What is the best book for Buddhism? A food for thought

Article written by Don and edited by Jerome:

The other day I was at Kinokuniya Bookstore browsing the Buddhist books section, when I overheard a Caucasian guy lamenting. He was asking around for a suitable starting point to read about Buddhism, a topic he was not familiar with. He said he picked up a little from the internet, and would like to have a primer of some sort. His dilemma was, there were too many different types of Buddhist books, which one should he pick?

My immediate reaction was to help him - as this was a great chance to propagate the Dhamma! It's not every day that you get a chance to guide someone who was willing to learn more about Buddhism.

However, I paused.

I realised that I had no clue which book, resource or internet website was the most suitable to recommend someone totally new to Buddhism!

The books that are too 'light' (e.g. more about lifestyle and Buddhism in everyday life) may not draw him to look at the deeper aspects of the Dhamma.

The books that are too 'heavy' (e.g. about meditation, Kamma, the Suttas) may bore him, or turn him off the topic altogether as he won't be able to relate to them at such an early stage.

Also, I haven't read all of the books on the shelf (not that I really want to!) so I can't say for sure which author has provided the right mix of light and heavy to guide a beginner on the path. I have also not browsed a website that can offer this mix.

So I didn't approach him in the end.

It was a missed opportunity, but I believe that it would be better to miss this, than to guide someone down the wrong path.

That got me thinking about what I would do the next time if I were to get such an opportunity again. With some time to reflect and do research, I should be able to come up with a good answer, yes?

It turns out that there is no simple good answer on a book to read.

Books are good literature resources, but they are at best just as a medium of instruction for true cultivation in Buddhism. 

Once, there was a man who asked his friend, "Where is the moon?" The second man pointed at the moon with his finger. We cannot grab the man's finger and say that his finger is the moon! Similarly, books (akin to the man's finger) are just a guide to true cultivation (akin to the moon) and cannot be the sole source of information. In fact, true cultivation is beyond theoretical concepts, rationale and thinking. With the help of an experienced teacher, we can enter the meditative state of concentration, insight and emptiness, and verify the truth of Buddhism teachings.

Why are books merely literature resources and at best a medium of instruction?

Firstly, the words on a page are subject to the reader's interpretation. The author may have one intention, but a reader can understand it in a totally different way. If the work is a translation of another language (like many of the Tibetan works on the shelf, translated to English), the problem compounds with the translators' interpretations.

Secondly, any questions arising from reading has no recourse to the author on the spot. The reader has to depend on himself or someone accessible nearby to discuss on difficult points. And this is again subjected to individual interpretation.

I'll be bold now and make a definitive statement: For someone starting out in Buddhism and sincerely would like to learn more about it, there is no substitute for finding a good teacher (preferably meditation teacher) to guide one's first steps.

Books, websites or videos are good in sparking one's interest to find out more, but only through interacting with someone more knowledgeable than you will you truly know what you don't know, and where to go next in your development.

So for those of you who want to find a good teacher, I highly recommend my own teacher's course, which he conducts twice a year - visit www.basicbuddhism.org for the timings and details.

If I could turn back time and meet this guy again at the bookstore, what would I do differently?

I think that this time around, I would invite him to have a cup of coffee, to chat about his views and hopefully strengthen his interest in finding out more about Buddhism.

This may be a little ambitious, but it will be worth the effort.

If any of you would like to have a chat over coffee, just drop me a note. I'll try my best to make the time for you!


References:
1) Basic Buddhism Course and Basic Meditation Course  - http://www.basicbuddhism.org/