Book Recommendations on Morality?

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Bagpuss The Gnome, modified 3 Years ago at 7/19/20 4:47 AM
Created 3 Years ago at 7/19/20 4:47 AM

Book Recommendations on Morality?

Posts: 704 Join Date: 11/2/11 Recent Posts
Hey all, 

Do you have any recommendations for books / resources on morality? Preferably the practical kind, rather than the dogmatic/religious kind emoticon

Thanks, 
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Jim Smith, modified 3 Years ago at 7/19/20 6:47 AM
Created 3 Years ago at 7/19/20 6:46 AM

RE: Book Recommendations on Morality?

Posts: 1639 Join Date: 1/17/15 Recent Posts
Bagpuss The Gnome:
Hey all, 

Do you have any recommendations for books / resources on morality? Preferably the practical kind, rather than the dogmatic/religious kind emoticon

Thanks, 


Many years ago I read a book by Nathaniel Brandon where he explained that if you think people who lie to you or steal from you are @#$%s, then if you do those things you will consider yourself a @#$%. If you want to have self respect you have to behave ethically.

He has written several books I'm not sure which one was the one I read but I think it might have been: Honoring the Self: The Pyschology of Confidence and Respect.

At amazon.com you can read the introduction and it says that part 3 is about ethics.

The following might not be what you are interested in (religion) but inspiration is "practical" and maybe other readers of the thread will be interested. I find the reports of people who have NDE's inspiring. They typically experience a life review - where they experience how they influenced people from the other person's persepctive. If you bring people pain you will experience that pain. If bring people love and joy, you experience that love and joy. I think it is helpful to try to live life mindful of your actions knowing that you will experience their effects on people from their perspective.


Also books by mediums that discuss the afterlife and put this life into focus from a higher perspective can also be inspiring.
shargrol, modified 3 Years ago at 7/19/20 6:54 AM
Created 3 Years ago at 7/19/20 6:54 AM

RE: Book Recommendations on Morality?

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I would highly recommend going to the unfetteredmind.org site and looking at "Writings and Translations" section and the "Life as Practice" sub-section of material.

Good stuff!

All of Ken's stuff is extremely practical, so be sure to look around on that site.
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Bagpuss The Gnome, modified 3 Years ago at 7/19/20 1:20 PM
Created 3 Years ago at 7/19/20 1:20 PM

RE: Book Recommendations on Morality?

Posts: 704 Join Date: 11/2/11 Recent Posts
Thanks both!
I guess I shouldn't have been so restrictive in my criteria here. I'm looking for books that will inspire but also the practical steps to change ones life to one of service for example. Bit hard to be of service to anyone in lockdown but that was my plan at the start of the year: make serving others my goal and the yardstick i measure progress by. (rather than how much money a venture makes for example). 

Better metric would be: how many people I can help example. There may be better ways of measuring one's impact. And that's what I guess I'm trying to get at. (and impact without it becoming yet another identity building exercise emoticon)
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Jim Smith, modified 3 Years ago at 7/19/20 4:06 PM
Created 3 Years ago at 7/19/20 3:58 PM

RE: Book Recommendations on Morality?

Posts: 1639 Join Date: 1/17/15 Recent Posts
Bagpuss The Gnome:
Thanks both!
I guess I shouldn't have been so restrictive in my criteria here. I'm looking for books that will inspire but also the practical steps to change ones life to one of service for example. Bit hard to be of service to anyone in lockdown but that was my plan at the start of the year: make serving others my goal and the yardstick i measure progress by. (rather than how much money a venture makes for example). 

Better metric would be: how many people I can help example. There may be better ways of measuring one's impact. And that's what I guess I'm trying to get at. (and impact without it becoming yet another identity building exercise emoticon)
If you have expertise that other people might find helpful you could start a web site, or make youtube videos.

I've volunteered for several different organizations converting physical books into digital formats, (in a couple of cases into braille for blind readers). Project Gutenberg makes it easy to help, you can proofread as little as one page https://www.pgdp.net/c/)

I've also volunteered at an animal shelter, not recently but even in a lockdown the animals have to be cared for.

I used to volunteer at various Spiritualist Churches that I used to go to - I don't know what the status is now as my state is coming out of lockdown.

I find it very helpful to be a member of an organization like a church or a Zen center where the people share the same ethical principles that I want to cultivate. Every day we are bombarded with messages on TV, radio, internet, movies etc telling us to be selfish, (and the news media focuses on discouraging stories). It's helpful to get a different message and a bit of inspiratin at least once a week at, for example, a church service, or a mahayana Buddhist center. It is also helpful to read books, even fiction, that promote the same values.

If you are okay with a "wider definition"  I will go ahead and recommend books by John Edward, and George Anderson (mediums), And Life after Life, by Raymond Moody (about NDE's)
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Bagpuss The Gnome, modified 3 Years ago at 7/20/20 8:20 AM
Created 3 Years ago at 7/20/20 8:20 AM

RE: Book Recommendations on Morality?

Posts: 704 Join Date: 11/2/11 Recent Posts
That's awesome. Thanks Jim. Consider me "on the case" emoticon

Charity work is pretty much top of my list, but I'm trying to avoid just spending more hours in front of the laptop though. Hard during a pandemic though!

~BTG
Tim Farrington, modified 3 Years ago at 7/20/20 12:21 PM
Created 3 Years ago at 7/20/20 12:21 PM

RE: Book Recommendations on Morality?

Posts: 2464 Join Date: 6/13/11 Recent Posts
Bagpuss The Gnome:
Hey all, 

Do you have any recommendations for books / resources on morality? Preferably the practical kind, rather than the dogmatic/religious kind emoticon

Thanks, 
hey Bagpuss, you big reader you,

For fictional approaches, start with the critic F. R. Leavis's classic study "The Great Tradition." He is all about morality embodied in English literature, and you'll come out of that book of his with fresh eyes for some authors like Jane Austen, Henry James, George Eliot, and even (surprise, lol) D. H. Lawrence.

love, tim
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Bagpuss The Gnome, modified 3 Years ago at 7/20/20 12:46 PM
Created 3 Years ago at 7/20/20 12:46 PM

RE: Book Recommendations on Morality?

Posts: 704 Join Date: 11/2/11 Recent Posts
Tim:

hey Bagpuss, you big reader you,


Guilty as charged!

There seems to be a lot of frantic "searching" going on right now. At least this time round I recognise it though emoticon

thanks for the recommendations, there's enough here to keep me busy for a few days at least...

~BTG
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Stirling Campbell, modified 3 Years ago at 7/20/20 4:11 PM
Created 3 Years ago at 7/20/20 4:11 PM

RE: Book Recommendations on Morality?

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I would highly suggest the Tibetan Lojong mind training. I would do this with a teacher, but you can read about it hear, with a simple commentary:

https://www.amazon.com/Great-Path-Awakening-Cultivating-Compassion/dp/1590302141

Or, an easily digestible Zen version, even available as an audiobook:

https://www.amazon.com/Training-Compassion-Teachings-Practice-Lojong/dp/1611800404

These are less a strict morality training, and more about realigning the mind and its self-cherishing. Deeply transformative stuff.
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Bagpuss The Gnome, modified 3 Years ago at 7/20/20 11:48 PM
Created 3 Years ago at 7/20/20 11:47 PM

RE: Book Recommendations on Morality?

Posts: 704 Join Date: 11/2/11 Recent Posts
Love it! Thanks Stirling. I just got the Audible version of the Zen book. That sounds like just the ticket and I like audio emoticon

PS:
I used to know a Stirling Campbell in the 90's. PM me if you ever worked in Germany. It's a small world sometimes haha 
Ed76, modified 3 Years ago at 7/26/20 4:23 PM
Created 3 Years ago at 7/26/20 4:23 PM

RE: Book Recommendations on Morality?

Posts: 37 Join Date: 6/13/19 Recent Posts
I enjoyed this - I saw it recomended on r/streamentry

The Power of Kindness: The Unexpected Benefits of Leading a Compassionate Life

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0143129279/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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Noah D, modified 3 Years ago at 7/26/20 11:00 PM
Created 3 Years ago at 7/26/20 11:00 PM

RE: Book Recommendations on Morality?

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https://www.monasticacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/mapleseedlets.pdf

Henry Arthur Adams, modified 3 Years ago at 8/2/20 4:13 AM
Created 3 Years ago at 8/2/20 4:13 AM

RE: Book Recommendations on Morality?

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oh, that's actually a good one. I'd recommend it too
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Bagpuss The Gnome, modified 3 Years ago at 8/2/20 7:22 AM
Created 3 Years ago at 8/2/20 7:22 AM

RE: Book Recommendations on Morality?

Posts: 704 Join Date: 11/2/11 Recent Posts
Ed76:
I enjoyed this - I saw it recomended on r/streamentry

The Power of Kindness: The Unexpected Benefits of Leading a Compassionate Life

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0143129279/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I love the sound of this one as well. Unfortunately a paperback is a bit beyond my visual capability. And it does not look like there is a kindle or audio version. If anyone knows otherwise please do let me know!


Currently I am listening to "Training in Compassion" recommended above and it's really, really good. Not got very far into it yet but it's pretty profound stuff so takes some digesting emoticon


~BTG

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