Introduction to Buddhism

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful Introduction to Buddhism. 10 Stars!
Review: Geshe Kelsang Gyatso always writes with such wonderful compassion, and shares in his joy to reach and awaken humanity. "Buddha" means "awakened" and that is just what this wonderful book will guide you towards on your path, and bring you closer to the loving compassion and right mindfulness that will clear up and clarify so much for you.

I take the teachings into my heart, mind and soul where true "AHA" moments of newfound enlightenment transform prior suffering into a state of being "awakened." Just as each drop in a bucket will fill that bucket, each drop of heartfelt right thought and action, detachment, and compassion for oneself and all of humanity will transform your life.

Gyatso's teachings are genuine, and you will find yourself coming that much closer to being awakened when you allow your heart to open fully, and give understanding and compassion.
The teachings are simple and profound. They are pure and potent. They are eternal and everlasting in their truth, and in the positive impact they bring to humanity by bringing genuine heartfelt understandings of exactly HOW Buddha became "awakened."
I HIGHLY recommend this book, along with "Transform Your Life: A Blissful Journey" "The New Meditation Handbook" and "Universal Compassion" all by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso.
I hope they have the immeasurable impact on your life that they have had on mine.

Rating:
Summary: Accessible and reasonable
Review: Geshe Kelsang Gyatso's "Introduction to Buddhism" is a clearly written, accessible and reasonable presentation of the fundamentals of Buddism. The author writes plainly; seeming neither condescending nor simplistic. I am a fan of Thich Naht Han's philosophy as a gentle introduction to Buddhism but for a continuing path of study, I prefer Geshe Kelsang for depth and practical application without the flowery imagery of Naht Han. If you are looking for a good introduction to meditation and a clear presentation of the fundamental tennets of Buddhism, this is a great place to start.

Rating:
Summary: THIS IS THE VERY BEST INTRODUCTION TO BUDDHISM!!!
Review: Here you can begin. Everything that you need to begin is here.
The author's ability to help one understand the dharma is a little astonishing. And really very wonderful. He shows
Buddhism in a very objective light while making it personal at the same time. Other authors can't seem to do this. They can either do one or the other. The chapter on karma alone will
obliterate you. I had never seen this before! And I want you to see it to. Everything that you are experiencing at this moment is the effect of some action or thought which was the cause. What you see in your room. What you feel in your body.
What you look like. Your entire range of just being alive is a manifestation of your past actions. It's like science fiction.
He explains this so simply and directly. Everything you see, touch, smell, hear, feel is an outcome of what you have done in the past. The chapters in this book are like little gemstones
that sparkle. Do I like this book? Yes. Do I think that you should buy this book? Definitely.

Rating:
Summary: THIS IS THE VERY BEST INTRODUCTION TO BUDDHISM!!!
Review: Here you can begin. Everything that you need to begin is here.
The author's ability to help one understand the dharma is a little astonishing. And really very wonderful. He shows
Buddhism in a very objective light while making it personal at the same time. Other authors can't seem to do this. They can either do one or the other. The chapter on karma alone will
obliterate you. I had never seen this before! And I want you to see it to. Everything that you are experiencing at this moment is the effect of some action or thought which was the cause. What you see in your room. What you feel in your body.
What you look like. Your entire range of just being alive is a manifestation of your past actions. It's like science fiction.
He explains this so simply and directly. Everything you see, touch, smell, hear, feel is an outcome of what you have done in the past. The chapters in this book are like little gemstones
that sparkle. Do I like this book? Yes. Do I think that you should buy this book? Definitely.

Rating:
Summary: start here with this author's works
Review: I have four books by this author. He writes in a soothing manner and explains Tibetan Buddhism practices thoroughly. However, the other books I have did not make sense until I read this one. This one puts the basics down pat. Once I absorbed this easy read, the other texts begin to make more sense. This one is written in a flowing easy style, explaining things. It makes reference to his other books for more specifics about practice, which is why I gave it 4 stars. You will read about an overview of practice in this book and get interested in the specifics to read further see such and such book for more details. This is definitely the place for a beginner in the Tibetan approach to begin.

Rating:
Summary: start here with this author's works
Review: I have four books by this author. He writes in a soothing manner and explains Tibetan Buddhism practices thoroughly. However, the other books I have did not make sense until I read this one. This one puts the basics down pat. Once I absorbed this easy read, the other texts begin to make more sense. This one is written in a flowing easy style, explaining things. It makes reference to his other books for more specifics about practice, which is why I gave it 4 stars. You will read about an overview of practice in this book and get interested in the specifics to read further see such and such book for more details. This is definitely the place for a beginner in the Tibetan approach to begin.

Rating:
Summary: Buddhism in 100 pages!
Review: I think this book is great at giving the essence of all the main Buddhist topics - from meditation to karma to enlightenment- without getting bogged down in detail (though I would personally have liked more detail on Buddha's life story). I can't think of another book that explains Buddhism so well in just over 100 pages!

Rating:
Summary: understand Buddhist teachings
Review: If you are interested in learning more about Buddhist teachings and how you can put them into practice on a daily basis you should try this book. I picked it up after attending my first Buddhist meditation class - I liked the author's style of making these often complex teachings clear and accessible even for novices.

Rating:
Summary: Not a great way of being introduced (2.5 stars)
Review: The author seeks to introduce the reader to Buddhism. My purpose in reading it was to advance a little in my understanding of the way of life, to water the small garden that was there. For me the author really didn't succeed, maybe for a variety of reasons. I didn't come away with a better understanding.
Some things were interesting. Geshe Gyatso writes about the three ways we can use our precious human life (p.32). In the chapter on meditation, he writes about the power of breathing meditation, which I find helpful. The chapter on death, a meditation chapter, was insightful and practical. In the chapter on the Buddhist way of life, he writes about the Three Jewels, as well as compassion and renunciation quite clearly. The chapter on Developing Renunciation was like a meditation on the First Noble Truth, that all life is dukkha. His illustration of the three types of laziness was informative. I also liked Appendix I, on "Going for Refuge".
There are probably many reasons why I had so many problems with the book. Despite the better elements of the work, there is lacking a structure or organization on which to place them. I am used to the traditional way in: the 4 Noble Truths and the Eightfold path. There is no mention of the latter at all! Why is it that I read about "transference of consciousness into another body" on p. 17 and about the 4 Noble Truths on p. 51?
I know that one hang-up I have is dualism. I do not value mind-over-body, as does the author but value both and see each as needing the other. Gyatso's example of going to the moon--mind v. body--is wrong. The mind can have an idea of the moon, but cannot go to the moon. Moreover, just how does the mind come to know the moon?
I know I have a hang-up with past and future lives. The chapter did not clarify things for me in this area. Nor did the chapter on Karma help me. Gyatso values good intentions, which I believe are not enough. Karma sounds so fatalistic. There are set up--almost--class distinctions. It seems like poverty is equated with being bad. Talk about the inability to escape samsara! And since we have countless depictions of the Buddha in the book, why can't we have a depiction of what a "hungry ghost" or a "hell being" looks like?
Gyatso lambastes the concept of anger. There is nothing good about anger. It becomes a buzzword. "Nothing harms us more than anger" (52). The denouncement of anger continues on p. 84. There is more in the book on anger than there is on sangha! I believe there is something good about anger. It helps us overcome obstacles. It is a force in the doing of justice. Gyatso believes that if anger is directed at you, it is because you directed it at someone else in an earlier life. This "blame the victim" way of seeing things will do little to curb anger socially.
I will try another book on understanding Buddhism,