A Beginner's Guide to Buddhism: A Short Course on This Powerful Eastern Philosophy (Beginner's Guide Series) by Jack Kornfield

A Beginner's Guide to Buddhism: A Short Course on This Powerful Eastern Philosophy (Beginner's Guide Series) Reviews

• 
  Amanda

  Simple and clear overview of the very basics of Buddhist philosophy, excluding "supernatural" aspects such as karma and rebirth. The best explanation of the different schools of Buddhism that I've come across so far.
• 
  Lavins

  4 stars
  
  Short, sweet and comprehensive.
• 
  Nami

  Listened to the audiobook. A really nice and quick introduction to Buddhism and it's history/origins.
  
  Great little meditation near the end as well - to give you an easy way to do two kinds of practice.
  
  My stress has subsided to the middle ground. :)
• 
  Julie

  An excellent introduction to Buddhism. Includes a brief history of the Buddha's life, the four noble truths, the eight-fold path, the precepts, and an overview of the different types of Buddhism today. Missing are karma and rebirth. He concludes with a mindfulness meditation and a loving kindness meditation. Kornfield'd kind voice is calming to me, but may put others to sleep ;)
• 
  Kevin Lawrence

  Very brief and cursory overview of the basics of Buddhism followed by a guide to a short session of meditation. I listened to it on the train as an audio book during a commute, which wasn't a bad way to pass the time.
• 
  Jordan Dossett

  A solid and simple overview. If you are interested in learning about Buddhism this is a great and quick overview. This is also a great introduction to Jack's style.
• 
  Kelsey

  The first half of this book was a great introduction to Buddhism, sharing the story of the Buddha and how he was able to reach nirvana. It laid out the principles and the way Buddhists approach life and all living things. The second half of the book consisted of guided meditations that teach us to look inward and forgive and ask for forgiveness of others. I would’ve liked more information and less meditation, but it still served as a good introduction.
• 
  Jenny Webb

  Solid, very brief, intro to Buddhism. How it stated, what the different groups that have developed are, what the basic tenets are, followed by an intro to mindfulness/breath meditation and loving kindness meditation. I’d have my middle school+ aged kids read this to gain a basic perspective on Buddhism.
• 
  Mela _ Sidro

  This is a very quick read to the introduction of Buddhism. It quickly goes over the very bare basics of Buddhist principles and teachings as well as a very short version of the Buddha's life. I think it's a book resource if you no absolutely nothing about Buddhism but if you're looking for something a little more in depth I'd look for something else.
• 
  Andrew

  Quick overview of Buddhism with history of the Buddha's life. The author also dives into the core tenants and the different types of Buddhism currently practiced. The narrator goes into a few sample mediation exercises.
  
  
• 
  Rachel

  I listened to the audiobook. Jack Kornfield is an excellent narrator. It’s basically an short overview of Buddhism with two meditations at the end. It’s a good place to start one’s exploration of Buddhism.
• 
  MJ

  Super short audiobook filled with fundamental teachings and meditations.
• 
  Pamela Huxtable

  Simple overview with 2 meditations.
• 
  Martha Treder

  Not really what I expected. It was a short, quick read. I enjoyed the meditations at the end.
• 
  Sophie Rayton

  Short and powerful. Lots to highlight and quote.
• 
  Jeramy

  Audiobook review:
  Simple, straightforward, and clear. I would recommend listening at 1.25 or 1.5x speed though.
• 
  Jason Ives

  Good meditation practices.
• 
  John Hanson

  Personify the mind and you end up with Buddhism. Enough aphorisms to make one puke.
• 
  Laureen Solari

  Listened during a hike, which was the perfect environment for such a book. Much too brief for someone trying to learn even the basics of Buddhism but if you only have an hour, this is your book.
• 
  Margarete Maneker

  good basic overview, i liked learning more about the different sects of buddhism
• 
  Sher

  Great and short introduction with 2 guided meditations. Worth repeat listening on audiobook.
• 
  Morgan Sohl

  okay but nothing great. probably won't be reading kornfield's other books
• 
  Malinda

  This is an excellent, clearly written introduction to Buddhism. Despite being short and easy to understand, it contains a depth of information that merits re-reading. Kornfield approaches Buddhism from the viewpoint of a Westerner who is truly seeking the basics of Buddhism, an understanding of its overall philosophy and simple practice without delving into too much at once.
• 
  Lisa Kavanaugh

  Listened to the audiobook. Concise, easy to follow and covers all the basics. Love Jack. Do have some questions on how this jives with Siddhartha by Hesse but I've only barely scratched the surface :)
• 
  Scott Sheaffer

  A very understandable introduction to the wheel of life.
• 
  Kimberly

  This book was amazing. I loved the last two sections which leads you through the process of how to meditate.
• 
  John Stinson

  Good intro
  
• 
  Lindsey

  Really nice and simple overview with three lovely guided meditations at the end.