Buddhist Wisdom: The Path to Enlightenment

by Gerald Benedict (Editor), David R. Loy (Introduction)

Of course, Buddhist wisdom begins with the Buddha. But for Gerald Benedict, it doesn’t end there. Here, for committed believers and curious seekers alike, he has gathered the most memorable and insightful sayings of Buddhism’s greatest thinkers through the centuries and from every corner of the globe. Under headings such as “Suffering and its solution,” “Mastering the mind,” and “Happiness in this present life,” Buddhist Wisdom holds the keys to a spiritual tradition that offers practical, down-to-earth answers to the deepest questions of our existence. An irresistible introduction to the most popular non-Biblical religion in the U.S., Canada, and Europe today.

 

Genres: Philosophy, Buddhism

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Mariah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introduction to different Buddhist philosophies from Vajrayana to Zen. I liked how the book was divided into chapters by topic. It would have been nice if the quotes mentioned what form of Buddhist tradition the author comes from. Having studied Buddhism I was able to recognize that Dōgen = Sōtō Zen, Lamas = Vajrayana, and Bhikkus = Theravada. For an intro through it would be nice because people would be able to find what lineage they relate to most. On another note, I did notice that the Heart Sutra was included in this book (which I loved), but it was not labelled as such.

I would recommend checking this book out if you are new to Buddhism or are just looking for some daily practice reminders!

[always november · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a really great introduction to Buddhism. It presented a wide variety of passages and excerpts on many different topics like karma, death, reincarnation and the essence of life from Buddhist monks, the Dalai Lama, Buddhist texts, and even the Buddha himself.
The book is divided into easily digestible chunks, some passages are really self-explanatory and easy to understand whilst others are more complex and require more thought, which I think is a really good mix.

[Madelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Turn your gaze into your heart and at once you are Buddha - You will never find him outside of yourself!"

[Kamakana · Rating 4 out of 5]

if you like this review, i now have website: www.michaelkamakana.com

221107: selection of buddhist texts. clear, concise, familiar. never less. read every once and a while...