A Beginners Guide to Finding Information On Buddhism

Most of us in the western part of the world will rarely ever come across Buddhism. It is often overlooked if we do. Yet in the past few years Buddhism has been growing in popularity. People are searching for new ways of thinking and living. It is human nature to seek answers and people are finding those answers with Buddhism.

If your interested in Buddhism it can be difficult to find information or to even choose where to start. I highly recommend sitting down and trying to figure out what it is that interests you about it. This helps you decide exactly what your looking for.

Are you looking for a way of thinking?

Are you looking for answers to life?

Are you looking for a spiritual journey?

Buddhism can be approached in two different ways. On one side we have Buddhism as a religion which is practiced by different cultures all around the world. Buddhism makes up a large percentage of denominations in: Thailand, Mongolia, Singapore, Vietnam, India, China, Japan and is estimated to be practiced by 7% of the entire world. On the other hand we have the philosophical view of Buddhism. Still paying respect to its religious brother this idea of Buddhism is a complete focus on the Buddhist way of thinking. Using the teachings of Buddhist masters from Buddha himself down to current day teachers it is a way of living and thinking. It is with light practice easily accessible and added to someone's current life. Often times now you will hear someone express themselves as a Buddhist Christian or being Buddhist influenced. The first step is to decide which side interests you.

There are a great many resources available to someone interested in Buddhism if they know where to look. A Google search will often leave us with mixed information, some of which is not accessible to someone trying to dip their foot in the water. There are a lot of terms that will seem foreign and it may become frustrating. I suggest trying to look for a source that defines the terms for you and helps with pronunciation so that you can reference it when needed. One I found that is fairly easy to use is located here. Keep in mind there are many different schools of Buddhism and each may have their own definitions. Don't worry about that right now though, you can look into the different schools of study later down the road. Now is a good time to familiarize yourself with the history and general teachings of Buddhism. The Wikipedia page does a great job listing good relevant information when looking for history and background to start with. A few general ideas to the teachings can be found in these words: Compassion, wisdom and enlightenment. Look deeper then those though there is a multitude of things to find. When your done with the basics your ready to take some steps into the vast world in front of you.

Following will be a list of authors and books to help you in your studies. Some of these books are free through the kindle store and are great for the kindle, ipad, or iphone.

• Author Thomas Hoover writes a great history of Zen Buddhism in "The Zen Experience"
• Author Tai Sheridan has quite a few books on Buddhism. His range from beginner to more advanced practice makes him a great source along the way.
• Author Geshe Kelsang Gyatso wrote a great volume of books known as "Modern Buddhism - The Path of Compassion and Wisdom". It is a good read and starts out at a fairly beginner level and steps a person up through the different practices without loosing you along the way. Often using more relevant and current examples to explain things.

These are just a few books and Authors to get you started. Always remember your local library or some time spent scouting the internet can always lead to a great find in the way of resources. Good luck in your search and always remember knowledge is not good or bad it just is, and like a reliable friend or loved one it is always good to have.