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Buddhism for Beginners: Plain and Simple Guide to Buddhist Philosophy Including Zen Teachings, Tibetan Buddhism, and Mindfulness Meditation

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Do You Want To Free Yourself From Stress And Anxiety?Would you like to bring peace and joy in your life?

Many people hear the word "Buddhism" and they think it is a religion. However, a person of any religion can bring Buddhist principles into their life without giving up their religious beliefs. Buddhism is a simple and practical philosophy, practiced by more than 300 million people worldwide, that can make your life better and help you find inner peace and happiness. Buddhism is a way of living your life following a path of spiritual development that leads you to the truth of reality.

"We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves." - Buddha

Nowadays, Buddhism is becoming increasingly popular, thanks to the positive benefits it can bring to those who choose to practice it. By following the principles of Buddhism and by practicing mindfulness meditation you can reduce anxiety and stress and bring clarity and joy into your mind.

If you want to learn how to apply the Buddhist philosophy in your everyday life, then this book is for you.

You'll learn the principles of this philosophy along with the history of Buddha and his teachings that will help you successfully bring Buddhism into your everyday life. This book will give you the answers you're seeking in a format that is both simple and easy to understand, without obscure words or convoluted sentences.

Inside Buddhism for Beginners, discover:



How you can bring peace and joy in your life following the simple principles of Buddhism
A simple but effective meditation technique for beginners to help you relieve stress and feel calmer, even if you've never meditated before
The core Buddhist principles and teachings explained in plain english, without complex or obscure words
The History of Buddhism, from its origins to the present day
Why knowing and freeing your mind can help you bring peace and joy in your everyday life (with practical tips to help you start)
A complete historical timeline of notable buddhist events to help you understand the development of this philosophy
The principles you should pursue if you want to follow the path of Buddha
An effective way to understand and practice Buddhism without feeling overwhelmed
The truth about Karma and how it can actually help you change your life (many people don't know this)
Practical tips to bring Buddhism into your everyday life and brighten your future.
And much, much more.


Now it's up to you. Even if right now you have no clue of Buddha's teachings, let joy and peace become part of your life and free you from stress and anxiety, you won't regret it!


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120 pages, Paperback

Published May 7, 2019

489 people are currently reading
113 people want to read

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5 stars
90 (40%)
4 stars
68 (30%)
3 stars
44 (19%)
2 stars
10 (4%)
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
Profile Image for Claire (Book Blog Bird).
1,088 reviews41 followers
October 25, 2019
This book wasn’t for me. The whole tone of the book was patronising and unfriendly and mostly pretty boring. The author sets out Buddhism as something you can only possibly buy into as an organised religion, saying that you will only ever achieve enlightenment if you join a Buddhist centre which is bollocks because if that was the case then HOW DID BUDDHA ACHIEVE ENLIGHTENMENT?

Also, and this was the bit that annoyed me, the author makes a special point of saying that ‘true’ Buddhism does not allow homosexuality. But she then goes on to say that Buddhists show ‘love, kindness and compassion’. Not if your name is Judith Yandell, though, apparently. Wind your neck in Judith. Take your homophobia elsewhere.
Profile Image for Katie.
13 reviews
January 11, 2022
This book is poorly written with many grammatical errors. Beware of self-published book. This badly needed an editor. I was so excited to learn a new perspective and a new way to live, but this reads like a Wikipedia entry on Buddhism, and not even a good one. I expected this book to be a guidebook on practicing Buddhism, but there are barely any tips on how to practice, besides some bullets on how to meditate. To me this felt like one long student essay on “what is Buddhism.”
1 review
May 24, 2021
Let this too pass

This is a bad introduction to Buddhism. Fortunately I have been studying Buddhism long enough that I could see this book was greatly flawed. I pity the pilgrim who stumbles upon this book. It will not serve them well.
Profile Image for Sosanna Olson.
125 reviews33 followers
January 8, 2020
Beginners Delight

As a beginners guide this is a five star book. Coming from a place of a non beginner I found the book to be a little repetitive and in a couple of places contradictory. This is a very good place to begin and I found the timeline was extremely useful. I can see myself returning to it in the future. It provided a clear understanding of what was happening in the world related to Buddhism and I found it extremely helpful.
Profile Image for Jenny Davy .
15 reviews1 follower
September 18, 2019
Great starting point

This was a great book for me as I was interested in learning more about Buddhism. It was an easy read, but very informative. Perfect for someone with little to no knowledge of Buddhism.
1 review
April 25, 2024
it’s a start

This book is great for beginners on their Buddhism journey. It gave me a path to follow. I hope you enjoy it too.
Profile Image for HalKid2.
724 reviews
January 23, 2025
There are many, many introductory books about Buddhism with similar titles so, if you're interested in this one, you might want to note this book's full title: BUDDHISM FOR BEGINNERS: PLAIN AND SIMPLE GUIDE TO BUDDHIST PHILOSOPHY INCLUDING ZEN TEACHINGS, TIBETAN BUDDHISM AND MINDFULNESS MEDITATION. Quite a mouthful but it actually lives up to its promise.

It's a solid, easy-to-understand non-fiction introduction for anyone like me interested in learning more about the Buddhist way of life. It reads like a basic textbook.

BUDDHISM FOR BEGINNERS is short (122 pages), well-organized, and offers a more than satisfactory overview. Which is quite a considerable accomplishment given the sheer volume of Buddhist material that exists, not to mention all the different translations over the centuries. Buddhism does, after all, date from the 5th century BCE and is the world's fourth largest religion, with 520 million followers.

Author Judith Yandell's intro includes a bit of history about the philosophy's origins, a review of its fundamental beliefs and practices, an exploration into the importance of meditation (along with an example of how to begin), and an explanation of the key concepts of karma and rebirth. (Rebirth, you will learn, is different from the Hindu belief in reincarnation.)

Yandell organizes the basic beliefs and practices according to number, devoting a chapter to each:
Under Three:
three universal truths, three jewels of refuge, three higher trainings
Under Four:
four noble truths, four Dharma Seals
Under Five:
five precepts, five Skandhas
Under Six:
six perfections of Mahayana Buddhism, ten perfections of Theravada Buddhism (Yes, I realize ten is not six.)
Overall, a handy introduction that I heartily recommend.
Profile Image for LanaS.
11 reviews
January 4, 2025
If you are Buddhist or Buddhism philosophy sounds appealing to you - stay away from this book. It gives some dry facts about Buddhism (some of which I believe are not true) and almost tries to show Buddhism as boring / not-worth-even-thinking-about as it can possibly be . My jaw dropped at the part of “Real Buddhism does not support homosexuality”. Then there was a part talking about rebirth and reincarnation, instead of talking what stands behind it author says “Yeah I know it is hard to believe in it, especially if you are smart modern person but whoa! If you want to call yourself “true Buddhist” (whatever this means?!) you need to believe in non-real things!”. Like what the hell Judith?
If you are looking for some good book about Buddhism - try “no nonsense buddhism for beginners” or some of the Dalai Lama’s writings. But stay away from this one :(
Profile Image for Herto Bastian Abul.
61 reviews
May 13, 2023
This book has given a good start to understanding Buddhism. I learned about the story of Buddha, a glimpse of the teaching, mindfulness meditation, karma, and rebirth. However, I didn't find an explanation about Zen Teachings & Tibetan Buddhism other than the chronology of the development of Buddhism.
Profile Image for Eliza Samphire.
2 reviews
July 14, 2025
Deep topics explained clearly, very helpful

As a person curious about Buddhism, I found this book to be very helpful. It explains topics clearly and as simply as possible. I am glad I chose it as a starting point. I will read it again to help myself absorb the teachings. Thank you for a great book!
Profile Image for Lisa Bexton.
1 review1 follower
March 3, 2022
outstanding

The best book on Buddhism I have yet to read. And I have read a few. Simple and informative with easy explanations. There is no judgement in this book, you can feel the kindness coming out of it!
1 review
February 7, 2024
Loved this ...Great introduction on concepts and clean living. World would be a better place if ever

Loved this ...Great introduction on concepts and clean living. World would be a better place if everyone followed these practises
Recommended reading!!
Profile Image for Donna.
Author 1 book4 followers
January 28, 2025
Meh. Not a great book. I listened to it on Audible, and there were a number of mistakes in the recording where she would start talking and then start over again. I found her condescending, and not all that accurate in the information she was spreading. I didn’t really care for the book.
Profile Image for Laurel.
77 reviews
August 20, 2025
This wasn’t superrrr well written but I’ll throw 3 starts up for learning new things

Organized religion is kinda silly to me but I do vibe with a lot of the Buddhist teachings
(they don’t fw gay ppl tho #lame)
Profile Image for Marisa Quiroz Lemus.
51 reviews1 follower
May 23, 2021
Creo fue súper claro y entendible y si te interesa saber del budismo es una excelente elección
1 review
July 30, 2022
Time weii spent

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Easy to digest and uplifting. Gave a great basic understanding of Buddhism in an easy to understand format.
Profile Image for Hannah Baker.
74 reviews1 follower
February 6, 2023
Good starting point. Quick, easy, informative read. A bit repetitive at times.
4 reviews
August 26, 2023
brilliant book

A great introduction and well laid out and easy to understand. A good starting point to begin your journey from.
Profile Image for Rebecca Cha.
8 reviews1 follower
August 10, 2025
This book was very insightful and has helped me begin my journey into Buddhism!
Profile Image for Dakota.
48 reviews2 followers
March 24, 2022
A great starting point for anyone who is just beginning to learn about Buddhism! You must read this book with a humbled student mindset or it may come off as patronizing or repetitive. As someone who came to this book with only the tiniest bit of knowledge on the subject, I think this book did an excellent job of informing me on things I knew nothing about and also fleshing out my knowledge of things I had only scratched the surface of. That being said, this book itself is still only scratching the surface-it is meant for absolute beginners to the subject; I don't think anyone who is already a practicing Buddhist would get much out of this book, but it is a perfect place to start for a beginner like myself!
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews

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