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Average Customer Rating:

A Great Intro to Buddhism

Customer Rating:

I have been a student of Buddhism for over 30 years, and have read many books on the subject. This is one of the best I have ever read because it is clear, concise, easy to understand, and cannot be disputed in the truth of it's content. This book spells out the essential beliefs shared by true practitioners on the Buddhist path. I am buying copies to share with friends who have wondered about Buddhism, as this book will give them a very, very clear idea!

Brilliant	Customer Rating:
A brilliant book. He is both profound and humorous. He cuts to the essence of Buddhist thought and philosophy. I have bought four or five copies to pass to friends as I think it is one of the best books on Buddhism that I have ever read.

Must read book even for Buddhists' practitioners or not.	Customer Rating:
The writing style is amazing. Short chapters and subchapters and beautiful history illustrate complex Buddhist's concepts, helping them to be well understanding.

A good contemplation... for those in the know

Customer Rating:

The best feature of this book is that Khyentse presents Buddhist concepts in a current events context. Many classic Buddhist parables aren't understandable to someone unfamiliar with the workings of the Ancient Indian society the Buddha lived in; someone unfamiliar with concepts such as atman, caste, clan, and other aspects of the culture may not understand the Buddha's analogies and humor. Khyentse makes an incredibly insightful, cosmopolitan Buddhist analysis of the modern world. This is something contemporary readers can greatly appreciate. This book's fatal flaw is that, while it attempts to explain away certain misconceptions about Buddhism, it also uses old, bad translations of classic Buddhist terms that perpetuate those very misconceptions. This leads someone unfamiliar with the original Pali either completely bewildered or put off, as a few other reviewers, it appears, have been. For example, Khyentse translates the second seal as "All emotions are pain". To his credit, he does note in "Postscript on the Translation of Terms" that this statement loses clarity in translation, and points out that the original statement said something that's difficult to express in English. In my opinion, he chose the most misleading translation possible. Alternate translations of the second seal have read, "All conditioned states are unsatisfactory," which I think is a much more accurate translation. Khyentse's decision to render the word dukkha as "pain" in English was certainly a poor decision in my book; the Pali Text Society's Pali to English dictionary would have something to say on that. Second, the word "emotion" not only is a bad translation, but as far as I have read, an unprecedented one. If you are familiar with the Pali language and can therefore take the poor translation with a grain of salt by understanding what he's actually referring to, this book can be incredibly uplifting and enjoyable. If you're unfamiliar with Pali or Buddhism, I would NOT recommend this book as a first read. The poor translation of certain terms could give you the wrong impression.

Pessimism or Buddhism ?

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I seriously could not finish this book. I gave 2 stars because there is some Buddhist content in this book. I have been studying Buddhism for over 5 years and I have never read something so judgmental and cynical in my life. The interpretation of Buddhism by Dzongsar is as pestering as an unhappy wife. I am sure that some readers would love to read on "how tragic life is" and "how the world is doomed". But if you want to do that, just turn the TV in CNN and you might get information without personal opinions. This book is purely opinion based, rarely his statements are supported by facts or Buddhism history. He nags about American culture, Confucius and even Theodore Roosevelt. But he does tell the story of our prince Siddhartha. Here are some of his "delightful words" "This planet earth that you are sitting on right now as you read this book will eventually become as lifeless as mars- if it`s not shattered by a meteor first." ( uau, I hope I can live until tomorrow) "Your sweet little -behaved kids can grow up into cocaine-snorting thugs who bring home all kinds of lovers. The straightest parents in the world produce some of the most flamboyant homosexuals, just as some of the most laid-back hippies end up with neoconservative children." ( humnn...so let us all give up in trying to educate our children and just hand them some white powder . "flamboyant homosexuals"? A little Prejudice there Dzongsar?) Buddhism is about contentment, acceptance, awareness and compassion. If you want to read about that try Thich Nhat Hanh and our Holiness Dalai Lama books. These are truly Faithfull to Buddhism concepts and easy language. If you are a mother try Sarah Napthali, she is amazing and enthusiastic. Good peaceful literature for mothers.