Buddhists-Index
The Dhammapada (Sayings of the Buddha): A collection of short sayings on various topics (centering mainly on the need to cultivate mindful awareness and moral rectitude) translated from the Pali Canon by John Richards ( from the Open Library).
Buddhist Meditation Overview: Not a primary source, but an overview of different sorts of Buddhist meditation.
The Burning House Parable from the Lotus Sutra contains several central Mahayana Buddhist ideas:
The Bodhisattva ideal (illustrated by the behavior of the old man)
The notion of "skillful means" to give teaching that is understandable and effective.
The notion of the Mahayana as the one true Buddhist path (the story's three carts, which correspond to three different paths).
The Avalokiteshvara Sutra: An example of devotional Buddhism, also from the Lotus Sutra. Avalokiteshvara was not only close to enlightenment (and thus possessed considerable powers), but was also the embodiment of compassion, and would respond to those who called on him in any sort of need.
Selections from the Diamond Sutra: The Diamond Sutra is a later Mahayana text that delights in paradox as a way to convey the ineffable nature of ultimate truth. The two major themes in these selections are the paradox of the Bodhisattva Path, and verses in praise of the text itself. The Path is paradoxical because the Bodhisattva vows and acts to bring all "Beings" to nirvana, even though s/he knows that there are actually no "Beings" to save, since all reality is ultimately Empty (interdependently originated, and thus not "Real" in an ontological sense). Yet even it the Beings are not ultimately "Real," their suffering is, and this is what the Bodhisattva seeks to address.
The Smaller Pure Land Sutra: This describes Sukhavati (the "Land of Bliss") a "Buddhaverse" created by the religious merit of the Buddha Amitabha. Sukhavati has no pain, suffering, or grief, and in this environment people move more quickly to full enlightenment. Early Pure Land Texts talk about dedicating one's religious merit to being reborn there, but over time the emphasis changed to highlight Amitabha's grace--the only thing needed to be born there was to call on Amitabha with faith one time. This emphasis on faith made Pure Land Buddhism the religion of the masses in China and Japan.
The Kalachakra ("Wheel of Existence"): Buddhist teaching art. The various parts of the painting describe the 12 stages of the causal chain leading to rebirth, the six realms of existence, and the root causes of our dissatisfaction and frustration.