Rating: 
Summary: What Would Buddha Write?
Review: This little book gives great insight into those little koans that can really boggle your mind. Metcalf has taken Buddha sayings and made them a little more understandable for the layperson. I found the book very thought-provoking and allowed me to reflect on a peaceful solution to some of those daily dilemmas. An enjoyable read.
Rating:
Summary: Simple, but not overly-simple
Review: When I picked up this book on a lark, I wasn't sure what to expect, I just thought it was an amusing answer to the ubiquitous "WWJD" slogans. Flipping through it, I was initially disappointed at how simplistic the advice was.However, after I put the book down for awhile, and then came back to it with no expectations, its simplicity was what seemed to be its charm - short, one-page advice regarding everyday problems that can be extrapolated to other areas of life very easily. Take this one, for example: "What would Buddha do when he can't resist having dessert?"
Metcalf quotes a few lines from Saraha, Dohakosha 64, and then gives his own paragraph of interpretation, which includes reminding us of oneness and interconnectedness - "don't wolf the chocolate; think of the labor that brought it to you. When we really experience our desires and fulfillments, we realize oneness with the Buddha way." For the beginning, such as myself, this little book is useful to remind us that Buddhism can be lived all day, every day, even when it seems like there's just no way about something. For the advanced readers, it might help when he or she is struggling with a problem like one named in the book, and needs a point of reference to help them along the way. Overall, I would say it's not a book to be read front to back, so much as it's a book one refers to in times of need; it's not a book that will clearly teach someone "how to be a buddhist," but it will offer waypoints along the path. For an excellent introduction to buddhism, try (and don't let the title scare you off) _The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Buddhism_ - that's an *excellent* starter for those wishing to learn about almost every element of this path.
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