E-Book Overview
Bestselling author and renowned Zen teacher Steve Hagen penetrates the most essential and enduring questions at the heart of the Buddha's teachings: How can we see the world in each moment, rather than merely as what we think, hope, or fear it is? How can we base our actions on reality, rather than on the longing and loathing of our hearts and minds? How can we live lives that are wise, compassionate, and in tune with reality? And how can we separate the wisdom of Buddhism from the cultural trappings and misconceptions that have come to be associated with it? Drawing on down-to-earth examples from everyday life and stories from Buddhist teachers past and present, Hagen tackles these fundamental inquiries with his trademark lucid, straightforward prose. The newcomer to Buddhism will be inspired by this accessible and provocative introduction, and those more familiar with Buddhism will welcome this much needed hands-on guide to understanding what it truly means to be awake. By being challenged to question what we take for granted, we come to see the world as it truly is. Buddhism Is Not What You Think offers a profound and clear path to a life of joy and freedom.
E-Book Content
BUDDHISM I S N O T W H AT Y O U T H I N K BUDDHISM I S N O T W H AT Y O U T H I N K Finding Freedom Beyond Beliefs Ste ve Hagen To all my students Contents Epigraph Prologue: See for Yourself xi P a r t o n e : M u d d y Wat e r 1 Paradox and Confusion 3 2 Stepping on Reality 7 3 The Problem with Eradicating Evil 12 4 We’ve Got It All Backward 17 The Itch in Your Mind 24 5 6 A Mind of Winter 28 7 No Mystery 37 Rebirth, Not Reincarnation 42 9 The Deep Secret in Plain View 47 10 The Warp and Woof of Reality 50 Neither Sacred nor Profane 52 8 11 12 Canyons in a Cup 56 Contents 13 Just Seeing 60 14 The Revelation of the World 71 15 Liberation, Not Resignation 80 16 The Host Within the Host 86 Before Ideas Sprout 91 17 18 True Freedom 95 19 Misguided Meditation 99 20 Turning Things Around 104 21 It’s Enough to Be Awake 110 22 Life Without Measure 23 The Most Valuable Thing in the World 117 122 24 Before We Say 127 25 Needle in the Water 133 26 Why Seek Liberation? 140 Pa rt t w o : P u r e M i n d 27 Pure Mind 147 28 The Thing Well Made 151 29 Transforming Heart and Mind 158 30 Truth Is Nothing in Particular 164 31 Without Religious Egotism 168 32 Getting Out of Your Mind 174 [ viii ] Contents 33 Forsaking Understanding 179 34 How Do We Know? 185 35 Nothing Else 192 36 It’s Not a Matter of Belief 196 Pa rt t h r e e : P u r e ly M i n d 37 How to Be Liberated on the Spot 203 38 This Will Never Come Again 208 39 The Elixir of Immortality 214 Ice Forming in Fire 222 40 41 Purely Mind 227 Time and Now 235 43 Enlightenment 243 42 Epilogue: Reality Is Not What You Think Acknowledgmen