[Honeybear78]

Buddhists believe that the way of life is to just be yourself and not try to live up to others expectations to try and find true peace. It is sad that we most people with SA including myself always feel like a robot..like you must always be nice to people and make alot of money to be happy in this world. I feel like my fiancees parents may think that about me..just because im not making enough money, I am not good enough. Im going through a really hard time right now..I am taking a leave of absence from school b/c I believe that what i went to school for was not really for me..Now i owe a ton of money. I just want to have my dignity back and not feel embarassed who i am anymore. I would like to read up on Buddhist meditation and finding my own path to enlightment...just being. :um
I found this site. http://www.beliefnet.com
Take care

 

[One on One]

Try reading The Book by Alan Watts.

 

[Caedmon]

Buddhism is a lot of things to a lot of people.

I recommend going straight to the source: read The Dhammapada, which is a collection of sayings by the Buddha. I like the Easwaran translation myself. There are lots of versions of it online too. I like this one because of its poetic form, by Thanissaro Bhikkhu:
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/su ... ddaka/dhp/

Meditation traditions are as varied and complex as Buddhism itself. I do Vipassana (mindfulness) meditation which comes out of a more traditional form of Buddhism in SE Asia. I also do meditations that come out of the Christian traditions. Everyone's different and likes different things. Try things and see what seems to fit you the best.

 

[loridee]

Hi Honeybear,

You did the right thing by taking a leave of absence from your school program. I did that for half a year, and then decided to come back. I'm sorry about the burden of student loans. I just hope you're still content with your decision to take a break. As for other people judging you based on what you don't have accomplished, well, that's their problem, not yours. If anything it's a superficial way to estimate a person's worth.

Well, I am new to the Buddhist philosophy too, so I thought I'd pitch in my two cents worth. I am currently reading a book by Sakyong Mipham. It's called Turning the Mind Into An Ally. It's written in layman's terms and very easy to understand. So far it has helped by teaching me how to gather scattered thoughts, how to meditate and why, and how to pay attention to the present. Just your basic fundamentals about Buddhism. I'm still learning too....

 

[Ms Deer]

I found this website about Vipassana a short time ago. Looks like some very good resources here.

http://www.vipassana.com/meditation/

I am currently reading the last one on the list.
22 Talks on Meditation and Dhamma by Sister Ayya Khema

I like her style of writing. I've missed reading the last couple of nights as I've felt so bad with this sinus problem and bronchitis. As soon as I'm feeling better, I plan to get back to reading and practicing.