about Buddhism?

Question

i have recently been looking into buddhism and think i would like to get involved. is there a book i can buy of the teachings and what are the general beliefs etcs. is anyone here a buddist? cheers xx

Answer 1

This may sound trite, but if you get a copy of the "Idiot's Guide to Buddhism" it will give you a lot of information on the subject. Nevermind the title.

I have the same format book on Zen Living. It goes pretty deeply into the subject.

Good luck with your seach!

Answer 2

I agree with mahasaropama, I highly recommend the http://buddhanet.net/ website. There is a lot of information on a variety of topics and traditions.

If you don’t mind doing the research, there is more then a little bit of information on the Wikipedia site. I would start with Buddhism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism) and then check their links. There are a lot of facts here and so far, they have proven to be quite accurate. You can look up Buddha, Gautama Buddha, the foundations of Buddhism, (Four Noble Truths, Noble Eightfold Path, The Five Precepts, Nirvāna, etc...) the major Buddhist Traditions, (Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana) and their sub sects, and so much more. However, reading the facts about Buddhism is not learning Buddhism. For that you

A few of my favorite books on the subject are:
Buddhism Core Ideas by Hsing Yun
Dharma Drum: The Life and Heart of Chan Practice by Master Sheng Yen
Don't-Know Mind: The Spirit of Korean Zen by Richard Shrobe
Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life by Thich Nhat Hanh
Zen Speaks: Shouts of Nothingness by Tsai Chih Chung, Brian Bruya
Two Treasures: Buddhist Teachings on Awakening and True Happiness by Thich Nhat Hanh
Bankei Zen: Translations from the Record of Bankei by Peter Haskel


Please keep in mind that most of my studies have been in the Ch'an (Chinese Zen) and Seon (Korean Zen) traditions. So if Zen is not your preferred method of Buddhism, you may need to look at other books, however, buddhanet and the Wikipedia article are universal.

I hope this helps.

Answer 3

Buddhism for Dummies is okay (widely available). Buddhism Plain and Simple by Steve Hagen is shorter and probably better for a survey but it won't have the pictures. If you just want to jump in and see how people 'do' Buddhism you could try Awakening the Buddhist Heart by Lama Surya Das.

Answer 4

First, I'd suggest to look at http://buddhanet.net/ , the website is quite comprehensive, easy to get around with and pleasing to the eyes, that's if you are online often. To look at the introduction on Buddhism, the page is: http://buddhanet.net/e-learning/basic-guide.htm
The webmaster is actually a Buddhist monk, currently residing in Australia, so I think the website is reliable.

Or u can grab a book(I'd recommend What Buddhists Believe by Ven. K. Sri Dhammananda) , u can download it free from Buddhanet, but if u prefer the hardcopy, they should be freely available in some temples/monasteries.

If u want to get involved, find a Buddhist community in ur local area (Buddhanet also has a good list of directories), or visit temples or monasteries, or u can get join forums like the one in http://www.e-sangha.com/ or the one in http://www.bswa.org/.

I think I'm a Buddhist.

Cheers. ^_^

Answer 5

'What Buddhists Believe' by the late Ven.K.Sri Dhammananda is very good.

Answer 6

this wise and wonderful person may be able to help you .. i am sure he wouldnt mind you getting in touch
http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/my/profile;_ylt=AuTYWBntMg__ccCo3FR2GYxJBgx.?show=0fc31754dfb32443176fd8ebdd1b956baa

Answer 7

WHY would you want to know about Someone that Claimed GOD-LIK-NESS, and yet NEVER Raised Himself from the DEAD?

Thanks, RR