Buddhism Plain and Simple and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more

Buy New

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
or
Amazon Prime Free Trial required. Sign up when you check out. Learn More
Buy Used
Used - Acceptable See details
$4.93 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
Fulfilled by Amazon

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
Kindle Edition
Read the Kindle edition on Kindle, iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry, PC and Mac.
 
   
Sell Back Your Copy
For a $0.25 Gift Card
Trade in
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Buddhism Plain and Simple
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book
Start reading Buddhism Plain and Simple on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Buddhism Plain and Simple [Paperback]

Steve Hagen (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (188 customer reviews) |
List Price: $12.00
Price: $9.60 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $2.40 (20%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.
Want it delivered Tuesday, June 5? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details

Formats

 Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition $9.12   -- --
Hardcover --   -- --
Paperback $9.60   -- --
Audio, Cassette, Abridged, Audiobook --   -- --
Unknown Binding --   -- --

Book Description

Publication Date: December 29, 1998
"Buddhism Plain and Simple" offers a clear, straightforward treatise on Buddhism in general and on awareness in particular. Steve Hagan presents the Buddha's uncluttered, original teachings in everyday, accessible language unencumbered by religious ritual.

Frequently Bought Together

Buddhism Plain and Simple + The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation + Buddhism for Beginners
Price For All Three: $27.48

Show availability and shipping details

Buy the selected items together

  • In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation by Thich Nhat Hanh Paperback $8.05

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • Buddhism for Beginners by Thubten Chodron Paperback $9.83

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

You might want to digest this book slowly, a few pages at a time. Although Zen teacher Steve Hagen has a knack for putting the philosophy of Buddhism in a "plain and simple" package, it may take a while to sink in. There is so much there. Seeing reality, realizing the wisdom of the self, breaking free of dualistic thinking--this is pretty heady stuff. Thankfully, Hagen passes it along in the form of examples from life, psychological tidbits, and stories from Buddhist teachers past and present. And when it clicks in, it can be life-transforming. Hagen explains this shift in outlook and how the fundamental way we look at the world affects everything we do. As an outline, Hagen follows the basic teachings of the Buddha, and we see that, rather than dogmatic truths, they are reminders for us as we reconsider the life we have taken for granted for so long. As it turns out, Buddhism is life, plain and simple. --Brian Bruya

From Library Journal

Hagen's concise work, a brief introduction to Zen Buddhism, is arranged in a straightforward manner with lucid explanations. He describes techniques for meditation, making this a rather practical recording. Reading this abridgment of his own work, the Zen priest's soft, serene voice is pleasing to the ear; the pace is unhurried, allowing the listener to grasp the material. Libraries with a demand for New Age/Eastern religions should have this tape.AMichael T. Fein, Catawba Valley Community Coll., Hickory, NC
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

  • Paperback: 159 pages
  • Publisher: Broadway Books (December 29, 1998)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0767903323
  • ISBN-13: 978-0767903325
  • Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.5 x 8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (188 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,456 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

More About the Author

› Visit Amazon's Steve Hagen Page
Steve Hagen
Steve Hagen is a Zen priest and long-time teacher of Buddhism. For fifteen years he studied with Zen Master Dainin Katagiri. He lives in Minneapolis and teaches at Dharma Field Meditation and Learning Center in St. Paul.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
173 of 176 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Over the last fifteen years, a growing number of books have shown up in trade paperbackland on the subject of Buddhism. More seem to arrive daily, invited or not. Most of them are aimed at the general reader and beginning buddhist. This makes it progressively more difficult to sort out the superlative from the merely satisfactory.

Of all that I've read [and I've read them all] "Buddhism: Plain and Simple" stands out from the rest. Steve Hagen succeeds in one of the hardest tasks in writing: being straightforward without being dull; being concise without seeming frugal. No essential point of Buddhism is left uncovered, yet the author never pontificates or short-changes the reader.

The book is a gem of both inspiration and practicality. It takes a subject that often seems far too idealistic and places it at a level that resonates with the daily Western experience of life. It is a "quick read" without ever coming off as "Buddhism For Dummies." All this and at a price that will make it a convenient and affordable present for all those friends that have so often asked us, "what the heck is Buddhism?"

Find it, read it and buy another copy for someone you love. Better yet, give it to someone you don't love. It might just change their life.

Was this review helpful to you?
216 of 228 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
"~I am a newcomer to Buddhism, but when I get a hankering to learn about any subject, I read about it voraciously. This has been almost counter-productive in studying Buddhism since, as Hagen stresses, no words can really describe the reality we seek. In fact, I have read several books about Buddhism, Zen, and the like; but I own just two: Buddhism Plain and Simple, and Peace is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh. By far, Hagen's book is my favorite.

the wrong reasons -- to control my emotions, to sort out moral dilemmas, and to find peace of mind. Through Buddhism, I've made great progress in all those areas by simply eliminating them as goals and just experiencing life moment by moment. This may sound odd if you haven't practiced Buddhism, but you will quickly appreciate this lesson after reading Hagen's book. You will discover that the practice of Buddhism does not involve traveling to the Himalayas or meditating in the forest. You will learn that you don't have to abandon your religion or your friends or your job. The word Buddhism stems from the Sanskrit word for Buddha, the awakened one. Buddhism is simply the path of awakening. This book is a wonderful guide on that path. You will not be the same after reading it.

Was this review helpful to you?
39 of 40 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
There are already many English books about Buddhism way of thinking written by Japanese and western authors. But many of them describe only the history and facts of Buddhism and repeat old Asian style puzzling logic that is not valid for the modern mind. This is the first English book I have read that describes the genuine meaning of Buddhism in simple words. Simplicity is not elementary. It is true understanding. The only regret is that this book still insists much on liberation from anguish and less on the creative and positive side of Buddhism.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Zoloft for the soul!
If you are not experienced in Buddhism but are attracted to it or perhaps just interested in it, then you are as I was when I first came in contact with this book. Read more
Published 19 days ago by David Frankel
Fantastic
Fantastic book; one of several books I have read on Buddhism, I would put this on top of the list.
Published 2 months ago by healthnut
One of the best books ever written!
This book is what I have been looking for my whole life... I wish I could also find a "plain and simple" version of Christianity in books. Read more
Published 2 months ago by S. Buchanan
The small book that packs a BIG punch
This book is straight to the point in simple terms. If you have followed any Buddhism at all, you then know how confusing or cryptic it seems. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Laura Evans
Good beginners book
This was the third book on Buddhism I read. It is an easy read that does a good job of explaining Buddhism. I am re-reading it now and I'm still catching new cool stuff.
Published 2 months ago by C. Watts
No platitudes, but straight-talk
No gilded statues on pedestals, no gongs, bells, or chants. This Zen teacher relays "uncluttered, original insights and observations" from the Buddha, gleaned from Hagen's three... Read more
Published 3 months ago by John L Murphy
Good introduction to Buddhism
The best book I have found to introduce me to Buddhism is Mindfulness in Plain English: 20th Anniversary Edition. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Learner
Easy to understand
I have recently found myself following the words of Buddha, and I happened upon this book on Amazon. Read more
Published 3 months ago by tyler
A Very Rare Find
I should begin by saying it's taken me two years to read this book. Not because it's a slow read, it's not. Not because I didn't love it, I did. Read more
Published 4 months ago by J. Thomson
plain & simple by steve Hagen
For anyone along the path of mindfulness meditation
this is a must read.
Re-reading it deepens the awareness the author shared with us. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Dogen
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:
Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
THE MAN KNOWN TO US AS BUDDHA lived in northern India (present-day Nepal) in the sixth century B.C.E. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
leaning mind, frozen view, right wisdom, right meditation, positive formulation, eightfold path, negative formulation
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Ultimate Truth, Thich Nhat Hanh
New!
Concordance | Text Stats
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 2 books:
 
24 books cite this book:
See all 24 books citing this book

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?

› Explore similar items

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(46)
(19)
(11)
(10)
(9)
(8)
(5)
(4)
(1)
(1)
Agree with these tags?
See all 22 tags...

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums


Look for Similar Items by Category

Look for Similar Items by Subject

Search Books by subject:














i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...