Some Dhamma and Dharma Study Resources

A year or so back a bhikkuni friend gave me a copy of Bhikku Bodhi’s talks on the Majjhima Nikaya, one of the collections of the original teachings of the Buddha. I just got into it today and am glad I did. Click here (its free!). It includes a godzillian talks and a bunch of charts and diagrams and such on everything from The Four Jhannas and Their Factors to Fetters to Wrong View and back again. This is a gold mine of dhamma.

I spend most of my study and teaching time focused on Dogen, as you know if you look at this blog much, and yet (or and so?) I found myself just deeply enjoying the simple, straightforwardness of the original teaching. Mostly, I find it so relaxing.

Years back, I went to Katagiri Roshi and told him that I wanted to study Buddhism systematically. “Oh, ‘systematically,'” he said with a wry grin. “Then you should start with the Agama (what the Japanese call the Sutta Pitika).” 

The translation available then was the old Rhys Davids translations which weren’t so good, imho. Bhikku Bodhi, a real dharma treasure, has beautifully translated this vast collection Click here (it’s so not free!). But click here for a free version. When I retire in about 2030, I’m going to read the whole thing again.

Finally, not to leave you Dogenophiles hanging, Taigen and Shohaku, thanks to Wisdom Publication, are putting out a paperback of Dogen’s Extensive Record that includes an index! about 75 pages long. Another dharma gold mine. And not only that, but if you already spent $65 on the hard cover (or even if you didn’t), you can download the index for free. Click here (scroll down to the bottom of the page).