Hello, i would like to know more about other people experiences with reading the suttas.
What kind of approach did you use? How did you chose a collection to start, or what particular trajectory moving from one nikaya to another. What did you find more beneficial? Taking notes? Just going with the flow? Looking at the original texts? Etc etc etc …
I am still quite new to buddhism.
Just gone through my First reading of the entire majjhima, a friend recommended It as a good starting point. Great experience, it really felt like diving into a living buddhist world.
Now i’m planning to start with the samyutta.
As Bhikkhu Bodhi wrote in the introduction to his translation seems to be the nikaya with more in common with the majjhima, but from a more structured (and dry) perspective.
Majjhima took me one year, one sutta every each day more or less. With a couple of break between the 3 pannasa sections. I don’t like to rush or to take extensive notes on the suttas, ruminating or speculating.
Just read, absorb the teachings naturally and integrate them in the practice, without creating any overstructure.
Looking forward to read your personal experience (If you are happy to share) and get some inspiration and suggestions from more experienced practitioners.
There are two levels of right view which will not become obvious unless “In the Buddha’s Words” by Bikkhu Bodhi is read. There selected suttas are structured around progressive levels of practice and a profile of the meaning of suttas related to those will start to appear.
There is a lot of material in the Reading Guides category of the Forum that it will interest you to browse through. … But I see you’ve already posted there already… … There is a series of posts in that category on In the Bhuddha’s Words; here’s the link to the first one. Ask anything you like about the content in the appropriate thread, and please refrain from asking the same question in different parts of the Forum.
