Long regarded as one of the best introductions to Buddhism, What the Buddha Taught draws on the actual words spoken by the Buddha to give a lucid and accurate account of the fundamental principles of Buddhist doctrine. Richly supported by extracts from the ancient texts, Walpola Rahula gives clear and direct explanations of Buddhism’s essential teachings including:
the Buddhist attitude of mind the Four Noble Truths The Noble Eightfold Path meditation and mental development what the Buddha taught and the world today.
What the Buddha Taught also features an illustrative selection of texts from the Suttas and the Dhammapada. The Venerable Dr Walpola Sri Rahula was a Buddhist monk and scholar. He received a traditional training and education in his native Sri Lanka before studying at the University of Calcutta and the Sorbonne. He held a chair at Northwestern University, Illinois, and was Vice-Chancellor of Vidyodaya University, Colombo. He was widely regarded as one of the most qualified and enlightened scholars of the Buddhist tradition with a deep knowledge of the original texts.
The best introduction to Buddhism! This book came reccommended to me by someone who, in addition to being a Buddhist and Kung Fu practicioner for many years, also graduated from an East Asian Studies program, with a focus in this field. To say that I would trust his word on the subject is an understatement.Â
Best of 4 introductory Buddhist books I’ve read With no prior Buddhist experience, I have been looking for a comprehensive overview of the philosophy. I tried several other books. One was too full of ceremonies and references to teachers and deities. Another one was a good Western intro but it was unclear where Buddha stopped and author started. Third one was distracting from the content by constant references to author’s bio. And then I finally found What the Buddha Taught and here is what I love about it:Â
Straightforward Introduction This book is a solid and straightforward overview of the basic philosophic tenets of Buddhism. The text itself is relatively short (less than 100 pages), but it is not simplistic. Rahula explains the main points and directs the reader to the sources for these ideas. For the most part, it doesn’t get into more esoteric details or points of dispute between different branches of Buddhism. He does indicate a few points of disagreement over interpretations, but leaves that more for the reader…