Confession of a Buddhist Atheist

This video was recorded at Book Passage in Corte Madera, CA on 03.19.10 and is given by Stephen Batchelor where he talks about his new book "Confession of a Buddhist Atheist."

According to Batchelor, the outlook of the Buddha was far removed from the religiosity that has come to define much of Buddhism as we know it today. He argues that the Buddha was a man more focused on life in this world than the afterlife.

Suggested Buddhist Reading List

Introductory Study

An Introduction to Zen Buddhism

By Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki

Publisher: Grove/Atlantic;

Reissue edition November, 1991

ISBN: 0–8021–3055–0

Zen in the Art of Archery

By Eugen Herrigel and Daisetz T. Suzuki

Publisher: Vintage

ISBN: 0–3757–0509–0

Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind

By Shunryu Suzuki Roshi

Publisher: Weatherhill

ISBN: 0–8348–0079–9

Dropping Ashes on the Buddha –

The Teaching of Zen Master Seung Sahn

Edited by Stephen Mitchell

Publisher: Grove Press

ISBN: 0–8021–3052–6

Nothing Special – Living Zen

By Charlotte Joko Beck & Steve Smith

Publisher: Harpers San Francisco

ISBN: 0–0625–1117–3

The Compass of Zen Teaching

(Original Abbreviated Version)

By Zen Master Sŭngsan

Publisher: Before Thought Publications

Zen Flesh, Zen Bones

Compiled and translated by Paul Reps et al.

Publisher: Tuttle

ISBN: 0–8048–3186–6

Advanced Study

Compass of Zen

By Zen Master Seung Sahn

Publisher: Shambhala Dragon Editions

ISBN: 1–5706–2329–5

Contemporary Book on Buddhism

Only Don’t Know

By Zen Master Seung Sahn

Publisher: Shambhala Dragon Editions

ISBN: 1–5706–2432–1

The Mind of Clover –

Essays in Zen Buddhist Ethics

By Robert Aitken Roshi

Publisher: North Point Press

ISBN: 0–8654–7158–4

Open Mouth, Already a Mistake

By Zen Master Wu Kwang, Richard Shrobe

Publisher: Primary Point Press

ISBN: 0–9427–9508–3

Currently out of print.

The Roaring Stream–

A New Zen Reader

Edited by Nelson Foster and Jack Shoemaker

Publisher: Ecco,

ISBN: 0–8800–1511–X

Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism

By Choygam Trungpa Rinpoche

Publisher: Shambhala

ISBN: 0–8777–3050–4

Women’s Buddhist Study

Meetings with Remarkable Women:

Buddhist Teachers in America

By Lenore Friedman

Publisher: Shambhala

ISBN: 1–57062–474–7

Buddhist Women on the Edge:

Contemporary Perspectives from the Western Frontier

By Marianne Dresser

Publisher: North Atlantic Books

ISBN: 1–55643–203–8

Turning the Wheel:

American Women Creating the New Buddhism

By Sandy Boucher

Publisher: Beacon Press

ISBN: 0–80707–305–9

No Time to Lose:

A Timely Guide to the Way of the Bodhisattva

By Pema Chodron

Publisher: Shambhala

ISBN: 1–59030–135–8

When Things Fall Apart:

Heart Advice for Difficult Times

By Pema Chodron

Publisher: Shambhala

ISBN: 1–57062–344–9

The Places that Scare You:

A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times

By Pema Chodron

Publisher: Shambhala

ISBN: 1–57062–921–8

The Wisdom of No Escape:

And the Path of Loving Kindness

By Pema Chodron

Publisher: Shambhala

ISBN: 1–57062–872–6

Start Where You Are:

A Guide to Compassionate Living

By Pema Chodron

Publisher: Shambhala

ISBN: 1–57062–839–4

Chinese Chán Buddhism

Transmission of the Mind Outside the Teachings

By Charles Luk

Publisher: Grove Press

The Original Teachings of Ch’ān Buddhism

Compiled and translated by Chang Chung–yuan

Publisher: Pantheon Books,

ISBN: 0–6797–5824–0

Ch’ān and Zen Teaching – Volumes 1, 2 & 3

By Lu K’uan Yu, Charles Luk

Publisher: Weiser

ISBN: 0–8772–8795–3 Vol. 1,

ISBN: 0–8772–8797–X Vol. 2

ISBN: 0–8772–8798–8 Vol. 3

The Story of Chinese Zen By Nan Huai–Chin

Translated by Thomas Cleary

Publisher: Tuttle

ISBN: 0–8048–3050–9

The Golden Age of Zen

by John Ching–Hsiung Wu

Publisher: Image Books,

ISBN: 0–3854–7993–X

Sayings and Doings of Pai Chang

Translated by Thomas Cleary

Center Publications, ISBN: 0–9168–2010–6

Currently out of print. 

The Zen Teaching of Bodhidharma

Translated by Red Pine

Publisher: North Point Press

ISBN: 0–8654–7399–4

The Zen Teaching of Huang Po

Translated by John Blofeld

Publisher: Shambhala

ISBN: 0–8021–5092–6

Swampland Flowers– 

Letters and Lectures of Zen Master Ta Hui

Translated by Christopher Cleary

Publisher: Grove Press

ISBN: 0–3941–7011–3

Currently out of print.

Korean Sŏn Buddhism

Only Doing It for Sixty Years

Publisher: Primary Point Press 

Currently out of print.

Thousand Peaks–Korean Zen Traditions and Teachers

By Mu Soeng

Publisher: Primary Point Press

ISBN: 0–9427–9502–4

The Way of Korean Zen

By Zen Master Kusan

Publisher: Weatherhill

ISBN: 0–8348–0201–5

Currently out of print.

Nine Mountains

By Zen Master Kusan

Publisher: International Meditation Center, Korea; 1978

Currently out of print.

The Zen Monastic Experience

By Robert Buswell, Jr.

Publisher: Princeton University Press,

ISBN: 0–6910–3477–X

Tracing Back the Radiance – Chinul’s Korean Way of Zen

By Robert E. Buswell

Publisher: University of Hawaii Press

ISBN: 0–8248–1427–4

The Korean Approach to Zen –  The Collected Works of Chinul

By Robert E. Buswell

Japanese Zen Buddhism

Shobogenzo– Zen Essays by Dogen

Translated by Thomas Cleary

Publisher: University of Hawaii Press

ISBN: 0–8248–1401–0

The Zen Master Hakuin–Selected Writings

Translated by Philip Yampolsky

Publisher: Columbia Univ. Press

ISBN: 0–231–06041–6

Bankei Zen–Translations from the Record of Bankei 

Translated by Peter Haskel

Publisher: Grove Press

ISBN: 0–8021–3184–0

Kōan Study

Wúménguan–Chinese;

No Gate Checkpoint–English

The Gateless Barrier– The Wu Men Kuan

Translated with commentaries by Robert Aitken Roshi

Publisher: North Point Press

ISBN: 0–86547–422–7

No Barrier– Unlocking the Zen Koan the Mumonkan

Translated with Commentaries by Thomas Cleary

Publisher: Bantam

ISBN: 0–533–37138–X

Gateless Gate– The Classic Book of Zen Koans

By Koun Yamada

Publisher: Wisdom Publications

ISBN: 0–86171–382–6

Gateless Barrier– Zen Comments on the Mumonkan

By Zenkai Shibayama

Publisher: Shambhala

ISBN: 1–57062–726–6

The World: A Gateway– Commentaries on the Mumonkan

by Albert Low, Huikai

Publisher: Tuttle Publishing; 1st ed

ISBN: 0–80483–046–0

Bìyán Lù –Chinese;

Blue Cliff Record–English

The Blue Cliff Record

Translated by Thomas Cleary and J.C. Cleary

Publisher: Shambhala

ISBN: 0–87773–622–7

Cōngróng Lù–Chinese;

Book of Serenity–English

The Book of Serenity– One Hundred Zen Dialogues

By Thomas Cleary

Publisher: Shambhala

ISBN: 1–59030–249–4

The Book of Equanimity– Illuminating Classic Zen Koans

By Gerry Shishin Wick

Publisher: Wisdom Publications

ISBN: 0–86171–387–7

Iron Flute–English

The Iron Flute– 100 Zen Koans

By Nyogen Senzaki (Translator), Ruth Strout McCandless, Genro Oryu, Fugai, Steve Hagen

Publisher: Tuttle Publishing

ISBN: 0–80483–248–X

Ten Gates–English

Ten Gates

By Zen Master Seung Sahn

Publisher: Primary Point Press

ISBN: 0–9427–9501–6

Currently out of print,

Whole World is a Single Flower–English

The Whole World is a Single Flower – 365 Kōans for Everyday Life

Edited by Jane McLaughlin, JDPSN and Paul Muenzen

Publisher: Tuttle

ISBN: 0–8048–1782–0

Zen: The Perfect Companion

(Perfect Companions!)

by Seung Sahn

Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers

ISBN: 1–57912–279–5

Various Koan Collections

The Zen Koan as a Means of Attaining Enlightenment

By Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki

Publisher: Tuttle Publishing

ISBN: 0–80483–041–X

The Sound of the One Hand– 281 Zen Koans with Answers

By Hau, Yoel Hoffmann

Publisher: Basic Books

ISBN: 0–46508–079–0

Opening a Mountain– Koans of the Zen Masters

By Steven Heine

Publisher: Oxford University Press

ISBN: 0–19513–586–5

The True Dharma Eye– Zen Master Dogen’s Three Hundred Koans

By John Daido Loori, Kazuaki Tanahashi (Translator)

Publisher: Shambhala

ISBN: 1–59030–242–7

Straight to the Heart of Zen– Eleven Classic Koans and Their Inner Meanings

By Philip Kapleau

Publisher: Shambhala

ISBN: 1–57062–593–X

Bring Me the Rhinoceros– And Other Zen Koans to Bring You Joy

By John Tarrant

Publisher: Harmony

ISBN: 1–40004–764–1

Sutras for Chan Study

The Flower Ornament Scripture– A Translation of the Avatamsaka Sutra

By Thomas Cleary

Publisher: Shambhala

ISBN: 0–8777–3940–4

The Diamond Sutra and the Sutra of Hui-Neng

By A. F. Price, Wong Mou-lam, W. Y. Evans-Wentz

Publisher: Shambhala

ISBN: 0–8777–3005–9

The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch

By Philip Yampolsky

Publisher: Columbia University Press

ISBN: 0–2310–8361–0

The Diamond Sutra– The Perfection of Wisdom

By Red Pine

Publisher: Counterpoint Press

ISBN: 1–5824–3256–2

A Buddhist Bible

Edited by Dwight Goddard

Publisher: Beacon Press,

ISBN: 0–8070–5911–0

The Holy Teaching of Vimalakirti– A Mahayana Scripture

Translated by Robert Thurman

Publisher: Pennsylvania State University Press

ISBN: 0–2710–0601–3

Zen Poetry

Bone of Space

By Zen Master Seung Sahn

Publisher: Primary Point Press

ISBN: 0–9427–9506–7

One Robe, One Bowl– The Poetry of the Hermit/Monk

and Zen Master Ryokan

Translated by John Stevens

Publisher: Weatherhill,

ASIN 0–8348–0125–6

Currently out of print.

Korean Christians pray for Buddhist temples to collapse

Occasionally I find things that are disturbing on the internet and wish to share them with others and this is one of those times. The outward destructive nature of this video is not teaching the peace and compassion of the Jesus I know from the new testament, but as the Christians often say, God gave everyone free will. (That is another discussion entirely.) If you are interested then watch the video and come to your own conclusions, I wouldn't want to follow a path that leads to the destruction of anything. May all beings attain their true self and save this world from suffering.

Bargainin' for Salvation: Bob Dylan, a Zen Master?

by Steven Heine
A thoughtful examination of Dylan’s oeuvre through the lens of Buddhism

In Bargainin', Heine, who is Professor of Religion and History and Director of the Institute for Asian Studies at Florida International University, interprets the oeuvre of Dylan's career through a Zen Buddhist perspective and includes but digs much, much deeper than Dylan's obvious Buddhist influences -- the references in songs and interviews, his travels to Japan, his kinship with Allen Ginsberg and other Beat writers who were involved in Zen practice -- by presenting Dylan's entire career trajectory as a demonstration of attainment of the "Middle Way" in Buddhist teaching, or the avoidance of all extremes and the refraining from opposing positions.

One of the mysteries of Bob Dylan’s incredible corpus is why he seems to veer and zigzag so drastically and dramatically from one extreme standpoint to another. Throughout his career, rapid, radical transitions in musical style and public persona have either inspired or shocked different sectors of his fans. Is Dylan’s work complex and contradictory, or is there an underlying consistency and continuity to its seemingly chaotic ebb and flow?

Steven Heine argues that Dylan actually embraces two radically distinct worldviews at alternating periods. One is prevalent in his Protest (early ’60s), Country (late ’60s), and Gospel (late ’70s) phases; it finds Dylan expressing moral outrage by endorsing a single higher truth based on a right-versus-wrong philosophy. The second view appears during periods of Dylan’s disillusionment in the mid ’60s (“Desolation Row”), mid ’70s (“Tangled Up in Blue”), and mid ’80s (“Jokerman”), finding him disenchanted with one-sided proclamations of truth, and wandering, seemingly aimless, amid a relativistic world of masks and disguises where nothing is ever what it claims to be.

Throughout his various stages, Dylan’s work reveals an affinity with the Zen worldview, where enlightenment can be attained through meditation, self-contemplation and intuition rather than through faith and devotion. Much has been made of Dylan’s Christian periods, but never before has a book engaged Dylan’s deep and rich oeuvre through a Buddhist lens. Forgoing Christianity and Western views for Zen and Buddhism, Bargainin’ for Salvation will capture your attention and direct it toward the East.

Table of Contents
1. Satori in Amsterdam - "Inside the Museums, Infinity Goes Up on Trial"
2. The Paths of Duality and Non-Duality - "The Judge is Coming In, Everybody Rise"
3. Duality I: The Protest Era - From the Union Halls to the Blues Bars
4. Non-Duality I: The Mid 60's Folk-Rock Era - "I've Had to Re-Arrange Their Faces"
5. Duality II: The Country Era - "Have a Bunch of Kids who Call Me 'Pa'"
6. Non-Duality II: The Mid-70's Road Show: "An Illusion to Me Now"
7. Duality III: The Gospel Era - "You Either Got Faith or Unbelief"
8. Non-Duality III: Mid-80's Retro - "Staying One Step Ahead of the Prosecutor Within"
9. The "Modern Era": Middle Way Lost - "I Used to Care, But Things Have Changed"
10. Dylan's Expressiveness and Zen - "Sitting Like Buddha in a Ten Foot Cell"

2009 Nautilus Award Gold Winner Geri Larkin

My Dharma Sister Geri Larkin (P'arang) has just been honored with the Gold Medal from the 2009 Nautilus Book Awards. I am so proud of her, so please read this book, it is a wonderful exploration of our inner path and expresses her humor and dedication on each page.

http://nautilusbookawards.com/2009_GOLD_AWARD_WINNERS.html

HOME & GARDEN / NATURAL LIVING
PLANT SEED, PULL WEED: NURTURING THE GARDEN OF YOUR LIFE

Geri Larkin

Harper One / HarperCollins

In the tradition of Rick Field’s inspirational bestseller, Chop Wood, Carry Water comes Geri Larkin’s Plant Seed, Pull Weed which takes the reader through the steps of planning, planting, nurturing and maintaining a garden while offering funny stories and inspiring lessons on what plants can teach us about our lives. A sort of Zen Chicken Soup for the Soul, this book will entertain, charm and inspire the reader to get their hands dirty and get back in touch withthemselves. Plant Seed, Pull Weed

Staying in the Train Station

Non-conceptual awareness has been compared to a person standing in a train station, and discursive thoughts have been compared to the trains that enter and leave the station. When thoughts rumble through the train station of the mind, awareness usually jumps on board and rides away. Many of us spend our entire adult lives caught up in the fantasies, reflections, and other ideas, which appear and disappear in our minds. The practice of non-conceptual awareness entails learning to stand in the train station and watch the trains come and go without jumping on board.
It requires considerable practice to watch thoughts appear and disappear without becoming attached to them. Nevertheless, when we are finally able to remain free of thoughts, then waking up from our culturally indoctrinated perception of the world becomes possible. Only when there is a significant degree of internal detachment, silence, and clarity does it become possible to penetrate our ideas of time, space, and thing–ness and discover the reality that underlies human conception.
Unfortunately, the habit of attaching to thoughts is very powerful. A forty year-old person has probably spent thirty five years intensely practicing that habit, so it should not be surprising that several years of practicing a different mental habit may be necessary to change our method of perception. In fact, when we first begin practicing, we have great difficulty even remembering to practice. Repeatedly we wake up far away and must remember to get off the train and return to the station. We have to leave our fantasies, reflections, and ideas behind and re-focus our attention upon what is happening in the immediate moment. As time goes by, however, we remember more and more often to return to the station and the train rides become shorter and shorter. With sustained practice, we begin to spend more time in the train station than riding the trains and it becomes possible to perceive the world of God that is ordinarily hidden by conventional thinking habits.
Rather than becoming silent and discovering what is inside the train station, we usually become hypnotized by our ideas and beliefs. We stay so occupied and distracted by our thoughts, even our religious thoughts, that we have no psychological silence or power of insight to penetrate our illusions. With sufficient practice, however, it is possible to wake up and discover the astonishing truth.
There is only one thing in the train station, but what is it? What is it that sees the thoughts that appear and disappear on the screen of the mind? Christ said that we must leave ourselves behind and discover our True Self, but what is our True Self?
In fact, we are not who we imagine ourselves to be. To discover who we really are, we must let go of the thoughts in our mind. We must wake up and discover who is standing in the train station. That which causes our blood to circulate, our lungs to breathe, and our brain to think does not have a name like Betty, Bill, Jane, or Carol. With sufficient effort, we can discover the one thing that has no name.