Where Do I Start

[tavarich]

I would like to learn some more on Buddism. What is the difiinitive book ? to start with. nothing over the top, don't scare me off.

[DrBooze]

I would like to learn some more on Buddism. What is the difiinitive book ? to start with. nothing over the top, don't scare me off.

Hi Tavarich... I'm just a beginner myself. I don't know too much about books - I'm sure someone else will be able to help you there. I have found it helpful listening to lectures by Buddhist monks. There are loads of them you can download for free on the internet - with many directed towards beginners. I find them useful because they're accessible and easy to get into. You might want to try one of these websites.

www.audiodharma.org

www.buddhanet.net

www.mettaforest.org

Not too scary I hope. Good luck.

[chownah]

Are you interested in learning about the philosophy of Buddhism or its history or are you wanting to learn about how to do Buddhist meditation? I guess that many people have different reasons for wanting to learn and there are different types of material available for each of these different reasons.

[Popeyethesailorman]

I have found that one of the better books on Buddhism is called, "What the Buddha Taught" by Dr. W. Rahula. It covers history, types of Buddhism and meditation etc... Check it out.

[sabaijai]

I have found that one of the better books on Buddhism is called, "What the Buddha Taught" by Dr. W. Rahula. It covers history, types of Buddhism and meditation etc... Check it out.

I like this one too.

[camerata]

I doubt there is a definitive book because it's a big subject with a lot of different approaches. I think it's best to start off with a beginner's book that has the core teachings, an account of the Buddha's life, a history of Buddhism and a comparison of the main traditions. Two good beiginner's books which are periodically available at Kinokuniya and Asia books in Bangkok are:

The Buddhist Handbook by John Snelling.

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Buddhist Wisdom (A Complete Introduction to the Principles and Practices of Buddhism) by Gill Farrer-Halls.

After you've read one of those, try one of the more inspiring books, such as:

The Mind and the Way (Buddhist Reflections on Life) by Ajahn Sumedho.

Being Nobody, Going Nowhere : Meditations on the Buddhist Path

by Ayya Khema.

[tavarich]

Now this is what I call a good start. Many references many starting points, it's all good. Thanks.

[chownah]

Now this is what I call a good start. Many references many starting points, it's all good. Thanks.

There is also alot of stuff on the internet that is free. If you're interested in this just say so and I'm sure you'll get some suggestions. I like this one:

http://www.buddhanet.net/wingscon.htm

I'd suggest reading the Introduction section first...it tells a bit about the Buddha's life and times........but I don't know if there might be alot of much better stuff for beginners on the internet so maybe some other people will suggest some.

[robitusson]

Sogyal Rinpoche's "Tibetan Book Of Living And Dying" is hugely popular and an excellent book also. You can download the audio version at this website.

http://greylodge.org/gpc/?m=200505&paged=2

It's John Cleese(!?) reading it.

[bina]

for theravada budhism try this one also:

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/

in the beginning it was all very confusing kind of like a giant salad... i then decided to stick with one 'path' which was theravada and set to learn with this in mind, it helped unravel everything a bit...

somewhere here we have another thread with lots of lists for this also....

several of us here are working our way thru these sites since we dont have access (or dont want) to teachers that can help guide us which makes everything more difficult but challenging...

for actual books, i went straight to the source for one: the dhamapada ; what the buddha taught as mentioned; and lots and lots of reading and re reading from the sites listed above ;

first i skimmed; then i re read; then i ploughed thru a lot of reading again; now i am re rereading more systamatically with some faint outline in my head of what i want to really know (or do); along with that, i've chosen a singular method of meditation and stuck with it......

i think chownah is doing similar to me as he is self learning also....

some ebook sites and others:

http://www.dharmas.net/pages/1/index.htm

http://www.urbandharma.org/sutta.html

http://www.thaibuddhism.net/