.

 Source Of  Light

  A contemplative monastery

  Free Buddhist eBooks   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

  • Free Buddhist ~ Taoist eBooks
  • Chinese Monotheism
  • Free Catholic eBooks
  • Video Page I
  • Video Page II
  • Video Page III
  • Video Page IV

                                                                                                                                                         

                                                                                                                                

This site is dedicated to sharing and promoting enlightenment, spirituality, and truth by offering these free Buddhist eBooks to download.  We seek to put into daily practice the principals presented herein.  The ancient sages have much to contribute with regard to teaching virtue, civility, and ethics.  It is important to have respect and tolerance for different philosophies as sometimes one can understand an important concept when it is explained from a different perspective, or a different teacher. A universal truth will manifest itself in each society; it will however manifest itself in different ways.


These sacred eBook texts are all about wisdom and virtue. Some of the eBooks offered here are quite old;  the teachings having  been passed down for centuries; while others are not old. Remember that virtue is timeless; it never changes. Most of the teachings here are from the Mahayana tradition. This site will respectfully display a tolerance to this form of "wide learning" and how it can be eventually narrowed down and applied within the context of our lives. 

                     

These eBooks will need to be viewed with an Adobe Acrobat Reader, or an equivalent .pdf reader.  In most cases you will receive an exact copy of an actual book ~ only in digital eBook form.  Point  to  the eBook title that you wish to download, and right click ~  "save target as", or "save link as".   Clicking directly on the title will most likely automatically open, and download directly into Adobe Acrobat. You must save it to your computer once it is finished downloading into an Adobe Acrobat Reader, also you will need to add the title back into the icon after you download each eBook or when you save it.  Experience will tell you which process works best for you.  All of the sacred eBook texts here have been carefully translated into English language, and they take only moments to download. Please allow more time to download for slower internet connections.  Once saved on your computer you may wish to burn it to a CD disk and save it in your own personal library.  The eBooks also store nicely on a USB Flash Drive; take them wherever you go.   Be sure to bookmark this site and return often if you wish.

  

We request that you use these files for your personal, non - commercial use only.

"Use the teachings to make you a better......'whatever' you are."                         

                                                                                         ~ Dalai Lama                                                                                                                      

"Buddhism is simple: It is a universal teaching; a moral philosophy

that can be understood by all people ~ regardless of whether they are religious, or not.  Buddhism isn't considered to be a religion in the usual sense of the term; the teachings are more in the realm of philosophy, science, and psychology."   

                                                                                        ~  Lama Thubten Yeshe                                                                                                                               

View an interesting video called The Buddha on Video Page I

                                                                                                                                       

View His Holiness the Dalai Lama's teachings on the Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment   Lam Rim Chen Mo on Video Page ll.

                                                                                

Audio Lecture on the Four Noble Truths: Ven. Losang Monlam

                                                                                                                                                                                         

 Buddhist Texts:
                                                                                                                                                                                                               

The Way To Freedom - H. H. Dalai Lama
The Gelug Kagyu Tradition of Mahamudra - Dalai Lama, Alexander Berzin
The Four Noble Truths
Study Guide Ethics for the New Millennium - H. H. Dalai Lama
A Survey of the Paths of Tibetan Buddhism by Dalai Lama
Four Noble Truths H.H. Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama Kalachakra Teachings Day 1
Dalai Lama Kalachakra Teachings Day 2
Dalai Lama Kalachakra Teachings Day 3
Illuminting the Path to Enlightenment by Dalai-Lama
The Noble Eightfold Path
The Eightfold Path
To Nibbaena Via The Noble Eightfold Path
Freedom Through Understanding by Lama Yeshe & Lama Zopa Rinpoche
The Noble Eightfold Path - The Way to the End of Suffering by Bhikkhu Bodhi
Three Principal Aspects Of The Path by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso

See the video on Video Page I which accompanies the eBook below.                                                                                                    

The Essence of Tibetan Buddhism by Lama Yeshe
The Joy of Compassion by Lama Zopa Rinpoche
The Peaceful Stillness of the Silent Mind by Lama Yeshe
A Buddhist Dictionary
Basic Buddhist Teachings by Bhikkhu Moneyya
Practical Vipassana Exercises
Teachings From Tibet Guidance from great Lamas
A Map of the Journey
The Path of Purification - A Manual of Buddhist Doctrine and Meditation
Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha
Ego Attachment and Liberation by Lama Thubten Yeshe
The Peaceful Stillness of the Silent Mind Buddhism Mind and Meditation
The Seekers Glossary of Buddhism-A Dictionary Encyclopedia of Buddhism
Fundamentals-of-Buddhism
The Buddhist Catechism
How Things Exist Teachings On Emptiness by Lama Zope Rinpoche
The Direct and Unmistaken Method Of Purifying Yourself
The Wishfulfilling Golden Sun Of the Mahayana ThoughtTraining
Virtue and Reality by Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Musings_of_a_Chinese_mystic
Becoming Your Own Therapist - Lama Thubten Yeshe
A Japanese Philosopher
Make Your Mind An Ocean
The Message of Buddhism
Buddhist Dictionary
The Lankavatara Sutra A Mahayana Text
Virtue and Reality by Lama Zopa Rinpoche
How Things Exist Teachings on Emptiness by Lama Zope Rinpoche
Freedom Through Understanding by Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Karma A Story of Buddhist Ethics by Paul Carus
Nirvana The Story of Buddhist Psychology by Paul Carus
Brief History of Early Chinese Philosophy by Daisetz Suzuki
Manual of Zen Buddhism by Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki
What Is Buddhism by Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Buddhist Mahayana Texts Vol. I
Buddhist Mahayana Texts Vol. II
The Diamond Sutra - Buddha Dharma Education Assoc.
The Diamond Sutra
Invitation to Insight Meditation
Lamp For The Path to Enlightenment by Atisha Dipamkarashrijnana
Love Your Children the Right Way
The Art of Attention by Ven. Pannyavaro
Teachings in Chinese Buddhism
The Heart Sutra
The Light of Asia by Sir Edwin Arnold
The Seeker's Glossary of Buddhism
Practicing Dharma
Virtue and Reality by Lama Zopa Rinpoche
The Way of Virtue
The Four Noble Truths
Buddhist Psalms
Dhammapada ~ From the Buddhist Canon
Texts From the Buddhist Canon
Buddhist Proverbs ~ Book II
The Noble Eightfold Path
Buddhist Suttas
The Three Principal Aspects of the Path
Outlines of Mahạyạna Buddhism
Practicing Dharma
The Dhammapada - F. Max Muller
Loving Kindness Meditation

                                                                                             

     

                                

Buddhist Texts From Japan     

Meditations: 40 Dhamma Talks

 

Buddhist Sacred Texts:







Click above to Listen to Sutta Readings

(Winamp or RealPlayer  req.)

Click on the file you want. Click "open", choose player, "ok".


See the informative video The Buddha on Video Page I.

                                                     

                                                                  

Confucius Texts:

 

Confucius strove to make the human being good :

a good father, a good mother, a good son, a good daughter,

a good friend, a good citizen.


See the informative biography video about Confucius on the Video Page  IV.


Confucian Analects ~ James Legge
The Sayings Of Confucius
Light From The East ~ Studies in Japanese Confucianism
The Analects of Confucius
The Conduct of Life - Confucius


Taoist Texts:


The Tao Teh King - James Legge transl.
Tao Te Ching - Lao Tzu
Tao Te Ching - By Lao Tzu
Tract of the Quiet Way
Lao Tzu's Tao and Wu Wei
Lao Tzu A Study In Chinese Philosophy
Sayings of Lao Tzu
The Texts of Taoism
Light of China The Tao Teh King
Chuang Tzu ~ Mystic, Moralist, and Social Reformer
Foundations of Taoist Practice
Lao tse The Tao Teh King
T'ai - Shang Kan Ying P'ien

                                                            

        


A sage once said:

 

"The value of words  lie in their reliability."

 

 

1024x1024-1070308.jpg
The Buddha was a human being who, in a world of unavoidable pain and suffering, found a serenity that he taught others to find also.When the Buddha gave his first sermon in the Deer Park, he began the 'Turning of the Dharma Wheel', by teaching the Four Noble Truths: 

1. the truth of suffering,
2. the truth of its origin,
3. the truth of cessation and
4. the path leading to cessation.


He chose the beautiful symbol of the wheel with its eight spokes to represent the Noble Eightfold Path. The Buddha's teaching goes round and round like a great wheel that never stops, leading to the central point of the wheel, the only point which is fixed, Nirvana. The eight spokes on the wheel represent the eight parts of the Noble Eightfold Path. Just as every spoke is needed for the wheel to keep turning, we need to follow each step of the path.


1. Right View. The right way to think about life is to see the world through the eyes of the Buddha ... with wisdom and compassion.

2. Right Thought. We are what we think. Clear and kind thoughts build good, strong characters.


3. Right Speech. By speaking kind and helpful words, we are respected and trusted by everyone.

 4. Right Conduct. No matter what we say, others know us from the way we behave. Before we criticize others, we should first see what we do ourselves.

5. Right Livelihood. This means choosing a job that does not hurt others. The Buddha said, "Do not earn your living by harming others. Do not seek happiness by making others unhappy."


6. Right Effort. A worthwhile life means doing our best at all times and having good will toward others. This also means not wasting effort on things that harm ourselves and others.


7. Right Mindfulness. This means being aware of our thoughts, words, and deeds.


8. Right Concentration. Focus on one thought or object at a time. By doing this, we can be quiet and attain true peace of mind.
Following the Noble Eightfold Path can be compared to cultivating a garden, but in Buddhism one cultivates one's wisdom. The mind is the ground and thoughts are seeds. Deeds are ways one cares for the garden. Our faults are weeds. Pulling them out is like weeding a garden. The harvest is real and lasting happiness.




"I am the owner of my karma .
I inherit my karma.
I am born of my karma.
I am related to my karma.
I live supported by my karma.
Whatever karma I create, whether good or evil, that I shall inherit."
              The Buddha ~


(In Sanskrit, karma means cause and effect.)




Confucian Virtues
:

Confucius taught these virtues which a person should practice every day to live a healthy, harmonious life:

Ren is the virtue of benevolence, charity, and humanity;

Yi, of honesty and uprightness;  Yì may be broken down into zhong, doing one's best, conscientiousness, loyalty;

Shu, reciprocity, altruism, consideration of others, and Confucius' early version of the Golden Rule: " What you don't want yourself, don't do to others." 

Zhi, knowledge;

Xin, the virtue of faithfulness and integrity.

Li , correct behavior or propriety,   good manners, politeness, ceremony, & worship.




Om Mani Pedme Hum

The mantra Om Mani Pädme Hum is easy to say yet quite powerful, because it contains the essence of the entire teaching.

When you say the first syllable Om it is blessed to help you achieve perfection in the practice of generosity, Ma helps perfect the practice of pure ethics, and Ni helps achieve perfection in the practice of tolerance and patience. Päd, the fourth syllable, helps to achieve perfection of perseverance, Me helps achieve perfection in the practice of concentration, and the final sixth syllable Hum helps achieve perfection in the practice of wisdom.
So in this way recitation of the mantra helps achieve perfection in the six practices from generosity to wisdom.

Pronounced: Ohm - Ma Nee -     Pod May - Hum


      This chant brings you joy
         & peaceful vibrations.       


Listen to a brief audio of the chant. 

     
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