Showing posts with label plain and simple. Show all posts
Showing posts with label plain and simple. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Buddhism Plain and Simple


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.