The Buddhists’ Field Manual

This page is an effort to collect and aggregate a number of pages I have written on Buddhism into a single source. Buddhism as a religion is still new to the West, stereotyped and romanticized in media, misappropriated to sell someone’s goods, or inappropriately used as an intellectual weapon against other religions.

But all of this misses the point. Buddhism as a teaching of wisdom, goodwill and tolerance has survived and thrived across a great many cultures for two and a half thousand years. From India, to the Bactrian Greeks, the Parthians, Tibet, China, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand and as far away as Indonesia people have found great inspiration in the Buddha’s dispensation. Now it is taking root in the West through dedicated Asian immigrants and people who appreciate their efforts. Buddhism is a religion that cannot be fully appreciated until one appreciates the cultural expressions of it. And so this page and this blog strive to impart Buddhist information on its own terms and not how some try to force it into a given interpretation to sell more books or seminars. Everything here is free and open and will remain so.

This page also strives to collect practical information alongside textual sources in an effort to accommodate people of all backgrounds and temperaments.

May all beings be well and may they all cross over to the Other Shore of Enlightenment

Namo Shaka Nyorai

Dedication

This page and all its resources is dedicated to the memory of Venerable Yin-Shun, whose book inspired me to explore all facets of Buddhism as a scholar and as a student.

Buddhist Resources and References

• Recommended Buddhist Books Various books I’ve read and recommend.
• Buddhist Sutras and other texts Buddhist sutras I’ve collected or posted online for chanting purposes.
• Buddhist-Lite, version 2
• Japanese Buddhist Holidays, a calendar
• A Brief History of Korean Buddhism
• Okinawa and Buddhism

Introduction to Buddhist Sects

• Shingon Esoteric Buddhism and External Link
• Tendai Buddhism and External Link
• Hossō Buddhism (Yogacara) and External Link
• Jodo Shu and External Link
• An Example of Rinzai Buddhist Liturgy

Buddhist How-To’s

• Making a Buddhist altar for home
• Buddhist altars and chanting
• Jodo Shu Buddhist practice
• How do I become a Buddhist?
• How to make your own incense holder for cheap

Buddhist Blog Posts

• Finding that Precious Middle Way
• The Buddhist Life in Simple Terms
• Practical Advice from Jodo Shu Buddhism
• The Fragility of Life
• Buddhism and the Dedication of Merit
• Ten Buddhist Proverbs by Lafcadio Hearn and part two
• Deflating Lust
• A Tale of Two Meditations
• Buddhist Karma in Simple Terms
• The Virtues of the Pure Land Path

The Precepts

• The Five Precepts
• A Brief History of Japanese Medieval Buddhism and Monastic Discipline (e.g. precepts)
• The Path to Becoming Human
• Perfuming the Mind, according to Yogacara Buddhism
• The Rinzai Zen precepts
• The Soto Zen precepts

Beginner Buddhism

A series of small videos I’ve made on beginner Buddhism:

• Lesson One – Basics
• Lesson Two – The Four Noble Truths
• Lesson Three – Karma and Rebirth
• Lesson Four – The Sutras
• Lesson Five – Making a Home Altar
• Lesson Six – Meditation, a brief overview
• Lesson Seven – Conduct and the Precepts
• Lesson Eight – Example home service

Who’s Who in Buddhism

A series of posts I wrote detailing various figures in Buddhism:

1. Maitreya Bodhisattva
2. The Medicine Buddha
3. Fudo Myoo
4. Kannon Bodhisattva
5. Jizo Bodhisattva
6. The Sutra Audience
7. Amitabha Buddha