rikpa

Folks,

I found this article on Buddhism and science very interesting. Alan Wallace makes some very interesting observations.

"The debate between science and religion typically gets stuck on the thorny question of God's existence. How do you reconcile an all-powerful God with the mechanistic slog of evolution? Can a rationalist do anything but sneer at the Bible's miracles? But what if another religion -- a non-theistic one -- offered a way out of this impasse? That's the promise that some people hold out for in Buddhism. The Dalai Lama himself is deeply invested in reconciling science and spirituality. He meets regularly with Western scientists, looking for links between Buddhism and the latest research in physics and neuroscience. In his book "The Universe in a Single Atom," he wrote, "If scientific analysis were conclusively to demonstrate certain claims in Buddhism to be false, then we must accept the findings of science and abandon those claims."

http://www.salon.com/books/int/2006/11/27/...e/index_np.html

Well, it's obvious you're all men, isn't it? I don't know GF from Adam, not having read many of her posts, but, believe me, as a woman (& I'm OK looking, certainly not "hot") this does happen. You don't go looking for it, you don't attract it, it happens sometimes (as sbk said)

Indeed, there is no "asking" for this sort of thing, it does just happen.

When my former Khmer wife was FOB (like, really FOB--it was her first full day in the USA), we took a day trip to Long Beach, CA (the largest Khmer community outside of Cambodia). She stepped outside of the Cambodian restaurant we were eating in for a moment, and some random guy pulls up in his car, whips it out, and starts spanking the monkey right in front of her. The guy split when I came out. She was absolutely incredulous. Someone doing that in Cambodia would have had it cut off, if they had even dared, if that sort of thing would even cross their mind.

My only response was "welcome to America". The only thing I find surprising about GF's story is that it happened in Thailand. I can imagine this happening in many places, like the USA, Japan (especially), but not in SE Asia.

I don't know about her specifically, but if you are looking for English speaking teachers on all manner of Buddhist subjects, visit the International Program at MCU in Wat Mahahtat, Bangkok. You will be welcome to drop in on any of the academic classes, though some may be of higher quality than others.

I second this recommendation. Wat Mahatat has some really great teachers, and I had a great experience there.

The other posters have recommended dumping her and getting a lawyer ASAP, and this is the very best advice possible.

Especially getting a lawyer part, even if you don't have assets. You don't want to be on the hook for spousal support (or othe possible immigration-related stuff) for this woman, she doesn't deserve it!

What she does deserve is to be kicked to the curb with extreme prejudice. It is over, over OVER, and the sooner you accept this the quicker you will begin to heal and move on with your life. Seriously, do you want to spend the next however many years living with someone you will never really be able to trust again?

And I have been through a very similar situation, and my biggest mistake was not to run to a lawyer the very moment I had a suspicion things were going badly. Like someone else mentioned she has had a several month head-start on planning her new life, and you need to catch up as quickly as possdible and get your ducks in a row and PROTECT YOURELF!

Right now protecting yourself is the most important thing you can do. Do not hesitate to find out all of the possible legal ramifications, and cover your a**. I ended up losing my daughter because I didn't move quickly enough and, playing an old script, foolishly trusted my ex to act in an honorable way. That was the biggest mistake I could have ever made. Do not believe for one moment that she will behave honorably if she has already acted the way she has. She has already crossed a line that cannot be retraced.

What she has done is to declare war on you, whether you accept that or not, and in this situation it is foolish to give her any consideration. This is no longer about you and her, but about protecting yourself.

There is no point giving out false hopes here. There are cases where relationships survive this sort of thing and people reconcile, but that can only work if the person who acted this way accepts full responsibilty for their actions and shows genuine remorse, and a real desire to work it out, and you are willing to endure the painful journey to rebuilding trust. Otherwise you are totally wasting your time. Unless she is begging you for another chance, and showing you she will give her all to make it work, best to walk away and never look back, cuz there are many other fish in the sea, and there is really no reason to become discouraged because you hooked up with one bad apple.

I hope all goes well, it really sucks, I know.

Yeah,

Buddhadasa is so bad-@ss. His Paticcasamuppada: Practical Dependent Origingation pwns Buddhaghosa.

I agree--I prefer Buddhadasa's open and non-orthodox stuff to Budddhagosa's, but then again, to understand the Lankavamsa Buddhism of SE Asia, a careful read through Buddhagosa's Visuddhimagga is indispensible. The Vism. is a really rich text and definitely worth studying for a lot of good reasons, even if it can get a bit tedious at times.

Hey Rikpa,

You know Richard Hayes? He's like my favorite guy ever. Five-star academic without the ego hang-ups and snobbery. I was surprised to see your post, I'm assuming you must be a former Redman like me, and probably took Theravada Buddhist Lit with Hayes. Am I right? Small world, huh? Wonder if I knew you-- I graduated in... oh crap I forgot already. 3 or 4 years ago.

Sorry for not replying sooner--I never caught this. Wow, so you actually had the amazing good fortune to study with the man directly? Lucky you! Not me. I have only known him via the Internet for a decade or so. As an amusing aside, I have never wanted a "Dharma name" or asked for it (kinda silly to me), but he did give me one long ago, for fun, I am sure. I will never forget that!

We almost met in person once (he was coming down from Montreal to Woodstock, NY, to hang with some other Buddhist sympathizers there, but got diverted en route--and I had gone specifically to meet the great man in person!).

IMO, he is one of the greatest Buddhist scholar/practitioners to have ever been born and raised in the Western hemisphere.

I have to say that 1/2 of my influence has been the Tibetans, the other 1/2 the Theravadins, and the other 1/2 Prof. Hayes's eclectic and non-sectarian take on the Dhamma. Actually, in terms of impact, I would even have to admit he has had a greater effect on me than even the lamas and ajhans I was lucky enough to know, all put together.

Sorry to go on so much, but his knowledge of the written Dharma is encyclopedic, and his explanations on it have never contradicted a single stanza I've ever been instructed on by any teacher no matter the tradition. I suspect in a few hundred years he will be seen as one of the great ones in Western Buddhism, even though no one these days really seems to accord him the sort of respect or renown he truly deserves. But then the great ones were almost always "hidden treasures" and never recognized until hundreds of years later... So be it. I am just lucky to have crossed paths with the man.

None of these descriptions of emptiness is what I felt it was.

Emptiness in the Buddhist sense refers to the fact that nothing has a solid, substantial "essence" or "core". It is not a thing! So it cannot be felt. Suthep Steve is absolutely correct in saying "Emptiness was the way in which phenomena exists not a mode of perception". This is pure phenomenology, Buddhist style, and does not refer to experience at all.

This is the way it is understood according to the key texts on it. Nagarjuna's Stanzas from the Middle Way (Mulamadhyamakakarika) uses many examples to demonstrate how phenomena lack solid essence or "own-being", and applies the same type of logic later adopted by the Tibetan Prasangika school (Geluk), using things like production of phenomena and the consequences of production, for example. The Prasangika presentation of emptiness via the "Diamond slivers" is a more detailed and thorough analysis of the emptiness of phenomena as well.

Emptiness is also just a fancy synonym for anatta, and the flipside of dependent origination. Dependent origination implies the truth of anatta and emptiness, since if all things are dependent on prior causes and conditions, then there is nothing that can come into being (or be produced) by its own power. Using dependent origination to analyze how things come into being counters the wrong view of nihilism that people may associate with emptiness, since emptiness doen not refer to nothingness, but the mere absence of a phenomenon being able to produce itself.

Of course emptiness is heavily debated, and there are a number of schools which have held different views on it (i.e. in the Tibetan presentation, they break out the Vaibhasikas, the Yogacarins, and the Madhyamika-Svatantrika schools).

However, I have not seen the core truth of this disputed by any modern-day school, from Theravada to Zen to Tibetan Buddhism. They all converge on the fact that all phenomen arise in dependence on causes and conditions, and that the implication of this is that nothing can exist from its "own side".

the Buddha teaches that being enlightened is unimagineable and undescribable....this means that what ever you think being enlightened is like or however you describe it, you are wrong.

Chownah

Hi Chownah,

This is why it seems a big waste of time to me to go off looking for allegedly "enlightened" individuals. The preconceptions we carry will certainly not match the reality. Just another form of clinging to views and preconceptions.

And then you are open to being hooked by people with charisma selling their own brand of religion, which has nothing to do with the awakened mind.

The greatest teachers I've had have been devoid of charisma, and just very, very ordinary in appearance. I shy away from teachers with charisma, because that can easily be bent in the wrong direction.

All this information is fantastic. Nevertheless I am still back at square one as far as finding a Arahant monk goes. Maybe ill try asking the abbot at the local temple, fingers crossed.

Grover, Grover...

Have you happened upon Wat Mahatat? They teach really great Satipatthana suff there. Or Goenka? Or done a sesshin at a Zen Center? Or trained in Tibetan Dzogchen? Come on! Why would you need to meet an arahant, except in the mirror!

Ok, maybe ive made some misunderstanding, but is it true a Bodhisattva is not free from the wheel of rebirth? This is an important distinguishing factor in Theravada for determining the level of enlightement.

Hi Grover,

Technically, a Bodhisattva is still bound to the wheel of rebirth, as the definition of a Bodhisattva is someone who has not yet shattered the ten fetters and removed the obscurations to omniscience. The definition of someone who has broken the chain of grasping and the ten fetters (samyojanas) and removed the obscurations to omniscience, is the Mahayana definition of a Buddha.

In other words, a Bodhisattva ceases to be a Bodhisattva at the moment he or she beciomes a Buddha.

But more to the point, a Bodhisattva is not someone who seeks to languish in samsara for aeons, but someone who seeks to break the chains of grasping as quicky as possible.

I know about the Theravaada's idea that it takes three kappas to become a Buddha, but there is sharp disagreement in the Mahayana about this, which believes it is possible to realize Buddhahood in a single lifetime, in the same way the Satipatthana Sutta speaks of realizing the fruits of arahantship in as few as seven days, if the teaching is followed correctly.

One of the monks told me that when the DL met her it was very special.

After I shook his hand, I couldn't stop laughing for 3 days. It was like being on drugs

I wonder how that works - when you meet an elevated person, they seem to spread their peace/wisdom/kniowledge and serenity?

That is great Neeranam! I have "only" been to teachings by the Dalai Lama, we have never met in person. But it is so true that the Dharma can be transmitted in the simplest of ways, though small gestures and actions. It truly is a wonderful thing to be blessed in this way.

From what I understand of an Arahant, the definition of a 1st level fully enlightened person (parinibbana) is one who has escaped the wheel of birth and rebirth. A bodhisattva is one who reaches this threshold (parinibbana) yet holds back in order to get rebirth and to teach & help others spiritually. So not having gone beyond this threshold to reach the place beyond birth and rebirth, the Theravadas at least would consider a Bodhisattva not *fully* enlightened, (disclaimer) I think.

Hi Grover,

I think this is a very common misunderstanding of the term "Bodhisattva". The Mahayanins are quite clear that a Bodhisattva seeks full enlightenment as quickly as possible, for the simple reason that only a fully enlightened being (a Buddha) has the capacity (i.e. omniscience) to fully liberate sentient beings.

Not to get into the fine distinctions between what the Pali and the Mahayana say about the definition of Buddhahood here, but suffice it to say that a Buddha in both schools is qualified by the omniscience that fully understands dukkha and its origins and the path that leads to the end of dukkha, as well as perceives directly the kamma of all sentient beings, and is therefore in the very best position to help in liberating all beings. For this reason the aim in the Mahayana is to become a Buddha (an arahant minus the "obscurations to omniscience") as quickly as possible.

So in both the Tripitika and the Mahayana, it is "full speed ahead" with regards to awakening.

To underscore this point, there is a Tibetan parable of "eating the meat first."

It is a deep Tibetan winter, and there is a starving family, and there is only enough meat for one person to survive outside, that if one person eats the meat, there is a hope to save the family by going out and foraging for more food. The point is to "eat the meat first" and be the one to take the energy to go out, find more food, and thus save the entire family. This parable is often used to describe the importance of seeking awakening first, since only the awakened mind has the power to help liberate all sentient beings.

Good point rikpa. I was talking about the very same idea with a gtoup of Mahayana guys the other day. We concluded that it was not possible to pinpoint an exact definition of the bodhisattva in Mahayana. As you pointed out, a bodhisattva may be one who has merely taken (and practiced) the bodhisattva vow, or a realized being.

Hi Tycann,

This more flexible defitinition may be the case in other Mahayana sects, but at least in the Tibetan Geluk-pa school, it is very clear, that a Bodhisattva is anyone who merely has the aspirational wish to achieve enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. The distinctions are further explained in places like the Abhidharmakosa, the Mayahana equivalent of the Abhidhamma pitaka. These divisions recapitulate the "two truths", or the divisions between conventional reality, and ultimate reality. This is just another way of restating the distinction between dependent origination (conventional truth) and anatta (ultimate truth).

The primary division between Bodhisttvas is on the nature of Bodhicitta (mind of enlightenment) itself. In a nutshell, these two primary divisions are aspirational Bodhicitta and ultimate Bodhicitta. Aspirational being the wish to achieve liberation for all sentient beings, and actualized being the wisdom that knows things-as-they-are directly. To digress a bit, the categorizations of the Bodhisattva bhumis track the paramis in the Tripitika, but the divisions are a bit different from the delineations of the "four fruits" or the "ariya magga phalas"; all Mahayana schools I am aware of break this out into the ten bhumis. The bhumis are rough equivalents of the Pali versions, but both begin at the actualization of direct insight into things-as-they-are, so Bodhisattvas who have realized ultimate Bodhicitta are at least ariya puggalas by the Pali definition.

One could add that there is a third class of bodhisattva in Mahayana-- the archetypal bodhisattva, who is not meant to necessarily represent a historical person but rather serve as the embodiment of a characteristic (Avaloketishvara, etc.) When we discussed the enlightenment of the 2nd type mentioned above, there is a bit of confusion.

Great point. This is how I prefer to see people like the Dalia Lama. Not in an idealized way, but there are some people who do seem to embody qualities ascribed to various deities like Avalokiteshvara or Majushri. I do not take this in any literal sense, but find it a more interesting way to look at things.

Most Mahayanists will assert the bodhisattva is 'fully enlightened,' but this may not be representative of the original ideas.

I am not so sure I agree with this, but I do not know "most" Mahayanists!

As all outgrowths of Buddhism have their original base in Pali, any ambiguity in Pali terms could be purportred to extend thereto. Parinibbana, when in the form of the past participle is parinibbuta, which is seen in the Tipitaka to refer to a broad range of things-- from the enlightenment of the Arahant or Buddha, to a more common meaning of tranquility, or even to the taming of a horse. Additionally, the term 'satta' in Pali has 3 possible analogs in Mahayanist Sanskrit (due to the larger alphabet of Sanskrit)-- it can mean 'seven', 'aspiring to', or 'being.' Depending on the translation to Sanskrit, a bodhisattva can thus be one who is 'being/having bodhi', or one who is 'aspiring to bodhi'-- hence we see two interperetations existing side by side in Mahayana. Of course, I guess he could also be 'bodhi 7' but that doesn't really work, unless its like a superhero team or something.

Ah, now you got me! I love it when someone can play with the Sanskirt and Pali the way you just did, because I always end up learning so much (I don't speak either, I just parrot the opaque technical terms I had to learn!)!

It is interesting (but not surprising) that sattva can be taken three ways in the original Sanskrit. But, there is one point that may be useful. Bodhisattva translates into Jangchub-sempa in Tibetan. Jangchub = bodhi and sempa = sentient being. The Tibetan "sems" (mind) it the root for sem-pa, so it follows that at least in the Tibetan interpretation, that "sattva" was translated very directly into “sentient being”.

Heh,

This is a little funny to me! I love it when the Dalai Lama makes mistakes and laughs at them! No matter what attainments he may have, this sort of honesty is sure refreshing. But to call someone a Boddhisattva, at least by the Tibetan definition, is hardly an endorsement. Anyone can take the Bodhisattva vows or say they have the wish to be one. The Tibetans draw a very sharp distinction betwen a Bodhisattva with an "apirational" wish to discover the awakend mind, vs. those who actually have (i.e. actualized = at least 1st Bodhisattva bhumi, equivalent to ariya puggala).

BTW, the nun the Dalai Lama may have been referring to may be Tenzin Palmo. She spent twelve years in a cave in the Himalayas. Her book "A Cave in the Snow" is an excellent read.

Then, as soon as you are ordained (which shouldn't take long - because I used to be a Thai Budhist Monk myself) ask your Ajarn ...

Wow. how cool is that? How was it being a monk? Can you describe it for us? I have always wanted to do this but lacked the appropriate conditions. I guess following the Vinaya day in and day out has got to be really tough. Major kudos no matter what!

E.

very nice answer ,

thats exactly what i think about thailand, big smile, good heart, bit of respect and you cant go wrong.

its only the drunk'in, hoe mongoring losers that go down in los and then cry about it.

there pathetic mate.

I hope basic kindness and human decency never goes out of style! Cheers mate!

Has anyone actually met a fully enlightened monk in Thailand? I'm asking because I would like to meet one. I believe there must be at least a handful somewhere in Thailand, living in the forests somewhere.

There are quite possibly arahants in the world, but if you are not one then you could never know, and it is very doubtful a real arahant would announce it, though there is no rule against this (for non-monk arahants anyway).

In a way this is kind of sad, as to know an arahant is present might be really motivational! But since this is not the case, then perhaps the fact that the Dhamma is "ehipassiko" (to be known by the "wise", directly through experience) may be of benefit?

The stuff the Buddha taught at least has the benefit of being reproducible by direct experience in this lifetime. If the jhaanas work, then so does vipassana and its fruits, or so I have heard.

If I am not mistaken, I would say that you haven't worked in the Philippines before, so I assume that what you've witness happened in another country.

Of course you are not mistaken, silly one.

The bank I refer to is in NYC (Manhattan), and the Fed's biggest bank HQ, with a former Treasury Secretary under Clinton coming in each day, so, a bit different... nonetheless, on to a point.

About guns...... Yeah, a lot of people don't like to see guns or see people carrying them. Some people even associate GUNS with violence. Yes, they could be right. But if only we stop and think rationally for a second, throw away our emotions, and just concentrate on hard facts - we might be in for a big surprise!

Okay, so here is what I am getting at. The presence of a lot of lethal weaponry does not instill confidence in me. Quite the opposite. It implies to me that there is a *reason* for it, namely, that there is so much violence that this is de rigeur. Am I barking mad on this?

To get to a point that agrees with yours more, my personal conjecture for the difference in violence in the UK vs. the US (and NYC is *much* safer than London, for example), is due to the fact that things can quickly escalate to lethality here, whereas in London, due to restrictive gun laws, they often result in less than life-threatening crimes, which are nevertheless seriously violent.

Again, this is only my own conjecture and not rooted in demonstrable fact. I am not anti-gun (after all, the worst institution to give a monpoly on violence to is government, but I digress), but think that the excessive display of lethal hardware says something. And it is not a very nice something. I would be the last person to trash a place I have never been, like the PI. But the fact is that a former gf who is a Filipina told me a lot of the same stuff others have said here, and it did not inspire me very much.

Yes, the beaches in the PI look incredible from the photos I've seen, and far more beautiful than places like Samui. And don't get me wrong, I would love to visit the PI. I am not a lily-livered vacationer scared off by the mere threat of violence. I lived in Cambo and have an interesting story of meeting my former Khmer Rouge in-laws, in which a fomer Cambodian Army soldier who was driving us was too terrified to go into the village with us, as it was a stronghold of the KR at the time--and he had fought the KR in the jungle for eight years (spoiler: I lived!).

The main point is, when you see a lot of guns, it says something about the society. Again, please do not take this as a trashing of the PI, as I would never trash a place I have never seen with my own eyes. There are really great people there, as I know with total certainty. It's just the presence of a lot of lethal hardware is a major turn-off for many folks, if that is really the case.

Peru. Superb food,pretty cheap, pretty relaxed. Scams are everywhere.

I was only in Peru very briefly, for an excursion to Macchu Picchu, but really felt a dark, negative vibe there, from the kids loitering around the Cuzco train station with razors and hairspray (to spray in the eyes of the tourists so they could use their razors to cut the straps of the bags and make of with them). And the crushing poverty (well, places like Cambo have crushing poverty too, but for some reason they seem to be able to smile about it).

Bolivia (La Paz) felt safe. Very high altitude, but you can buy legal coca leaves and chew them, which help with the altitude sickness.

These are just impressions from a tourist though, not anything more than a single data-point (except that my friend was living there and filled me in on a lot of stuff there).

I agree, I would probably choose Bali if things go seriously pear-shaped in LoS. Singapore is also tops on my list, even if it can be boring and sterile at times. At least it has easy acess to Malaysia and Indo, and you can always come back to cleanliness and relative safety, fantastic infrastructure, manicured greenery and efficient, if Procrustean, government.

The most dangerous place I have ever lived? London, Knightsbridge. It ain't Johannesburg, but a truly scary place. I personally witnessed too much violent crime there, and almost got it too, except I got very, very lucky. My workmate lives there and has been stabbed (count 'em) seven times. And he is a banker!

OK, let me ask you this, "would it be possible for security guards to protect the people, the community, and themselves if they aren't allowed to carry guns?"

OK, let me ask you this: do they really have gun-toting security guards in front of places like McDonald's?

I worked in a place last year where they had machine-gun toting stormtroopers out front (it is a bank HQ), and I certainly did not feel more secure going there to work every day. I can only imagine that if there are a lot of security guard types with loaded weapons it would be pretty unnerving and spoil the party for me.

Thanks for the good luck rikpa.She always has nice things to say about Cambo,she goes there alot for shopping,and also says people are very nice.Will be coming in Nov,for 28 days.looking forward to the country life again.Maybe take small trip to cambo,she would like that.Anyway thanks for the info and kindness to a Newbie.

regards,Nevada2

Hey, there are no newbies (unless we all are in one way or another )

I hope you two have great time visiting Cambo. But... there is life beyond Poipet! hahaha

All the best, you are a lucky guy to be happy as you are!

Thanks for the info rikpa.My tgf soon to be wife is from Phanom Dom Rak.Were thinking of renting around Surin city area,intel we decied were to by or build a house,just looking ahead incase things get worse in thailand,also she speaks khmer,lao,+thai.

thanks a bunch,Nevada2

Hey Nevada,

Good luck on your marriage! She is Khmer Surin, eh?

Cambodia is a good backup, though Khmer Surin and Buriram can be difficult to understand for a lot of "Khmer sot" folks, thought this would be totally minor; it doesn't take much "Khmer sot" to get along there (as I can attest! ) So no worries. I am sure that you would have a great time in Cambodia. Many of the people are so kind and friendly and worth knowing. I love Cambodia completely because of the people I have met there.

could some one please tell what is so good about cambodia besides ankor wat. ?

ive travelled through that country and to say that its better than los is beyond me.

maybe i missed something.

cheers

Hi Terry, if you have a big enough smile and and an accommodating enough heart, the answer is obvious, mate Cambo is great for human beings with a good heart!

What about Cambodia?What are the money rates + visa,s like....

Well, Cambodia is super-easy to get into and stay for a long time. A business visa is USD $25 on arrival, good for a year, and no need for a run to Taco Bell every three months. However, like others mentioned, the infrastructure is rot. And no Int'l ATMs, which can be a major hassle. I have heard about the new ATMs, but have not tried them; am not sure if they support Cirrus or other global networks, and not sure if would trust them in any case!

For shoppers, there is also the new Psar Suriya in Phnom Penh, with a lot of modern, and highly-priced stuff, and a pirate's market like Panthip. As an aside, Psar Suriya is Cambodia's very first "Western"-style shopping mall, and, it was funny to watch the countryside folks try to ride Cambodia's only escalator for their first time (they used to have guards to help people on them at first, since no one in the country had ever seen an escalator before!)!

But it is a symbol that Cambodian infrastructure is *slooowly* improving. The infrastructure will, IMO, continue to suck, though it is getting better, in Cambodian time.

But Cambodia has so many other great things to offer that to whine about this would be a sign of ingratitude towards a great place with the warmest, most friendly people I have ever met (most of whom are really not trying to rip you off--the 51% majority, at least--who actually look forward to interaction with Barangs!).

Housing in Cambo is dirt-cheap, as long as you don't care about Western amenities. If you do, expect to pay a lot, since the choices are relatively limited and Khmer landlords are notoriously difficult.

But if you choose Phnom Penh, or Sihanoukville (Siem Reap seems to have been priced out with all the overbuilding lately), then it can be a truly great place, mostly because of the people. It puts the LoS to shame for smiles, even after its horrible trauma.

I've lost my copy of my favourite book, so if anyone knows where I can get it again I'd be grateful

What the Buddha taught by Walpola Rahula

the best book ever written on Buddhism, untainted by modern egos and hysterics, just plain and simple.

Wow, yes, I have to agree with you. That was one of the first two books on Buddhism I ever bought, along with "The Three Pillars of Zen", by roshi Kapleau.

That slim volume sums up all of the essence of the Dhamma in such a clean and simple style. That was where I first heard of "anatta" and "paticca samuppada", and the "panca khandas", and his lucid explanations of them. Only the beginning, of course. If you live in BKK there is a small bookshop on the far end of Khao San (by all of the fake TOEFL degree and ID vendors) that stocks a good selection of Dhamma books.