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a Buddhism book that covers it all?

chanrattchanratt Veteran
edited September 2010 in Buddhism Basics
im looking for some recommendations on a book on buddhism that covers everything like all of the teachings (emptiness, aggregates, impermanence etc) as well as history (the spread and annihilation of buddhism in india for ex.) and overview of the different buddhist schools. i guess it would have to be in encyclopedia style. does such a book exist?

Comments

  • Mason-sChildMason-sChild
    edited September 2010
    http://www.amazon.com/Buddhism-Dummies-Jonathan-Landaw/dp/0764553593/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1284252988&sr=8-1

    Buddhism for Dummies actually provides a pretty good overview.
    It depends how much detail you want.
  • SherabDorjeSherabDorje
    edited September 2010
    Chanratt, I would think you would know better by now. :)
  • chanrattchanratt Veteran
    edited September 2010
    nah, 'fraid not. i want a solid foundation. all my life i've rushed things and ended up with shoddy structures because i skipped over the manual. I plan to understand everything before going forward. it 'has' only been six months since i stated taking this seriousy
  • treederwrighttreederwright
    edited September 2010
    Lamrim Chenmo. Its written by Rje Tsongkhapa. There are 3 volumes and the lamrim gives you knowledge of the complete buddhist path from the Gelug standpoint. Gelug is the school of buddhism that HH the Dalai Lama is part of. I would highly recommend Words of my Perfect Teacher by Patrul Rinpoche. Both of these books are excelent
  • andyrobynandyrobyn Veteran
    edited September 2010
    The Pali Canon is a great place to start ... if we were never to read further than this and were able to understand from our own experience all the teaching it contains we would have all the teachings of the historical Buddha and a good basis for then developing an understanding of subsequent history and different schools :winkc: ... warmest wishes
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited September 2010
    chanratt wrote: »
    im looking for some recommendations on a book on buddhism that covers everything like all of the teachings (emptiness, aggregates, impermanence etc) as well as history (the spread and annihilation of buddhism in india for ex.) and overview of the different buddhist schools. i guess it would have to be in encyclopedia style. does such a book exist?


    No, I would confidently say such a book certainly does not exist.
    If you think about it, there isn't a religion in the world for which such a book exists.
    There are countless different works on Christianity, for example, that if all put together, would be what you describe. but I doubt you'd find a bookshelf big enough to hold all the volumes.

    So Buddhism is not unusual in this.

    This, however, is the work of one single Buddhist student.
    It's a remakably detailed piece of work, and took him a long time to accomplish. So much so, that the Wiki founders gave him an award in recognition.

    Enjoy.
  • SimonthepilgrimSimonthepilgrim Veteran
    edited September 2010
    As Fede says, there cannot be a single volume (or even multi-volume single work) which covers even the whole of Buddhist history. If you follow Fede's link to the Wiki article and study the Timeline, you will see that there isn't even agreement about the Buddha's dates - or even, from some archaeological suggestion, that he was 'royal'.

    As for beliefs and interpretations, the scope is endless: the libraries of Buddhism are like those of Terry Pratchett's Unseen University!

    You can no more encompass the whole of scholarship, whether Buddhist or otherwise, in a single book than in a single library. This is dangerously deluded.

  • DazzleDazzle
    edited September 2010
    chanratt wrote: »
    im looking for some recommendations on a book on buddhism that covers everything like all of the teachings (emptiness, aggregates, impermanence etc) as well as history (the spread and annihilation of buddhism in india for ex.) and overview of the different buddhist schools. i guess it would have to be in encyclopedia style. does such a book exist?


    Without needing to get side-tracked with other books, you'll find everything you need about Buddha's core teachings in the suttas of the Pali Canon (Tipitaka) It can be found in a series of books :

    http://www.wisdom-books.com/Subject.asp?PG=B&SHID=12&SID=83

    and at this website:

    http://www.accesstoinsight.org/help.html#map


    For anything about the history of early Buddhism, I suggest books by Richard Gombrich who is a respected historian of Buddhism as well as a Pali scholar.


    .
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    edited September 2010
    For Mahayana, the Jewel Ornament of Liberation by Gampopa contains the whole path. It discusses even the 10 bhumis of a bodhisattva but also discusses the factors needed to accumulate to start the path.

    Sogyal Rinpoche stated that his work the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying (not T B of dead) would contain his complete teachings. "I wanted to write a book that had it all here... for posterity", (paraphrase)

    I a sense these two are complete texts. At the same time that doesn't mean that you cannot benefit from other texts outside of these of course!

    Edit: those books don't cover history
  • MountainsMountains Veteran
    edited September 2010
    "Buddhism Plain & Simple" is excellent as well. I forget the author's name, but it's easy to find.

    Mtns
  • SimonthepilgrimSimonthepilgrim Veteran
    edited September 2010
    So many books, Chanratt, and we all miss the point. Buddhism is a lived experience. We are not People of the Book.

    You really want to know about Buddhism as a set of practices culled from many cultures? You will need to find a group or go and live with a Buddhist family. Live the daily routine, say the prayer before meals, celebrate the festivals. That will give you the experience of Buddhism as a way of life rather than as a bolt-on.

    I say this from my own experiences of becoming, in my 20s, a Catholic and encountering 'cradle Catholics' who took so much for granted, knew the right things to do and say, and so on. Even a few weeks with my Tibetan friends in Dharamsala taught me more about living Buddhism than all the learned or historical texts.
  • SherabDorjeSherabDorje
    edited September 2010
    Simonthepilgrim wrote: »
    Even a few weeks with my Tibetan friends in Dharamsala taught me more about living Buddhism than all the learned or historical texts.

    I know envy is uncouth, especially in Buddhism. but let me congratulate you on your good fortune. Dharamsala. Cool.
  • SimonthepilgrimSimonthepilgrim Veteran
    edited September 2010
    SherabDorje wrote: »
    I know envy is uncouth, especially in Buddhism. but let me congratulate you on your good fortune. Dharamsala. Cool.

    I can't take the credit. That belongs to my (then) 9 year-old, who set the whole thing in motion.
  • NidishNidish
    edited September 2010
    go try urbanDharma.org for e-book downloads... There are lots there
  • specialkaymespecialkayme Veteran
    edited September 2010
    federica wrote: »
    This, however, is the work of one single Buddhist student.
    It's a remakably detailed piece of work, and took him a long time to accomplish. So much so, that the Wiki founders gave him an award in recognition.

    Enjoy.

    I wonder what type of award you get from Wiki . . .

    Slightly beyond the point though.
  • Floating_AbuFloating_Abu Veteran
    edited September 2010
    what the Buddha taught by Rev Walpola Rahula
  • PietroPumokinPietroPumokin
    edited September 2010
    you coukd def initely check out several books, i know there are good zen and mahayana history books out there , and just read from several sources, dear brother
  • mugzymugzy Veteran
    edited September 2010
    The book is written on the inside of your skull.
  • MountainsMountains Veteran
    edited September 2010
    I agree that Buddhism is a lived experience, but if you have no intellectual knowledge of what Buddhism is, it's hard to live it. You need to have some kind of didactic foundation, whether taught in person by a teacher or read in a book. You don't know what you don't know...

    Mtns
  • Floating_AbuFloating_Abu Veteran
    edited September 2010
    Yeah, for me, living and learning with a living and genuine (rare) Zen master also made a big difference...

    Gassho.
  • andyrobynandyrobyn Veteran
    edited September 2010
    Yes, for me having a commitment to and from a teacher within the Tibetan tradition has enabled me to develop practice within the teachings of the tradition and come to understand the particular rhetorical context and the audience the teachings had and have in mind. Consistent with the historical Buddha's refusal to speculate on metaphysical problems, my teacher has guided in me in understandings which reject the idea that metaphysics precedes practical application confirmation and that liberation requires theoretical speculation .
  • DazzleDazzle
    edited September 2010
    .

    For me, leaving almost a lifetime of the Tibetan traditions offline, for the wisdom, freshness and simplicity of the Theravada Thai Forest Tradition, has been a very positive development and an inspiration for my
    practice :)

    With regards to a book, I've heard from a few sources that this book contains everything that beginners need :

    http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Buddhadhamma-Natural-Laws-and-Values-Life-/380195654107?pt=US_Nonfiction_Book&hash=item58856d49db




    With Kind wishes to everyone (Hi Abu!)

    Dazzle

    .
  • Vegan_JackieVegan_Jackie
    edited September 2010
    Buddhism for Beginners by Thubten Chodron is a good book to also pick up. I bought it for my boyfriend and I have also read it in the past. As it has been stated you won't get just ONE book but there are plenty out there that you can pick up and read.
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