any buddists out there?

[mimi03]

im really interested in finding out about buddism, i got a book from the library (yet to have 5 mins to read it!) but would be interested to her from others about where to start research, any book recommendations etc? thanks

I don't really call myself a Buddhist in the strict sense of Buddhism, because I think that like a lot of spiritual paths, it has excluded women from practising and developing to their full extent over history and so the resulting teachings tend to be a bit masculine-heavy. However, the actual core teachings of Buddha himself can be so beneficial to life (I have found) and there are definite benefits to reading Buddhist teachings and literature. Anything by the Dalai Lama tends to be very simple and yet very profound at the same time. Heart-warming. And I find the when I re-read the same things over again at a later date, my understanding of what seemed very simple has become deeper and the same writing has a more profound meaning, which I take to mean I am developing in the right direction!
Any simple practise of stilling the mind in meditation is really helpful on a practical level too, I find, especially for busy mums with such a whirlwind of activity to keep up with each day. It can be hard to find peace and centred-ness. Meditation for even five minutes before they all wake up, can pay of in spades through the rest of the day and beyond. His own autobiography of his childhood and his leaving Tibet is really fascinating. There's also one called 'The Art of Happiness' which is co-written, which is lovely, but they're all great.
A good trick is to have the "Little Book of Buddhism" in the loo and then just open at random each time you visit! Another busy mum-friendly trick is to buy a CD of Buddhist teachings that you can listen to "on the go" ie in the car or while cooking in the kitchen/in the bath. Some of it "goes in" if you listed repeatedly!
The CDs by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso - see www.tharpa.com - may seem unfathomable at first but will begin to make good sense after a few goes.
Two others, not strictly Buddhist but lovely for thinking about the nature of karma and the nature of being a woman, today, interested in spiritual development/living spiritually are:
The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukov.
The Woman's Book of Spirit by Sue Patton Thoele.
I could go on and on, as this has always been an area of great interest to me. I hope these are helpful suggestions.
Mandy Clare xx

NiaMand - I wasn't aware the Buddhism had much of a record of mariginalising women. What are you referring to?

Gonna jump in here ! It's not that women were marginalised, more that Buddha said something that I think was taken out of context. He said (not word for word here) women shouldn't HAVE to practice because it might be tough on them. Which really is kind of nice. Not that women shouldn't be Buddhist, just not to the degree men are. People have taken this to mean that women can't do it at all, and some people don't recognise Buddhist nuns!

Couple of books I have are Heart Jewel by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso (I see Nia mentions him) which is about practice, meditation, merit and has some lovely chants in. Also have The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche which isn't as morbid as it sounds, honest!