Introducing Buddhism

by Chris Pauling

In recent decades, Buddhism has gained wide popularity among Westerners as a path of spiritual growth. But what is Buddhism: a religion, a philosophy, a therapy?

Written by a practicing Buddhist, Introducing Buddhism unveils the mysteries surrounding this ancient tradition and reveals it to be not just a religion or a philosophy or a therapy, but a path to liberation and fulfillment, a means to grow in self-awareness and compassion. Filled with information and insight, this compact guide distills the essential teachings of the Buddha in clear, lively prose and describes the Buddha's life and his own journey to Enlightenment, the ultimate goal of the Buddhist path. Encouraging seekers to look for and develop the Buddhahood hidden inside themselves, it outlines the principal techniques and devotional practices of Buddhism. The book also presents a brief history of the various branches of Buddhism that have developed in the 2,500 years since the Buddha's lifetime.

Introducing Buddhism not only conveys the relevancy of the spiritual teachings to seekers in the modern West, but also offers liberation from the confusion of our complex world while opening the heart and mind to a global point of view.

Genres: Buddhism, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Religion, Philosophy

73 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Nadja · Rating 4 out of 5]

En fin liten bok om buddhismens grunder på endast 75 sidor. På slutet ges rekommendationer på böcker för fördjupning. Rekommenderas!

[Magnus Lidbom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Manages to condense a huge amount of wisdom into shockingly few pages. I have never read anything coming close to this book when it comes to introducing the essence of Buddhism. It is also great as a refresher for those like me that have read dozens of books zooming in on different aspects but never tying all the strings together as this book does.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extremely concise (I read it in a day) but extremely informative introduction to Buddhism. Of course it leaves many questions unanswered, however a book that did answer every question raised would likely need to encompass the entire dharma! I would recommend this book to anyone seeking a brief introduction to Buddhism.

[Mark Rendi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great introduction to the world of Buddhism. Easily accessible and filled with nice little nuggets of wisdom. Written by Vadanya of the Sheffield Buddhist Centre who in everyday life is as approachable and engaging as is his writing. Highly recommended.

[Jacqui Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really good starter book on general Buddhist values and beliefs - the author uses great metaphors to describe the Buddha’s process of reaching enlightenment and full awareness that I haven’t read elsewhere, for example how the average person is an unopened lotus flower bud in murky waters, surrounded by lots of other unopened flowers (other people who haven’t reached enlightenment), and the process of poking out of the water and flowering is the stage we are at currently, but it has been proven that we become a fully grown flower with time, since there are also budding flowers around us (people who are further down the path). Some buds may never flower and grow to their full potential similar as to how real buds don’t. It takes time to learn how to grow. I thought this was a really beautiful visualisation.

It’s definitely piqued my interest to continue reading more detailed texts about how others have decided to incorporate the ideas of the Threefold Division, Four Noble Truths, Three Jewels, Noble Eightfold Path, meditation techniques (Samatha and vipassana) into their lives. It’s a short and worthwhile read.

[Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

As others have said, there’s a huge amount of information in a very small package. The book is well constructed, with logical chapters and sections. There’s not enough substance in this book to make any kind of meaningful start in Buddhism itself. But if that’s the reader’s desire, this book is a well presented map. Aptly named introduction to Buddhism.

The author’s subjective influence can be felt at the edges, and there are several seemingly contradictory aspects to Buddhism outlined. The contradiction could be due to the author’s interpretation, the reader’s lack of understanding (quite plausible!) or some more fundamental flaw in Buddhism itself. In any case, I felt the subjectivity was enough to lose a star, as the book occasionally felt like a work of propaganda. Others may disagree - it was subtle.

[Andreea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, clear and persuasive. Received this as a gift. My first contact with the theory of Buddhism, and I must say I’m pleasantly surprised. I’m not drawn to religion, so it was good to have a rational explanation of the principles. They made sense to me.

PS: I wish all non-fiction books were like this. No need for 100 different “real life stories” to bring the concepts to life. It’s ok, I can get the point without all that fluff.

[Daniel Falkemo · Rating 5 out of 5]

En lättfattligt introduktion till västerländsk buddhism. Utan att ha någon tidigare kunskap tycker jag att den är lätt att ta till sig både i sitt utförande och i sina idéer. Det finns mycket klokhet och god psykologi att anamma från den bok. Den har väckt en nyfikenhet att lära mig mer om buddhism.

[Nivia Gonzalez · Rating 4 out of 5]

A concise and basic introduction to Buddhism...this book is one to go back to for a gentle reminder on how we may live more peacefully and joyfully while coexisting in this complicated world without strict doctrine.

[Antonio Villegas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, sweet, and strait to the point.

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very basic book on Buddhism for those who are curious about Buddhism but not deeply into it.

[helen roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Opinion

Clear description, good intro to overview of subject without preaching. Would have enjoyed more detail on practices,especially types of meditation.

[Steinar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok introduction, but too short and simple. He even say several times its not any space for a deeper explaination, but the book is really only 60 pages with large fonts and much space leftover.

[Paul martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interested how it came about and how it currently exists

d how it came about and how it currently exists. Very interest read and easy to follow well done a

[Tom Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good intro

A short book that covers basic principles and ideas. It doesn’t try to tell you what to do, just show what’s out the in an easy to digest way.

[Kenia Sedler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Concise & rich.

[Kirsty McClure · Rating 5 out of 5]

I purchased this at my local buddhist centre and I found it to be a great introduction to buddhism. I thoroughly enjoyed it😊

[cdpc44 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interessante enquanto iniciação ao tema. Mas acho que depois estas coisas são mais compreensíveis quando em diálogo com quem percebe. Não basta um livro, nem dois ou três. É a oralidade e a experiência do outro que poderá trazer o despertar correcto para uma evolução no tema.

Em termos de história está bem escrito e tem aspectos interessantes. Deixo um: "Os budistas orientais não falam de budismo: falam do "Budadharma" ou "dharma". Dharma é uma palavra sânscrita que significa ao mesmo tempo a própria verdade e qualquer ensinamento que nos ajude a concretizar esta verdade nas nossas vidas e no interior de nós próprios". (pág. 9) E Dharma aparece também onde??! Em dois ou três minutos lembrei-me logo: "Sim, na série Lost!!"

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Não é possível escrever uma opinião como se faz com os outros livros. O tema deste livro é diferente dos outros.
O Pensamento Budista tal como o título indica é um livro sobre o budismo. De uma forma bastante simples, explica esta... chamemos-lhe filosofia de vida, esta maneira de ser. Eu confesso que sempre achei interessante ler e aprender sobre outras religiões, apesar de o Budismo não ser uma religião.
Adorei o livro. interessei-me especialmente no que li e acho até que vou "estudar" mais sobre o assunto.

[Ricardo De moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

My sister bought me this book as a good introduction to Buddhism and indeed it is. It's a concise text that brilliantly explains Buddhism for the western reader. Pauling does some useful interpretation of the Four Noble Truths, substituting "unsatisfactoriness" for "suffering". This helps to giving us a more accurate understanding of the Truths. I would thoroughly recommend this book!

[Sujan maharjan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful presentation

[Denis Joplin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A brilliant short book packed with information, but very easy to read in plain English

[Kory Riemensperger]

great introduction.

[Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

good read, easy to understand. I wanted a look in Buddhism, this is a great place to start.

[Arianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good introduction to Buddhism. It was easy to read and gave an outline of what it's all about.

[Cam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and to the point. A great introduction.