The Buddha’s Teachings: An Introduction by Thanissaro Bhikkhu | Goodreads

The Buddha’s Teachings: An Introduction by Thanissaro Bhikkhu | Goodreads



The Buddha’s Teachings: An Introduction

by Thanissaro Bhikkhu



really liked it 4.00  ·   Rating details ·  33 ratings  ·  4 reviews

The Buddha’s Teachings: An Introduction. A short introduction to the basic concepts and values underlying Buddhist practice, with special attention to clearing up common misinterpretations about what the Buddha taught.



Freely available at dhammatalks.org

ebook, 33 pages

Published March 21st 2016

Edition LanguageEnglish

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Steve

Jul 06, 2016Steve rated it liked it

Shelves: 2016, mediation-and-buddhism

This book is an ebook. The author, a Buddhist monk, has been a pioneer in presenting Buddhist teachings in new formats since the 1990s when he first started putting his translations of Buddhist texts on the then new world wide web. This book is available in all of the ebook formats, including PDF, at dhammatalks.org. On the inside of the book are instructions for obtaining printed copies.



Whenever people ask me to recommend an introduction to Buddhism, I never feel fine with the choice I make. I can't think of any introduction that has a human face on it, an inspiring face, and that gets Buddhism completely right.



It is hard to write good introductory material, as it involves pulling yourself out of a subject you are steeped in and getting inside of the mind of someone unacquainted with the subject. Doing it well enough to inform and inspire takes talent.



I was surprised how well Venerable Thanisarro Bhikkhu did. I usually find his style to be dry, academic, and uninspiring.



I was very pleased that he started the book with 3 questions:



1. Is there such a thing as a deathless happiness that can bring suffering and stress to a total end?



2. If there is, can this happiness be found through human effort?



3. If so, can it be found in a harmless and blameless way?



In other words, Buddhism is all about happiness.



All too often with Buddhism ( particularly this author ) it is easy to forget that.



The other thing the author did well was in limiting the size of the book to just 33 pages. Too many introductions to Buddhism are too long winded. Someone who is new to Buddhism and who just wants to get an overview isn't going to have the patience for a tome.



I felt the author went wrong in trying to summarize the steps of in the discourse on mindfulness of breathing ( anapanasati sutta ). An introductory book is just not the place for that. I felt he could have done better by simply stating that the dominant meditation technique in Buddhism is being aware of your breathing. I think his description will leave his intended audience ( people completely new to Buddhism ) just scratching their heads.



I also didn't like his analogy, his use of the words "food" and "feeding" to describe how desire creates suffering and leads to multiple lives. No disrespect to the author, that wording just made Buddhism seem silly.



The author is an excellent and seasoned scholar of Buddhism. He is an excellent analyzer of text. He can point out things that you may have read many times, but have never articulated clearly in your mind.



While I don't like this book as an introduction to Buddhism, I do think it is an excellent introduction to what Thanisarro Bhikkhu has to say about Buddhism.



In that regard I am enthusiastic about the book and recommend to people familiar with his work and deeper writings about Buddhism.







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Ahmad

Feb 10, 2018Ahmad rated it liked it

Shelves: buddhism

A good basic and quick introduction to _some_ of the basic concepts and tenets of Theravada Buddhism. Even though the book is short, it still could have covered the Noble Eightfold Path in a bit more detail rather than just listing them for the reader to be informed about their existence. In general, it is a good summary but the book could have used a bit more explanation and/or examples for a beginner reader to make sense of the content more.

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Pierre

May 26, 2016Pierre rated it really liked it

This is not the clearest introduction to Buddhism, but is a helpful text nevertheless. It is short enough for those new to the philosophy, but in depth enough for those who are more well versed. Its metaphysical passages are not as well explained as they could be, and the information is rather dry and list-heavy, but overall (and especially considering it is free) this is a good read.

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Bryan

May 12, 2020Bryan rated it really liked it

Great introduction. Very dense, but worth reading and referencing back to.

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