Buddhism Plain and Simple by Steven
Hagan
1998
Weight: 12 oz
Method of Disposal: Giving to Tracy
I read this book when I was 16, and it
changed me. I knew it as a basic, introductory book. I felt
relaxed, secure, less anxious. It started a lifelong respect and
love for Buddhism, whether or not I was able to truly make it a
component of my life. I am so thankful for that feeling and for that
insight. I am thankful for the book.
I reread it recently and did not enjoy
those same feelings to the same degree. I was slightly disappointed
for a brief period, but then I realized things change. We are the
stream, after all. The book, what it is, the meaning, my “self”
that does not really exist, is constantly changing. I was not as
open to the insight it offered this time, and I wish I could change
that. I may be able to. That is my dukkha. One of the many goals I
set for myself and then fail to achieve because I set a goal, because
I was trying to achieve something. I like the thought of being a
mountain and my thoughts being clouds that pass by. I am not the one
who can explain this to you. I am not the one that can write about
this book right now.
It has given me a lot to un-think, to
not think. It is a useful source. Check it out if you want a simple
and repetitive lesson about Buddhism.
Krishnamurti! He is (briskly?) straight forward in his explanations of similar ideas. It has been easier for me to connect to as now older.
ReplyDeleteLife is so strange. I grew up hearing about Krishnamurti from my mother all the time and now here he comes up again. I actually have a lot of Krishnamurti books. I will have to go get them off the shelves!
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