Buddhism from Within: An Intuitive Introduction to Buddhism

by Daizui Macphillamy

Buddhism From Within is a common-sense introduction to Buddhism that does not rely on a lot of technical terms or foreign words, or delve too deeply into religious theory or doctrine. Instead, the book speaks to readers interested in exploring Buddhism on a general, intuitive level. It introduces the essential principles of Buddhism as they are experienced in the daily life of practising Buddhists, giving a sense of how Buddhists view the universe and what life is like for a Buddhist.

Genres: Buddhism, Spirituality

285 pages, Paperback

First published June 15, 2003

Reviews

[Dean Paradiso · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an easy-to-read primer about Buddhism from an intellectual point of view, written by a Soto Zen priest/monk. It's a good book for people who are unfamiliar with Buddhism and would like to know how and what Buddhists think about spiritual and philosophical points. This book was published around 2003 and is likely out of print right now, so it's not something you'll easily find. I had to order my copy from the UK or US.
I really wanted to like this book, hence I ordered a hard copy from overseas. My expectations were a bit far off in terms of what I thought it contained, as I'd read some reviews on Reddit and other forums, and expected a much more practical focus. The author purposely left out any instructions or practical guidance on meditation, and let the book become a casual discussion about philosophy instead. I was a little disappointed since there's already thousands of these 'shoot the breeze' type books on Buddhism, and if I wanted to know how Buddhists think and feel about topics, I'd just hang out with some in real. That said, it does go through the 8 fold path fairly well, and delivers some interesting discussion on the topic of emptiness (from a Mahayana perspective).
Worth a read if you happen to find it in a library, otherwise might not be worth the hassle in trying to obtain a hard copy.

[Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best plain-English introduction to Buddhism (in all its many forms) that I’ve encountered yet.

[Serena Wells · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay so I actually picked this book up because I saw online that Buddhism was an “atheistic religion” and that sounded intriguing so I grabbed this book from the library to learn more about it since I knew basically nothing. Funny enough, now that I’ve read it I’ve learned that it being atheistic is just a western idea but I still found it to be really interesting. Although I don’t belong to any religion, I feel there can be a lot to learn from any of them, and I definitely learned a lot from reading this! I am glad the author put things into “western” words and ideas to make it easier for me to understand. Overall really fascinating but I was getting a little lost when it came to the no self/soul thing. I think that just might be an idea too big for my head to wrap around (like a lot of religion in general lol)

[Tom Booker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A warm and mature look at the Four Noble Truths through a Soto Zen lense. The text comes across as down to earth yet based in mystical realisations. Practices, attitudes and fruition of the practice is also explored. Highlights the Buddha Nature teachings of Zen.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was alright for an introduction but I did not feel like it presented the information in a memorable way or in enough depth to even really learn more than the very very basics.

[Liene · Rating 4 out of 5]

as someone who came in knowing nothing, this was a clear and accessible overview of Buddhism. it's a helpful short intro to get me started to what I hope will be a life long learning

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book I give people when they want to know more about Zen.
Rev Daizui's writing is very accessible.
I love to reread it when I invariably have to order a new copy to replace the one I gave away!

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this would be too simplistic to get much out of when I first started reading, but it delves into some very deep topics with thought-provoking clarity. I think it will definitely warrant a second reading.