A good introductory book on Buddha and Buddhism. There are some better books, but this is a good book to read if you what to learn more.

This book is a great introduction to Buddhism. I liked that the author tells us the difference between practice a.d religion. I would recommend this book for anyone interested in Buddhism.

In my search for more information on Buddha and Buddhism, I came across another book which looked promising. As I scanned the table of contents, there was a biography section about Buddha and following sections about the key principles of this philosophy/religion. For some Buddhism is a religion, but I think of it more as a spiritual philosophy. That’s what I want to be for me. I wanted Ryuho Owaka’s 2016 revised edition of his 2002 book, The Essence of Buddha: The Path to Enlightenment, to be good and educate me. The book isn’t good, but educated though not as much as I expected. I finished it, but this book is a below average read.
The Essence of Buddha is a short book, so I’ll try to make this a short review. To begin, the biography section shouldn’t be here. There’s so much skipped, left out, and why Owaka bothered is beyond me. For what I’ve read, Betty Kelen’s 2014 eBook Gautama Buddha serves as a wonderful biography. Then we get into the principles such as the Eightfold Path. All the chapters are short. There’s not a lot of in-depth explanation. Okawa briefly writes about the basic idea, or tries to, then moves on to the next topic.
The main problem I have is with the author himself. I’ve read Thich Nhat Hanh. He comes across as a humble man who strives to teach and asks for nothing in return. I can’t wait to read more of his work and study beneath his learning tree. The same isn’t true of Ryuho Owaka, and I’ll never read anything else by him as he comes across as arrogant and pompous. He claims he’s heard heavenly spirits and gone to the spirit realm. He claims what he experienced is beyond the established Buddhist structure, and he alone redefines the cosmic structure of Buddhism and interpret the true meanings of the principles. There’s also plenty of “ads” for his institute. Many times, his baseless claims and arrogance made me come close to quitting his book.
The Essence of Buddha comes close to what I’ve been seeking, but Ryuho Okawa isn’t the one to provide anything. That’s fine by me. Thich Nhat Hanh has an extensive body of work, and if I search, I’m sure I’ll find a basic introduction or three.
*I received this as an uncorrected eBook galley from netgalley.com in exchange for this honest review.

Copyright © Drew Martin 2018

A very contemporary modern teaching of Buddhism and its tenets. I found this a excellent guide to the different aspects of Buddhism and the teachings. As one who practices Buddhism I embrace this book as part of my regular daily teachings. This is a excellent guide for a beginner, someone doing research and those of us that embrace Buddhism. Very highly recommend this book for any level of student of Buddhism.
Thank you with gratitude for the ARC which did not influence my review.