How do I get started learning about Buddhism?

Eric: How do I get started learning about Buddhism?
I want to learn more about Buddhism to see if it is something that I want to practice. I found out there is not one book for Buddhists unlike some other major religions. What books would you recommend to someone who is looking for more information on Buddhism and might want to start practicing it?

Answers and Views:

Answer by Smile Jesus Loves You
Wikipedia.org

Answer by Philosopher
Thank you for asking this question. I would recommend you to read “The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpochhe”. I think this will help you to practice or give you more information about the Buddhism. Actually Buddhism is not a religion but it modern people consider as one of the religions. You will come to know why Buddhism is not a religion. It is a part of Philosophy.

Answer by Life is an ξnίg♍ǻ ☯
“An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and Practices” by Peter Harvey.

Buddhism for Dummies.
https://www.amazon.ca/Buddhism-Dummies-Jonathan-Landaw/dp/0764553593/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269461608&sr=1-1

Answer by Jay C
Namaste, I recently converted myself.
will help

Answer by Skin that flick shes such lil DJ
You found no books? where did you look a game-store?

just go to any decent book-store & at the very least you will find some in ”mind & body”, the TC post some good links if yer bothered to read through all of it. i’d recommend it, best of luck on whatever path though you do choose

Answer by Susan M
Here is a site with lots of information on Buddhism: https://www.fpmt-osel.org/
See the suggested readings and other features. Buddhism, in the forms I am familiar with, is based on meditation and prayer. The specific Buddhism of this site,which is a Tibetan based form that is
Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition.

Buddhism can be a great strength in your life. I was initiated at the center which provides the above
site when my father was getting toward the end of his life and I was caring for him a lot. It helped me through his death and grieving. I always have my practice to fall back on when there is a difficult period in life. Meditation can and should be used daily.

“The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpochhe”
is a worthwhile book. Good idea. Use the reading list on the site above, too, and there is a lot of information on the site to get you started.

Very important, too, is having a good teacher and a group to practice with.

Answer by STEPHEN
Try ‘Buddhism plain and simple’ by Steve Hagen. Peter Harvey’s ‘An Introduction to Buddhism’ (which I see someone else has mentioned) is a very thorough overview if you want a scholarly approach. Buddhism is a non-theistic religion in that it is not based on worshipping anyone or anything (although something close to Buddha worship has developed in the popular culture of some Buddhist societies.) Mystics of theist religions tend not to find this a barrier in the way that literal-minded fundamentalists necessarily do. The Buddha essentially taught means to reach what may broadly called enlightenment but these ‘skillful means’ have been developed in different ways in different times and places and under the influence of beliefs already present in societies when they came into contact with the teachings. Theravada Buddhism is probably closest in many ways to the original teaching of the Buddha himself and much of its teachings around the ‘four noble truths’ underlie the various schools of Mahayana Buddhism (including Tibetan) so you might look there first. I would suggest you read a good translation of the Dhammapada and anything by Ajahn Chah, who did much to revive Thai Buddhism and encourage its spread to the West a delightful, kind and earthy approach. The Access to Insight website has plenty on it and there are also some good talks which can be downloaded as audio files from the site below. Finally for an anecdotal approach try the stories put together by Ajahn Brahm in ‘Who ordered that truckload of dung’. Hope that helps.

Answer by John P (I’m only a bug)
Good evening Eric

I’m going to take a slightly different tact than the others who responded. You don’t say where you live but, if at all possible, I’d strongly advise you attend local temples (sometimes called “churches” in deference to Western mindsets) and/or meditation centers of various traditions. In this way you can experience first hand the various traditions, rites, and more importantly ask questions in person. These are things you can’t obtain from books. My only caveat is that if you feel uncomfortable in a group (yes, there are some unscrupulous so-called “buddhist” centers which border on cults), then that group is probably not “right” for you. Trust your instincts.

I’m a great proponent of reading the suttas since these are the words of the Buddha himself. There are suttas and sutras that are readily available at on-line booksellers. My only caution is that some traditions prefer one translation over another. So, it’s always best to select the tradition/school before investing in books.

I recently obtained a copy of a text entitled “Buddha-Dharma: The Way to Enlightenment” from (add buddha-dharma in the title field for searching) . They offer both soft bound and hard bound versions and, for the difference in price, I prefer the hard bound version. You can read more about this highly readable version of the major suttas at and make sure to read the link of endorsements. This text is not a literal translation of the suttas but it does make them easier to understand than some translations. “Buddha-Dharma” is over 800 pages so it is a massive volume and the price is obviously subsidized by the Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research. If you elect to order it (unfortunately on-line resellers do no have samples of the pages as they do for some other books) also order a complementary copy of “The Teaching of Buddha” at the same time (I’m all for free wherever possible) by clicking the “BDK Publications” link.

If you live in areas where there are no temples—which is frequently the case unless you live in or near a major city—you may want to read the pdf file entitled “Unaffiliated Buddhists: Going it Alone” available for free download at https://www.urbandharma.org/pdf/BDSpring10Unaffiliated.pdf . It offers some very good suggestions for those new to Buddhism.

Another site you may want to visit is which offers mp3 teachings by some of the most respected Buddhists of various traditions. I downloaded a lot of these teachings onto my iPod since there is not a temple near me and I can always use some teachings by voice when I can’t open a text. I feel this site is well worth the visit.

Anyway, my primary suggestion remains to read the suttas. You can go to https://www.accesstoinsight.org/ for suttas and for additional information and e-books.

I hope this is of some help and enjoy the journey.

May all be at peace.

John

Answer by ♏ilyfaz
if your lucky enough to live near a large city, search for local resources (temples, meetings etc) . if your like me and live next to a cow pasture in rural pennsylvania. books are a good start. the first book i read was buddhism for dummies, don’t laugh. it gives you a brief history and breaks it down in very simple terms. then you can venture in to more in depth books. you can get free books on buddhism from www.inwardpath.org. you have to pay for shipping and handling, about 5 dollars us.

Answer by taniya
what the buddha taught by Walpola Rahula will be a good source. It gave me a good insight into buddhism.

Answer by dark matter
This site helped me a lot when I was starting out:

https://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/index.htm

Also, the book entitled “The Heart of Buddha’s teaching” by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.

Best wishes,

Answer by Happy Smile
Hello!
I’ve been practicing Buddhism and I really feel happy to have
the positive philosophy and actually use it everyday to live positively.
I recommend a book ” The Buddha In Your Mirror “— practical Buddhism and the search for self—from Middleway press.
and I also recommend to watch this introductory short DVD.