Hardcore Dharma

Good Daniel Ingram has made his book "Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha", available in blog form ("blook") to make it searchable and perhaps easier to read. The book is also available in several static forms here for download and printout (300 pages). If you're seriously into meditation and realization, and not just hanging around Buddhist centers and teachers 'till the holy cows come home, you should be very interested in this material. It is not intended to make you more comfortable with yourself, nor to make you believe in the myths. Instead, it is a perspective of honest clarity, based on first-hand experience as well as the teachings of the Buddha and subsequent enlightened practitioners. I praise this offering and look forward for Daniel's posts in his recently activated blog.

A beautiful quote from MCTB, that is the last 37th chapter of the book, entitled "Conclusion and Best Wishes":

"I do hope that people will not settle for becoming lost in the dogma of this work, Buddhism, or of any mystical tradition. I hope that they learn to actually do the practices that lead to freedom and to the deep integration of that freedom into their lives. I hope that they have faith that mastery can be attained. I hope that they will learn to ask good questions that will help them to accomplish this. I hope that the culture of Buddhism and the world in general will become less sectarian instead of more. I hope that students of meditation will use spiritual conceptual frameworks as tools and not worship them as sacred dogma. I hope that the huge amount of magical and fantastic thinking that accompanies spiritual traditions will immediately vanish from this planet forever.

I hope that those on the path will learn to talk with each other in ways that are conducive to clear practice. I hope that any controversial points made in this little book will promote skillful debate and real inquiry rather than contraction into fear and dogma. I hope that people will work towards actual mastery of the path so that they will no longer need writings such as this one. I hope that people will not spend their lives lost in content but will also delve deeply into the liberating truth of the Three Characteristics. I hope that the level of expectation about what is possible will be raised in a way that is helpful, and that any jealousy or frustration that results from this will be skillfully channeled into precise practice and the joy that it can be done.

May all of this be for the benefit of all beings. Should you realize that you wish to awaken, know that it is within your capabilities and do so."