The materials below provide an introductory overview to Buddhism.
Transform Your Life: A Blissful Journey
Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. This gives a complete perspective on Buddhism and the main principles, from a Tibetan tradition. It is a very powerful and meaningful introduction and, when read in conjunction with The New Meditation Handbook and Introduction to Buddhism, makes you feel that you ‘know’ what Buddhism is and want to do more about it. These three books were my introduction to Buddhist concepts.
The New Meditation Handbook: Meditations to Make Our Life Happy and Meaningful
Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. Contains 21 areas to consider with meditations and associated instructions. It can also be purchased alongside wallet cards (available from Tharpa Publications) which act as a reminder of the main concepts and can be very helpful in bringing the principles into our daily life. It provides a very comprehensive way to bring Buddhist principles into our daily lives.
Introduction to Buddhism: An Explanation of the Buddhist Way of Life
Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. This book goes through the technicalities of what Buddhism as a religion is and the key principles of it. The concepts can seem very unfamiliar to us in the West, so this gives a good introductory explanation.
Joyful Path of Good Fortune: The Complete Buddhist Path to Enlightenment
Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. For me, this is a classic end-to-end explanation of the Buddhist path. A lengthy book, it covers everything from first introductions through to different rituals and the stages of enlightenment. The first sections can be a bit dry as it focuses on traditions such as how to set up a meditation area and maintain it, but stick with it and you will get a lot out of it.
The Heart Of Buddha’s Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy and Liberation
This is Thich Nhat Hanh’s overview of the full suite of Buddha’s teachings. Where Geshe Kelsang presents the teachings as a path, Thich Nhat Hanh’s style is more random and poetic. The thrust of the teachings is the same though. For a good view of the end-to-end piece and explanation of the main Buddhism teachings, this is an excellent introduction.
The Wise Heart: Buddhist Psychology for the West
Jack Kornfield. This presents a broad picture of many of basic Buddhist concepts but puts them into a Western context. Jack Kornfield was born in the USA but then left to become a Buddhist monk in South East Asia before returning to the United states, getting married, having a family and becoming a qualified psychologist. So he writes from a perspective of wide understanding and experience.
The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living
The Dalai Lama is who most people think of when they think of a Buddhist ‘leader’. But he is not the leader of Buddhism in the world in the same way that the Pope is the leader of Catholics. Instead, he is a Tibetan Buddhist spiritual guide, which is very different. In my opinion, the most valuable writings from the Dalai Lama are those produced in conjunction with a Westerner (such as The Art of Happiness, by The Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutter) because it allows the western perspective to be addressed. Many of these Eastern traditions and attitudes are very unfamiliar to us, so they often need to be put in terms we can understand from our Western perspective.
The Places That Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness
Pema Chodron. Life often feels very scary and uncertain. Although this is natural, we tend to resist it the fear and seek certainty and security. Buddhist teachings give us an alternative way to deal with it through training the mind. Tibetan Buddhism uses a set of ‘slogans’ or points to help remember the principles plus they provide a very good overview of the whole suite of Buddhist teachings.