2023/07/30

The Life of the Buddha by Van Horn, Eric,

The Life of the Buddha (The Buddha's Path) by Van Horn, Eric,

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Eric K. Van Horn
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The Life of the Buddha (The Buddha's Path) Kindle Edition
by Eric Van Horn (Author), Rebecca Van Horn (Author) Format: Kindle Edition


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In the centuries that followed the Buddha’s death there were many fanciful and mythologized accounts of his life. Unfortunately these stories gained traction, and even today movies and television programs are often based on these accounts. The Life of the Buddha goes back to the original sources in order to reconstruct his life from the oldest material. This helps answer important questions about the nature of the Buddha and his quest for Awakening.

Despite some assertions that there is little biographical information about the life of the Buddha, quite the opposite is true. In fact, a major hurdle for any biographer of the Buddha is the enormous amount of information that is scattered throughout the thousands of pages of canonical literature. This information is enhanced by some extraordinary research and archeology from the past 200 years.

But this is not simply a scholastic biography. The important question is “What can I learn from the life of the Buddha?” How does it help me become a better person, and a better meditator? How can I learn from the many inspirational people in the Buddha’s life? The Life of the Buddha looks at the often subtle lessons in his teaching. This brings us closer to understanding the man and his Dharma, and how it helps us become happier, wiser, more useful people.

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Eric K. Van Horn


Eric Van Horn was born and raised in Lower Pottsgrove, Pennsylvania. He graduated Pottsgrove High School in 1970 and went to college at Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont. He graduated from Goddard in 1973 with a B.A. in Liberal Arts. His senior thesis was about his experience as a community organizer for a drug abuse prevention program in Pottstown, PA.

After graduation he worked in a number of social service jobs, but eventually discovered a love of computer programming. He spent the next 33 years working as a software engineer. In his last job he spent 18 years working in the field of medical informatics at the PKC Corporation in Burlington, Vermont. He retired from PKC in 2011 to devote his life to his Buddhist practice.

His interest in Buddhism began in 1991 when he attended a "spiritual support group" at the Burlington Unitarian Church. Over the next 20+ years he attended many retreats at the Insight Meditation Center in Barre, MA, the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies in Barre, MA, the Zen Mountain Monastery in Mt. Temper, NY, the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, the Bhavana Society and Monastery in High View, WV, the Embracing Simplicity Hermitage in Asheville, NC, Kharme Choling in Barnet, VT, and Maple Forest Monastery in Woodstock, VT. He went to India on Buddhist Pilgrimage in 2004.

Eric has written several papers on Buddhism, including "Jhāna in the Majjhima Nikaya" and "Reverse Engineering the Buddha's Enlightenment." These can be found at http://nobleeightfoldblog.com/resources/. In 2015 he published the "Travel Guide to the Buddha's Path," a practice guide that provides an outline of the whole of the Buddha's path as described in the Pāli canon. This volume has since been replaced by a greatly expanded three-volume set "The Buddha's Path Series," which includes (1) "Foundations of the Buddha's Path," (2) "The Heart of the Buddha's Path," and (3) "Awakening on the Buddha's Path." He has also written a biography of the Buddha called "The Life of the Buddha" and is currently editing and illustrating the Buddhist Jātaka Tales literature.

He moved from Vermont to New Mexico in 2014 because it was "sunnier, warmer, and cheaper." He also found a living situation that is quieter and more conducive to meditation. He has an ongoing love of the Land of Enchantment, its rich cultural heritages, breathtaking landscapes, and ancient history. He has two adult children, Seth and Rebecca, a daughter-in-law Britomarte, a grandchild Jay, and a Toby.



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corey
5.0 out of 5 stars Very helpful book on buddhist teachingsReviewed in the United States on September 8, 2021
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This book was like being in a college class taught by a learned teacher. Required reading for anyone wanting to understand the beautiful life of a wonderful man. Easy to understand the book reads like a detailed look into Buddha.



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Ñāṇamoli Bhikkhu - Wikipedia Osbert John S. Moore; 1905 – 1960

Ñāṇamoli Bhikkhu - Wikipedia


Ñāṇamoli Bhikkhu

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ñāṇamoli Bhikkhu
Personal
Born
Osbert John S Moore

25 June 1905
United Kingdom
Died8 March 1960 (aged 54)
Veheragama near Mahawa, Sri Lanka
ReligionTheravada
OccupationBuddhist monk, Pali scholar, translator
Senior posting
TeacherÑāṇatiloka Maha Thera
Based inIsland Hermitage

Ñāṇamoli Bhikkhu (born Osbert John S. Moore; 25 June 1905 – 8 March 1960) was a British Theravada Buddhist monk and translator of Pali literature.[1]

Biography[edit]

Born in Cambridge, Osbert was the only child of biologist John Edmund Sharrock Moore and Heloise Moore (née Salvin). He was named after Heloise's father, the naturalist Osbert Salvin. He studied modern languages at Exeter College, Oxford. He helped a friend to run an antiques shop before joining the army at the outbreak of World War II, joining the anti-aircraft regiment before being transferred to the Intelligence Corps officer-cadet training camp. He was posted to a camp on the Isle of Man to help oversee Italian internees.

In 1944 he was posted to Italy serving as an intelligence officer interrogating spies and saboteurs. During this period he discovered Buddhism via Julius Evola's The Doctrine of Awakening a Nietzschean interpretation of Buddhism. This work had been translated by his friend Harold Edward Musson, also an intelligence officer serving in Italy.

After the war Moore joined the Italian section of the BBC. Moore and Musson, who shared a flat in London, were quite disillusioned with their lives and left to Sri Lanka in 1949 to become Buddhist monks. On 24 April 1949 they received the novice (samanera) ordination or going forth, pabbajjā, from Ñāṇatiloka at the Island Hermitage. In 1950 they received their bhikkhu ordination at Vajirarama Temple Colombo. Ñāṇamoli spent almost his entire monk life of eleven years at the Island Hermitage.

After having been taught the basics of Pali by Nyanatiloka Mahathera, Ñāṇamoli acquired a remarkable command of the Pali language and a wide knowledge of the canonical scriptures within a comparatively short time. He is remembered for his reliable translations from the Pali into English, mostly of abstruse texts such as the Nettippakaraṇa which are considered difficult to translate. He also wrote essays on aspects of Buddhism. 

By 1956 he had translated Visuddhimagga into English and got it published as The Path of Purification. He also compiled The Life of the Buddha, a reliable and popular biography of the Buddha based on authentic records in the Pali Canon. His notes with his philosophical thoughts were compiled by Nyanaponika Thera and published as A Thinker's Note Book.

His handwritten draft translation of the Majjhima Nikaya was typed out after his death and edited by Bhikkhu Khantipalo, and partly published as A Treasury of the Buddha's Discourses and then edited again by Bhikkhu Bodhi and published as Middle Length Discourse of the Buddha and published by Wisdom Publications in 1995. Other draft translations, edited and published after his death, are The Path of Discrimination (Paṭisambhidāmagga) and Dispeller of Delusion (Sammohavinodanī).

While on a pilgrimage he died suddenly due to heart failure at the hamlet of Veheragama near Mahawa. His body was brought to Vajirarama Temple in Colombo and cremated at a nearby cemetery.

Works[edit]

Published by the Pali Text Society, London

  • Minor Readings and Illustrator. The Khuddakapāṭha and Commentary. Transl, from the Pali. 1960.
  • The Guide (Nettipakarana). Transl. from the Pali. 1962.
  • Piṭaka-Disclosure (Peṭakopadesa). Transl. from the Pali. 1964.
  • The Path of Discrimination (Patisambhidamagga). Transl. from the Pali, 1982.
  • Dispeller of Delusion (Sammohavinodanī). Transl. from the Pali. Revised by L.S. Cousins, Nyanaponika Thera and C.M.M. Shaw, 2 volumes, 1987, 1991.

Published by the Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy

  • The Path of Purification (Visuddhimagga) by Bhadantācariya Buddhaghosa. Translated from the Pali. First edition 1956. 3rd ed. 1991. Read
  • Mindfulness of Breathing (Ānāpānasati): Buddhist Texts from the Pali Canon and Extracts from the Pali Commentaries. First edition 1964. Fifth edition 1991. Read
  • The Life of the Buddha: as it appears in the Pali Canon, the oldest authentic record. (369 pp.) First printing 1972, fifth printing 2007. Read
  • The Practice of Loving-kindness (Mettā): as taught by the Buddha in the Pali Canon. Compiled and translated 1958. Published in The Wheel No. 6/7. First printing 1958. Sixth reprint 2005. Read
  • A Pali-English Glossary of Buddhist Technical Terms. Edited by Bhikkhu Bodhi. First edition 1991. Second edition 2007. Read
  • Three Cardinal Discourses of the Buddha: Translation with Introduction and Notes. First printing 1960; third reprint 1981 as The Wheel No. 17. Read
  • Pathways of Buddhist Thought: Four Essays (from Posthumous papers). 1963, 1983—(The Wheel No. 52/53.) Reprinted in an anthology of The Wheel publications published by George Allen & Unwin, London, 1971 under the same title). Read
  • The Three Refuges. 1959. (Bodhi Leaves No. A. 5). Read
  • “Anicca-Dukkha-Anatta. According to the Theravāda.” Three Essays in The Three Basic Facts of Existence (The Wheel Nos. 186/187, 191/193, 202/204), 1973–74. Read
  • A Thinker’s Notebook: Posthumous Papers of a Buddhist Monk. Compiled by Nyanaponika Thera. First edition 1972 (Forest Hermitage, Kandy). Second edition: 1980. Third edition, including Pathways of Buddhist Thought (earlier published under the same title as Wheel Publication 52/53), and the previously unpublished essay 'The Sukkhavipassaka', 2008. Read

Published by Mahamakuta Rajavidyalaya Press, Bangkok

  • The Pātimokkha. 227 Fundamental Rules of a Bhikkhu. Translated from the Pali. 1969.
  • A Treasury of the Buddha's Discourses. Compilation of Suttas from the Majjhima Nikaya. Edited by Bhikkhu Khantipalo, 1977.

Published by Wisdom Publications, Boston

  • Middle Length Length Discourse of the Buddha Translated from the Pali. Edited by Bhikkhu Bodhi. 1995, 2005, 2009. ISBN 0-86171-072-X, 9780861710720

Wheel Publications (BPS)[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Buswell, Robert Jr; Lopez, Donald S. Jr., eds. (2013). "Ñāṇamoli Bhikkhu", in Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691157863.

Bibliography[edit]

  • The Life of Nyanatiloka: The Biography of a Western Buddhist Pioneer Bhikkhu Nyanatusita and Hellmuth Hecker, Kandy, 2009. View online.
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The Life of the Buddha: According to the Pali Canon : Ñanamoli, ven Bhikkhu

The Life of the Buddha: According to the Pali Canon : Ñanamoli, ven Bhikkhu: Amazon.com.au: Books



The Life of the Buddha: According to the Pali Canon Paperback – 11 November 2021
by ven Bhikkhu Ñanamoli (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 104 ratings

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Composed entirely of texts from the Pali canon, this unique biography presents the oldest authentic record of the Buddha’s life and revolutionary philosophy. The ancient texts are rendered here in a language marked by lucidity and dignity. A framework of narrators and voices connect the canonical texts. 

Vivid recollections of his personal attendant Ananda and other disciples bring the reader into the Buddha’s presence, where his example offers profound inspiration and guidance on the path to freedom.
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Heders
4.0 out of 5 stars Reliable source
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 11 July 2023
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My abbot's favourite book on this subject.
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Ani
5.0 out of 5 stars amazing book on Buddha personality and teaching
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 25 January 2023
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The finest book written on Buddha’s teaching and his personality. 
The author takes the reader very close to Buddha on his own time and place.
Definitely, Buddha’s energy is filled in his book and the bare translation of Pali into modern English is an unbelievable task.
It is the blessing of Buddha deity that I was able to read this book.
2 people found this helpful
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Tariki
5.0 out of 5 stars For me the best introduction to Buddhism
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 19 July 2021
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After most of the dust has settled and quite a few years on the raft this remains for me the best introduction to the Dharma - or Dhamma! 
After a long trail through various texts and life experiences I have ended up within the Pure Land expression of the Dharma 
but reading this Life of the Buddha all the seeds of every path can be found. 

The simplicity at times confounds any Mahayana mindset, but the exposition of the doctrine that follows the life story is as profound as anyone could wish (if wish is the right word) 
I have always been grateful that I first gained the peg of Theravada before coming to the Mahayana - which can be a quagmire, if not quicksand, at times. Many of the essays of Nyanaponika Thera have been constant companions. Zen and Dogen, the Tibetan expressions, have been, and are, a blessing as I stumble along, a Pure Land bombu, but here in genesis is the heart if we care to listen. This is Osbert Moore at his best, Bhikkhu Nanamoli. A unique mind/heart giving expression to the Dharma. A pleasure to read. Thank you.
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v supervia
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Useful Biography
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 19 November 2012
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I learned of Nanamoli via one of Stephen Batchelor's books. 
Nanamoli must have been an interesting man. His scholarly credentials are impeccable. The aim of this book is to say what can be said about the Buddha as found in the most reliable -- i.e, earliest -- Pali texts. 

He presents the material from four points of view, all woven together in more or less chronological order. The format works very well, assisting the non-scholar in getting a sense of the Pali Canon -- or so I think, anyway, since I'm a non-scholar!

I wanted a reliable telling of the Buddha's story. I've read several well-known and generally recommended biographies, but I did not get a clear picture of how his teachings motivated others to preserve them accurately. 

After reading this book I'm a lot more certain that the wisdom we call 'Buddhism' was inspired by the teachings one man -- not an accumulation of teachings that grew willy-nilly from a variety of communities. 

Readers will be surprised to find a very sparse account of Siddhartha's first 29 years. On the other hand, the few passages Nanamoli is willing to use come straight from Siddhartha. They are very candid stories about a man who left his home because he was restless and unhappy. He clearly did not know what he was looking for. In that light, the stories of the five years preceding Enlightenment make a lot more sense.

2600 years having passed since Siddhartha's lifetime. Most of us Americans have come to Buddhism via less than perfect books and lectures. Nanamoli's book lets us make a connection with the first teacher, so to speak, and this, I think is both refreshing and re-assuring.

31 people found this helpful
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Roberto Bertozzi
5.0 out of 5 stars Eccezionale
Reviewed in Italy 🇮🇹 on 11 December 2014
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This work by Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli fits into the broader context of his work and of the Buddhist tradition of the Hermitage Island Monastery: the effort to understand and explain the Dhamma in the light of the Dhamma itself is tangible, through the words of the Canon and the ancient commentators. This is the main advantage: it is an anthology of passages taken from the two canonical baskets of the Suttas and the Vinaya, from the canonical poetic works and, I presume, paraphrased by Buddhaghosa. Through the "masked" intervention of Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli himself (the first narrator), the traditional material is reorganized on a chronological basis following the thread of the life of the Buddha, in an effort to give an organic and harmonious idea of the life itself of the Awakened leaving all that sea of successive and more properly hagiographic traditions starts. Perhaps it is not suitable for an audience completely unfamiliar with Buddhism and canonical Buddhist literature, nor for those looking for a simple introduction to the Buddha and his teachings: there are other publications that fully satisfy this purpose. As far as I'm concerned, it's one of the most beautiful, dense, and masterfully conceived books I've ever read on the subject.
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Shambhala
4.0 out of 5 stars Dense and Detailed work on the Life of the Buddha
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 3 July 2015
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This is a great academic work from which any buddhist can benefit.... IF, they can tolerate the very dull, dry, and schematic writing of the Pali texts. Bhikkhu Ñanamoli selected, gathered, and arranged in chronological order all the facts of the life of the Buddha from four different sources of the pali tradition.
To all those interested in study the gradual Vehicle of Sutra (Sutrayana), they should study this "biography" first, because it allows to access the foundational teachings of the first turn of the Wheel of Dharma (Shravakayana / Vehicle of Hearers) .

After this, you maybe want to read  Great Disciples of the Buddha: Their Lives, Their Works, Their Legacy (Teachings of the Buddha)  (more readable than the Ñanamoli`s). 
After these two texts, you will notice that it will be easier understand the Sutta Pitaka.
10 people found this helpful
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Daniel Johnson
3.0 out of 5 stars WAY technical
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 15 May 2009
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I haven't read the whole book, because it's thick and like other's have mentioned.. not the kind of book you'd put on your nightstand before bed.

In my opinion, these kinds of extremely direct translations miss the whole point of being alive. It's basically the author's way of saying "I don't really know what the heck happened, so I'm just gonna try to tell you what everyone else said happened." There's a certain honesty in that. And, I guess that's admirable. It's very true to the Pali texts, as other's have mentioned. But, it can get boring. And, I think it can lose sight of the living truth of the dhamma.

I don't think Gotama, the Buddha, would have read this book. And, I think if he were on Amazon, he would give it two or three stars. So, I've tried to do him justice.

With all that said. As long as you know what you're getting, the author definitely delivers. He does what he sets out to do very well. A success by that standard.
9 people found this helpful
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Bartolomucci Fabrizio
4.0 out of 5 stars A great antology from the Vinaya Pitaka
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 25 August 2004
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The book presents a selection of the suttas with an historical underpinning and without ever extending beyond the limited borders of the Pali Canon.
This Biblic-like account, given the basically atemporal nature and catechism of the Buddha's teachings, results in a quite sketchy approach to Buddhism that might contrast in method with the Dhamma teaching and that might thus suggest against using the text as an introducion to the practice.
Still the book has the great merit of providing translations from the Vinaya Pitaka, the basket presently most neglected by Western translators, as well as giving a handy reference to specific episodes difficulty retrieved in the original texts.
12 people found this helpful
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S. Stevenson
4.0 out of 5 stars The second book you should read about Buddhism
Reviewed in Germany 🇩🇪 on 14 May 2009
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The reason Buddhists don't have a holy book like the Christians or Muslims is because after 45 years of teaching, the Buddha left what is now a small library. Even the "core" texts -- the Pali Cannon -- are voluminous and difficult to approach because you don't know where to start. 
Here, the author has gone through those texts, picked out those that contain biographical information on the Buddha, and has put them in chronological order. The result is a life history that is very accessible and, to my surprise, highly entertaining to read: You suddenly realize just how human the Buddha really was.

This should not be your first book on Buddhism, because it assumes familiarity with basic concepts and terms. Pick up any very short introduction to the subject, and then get "The Life" as a second book.
7 people found this helpful
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Hector Inchaustegui
5.0 out of 5 stars Mandatory reading for anyone who wants to understand Buddhism
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 10 January 2013
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Whether someone is just starting their journey in to Buddhism or has read about its variants extensively - it is a great insight into the life of the Buddha. Unlike many religious figures (Jesus, Mohammed, prophets and mystics), Buddha lived for many years after his enlightenment and spoke of the "path" extensively. It portrays a very human side, even when there are some supernatural events described. For me this text gives us a more personal view of the man and the ideas that have been commented upon for over 2000 years in a myriad of forms and it reminds me that all that commentary and religious activity started with the teachings of a real man.
3 people found this helpful
===
Adriel S. Machado
5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely satysfying reading
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 6 March 2012
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Although I've just discovered Buddhism, or perhaps because of that, I was kind of lost with many different doctrines (Theravada, Mayhana, Varajna, Zen, etc).

So I wanted to go straight to the source, kind of hear the words from Buddha himself, without the taints of traditions and changes over the centuries.

Despite of being a non native english speaker I managed to undestand the words, think about the orientations, rules and history.

As others have said yes it's from the canon pali, has some ancient words, but it's the real deal, this book is amazing and I'm loving reading it and understanding the origin of some buddhist traditions.

A must read.
6 people found this helpful
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Jerry
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 27 October 2014
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The Life of the Buddha is a ,slow, but excellent read. Bhikkhu Nanamoli's style of using 2 Narrators, 3 Voices, & a Chanter is unique & works quite well. The previous sentence may give the impression the Book is a play. It is not. It is a unique tome with enough substance for Buddhist & casual readers. I use a "Cheat" sheet defining each role as a bookmark to avoid having to flip to the front of the book to refresh my memory. The fact that the book is Theravada in nature is also a plus.
10 people found this helpful
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Tipa Imya
5.0 out of 5 stars Best book
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 1 September 2020
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This is the closest to the actual account of the Buddha in English, as per the Pali Canon that one can get! AMAZING
One person found this helpful
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Emergence Education
5.0 out of 5 stars Best readable and accurate source book on the Buddha's life and teachings
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 3 June 2018
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Important resource book and readable stories. I have used this regularly for more than 20 years. New students with just a peripheral familiarity with the life of the Buddha will find readable and accurate translations of his inspiring life and teachings here.
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Choo Siew Yen
5.0 out of 5 stars Source of happiness
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 26 July 2013
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For people who want to know more about Buddhism, this is a very good and comprehensive book to start off. It covers the main events that happened 2556 years ago, which was a very auspicious time for all beings. You can learn a lot of useful qualities and make you life a more meaningful one after reading it. May all readers be able to live a fruitful and happy life. Sukhi hotu Nibbanassapaccayohotu.
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Jesse Goode
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Depth
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 17 February 2014
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This book provides great depth and insight into Lord Buddha's life and teachings. By focusing on Buddha's life and the context in which he taught, the reader learns much more than is possible from a mere recitation of his canonical lessons. Whether you are a serious student of Mahayana (I am) or Theraveda Buddhism, or just generally interested in what the Buddha taught, this book will be meaningful.
One person found this helpful
===
Arijit
5.0 out of 5 stars Review on 1/19/10
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 19 January 2010
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I have always wanted to read a biography written as close to Buddha's lifetime as possible (this would make the account an authentic one in my opinion). The author has done a marvelous job of compiling the information from various Buddhists Treaties and Struties (taken from original Theravada Pali texts). No interpretation seems to have been given, which, I appreciate immensely. It feels like one is actually reading those old texts.

Marvelously written, informative and a good read.
3 people found this helpful
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Ankh
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent chronological account of the life of the Buddha
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 22 March 2018
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Excellent chronological account of the life of the Buddha directly from the Pali canon.
I was reading excerpts of it as I was visiting the place where the episodes took place.
2 people found this helpful
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Inez Jauregui
5.0 out of 5 stars I think its a very informative easy read that spiritual people will enjoy
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 8 January 2015
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I think its a very informative easy read that spiritual people will enjoy. I have purchased other books from the seller and i am quite happy
with the customer service, ....
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Road to Liberation: Dependent Origination: Ron Wijewantha: 9789552402371: Amazon.com: Books

Road to Liberation: Dependent Origination: Ron Wijewantha: 9789552402371: Amazon.com: Books


Road to Liberation: Dependent Origination Paperback – Import, January 12, 2006
by Ron Wijewantha (Author)
3.6 3.6 out of 5 stars 2 ratings

Part 1 of a 3-Wheel series discussing the doctrine of Dependent Origination (Paṭiccasamuppāda) and its underlying message. Part 2 is entitled Achieving Transcendence. Part 3 is entitled Attaining Nibbana.


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History and Science Craig
3.0 out of 5 stars Decent Overview of Dependent OriginationReviewed in the United States on August 31, 2016
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I bought this book after being introduced to Dependent Origination (DO) in John Haspel's excellent book "The Truth of Happiness." John has a chapter on DO and I had a reasonable idea of what DO was before I read this book, but I was hoping an entire book would provide additional insight into DO. However, I was disappointed; the book was fine, but I got no more depth out of this entire book then I got out of John's chapter (and, to be fair, subsequent discussions with John).

If you know nothing about DO, this is probably a fine introduction. If you are already familiar with DO, I would pass on this book.

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A Still Forest Pool: The Insight Meditation of Achaan Chah

 A Still Forest Pool: The Insight Meditation of Achaan Chah: 0000


A Still Forest Pool: The Insight Meditation of Achaan Chah: 0000
byAchaan Chah
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262 total ratings, 54 with reviews
From Australia
wworlds
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in Australia 🇦🇺 on 18 January 2020
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Excellent book - my go to text for Dharma reminders - immediately clues you into your own practical wisdom. The mantra being experiment and keep inquiring within.
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superbill1111
5.0 out of 5 stars this is wisdom
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 16 May 2023
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I am very new to all of this, but this book is the best that I’ve had the pleasure of reading so far. I’ve had read much of it 2 to 3 times and I will read the entire book again. namaste.
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Sam
5.0 out of 5 stars Daily contemplation
Reviewed in Singapore 🇸🇬 on 12 January 2023
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I had a free copy of Achaan Chah’s book from decades ago, utterly worn and falling to pieces, and this new copy replaces it.

Achaan Chah’s is one of those rare teachers who can convey the most profound insights concisely in simple language. Each chapter in the book can be taken and read on its own, and be used as a subject of contemplation and insight. In my experience, one can go away with a simple guideline or idea from a chapter in the book during the first reading. Revisiting the same topic after a year or two causes another insight to surface. And the next time there’s a different insight, and so on.

This book is a tool for slow contemplation, where you may come back to one topic many times over decades. It’s not something to be read cover to cover in one sitting. A little basic knowledge of Buddhist ideas can help, specially when Achaan uses some of them to convey his take on it, but one can approach this book with zero exposure to the Buddhist teachings and benefit greatly.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A True Classic
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 3 September 2017
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This book is a classic and should be in the library of any meditator regardless of their spiritual path.
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ba
5.0 out of 5 stars A book for life
Reviewed in Germany 🇩🇪 on 29 August 2021
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This isn't just a book on meditation. This is a book for life. If you read this book and you really get it, and I mean really get it, you will have absolutely no problems in life and you'll be totally at peace. You'll know what to do when things come up. Some passages in this book I have read several times. Simply because there is so much wisdom between the lines. Buddhism really is the way to go in my eyes. Not because of any dogma. But because the truth is already within you.
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Jim in NC
5.0 out of 5 stars Still Waters Run Deep
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 13 February 2014
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There is more to this book than I could ever cover in a review, This is the first time I have rated a book as 5-star.Perhaps it was the time I read it, i.e. after reading several books related to Buddhism and meditation. I'm not sure; but whatever the case, this book spoke to me in a special way.
For one thing, I appreciated how Achaan Chah suggested that many, if not all, great world religions have much in common. As a Christian, I found myself calling to mind some words of Jesus that paralleled some words of the Buddha. Of course, there are many differences between the teachings of Jesus and Buddha. But there are many similarities. Consider: When Achaan Chah wrote of material things being empty and impermanent, I thought of Jesus telling his followers to not "...lay up for themselves treasures on earth where moth and rust consume..." That is just one example of many that could be cited. When I began reading Buddhist writings awhile ago, I was interested in Buddhism as a way to help deepen my practice of meditation and prayer. This volume by Achaan Chah offers that kind of help and more. I commend it.
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Elizabeth A. Gibson
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding; simple, clear, very helpful instructions
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 13 January 2016
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This is a beautiful book. Achaan Chah's instructions are simple, clear, and direct. There is no theory here, only practice instructions delivered in no-frills, no fuss language. The Introduction by translators and former students (now highly respected teachers) Jack Kornfield and Paul Breiter helps set the tone and scene for learning from one of the late recent Buddhist master practitioners.

The editors/compilers present the teachings in short, easy-to-digest sections and the occasional lovely simple line-drawing. There is also a very helpful teacher Q&A section at the end of the book from when Chan taught a retreat at IMS in Massachusetts before he died.

If you are going to buy one book on Theravadan mindfulness meditation instructions, let this be the one. It is outstanding, worth reading again and again and again.
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Osaka
5.0 out of 5 stars Ajahn Chah's ¨sound bites¨ compilation.
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on 29 September 2017
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This is a collection of Ven. Ajahn Chah's teaching published by the Theosophical Society. It contains a wide ranging assorment of quotes and small-lenght exerpt from talks and is a good place to start to learn about the Thai forest tradition. I personally prefer other collections like Food for the Heart because they present much longer passages from Ajahn Chah's teachings, which help build more context. A Still Forest Pool is more like a pocket version with the more quotable and salient parts stringed together in a series of small chapters. This can give this collection a more Zen-like quality to it, which many people will surely appreciate.
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Richard Wigton
5.0 out of 5 stars This book is a gem!
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 24 November 2018
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I LOVE the writings of Achaan Chah and this book is no exception! A Still Forest Pool is filled with Chah's wonderful insights, humor and deep love of the Dharma. I found this book so encouraging in my own practice. It really is a must have. You will not regret buying it.
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Nicholas R. Hunter
5.0 out of 5 stars Heartfelt and illuminating
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 24 October 2001
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This book is a collection of short dharma talks given by meditation master Achaan Chah.
Achaan Chah was abbot of one of the largest monastery complexes in the Thai Forest tradition. He welcomed and trained many western seekers who later returned to the west, becoming influential dharma teachers in their own right.
In this book, Achaan Chah largely eschews "theory" in favor of encouraging his students to practice. Don't expect academic discourses on Buddhist psychology or other esoteric topics. These talks are short (rarely more than a couple of pages), direct, and very inspiring.
Take your time reading this book. If you allow yourself a little time to digest the meaning of each piece, you might experience more benefit than attempting to read the book through in one sitting.
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