Which Dhamma book would you choose as a gift?

[SamKR]

Hello everyone,

If you have to choose one Dhamma book to give as a gift to somebody (who is relatively new to Buddhism but already knows the basics, and is serious about Dhamma) which one would you choose?

SamKR

[Ben]

Hmm...
Still I think it depends on the individual and their proclivities.
"Heart of Buddhist Meditation" by Nyanaponika Thera is a classic and would be up near the top of the list of titles I would consider giving.
kind regards

Ben

[retrofuturist]

Greetings,

Either a sutta anthology like Bodhi's "In The Buddha's Words", or Thanissaro's "Wings To Awakening"... or one of those classic Theravada introductions like Walpola Rahula's "What The Buddha Taught" or Narada's "The Buddha & His Teachings".

Alternatively, if approaching it from a meditation perspective, I'd concur with Ben's recommendation.

Metta,
Retro.

[cooran]

Hello Sam,

I would choose Walpola Rahula's "What The Buddha Taught".

with metta
Chris

[Saijun]

Hello friends,

I would (and have) given many, many copies of Ajahn Lee's Keeping the Breath in Mind and Lessons in Samadhi to those with interest in meditation, but not necessarily Buddhist doctrine. For someone more oriented to the Suttas, or farther down the road, I would go with Wings to Awakening or the volumes of Handful of Leaves.

Metta and Anjali,

Saijun

[SamKR]

Thank you Ben, retrofuturist, cooran, and Saijun.

If I should believe in reviews, Bhikkhu Bodhi's "In the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon" is highly rated in amazon. I have read a part of it and liked it. http://www.amazon.com/Buddhas-Words-Ant ... 779&sr=8-1
Other books as suggested above also have very good reviews.

Both doctrine/sutta-oriented or meditation-oriented books are fine. I would like to have more recommendations from other members.

Thanks a lot.

[SDC]

a sutta anthology like Bodhi's "In The Buddha's Words"

I second this.

It was my first book after I learned the basics. Excellent place to start in my opinion.

[mikenz66]

Thank you Ben, retrofuturist, cooran, and Saijun.

If I should believe in reviews, Bhikkhu Bodhi's "In the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon" is highly rated in amazon. I have read a part of it and liked it. http://www.amazon.com/Buddhas-Words-Ant ... 779&sr=8-1

And you can read the whole front matter and first chapter here:

http://www.wisdompubs.org/Pages/display ... ch&image=1
The review PDF there is also interesting:

Thanissaro Bhikkhu is gradually working
towards an alternative English translation
of the Pali Canon, and each new text
he translates is published for free distribution
and placed on the Internet (accesstoinsight.
org) for free downloading. Because
of their preference for working in cyberspace,
the younger generation of dhamma
enthusiasts is widely using this version of
the Tipitaka. ....

Younger generation of dhamma enthusiasts...

Hmmm....


Mike

[retrofuturist]

Greetings Mike,

I wonder if they've seen how many link referrals come to their site come via forum discussions.



Metta,
Retro.

[Epistemes]

I am really enjoying Thich Nhat Hanh's Old Path White Clouds. I think this book combines the best of biography with strong elements from the Tipitaka.

[alan]

Hi Sam
Is it possible for someone relatively new to Buddhism to understand the basics? Seems improbable. How would that person know they were serious?
And why only one book?

[alan]

Sorry if that response seems pedantic, but your question may have been framed inaccurately.
How about this: which books would you give to someone who has expressed an interest in Buddhism, seems serious, and has demonstrated a desire to learn more?
If that is your question, I'd advise reading Ayya Khemma.

[SamKR]

Hi Sam
Is it possible for someone relatively new to Buddhism to understand the basics? Seems improbable. How would that person know they were serious?
And why only one book?

Hi alan,

My bad English! Thanks for pointing out my mistake. Being a non-native speaker of English I tend to think first in my language and then translate that to English.
Actually I meant to say someone who has been introduced to Buddhism recently and so not completely new. After knowing the basics such person can be serious and may want to know more in depth.

One book because I wanted to see which book you recommend the most -- to make myself easy to choose a few books based on the recommendations.

Sorry if that response seems pedantic, but your question may have been framed inaccurately.
How about this: which books would you give to someone who has expressed an interest in Buddhism, seems serious, and has demonstrated a desire to learn more?
If that is your question, I'd advise reading Ayya Khemma.

Yes, your sentence is better. Thanks.

[David2]

You've already got very good recommendations.
One more title for the meditation aspect:
"Mindfulness in plain English"
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0861719069/ref ... 258&sr=8-1

[SamKR]

You've already got very good recommendations.
One more title for the meditation aspect:
"Mindfulness in plain English"
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0861719069/ref ... 258&sr=8-1

Yes, I already got good recommendations. But still it's better to know about more books which are considered good. Actually, I plan to read those books myself (if I have not already read) before giving as gifts.
Thanks for your suggestion.

[Ben]

Hi Sam
If you are looking for something for yourself, then I recommend you get Ven Analayo's masterpiece "Satipatthana: the direct route to realization".
kind regards

Ben

[SamKR]

Hi Sam
If you are looking for something for yourself, then I recommend you get Ven Analayo's masterpiece "Satipatthana: the direct route to realization".
kind regards

Ben

Thanks Ben, I will find that book too. I am looking for something to give as a gift but before that I want to read it myself as well.

[alan]

Analayo's book is too difficult for beginners.

[Ben]

That's right Alan. That is why I recommended it to Sam for himself.
kind regards

Ben

[fig tree]

The Life of the Buddha by Nanamoli Thera, good in various ways. It's primarily excerpts from the canon and the commentaries, the most biographical parts. It's an enjoyable read. One of the chapters was distributed on its own as a primer in Buddhism. It seems to me it would be good for a beginner.

Fig Tree