Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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55 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent overview for the beginner, or for a refresher, February 26, 2002
Initially, I had great skepticism - c'mon a "Complete Idiots" book to get me started down the Buddhist path? Really? It just seemed so...so...*American*. But, I had to start somewhere, and my good friend Ben recommended it to me, so I gave it a shot. Now, having finished the book, I realize I owe both my friend and Gary Gach an immense debt of gratitude - this book is really amazing.One problem I (and many others) have had with other beginning Buddhism books is that the format isn't one that's easy to soak up; the flow isn't as logical as this one's, or not enough detail or context is given to drive points home to a more understandable place. Gach has done a phenomenal job of keeping things simple enough not to overwhelm a newcomer, yet goes into enough detail to keep things interesting and real. Gach goes beyond teaching the basic belief system into giving examples of how to apply what we've learned in real life, and where else to look for more information. He offers dozens of anecdotes, many koans, a plethora of historical tales and data points, a glossary, and a multitude of other items. One small criticism I have of this book is that he very often doesn't cite his sources when giving statistics. Throughout the book, Gach returns to important concepts, but not in a manner which I found to be condescending at all - it was merely helpful to be reminded of X, Y, and Z at certain points throughout the book, because they were important to the current subject. The author gives the reader a very solid foundation to build his or her beliefs upon, should the reader desire, including a rich and detailed historical background of Buddhism throughout the world. I will be unreservedly suggesting this book to anyone who expresses an interest in this spiritual path.
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25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good, broad introduction... Lacking depth in some key areas, May 6, 2005
I've read a number of books on Buddhism, and I can easily say this is one of the best I've encountered for providing a solid background and overview of this religion-slash-philosophy. However, the book suffers from something of an identity crisis, and lacks some critical information.
First off, the title says what this book is really about: *UNDERSTANDING* Buddhism. There is a wealth of information here, ranging from the basics (the story of the Buddha, the Four Noble Truths, cardinal precepts, etc.) on to explorations of the different branches (Vajrayana, Pure Land, Zen) and places Buddhism can be found in art and culture. This book is fantastic for learning about where Buddhism came from, where it is today, and where it may be going in the future.
However, the caveat is that this book is not so much oriented towards applying Buddhism to your daily life. The cover details really make it sound like you'll be getting lots of info on living in a Buddhist way, but it's just not true. There's a decent section on meditation, but by and large the book offers only vague guidance for putting the ideas you read about into practice. So, don't fall for the publisher and marketing hype - this is a book about understanding Buddhism, and not so much living it.
That said, the book falls flat on its face when it comes to providing some key information. The biggest example would be karma. Karma, a very important idea in Buddhism, is given less than TWO pages of discussion in a 400 page book! Yes, karma is a fairly simple concept, but anyone who has studied Einstein's theory of relativity can tell you that it's the simple things that are the hardest to understand intuitively. I would have gladly traded the section on Buddhism in art if it had meant there would be a truly good exploration of karma and its far-reaching impacts.
The long and the short of it is this: If you know little or nothing about Buddhism, and want a broad introduction, this is an excellent place to start. Gary Gach has a playful and enjoyable writing style. The book is chock full of interesting content. Just don't buy this book with the expectation that it will guide you in leading a more Buddha-y life. For that, I recommend a much more hands-on title, such as the excellent /Complete Idiot's Guide to Zen Living/.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great place to start., December 4, 2005
I am young. I am unknowing. And I am in search of the truth.
For those of you that hear the call of the East and are drawn to it, this is a fantastic place to start.
Unlike the Idiot's guide to Taoism (which gets WAY too caught up in how Taoism affects our culture...if you read it, you'd know what I mean) this guide gives us a lot of facts about Buddhism, its schools of thought, meditation techniques, and other fun ti-bits.
However, the only daraw-back of this book is that it doesn't cover as much ground as I wish it did. However, this is just meant as a starting place. Read some books by the Dalai Lama if you wish to learn more.
But this book captures that love and compassion that is at the root of Buddhism, and because of that I am grateful I found this book.
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