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A review by carroq
Buddhism for Beginners by Thubten Chodron
5.0
I've been interested in Buddhism for a while now. This is probably the third or fourth book I've read that touched on the subject. The others gave more of an introduction to the core beliefs, which makes this book make a lot more sense.
The format of the book is question and answer, such as what would occur between a teacher and student. The questions posed throughout the book were ones that the author was asked by numerous people. The goal here was to answer those questions in plain language that would make the topics more accessible. It also sought to correct some misinterpretations that occurred when Buddhism was becoming popular in the West.
I mentioned that having a basic knowledge of Buddhism helps to understand this book, but the author addresses the most important aspects in the first couple chapters. So the rest of the information presented wouldn't be completely confusing to someone with no prior knowledge. I would suggest reading and thinking about the information in the initial chapters two or three times before moving into the rest of the book though. In fact, Buddhism lends itself to that sort of assessment.
Everything is explained wonderfully. There were a few times where I needed to go back to previous sections to familiarize myself with something the author mentions, but that is not a fault of the book at all. It also covers a wide variety of topics. Some of the subjects are questions that I never would have thought to raise. This is a very inspiring book with information that can be useful to Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike.
The format of the book is question and answer, such as what would occur between a teacher and student. The questions posed throughout the book were ones that the author was asked by numerous people. The goal here was to answer those questions in plain language that would make the topics more accessible. It also sought to correct some misinterpretations that occurred when Buddhism was becoming popular in the West.
I mentioned that having a basic knowledge of Buddhism helps to understand this book, but the author addresses the most important aspects in the first couple chapters. So the rest of the information presented wouldn't be completely confusing to someone with no prior knowledge. I would suggest reading and thinking about the information in the initial chapters two or three times before moving into the rest of the book though. In fact, Buddhism lends itself to that sort of assessment.
Everything is explained wonderfully. There were a few times where I needed to go back to previous sections to familiarize myself with something the author mentions, but that is not a fault of the book at all. It also covers a wide variety of topics. Some of the subjects are questions that I never would have thought to raise. This is a very inspiring book with information that can be useful to Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike.