Buddhism Plain and Simple

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Summary: awakening
Review: i read this book with two or three misconceptions about Buddhism, but this book dealt with that problem and more.
basically, I thought buddhism is a pagan religion, and that it is indeed a religion. that the followers of Buddhism are most likely to be silent people, or wishing to live in complete solitude. But truthfully, that all is contrary to the real buddhists, and some who practice it right now are misinformed/created their own ideas about a religion even older than Christianity. a religion that is not a religion, but more of a philosophy. that makes you be here now, and not there, nor forward.
the book is brilliant for a simple and plain view, but very well written that makes you want to go into deeper reading.

Rating:
Summary: very good
Review: simple to read, easy to grasp (without grasping?)
A good read for those interested in buddhism.
Very basic, but thorough information.

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Summary: Ideal summary of Buddhist concepts
Review: Like many unconvinced or uninspired by Western religion or philosophy, I have been fascinated by Buddhist concepts for years. Having read most of the classics in this field (Suzuki, Thich Nat Han, translations from the Buddha, etc) I was frustrated not to find a concise, clear summary of the essential Buddhist ideas, something to read and come back to again and again to guide my refelections.
Hagen's book is a god-send. In clear, simple prose he explains extremely profound Buddhist ideas. As the editorial review recommends, this is not a book to breeze through. Each paragraph requires reflection. I began highlighting it, and gave up after I concluded the entire book can be highlighted. It is powerful and serious material, right from the outset. Hagen's summary of the basic human condition and Buddhist prescription for it is stunning material. The book is particularly powerful because the author does not get bogged down in the specifics of Buddhist practices or the trivia of Buddhist history. He gets right down to the essential, meaty, heart-of-the matter stuff, the kind you can apply instantly to your life. An invaluable, unsurpassed, breathtaking overview of Buddhist ideas. Life-changing.

Rating:
Summary: Plain & Simple
Review: I was interested in learning more about the basics of Buddism after reading a book about climbing sherpas. This book was perfect. It wasn't complicated, and I could easily see where the ideas could apply to my own life. An excellent book for beginners. It was plain and simple to read and learn.

Rating:
Summary: Worth Buying
Review: Plain and Simple it was a good book, it explained things very simply and kept me interested, not to mention learning a few things. I wouldn't say it was the best book I've read on buddhism and I'm just learning so it was good for me. It was definitly worth buying.

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Summary: An Interesting Presentation
Review: As someone who has little knowledge of Buddhism, I found this book to be a very interesting introduction. Instead of going into the history of Buddhism, with all its convoluted movements across Asia, its multiplication of countless sects, not to mention its beautifully exotic and frustratingly immense technical vocabulary, the author strips it down to the basic ideas which underlie Buddhism. He goes through the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path and gives an easily intelligible explanation and elaboration of thse core elements of Buddhism. One thing I like about the author's style was that it was happily devoid of any trace of the New Age style. I never felt that the author was trying hard to be 'magnificent'. I never felt that I had left the earth and taken a space-ship to a crystal palace in the sky. It was refreshingly 'nothing special'.

So, for an introduction to the core idea of Buddhism it is quite good. However, even to a newbie like me it was blatantly obvious that this was a very Westernized version of Buddhism. Thus, there is no discussion of karma or rebirth.

The only problem I had with the book was the constant feeling I had that Buddhism as presented in it seems to be rather contradictory. This sense of contradiction was most apparent to me in the author's laying stress on viewing things non-dualistically. I must admit that I find the whole notion of non-dualistic thinking to be incomprehensible, for it seems to me that to think non-dualistically is itself highly dualistic. After all, does not non-dualistic thinking exists in opposition to dualistic thinking, and does it not therefore itself form one half of a dualism? Thus, wouldn't a mode of perceiving the world that transcended dualities be such as transcended both dualistic AND non-dualistic ways of thinking? If any advanced student of Buddhism feels like helping me with my confusion here, I'd be happy to get an e-mail!

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Summary: A Good Start
Review: This is the first book I have read on Buddhism and I must admit that it was very enlightening. Steve Hagen, the author, is a zen priest and teacher. His insights into Buddhism are revealing and he presents them in a way that's easily understood. How do you perceive reality is a question that is explored here among others. This book elves into many subject involved in Buddhism and self enlightenment. It offers a short history of the Buddha himself. The author gives us a short, yet information packed book. A very good introduction from my perspective.

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Summary: Why do you want it to be complicated ?
Review: Hagen's book is plain and simple because reality is "what is".
It is our thoughts that makes things complicated, Our likes and dislikes, Our desires and fear, all added to a deluded, conflicting mind. An ignorant mind that causes us to suffer and add to the suffering of others.

The underlining message is that we are all awaken. It's not so much that we need to be taught but to be reminded, the practice of awareness allow us to see beyond our thoughts. Awareness is to see without thought, without judgement, without duality.

For "What is" does not have any opposites.

Have you ever notice that when you are headed in the wrong direction, the opposite direction is not necessarily the right way either. It is enough to know that you are lost, to discover how and why you've become lost will lead you to the right path.

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Summary: Good with the basics, awful with the concepts
Review: The introduction started off wonderfully...it captured the nature of the concerns of many people with (post)modernity. It then went through a fairly persuasive introduction of key Buddhist concepts framed for a Western mind. However, when it came to issues like denying of the self and the flow of existence, Hagen conceptually does not cover enough ground to make the explication adequate. In regards to the former - the denial of the self/individualism - Hagen results to repetitive assertions that are of no good to a critical mind. The second half of the book is almost useless; I threw it aside in disgust several times due to frustration at its lack of conceptual foundations. If you want a basic idea of what Buddhism is, this book might be right for you; but, if you want something that will explain Buddhist beliefs and especially such important keystones as the denial of the self, I would not recommend it.

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Summary: It Helped Me Get Started
Review: I was reading Huston Smiths World Relgions at the same time and let me tell you.I read Buddhism Plain And Simple once and understood what Steve Hagen was saying.World Religions is a classic and great book that has more depth but for some people it takes a longer time to sink in.They should be sold together.Take Care as always.....