Buddhism : A Concise Introduction

Rating:
Summary: Compelling, riveting, fascinating!
Review: A fantastic book to give one an overview of Buddhism...from the history to fairly detailed explanations of its various "branches" such as Theravada, Mahayana, Tibetan, Vispassana, etc. One could almost use it as a "shoppers guide to Buddhism".

It also gives a "who's who" in contemporary American Buddhism, such as Surya Das, Kornfield, Epstein, Goleman, Salzberg, etc.

I couldn't stop reading it. It really drew me in. Fascinating reading.

Great for someone like myself who is very interested in Buddhism, and has had some experience with the different traditions, but needs some help in sorting out the different paths and which is the right one for you. Appears to be written with the westerner in mind, or anyone new to Buddhism.

I really like it since it gives a wholly unbiased introduction to the various types of Buddhism, opposed to most works on Buddhism which are written from the perspective that their path is the best.

I also recommend "Big Bang, The Buddha, and the Baby Boom" - Wes Nisker and "Why Buddhism" - Vicki MacKenzie, and "Buddhism Without Beliefs" - Steven Batchelor.

Rating:
Summary: Poetic Clarity
Review: How many books on Buddhism have I read? So many. So many words. Had I read this one first, perhaps I would have stopped there. When life's noise blurred the book's simple clarity I would have read it again. Precision. . The concepts branch, the words flower from the vine of tranquility. A book born of deep silence, it sings briefly its invitation to its silent root, and then lingers invisibly, the memory of a friend. It is poetry in this: it touches. Mind and heart, reason and compassion, indistinguishable, like Buddha's awakened energy, like true love. Who of the two authors is the poet, who the philosopher, who the mechanic of the heart? Both, all, there is finally only one author here.

Rating:
Summary: It's too short!
Review: I have read a number of books about Buddhism, and this is the best of its kind. However, to avoid disappointment, it is very important to understand what its "kind" is!

This is NOT -- as the subtitle and the cover art could misleadingly suggest -- a user-friendly introduction to Buddhist practice. It is not a hand-holding tour of the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold way, with beginning training in meditation. If you buy it expecting such things, you may well write another negative review.

The authors are academics specializing in the history of religion (see Smith's other books, which are widely respected), and they are both Buddhist practitioners. In this book they combine these traits to write a deep, sympathetic account of Buddhism as a religion: what its main tenets are -- how it is practiced -- how it fractured historically into different strands. They write analytically and comparitively, but they also write with understanding and sympathy. They treat Buddhism as a living religion to be practiced by modern people - not as an anthropological artifact, the way some non-Buddhist authors do.

Smith and Novak are particularly good at describing, sympathetically and in depth, the philosophical roots of the different practices in each strand. The chapters that compare the differing values of the Mahayana and Theravada strains, and then show their fundamental unity, is worth the book's price. They also tease out the key differences between the four types of Tibetan Buddhism, and explain the sources and values of other schools as different as Goenka and Pure Land.

They are also good at showing and how Western practices were formed by the sheer happenstance of which individuals happened to first import Buddhist thought, and which Eastern school they happened to stumble upon for their initial training.

Finally, they do a good job of showing how Western, and especially American, Buddhism is in many ways a different beast from any Eastern form, and still evolving.

The main problem with the book, aside from its slightly-misleading title, is that it is too short. For some reason, the authors felt they had to restrict the length. At several points they apologize for giving only a "summary" of some important point (like: Buddhism in Europe). And several key concepts are only sketched in the end-notes, when they deserve to be written out in full and integrated into the book. I'm only giving 4 of 5 stars because of this compression.

Rating:
Summary: It's too short!
Review: I have read a number of books about Buddhism, and this is the best of its kind. However, to avoid disappointment, it is very important to understand what its "kind" is!

This is NOT -- as the subtitle and the cover art could misleadingly suggest -- a user-friendly introduction to Buddhist practice. It is not a hand-holding tour of the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold way, with beginning training in meditation. If you buy it expecting such things, you may well write another negative review.

The authors are academics specializing in the history of religion (see Smith's other books, which are widely respected), and they are both Buddhist practitioners. In this book they combine these traits to write a deep, sympathetic account of Buddhism as a religion: what its main tenets are -- how it is practiced -- how it fractured historically into different strands. They write analytically and comparitively, but they also write with understanding and sympathy. They treat Buddhism as a living religion to be practiced by modern people - not as an anthropological artifact, the way some non-Buddhist authors do.

Smith and Novak are particularly good at describing, sympathetically and in depth, the philosophical roots of the different practices in each strand. The chapters that compare the differing values of the Mahayana and Theravada strains, and then show their fundamental unity, is worth the book's price. They also tease out the key differences between the four types of Tibetan Buddhism, and explain the sources and values of other schools as different as Goenka and Pure Land.

They are also good at showing and how Western practices were formed by the sheer happenstance of which individuals happened to first import Buddhist thought, and which Eastern school they happened to stumble upon for their initial training.

Finally, they do a good job of showing how Western, and especially American, Buddhism is in many ways a different beast from any Eastern form, and still evolving.

The main problem with the book, aside from its slightly-misleading title, is that it is too short. For some reason, the authors felt they had to restrict the length. At several points they apologize for giving only a "summary" of some important point (like: Buddhism in Europe). And several key concepts are only sketched in the end-notes, when they deserve to be written out in full and integrated into the book. I'm only giving 4 of 5 stars because of this compression.

Rating:
Summary: The Best Introduction to Buddhism I've Come Across
Review: I've read dozens and dozens of books on Buddhism, but the clarity with which Smith and Novak explain basic principles, distinctions between sects, and the development of Buddhism in America makes Buddhism: A Concise Introduction very special. It's definitely the first book I'd recommend to anyone interested in learning about Buddhism (supplanting Steve Hagen's Buddhism Plain and Simple, a great book itself, but in a different way). Best of all, this book helped me understand which type of Buddhist practice made the most sense for me.

Rating:
Summary: Reader's Digest Buddhism
Review: If you want to discuss Buddhism over cocktails and feel the satisfaction of seeming to understand profound doctrines through quaint digestible sound bites then, look no further, this introduction to Buddhism is sure to please you and collect dust for years to come. If you are allured by the uniqueness of the Buddha's personage and if you are serious about attaining to samsara's end, then do not buy this book. It will waste your time, transform insightful doctrines into trite crowd pleasing fluff, and say good-bye with a cute Afterword that manages to completely alienate you from the original impetus of the Buddha's teaching. Smith has, once again, successfully reduced a profound religion to the cozy feeling we get while singing Amazing Grace in Sunday School. The work, especially with the crucial Afterword, reveals more about the man Huston Smith and his own metaphysical beliefs than it does the man Gotama Buddha and his timeless teachings of impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and unsubstantiality.

Rating:
Summary: Good Beginning Shaky Afterward
Review: Like the Beginning on Huston Smith's A Concise Introduction To Buddhism. Smith talks about the the foundation of this nature related religion well illustrating the basic truths. Also covered nicely are some basic beliefs of the different sects.

However after about page 60, its a hit and miss affair. Not enough comparison on how Buddhism's practices vary from more prominent U.S. religions like Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. The commentary that does exist seemed to keep me on the outside. I got the point that meditation is a key part of the Buddhist's life. However, more of the specifics about the meditative state and its overall purpose just did not register. This book did not explain from a lay persons point of view. And how many pages were devoted to meditation? Someone please explain? Other than denying the luxuries in life, what holidays, prayer rituals, customs outside of meditation exist?

Maybe another book will give me a deeper explanation. This one was only partially helpful.

Rating:
Summary: An Excellent, Understandable Intro to Buddhism
Review: Of the dozens of Buddhist books I've purchased, this book provides the clearest, most understandable introduction to Buddhism. It gives a succinct historical background, complete with context (religions that were prominent where Buddism's roots sprouted). It then lays out the foundations of Buddhism (4 noble truths, eightfold path, etc.).
The authors do a great job explaining some of Buddhism's complex terms (dependent arising, nen-self, etc.), and do not confuse matters by relying to heavily on Sanskrit or Pali terminology.
Although the description of the various branches of Buddhism was a bit short, it did lay out the fundamental thoughts of each branch, and compare/contrast with the others.
The authors detail meditation types(vipassana, samantha) and how the different branches use meditation differently.
Finally, there is a summary of how Buddhism migrated to the western world, and how it is practiced today.
An excellent book, I would highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Aptly presents Buddhist teachings, philosophy, and history
Review: The collaborative effort of world religion expert Huston Smith and Philip Novak (Professor of Philosophy and Religion, Dominican University, San Rafael, California), Buddhism: A Concise Introduction offers a straightforward summary of the origins and faith of Buddhism, beginning with the life of the Buddha, and then tracing the spread of Buddhism -- including its increasing presence and influence in the West. From the distinctions between Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism, to Pure Land, Zen, and Tibetan Buddhism, to diversity in American Buddhism, and much, much more, Buddhism: A Concise Introduction showcases the variety and tradition of this world class faith and aptly presents Buddhist teachings, philosophy, and history for interested non-specialist general readers of all backgrounds.