All books contain dhamma teachings. The question is, if one can find it.

Much wisdom can be found in Calvin and Hobbes.

Quotes:

• The best presents don't come in boxes
• If good things lasted forever, would we appreciate how precious they are?

This koan-like:

• I wondered, is it better to do the right thing and fail or is it better to do the wrong thing and succeed

_/\_

[justusryans]

I have to agree with Doshin, I have spent much time studying the esteemed Calvin and Hobbes and I can’t say enough about how much they have been there for me.

everything arises, everything falls away
Teachings on impermanence and the end of suffering
Ajahn Chah
Chapter 38
Page 141
Chapter 1-2
Seeking a teacher.


Ajahn Chah and a would-be student
A meditation monk from southern Thailand who was considered a master in his own right went to see Ajahn Chah and asked to become his disciple. But Ajahn Chah merely told him, “If you seek a teacher, you won’t find a teacher. If you have a teacher you have no teacher. If you stay with me,you won’t see me. If you give up the the teacher you will find the teacher.”


Brought up short, somewhat disappointed but still trusting that Ajahn Chah was a man of superior wisdom, the monk paid his respects and went into the forest to contemplate these words. Meditating through the night, he finally realized Ajahn Chah was telling him that the real Dhamma is to be found within each individual’s heart, and just this Dhamma is the true teacher. In the morning, he presented his understanding. Ajahn Chah gave his approval, and the monk returned to his monastery, feeling that he had fulfilled his purpose in going to see Ajahn Chah.



My favorite teacher,
Certainly, one of my favorite Dhamma talks

The wonder is how many great teachers he left behind.
I can think of many


Mike