Tag Archives: Buddhism

Stoicism and Western Buddhism

Posted on July 11, 2020 by smellincoffee

Stoicism and Western Buddhism: A Reflection on Two Philosophical Ways of Life © 2018 Patrick Ussher 88 pages We read philosophy in order to live philosophy. In Stoicism and Western Buddhism, Patrick Ussher explores the kindred beliefs and practices of … Continue reading →

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Buddhist cyberpunk?

Posted on May 30, 2019 by smellincoffee

“As a child I’d believed there was an essential person, a sort of core personality around which the surface factors could evolve and change without damaging the integrity of who you were. Later, I started to see that this was … Continue reading →

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When Asia was the World

Posted on June 10, 2016 by smellincoffee

When Asia Was the World: Traveling Merchants, Scholars, Warriors, and Monks Who Created the ‘Riches of the East© 2009 Stewart Gordon256 pages When Asia was the World revisits, through the lives of traveling monks, traders, and warriors,  the extraordinary vistas and … Continue reading →

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On Desire

Posted on March 13, 2014 by smellincoffee

On Desire: Why We Want What We Want© 2007 William Irvine337 pages Why do we want what we want? William Irvine’s On Desire examines the nature of desire, exploring first how profoundly it affects our lives, then surveying psychological inquiries … Continue reading →

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This week at the library: the cosmos, Jane Austen, zombies, and the Middle Way

Posted on May 9, 2013 by smellincoffee

— Minireviews —  Some zombies like to lurch about groaning for brains. Some zombies like to ride the escalators, listen to Frank Sinatra, and daydream about their past life. That’s R,  a zombie who has forgotten most of his life, … Continue reading →

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Siddhartha

Posted on January 29, 2012 by smellincoffee

Siddhartha© 1922 Hermann Hesse119 pages Once in India there lived a young man whose life was everything one might dream of. Not only did he come from a wealthy family, but people loved him for who he was; a handsome, … Continue reading →

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Dhammapada

Posted on September 21, 2011 by smellincoffee

Dhammapada, Annotated and Explained© 2001 translated Max Müller, annotated by Jack Macguire129 pages Yesterday I drove to the state capital, Montgomery, and while there visited the main branch library. I noticed they offered several versions of the Dhammapada, one of … Continue reading →

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God is Not One

Posted on June 24, 2011 by smellincoffee

God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions that Rule the World and Why Their Differences Matter © 2010 Stephen Prothero 400 pages Despite the promises of modernity to drive religion out of the human mind, the New York City … Continue reading →

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Living Buddha, Living Christ

Posted on December 17, 2009 by smellincoffee

Living Buddha, Living Christ© 1995 Thich Nhat Hanh240 pages One interpretation of Jesus that I’ve grown used to seeing in books writing on the necessity for religious pluralism is his depiction as an enlightened teacher in the same manner as … Continue reading →

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Taming the Mind

Posted on September 13, 2009 by smellincoffee

Taming the Mind © 2004 Thubten Chodron 217 pages I judged a book by its cover when I read this one. Oh, I looked it up on Amazon to see what readers were saying about it — my substitute for … Continue reading →

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