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Review
"Damien Keown's book is a readable and wonderfully lucid introduction to one of mankind's most beautiful, profound, and compelling systems of wisdom. The rise of the East makes understanding and learning from Buddhism, a living doctrine, more urgent than ever before. Keown's impressive powers of explanation help us to come to terms with a vital contemporary reality."--Bryan Appleyard, columnist, The Sunday Times (London)
"The perfect book for anyone seeking to learn more about this religion....Holistic in its approach, Buddhism gives readers insight into an ancient and profound religion."--Medium
"An excellent and highly readable account of a complex and multifarious subject."--New Straits Times
Product Description
This Very Short Introduction introduces the reader to the teachings of the Buddha and to the integration of Buddhism into daily life. What are the distinctive features of Buddhism? Who was the Buddha, and what are his teachings? How has Buddhist thought developed over the centuries, and how can contemporary dilemmas be faced from a Buddhist perspective? Words such as 'karma' and 'nirvana' have entered our vocabulary, but what do they mean? Damien Keown's book provides a lively, informative response to these frequently asked questions about Buddhism.
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
54 of 56 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The quality of a factual book should be judged by its lack of overt partiality, comprehensiveness, sources and ability to make you think and ask questions. This book scores well on all points and above all reads like an essay which you can zap through. It contains a good bibliography for follow up reading and includes details of the the award winning "Journal of Buddhist ethics" on the web which was partly established by the author. Apart from the author's erudition his book is backed up by other experts and has been reviewed by his students.
Above all the book analyses what is meant by religion (as Buddhism does not easily fit this classification) and provides a modern interpretation of this system of thought from all its major perspectives. The treatment of Mahayana Buddhism short, yet precise and on the whole Keown concentrates on highlights. Towards the end is a discussion on Buddhism in the West. The book also provides useful comparisons with other religions.
Compared to many small and "cheap" introductions to Buddhism, this book is fairly impeccable. It is not perfect (2 tiny errors I identified with regards to scriptural quotations) but will lead anyone interested to work out what Buddhism is for him or herself, rather than being spoon fed as it were. I was however, disappointed that the book ended so fast - and glad at the follow up leads left, by this trustworthy writer.
23 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This VSI strikes an excellent balance between being concise & covering the essential elements of Buddhism. I have >20 books on Buddhism & find this one of the best. Particularly good chapters are:
Ch 1 discusses whether Buddhism is a religion and the different dimensions of Buddhism - practical, emotional, mythical, philosophical, ethical & social.
Ch4 on the Four Noble Truths (the Buddha's description of the way the world is) is particularly clear compared to many other books on Buddhism.
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book, although short, has all the key concepts and ideas a beginner would wish to explore with regards to Buddhism. Most questions are answered and the various schools are explained and touched upon. It is clear to read and understand and a good place to start if you wish to learn more about this wonderful path.
Feel free to check out my blog which can be found on my profile page.
Feel free to check out my blog which can be found on my profile page.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Some flaws
Although this book gives one of the very best brief expositions of what Buddhism is, the author, Damien Keown, reveals himself as more of an academic than someone who has... Read more
Published 1 month ago by D. V. Short
Buddhism: By Damien Keown.
The author - Damien Keown - at the time of writing was Reader in Buddhism at Goldsmiths College, University of London, and a Fellow in the Royal Asiatic Society. Read more
Published 6 months ago by ShiDaDao Ph.D
Superb little book!
A superb introduction to Buddhism. I bought this book for set reading to an OU course and found it informative, easy to read and non biased. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Susan D
Seeing the whole elephant
There are many introductory texts available on Buddhism, but this is by far the best I have come across. Its great strength is its scope. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Peter Reeve
Excellent Introduction
This is my first venture into the Very Short Introductions series, and I'm very impressed. An excellent little book giving a thorough overview of Buddhism, and including... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Em
information available at your fingertips
I'm still reading this, but to date it has been very informative, and it makes sense. many books are very deep, but this explains things more simply. Read more
Published 21 months ago by jacqui tatnall
Perfect short introduction to Buddhism
This book is ideal for anyone wanting a broad, concise, objective introduction to Buddhism. There are chapters on the history of Buddhism, its core beliefs, Buddha, meditation, and... Read more
Published on 14 April 2010 by Mr. T. M. Verity
Good intro to Buddhism
I am a complete new comer to Buddhism and this book provided a very concise and easy to follow synopsis. Read more
Published on 22 Sep 2009 by Neil Crudgington
A good 5th book on buddhism
If you are confused with all the kinds of buddhism and what they are offering, then this book can help you. Read more
Published on 24 Aug 2009 by Rasmus Svendsen
Too many shortcomings
This book is a quick and easy read, and it attempts to give a very brief overview of Buddhism. The book provides some helpful information but I believe that it has some significant... Read more
Published on 4 Aug 2009 by BobBob
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