Buddhism, Tao, Zen, and other Eastern Philosophy stuff

[QueHuong]

Newbie to all that stuff here. I'm a former Christian looking for a new way of life. I don't agree with a lot of Christian doctrines....and I'm not looking for a new religion, but rather a new philosophy to live life. I'm beginning to look into Buddhism and related philosophy. Can anyone with a decent knowledge of this give me a quick in-a-nutshell explanation to get me started?

Also, anybody know of good books or sites? Some of Google hits gave me irrelevant info and others are so detailed and diverse that it's confusing for a beginner.

I just picked up this book called "Meditation: The First and Last Freedom" by Osho and it seems promising.

 

[Passions]

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[joohang]

Did you consider going to a university nearby and just sit in for a few lectures on East Asian history or philosophy classes? Or if you are in college, take some of the entry-level courses as your electives.

I suggest you visit a local library or a university library and grab a few general introduction books on East Asian religions. Nearly all of them will include Buddhism, Daoism, and perhaps Neo-Confucianism.

You might find some New Religions appealing also. I personally found Korean "Won Buddhism" very interesting. Or Tenrikyo of Japan.

A lot of books on religions tend to be biased, so try to find an academic book with a scholar who more or less takes a neutral stance towards all religions. My professor, Dr. Donald Baker, is one of them but unfortunately he only published a few journal articles.

Another possibility would be visiting a university nearby that has an Asian Studies department. Meet an advisor or a specialist in East Asian history/philosophy/religion and ask for help on how to approach this.

 

[PistachioByAzul]

Lots of good reading at Friesian

 

[melly]

The Tao Te Ching is a neat read (texts of Lao Tzu, I think)

I took a few world religion courses in university and that was the best way to get an overview. I agree perhaps you might want to enroll in such a course for the knowledge.

 

[QueHuong]

<< Did you consider going to a university nearby and just sit in for a few lectures on East Asian history or philosophy classes? Or if you are in college, take some of the entry-level courses as your electives. >>



Good idea...

I was also thinking about taking some Asian history courses in college next year. And now that you mentioned it, some philosophy classes too...but like I said, I'm totally new to all of this so what classes would give me a good, basic knowledge of Eastern philosophy? (Let me guess..."Eastern Philosophy 101"?)

And thanks for the link and book suggestion, EngineNr9/Caramel, I'll look more into them. Any other suggestions on reading materials?

 

[Jfur]

basics

Remember that there is no single Buddhism or Taoism, etc. but many variations.