MJD’s Comments (group member since Aug 18, 2018)

MJD’s comments from the Secular Sangha: A Secular Buddhist Group group.

For those in the group that are practicing Christians I think that you may like the book Living Buddha, Living Christ by Thich Nhat Hanh (he is the author of the group book The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation ). Its been a several years since I read it and I don't remember too much of its content, but I remember enjoying it.

As I said in my in another thread, I like a wide rang of philosophy. But right now I am on a bit of a Germanic Age of Enlightenment and Post-Age of Enlightenment phase. I'm am really starting to like the writings of Immanuel Kant, Arthur Schopenhauer, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Martin Heidegger.

I really enjoyed this book, especially since Arthur Schopenhauer makes an appearance in it. While I have only read his shorter works so far I have really enjoyed his writings.

Here is another app for meditation that seems interesting: https://www.10percenthappier.com/mind...

[note: I have not used it personally so my message should not be seen as a personal endorsement]

I found this advertisement for a meditation course interesting: https://samharris.org/podcasts/introd...

[note: I have not used it personally so my message should not be seen as a personal endorsement]

I also recently completed Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. I think that people in this group may be interested in it as a lot of the suffering that takes place in the book seems to be causes by unbridled passion and desire, which I think fits in well with the philosophy of Buddhism (particularly second of the "four noble truths").

I decided to take a break from "Being and Time" since it kept on referencing Kant, and started reading Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant. It was proving to be difficult so I read his "Critique of Pure Reason for Dummies" book called Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics. Having read that now I am back to reading the Critique, and I'm finding it a much easier read having now read the Prolegomena.

Recently completed Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics by Immanuel Kant. I thought that it was an interesting response to the philosophy of Descartes and Hume.

RM(Alwaysdaddygirl/Salemwitch) wrote: "Aloha,

Mahalo for the invite! I am a lapsing Catholic which is a Catholic who rarley goes to grief. I still believe in Catholic Church. However, I feel there is more out there. I am going through ..."

Judging by your comment I think that you may enjoy the group book 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works by Dan Harris, which is a book written by a guy that incorporated meditation and Buddhist-like thinking on things to deal with depression.

If you are on a tight budget I would advocate getting the free book Hoist on My Own Petard: Or: How Writing 10% Happier Threw My Own Advice Right Back in My Face, which has parts from the book for free, so you can see if you like the writing style and content enough to make the purchase of the non-free book.

John wrote: "I'm a philosophical newbie. It's only been this past year that I've intently searched out and completed reading full texts that interested me. I've also been listening to a podcast, "Philosophize T..."

Welcome to the group. Feel free to read at your own pace. If you end up liking that book by Thich Nhat Hanh I think that you would enjoy the group book The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation.

Lia wrote: "Thanks for the invite. I have nothing to say about buddhism, which might not be so awful afterall.

Weirdly, my interest is in ... nothing. I think that means I should shut up, but that’s not very ..."

Welcome to the group.

Judging from your comment I think that you may enjoy The Four Seals of Dharma by Khenpo Tsultrim Lodro Rinpoche.

RM(Alwaysdaddygirl/Salemwitch) wrote: "Aloha,

Mahalo for the invite! I am a lapsing Catholic which is a Catholic who rarley goes to grief. I still believe in Catholic Church. However, I feel there is more out there. I am going through ..."

Welcome to the group. There is a wide rang of books on this group reading list (40 in all, all of which I have read and enjoyed).

Also, I want to point out that I purposely have about half the books on the list be free on kindle, for those on a budget.

MJD wrote: "Discussion question: which koan is your favorite? Please write a description of and/or post the koan(s) that you particularly like."

I liked the parable presented in http://www.ashidakim.com/zenkoans/49b... , pasted below:

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49. Black-Nosed Buddha

"A nun who was searching for enlightenment made a statue of Buddha and covered it with gold leaf. Wherever she went she carried this golden Buddha with her.'

"Years passed and, still carrying her Buddha, the nun came to live in a small temple in a country where there were many Buddhas, each one with its own particular shrine.'

"The nun wished to burn incense before her golden Buddha. Not liking the idea of the perfume straying to the others, she devised a funnel through which the smoke would ascend only to her statue. This blackened the nose of the golden Buddha, making it especially ugly."

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To me it seems like a nice little parable pointing to the idea that purely selfish behavior can go against one's own interest.

Robert wrote: "I've been meditating & studying Buddhism for about a year and a half. I practice Vipassana insight meditation. I've read "Seeking the Heart of Wisdom" by Joseph Goldstein & Jack Kornfield and "Why ..."

Welcome to the group Robert.

I think that a good companion book to read alongside this book would be a book from the Stoic tradition called Of Anger by Seneca.

Use this thread to discuss Metaphor and Literalism in Buddhism: The Doctrinal History of Nirvana by Soonil Hwang.

Use this thread to discuss Religious Motivation and the Origins of Buddhism: A Social-Psychological Exploration of the Origins of a World Religion by Torkel Brekke.

Use this thread to discuss Beyond Enlightenment: Buddhism, Religion, Modernity by Richard S. Cohen.

Use this thread to discuss Buddhism in the Public Sphere: Reorienting Global Interdependence by D. Hershock Peter.

Use this thread to discuss The Philosophy of Desire in the Buddhist Pali Canon by David Webster.