The following prayer conveys the form of Buddhism we practice at One Bodhi Tree:
"We pray to the Buddha
Because we are grateful
That he taught us
The solution
To human suffering
Today in his presence
We take a pledge
To work on
Our suffering
Using the path of
Ethics, effort, and wisdom
Our problems are real
But our suffering
Is our choice
And we chose to not suffer
We bow to the Buddha
And all awakened beings
And we take shelter
In the triple Gem,
The Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha"
Buddhism strikes at the root of the human condition of pervasive suffering. Following the teachings of the Buddha, one gains last happiness from within--a happiness that does not depend upon anything external. This promise is outrageous! It is so counter-intuitive that Buddha had decided against sharing his realization of the truth of suffering and its solution; he felt that the world would not understand it.
Keeping in mind the "counter-intuitive" nature of the truth and solution of suffering, one must work hard at understanding Buddhism: it will not happen without effort. Following is a list of books that we consider important of creating a foundation of understanding. Each of these books require multiple reading to internalize their message; the reward is awesome--a state of happiness that does not depend upon anything external.
One of the most helpful introduction to Buddhism is by Venerable Walpola Rahula at THE BUDDHIST ATTITUDE OF MIND
There is an ever increasing interest in Buddhism and every week there is a new book published. The books deal with one or more important aspect of Buddhism. But it is critical to have the foundational understanding of Buddhism to make lasting progress towards the goal of liberation. Without the foundational understanding, reading a Buddhist book helps only temporarily.
The structural aspect of Buddha's teaching competes with the study of science or mathematics. Like the students of science and mathematics, those interested in studying Buddhism, must not skip the foundational material.
Following are the list of books, a Buddhist must study diligently.
- What the Buddha Taught - What the Buddha Taught: Revised and Expanded Edition with Texts from Suttas and Dhammapada by Venerable Walopal Rahula. For those wishing to save paper and paper money, a kind soul has made this entire book available on-line at http://www.quangduc.com/English/basic/68whatbuddhataught.html .
- The Four Noble Truths - http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/4nobltru.pdf
- The Noble Eightfold Path - http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/noble8path6.pdf
- The Seven Point Mind Training -Buddhism with an Attitude: The Tibetan Seven-Point Mind Training
The books listed above are for the beginners as well as advanced. One needs to read them multiple times.
