Customer Reviews

The First Discourse of the Buddha

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I had seen this book in many searches I have done on Amazon, but never bought it because it was so short. Then I found it at my local bookstore, thumbed through it and realized I had to have it. This book will prove useful for anyone interested in Buddhism, regardless of tradition. I had been wondering how someone could write an entire book around a very short sutta. Believe me, this book is full of useful information. The author translates the sutta, then goes on to break it down into various components. Along the way, he explains all about the method of Insight Meditation (Vipassana) that the Buddha developed. There are many excellent sections on the practice of meditation, a detailed outline of the method, jhanas (meditative absorptions), and how this meditation method relates to the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. He goes on to discuss the concepts of Kamma and rebirth, the five aggregates, morality, wisdom and concentration, and provides a pretty good background of the entirety of Buddhist philosophy. This is an excellent book for someone just beginning to study buddhism as well as someone who wants a concise manual they can come back to again and again to clarify and reinforce their understanding of the basics of Buddhism (although, in truth, the book goes far beyond the basics). This is truly one of the best books on buddhism I have found.

Perfect in every way . . . especially for beginning students of Buddhism, as well as a refresher for oldtimers. Too bad all Buddhists can't experience this author's explanation of the dharma.