Advanced no-nonsense spirituality for Enlightenment
A Listmania! list by Jarett(http://www.thetruthaboutfoodandhealth.com)
The list author says: "Avoid the many pseudo gurus of today and study the works of teachers from days past who were widely recognized by all as being truly Enlightened. No nonsense, no controversy, no law of attraction teachings, no egos/intellects believing or pretending they're Enlightened, no "new age" anything, straight to the point spirituality for those who's goal in life is realizing the Silent Truth of Reality."
"The Gita is thousands of years old and is basically in question & answer format. Spiritual student Arjuna asks and Lord Krishna answers. When reading, keep in mind that the "war" that is spoken of is a metaphor for "the battle within.""
"The Dhammapada is the direct teachings of Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha). Buddha grew up in a primarily Hindu culture but none of the gurus & teachers he visited could give him what he was searching for, so he sat under the Bodhi Tree utterly determined to realize Truth for himself."
"Huang Po died around 850 A.D. and was a highly advanced Zen Master. This book is extremely clear, lucid and easy to understand. Very direct and to-the point. My absolute favorite book on Zen, or even Buddhism in general."
"Bodhidharma was the original founder of Zen. There are many myths & stories surrounding him, but they're all irrelevant. Read his direct teachings in this book, and ignore everything else you hear from others. My second favorite Zen book."
"Joshu Jushin was a Zen Master from China who lived from 778–897. This isn't an easy read, particularly for a novice, because Joshu taught primarily by means of koans. But keep in mind that koans were used purposefully for a reason."
"Zen Master Hakuin Ekaku (1685-1768) was a painter and calligrapher as well as a teacher of Enlightenment. Not my favorite Zen book, but does my opinion even matter?"
"Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen, said the only sutra needed is the Lankavatara Sutra. Anything recommended by Bodhidharma is obviously worth the while. This epitomized version is very clean and streamlined, cutting out much of the overly repetitious, extraneous clutter."
"One of the primary Mahayana Buddhist texts. It's called the Diamond Sutra because it cuts straight to the heart of the matter, or should I say non-matter. Countless Zen Masters refer to the Diamond sutra when teaching."
"Also known as the Prajnaparamita Hridaya Sutra, or The Sutra of the Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom. It's Buddhism compressed into 35 lines of text. Another of Mahayana Buddhism's primary teachings. "Form is emptiness, emptiness is form.""
"The classic Tao; the teachings of Lao Tzu. If you haven't read it, you must be living under a rock. There's tons of different translations out there but I recommend this "Definitive Edition" by Jonathan Star. The Tao that can be spoken is not the Tao."
"A more contemporary teacher, Nisargadatta Maharaj died in 1981 and lived in Bombay, India. This is a classic that everybody recognizes as being an authentic dharma teaching."
"Nisargadatta's body is dying of cancer and he knows his time in the physical world is waning, so he wastes no time in dismantling your mind. Very direct, and not for the timid or casual spiritual student. Only the serious devotee need apply (read)."
"Another more modern teacher (1879-1950), Ramana Maharshi reached Enlightenment while he was a young teenage boy. Much of his life after Self-Realization was spent in silence, and not verbally communicating. His teachings were often communicated via silent transmission, while other times were transcribed by his students as he spoke."
"Have you yet asked "Who Am I?" A very straight-to-the-point book. Recommended for those who are ready to surrender every last belief, opinion and perception."
"The Yoga Sutras of the sage Patanjali were written between the 1st & 3rd centuries. The translation and commentary of this book was then done by Vivekanada (1863-1902), who himself had also reached Enlightenment. BTW, true yoga has nothing to do with physical poses."
"Vivekananda (1863-1902) grew up in Calcutta, India and later spent a lot of time in America and England. He was a disciple of Ramakrishna and his teachings influenced Gandhi, Aurobindo and Martin Luther King, among others. This "Complete Works" is 8 books (for ONLY $26) that each have 500+ pages! The shear volume of spiritual information in these books is incredible, not to mention priceless."
"Written by Aurobindo (1872-1950), The Life Divine is a huge book with over 1100 pages. It's a compilation of his many essays that were originally released on a monthly basis in a magazine."
"The mind's activities, which happen by themselves, are nothing but a reflection of conditioning based on society's faulty concepts. Jiddu Krishnamurti lived from 1895-1986 and spoke & wrote much in English so there's no need to worry about erroneous translations."
"While Gandhi didn't particularly teach Enlightenment per se, when reading his teachings it's obvious he's speaking from a God/Buddha/Brahman-Realized point of view. His "thy will be done" way of life is in perfect accordance with that of Buddhism's surrendering of all individual personal will."
"Mother Teresa was a spiritual giant, and you don't have to be a Buddhist or Hindu to reach Enlightenment, nor teach it. If you're stuck on the word "God", the best advice is to get over it. It's no different than using the word "Buddha", "Awareness", "Truth", or "Love". It's all the same thing and it's all beyond words."
"St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582), another Christian Mystic, was a Spanish nun of the Roman Catholic Church. She taught how to attain "union with God", or in other words, Oneness/Nonduality/Enlightenment."
"Meister Eckhart (1260-1327) was a German Dominican who lived in a society where Christianity was dominant, and so he used Christian terminology (ie. "God") to describe the transcendent Reality that he was experiencing. A smaller book that can be read in one sitting."
"St. John of the Cross was a Spanish Carmelite monk and mystic in the 16th century. A widely recognized spiritual classic on the topic of being one with God/Truth/Love."
"The 14th century Cloud of Unknowing was written anonymously, possibly by a Carthusian monk. This very easy to read & understand book repeats constantly the need to practice intense contemplation stripped of all thought. Powerful stuff, highly recommended."
"We all know the Bible wasn't originally written in Greek, and yet all of our current translations are translated from the Greek version. George Lamsa's far more accurate Bible is the only version that has been translated straight from the original Aramaic scripts."
