Philip Novak

This is a short and readable introduction to the philosophy and the history of Buddhism. There are two chapters, one on the origin of Buddhism and the various lineages, and one on Buddhism in Europe and the United States (well, three chapters, actually, since there's an afterword on Pure Land Buddhism which doesn't get much space in the first chapter). Different flavors of Buddhism can be very different in theory and practice, so it's helpful to have a field guide to sort them all out. The 'Concise Introduction' is accurate; if you're interested in a particular flavor there are plenty of book references and mentions of well-known teachers within the lineage, but an in-depth study of any given tradition this is not.… (mehr)