5 ways to kickstart your understanding of Buddhism



It's a virtual jungle out there, and if you type in "Buddhism" in google, you get more than 200 million hits. Yes, thats a 2 with 8 zeros. Trying to understand a new subject pretty much depends on the learning type of the person. Are you a reader, a listener or a watcher? Do you like to dive into subjects like an autodidact or do you need a structured approach with a clear curriculum? 

I picked out 5 ways for you, that might be the right choice to start your Buddhism journey:

1) Watch the documentary "The Buddha: The Story of Siddhartha"

For those of you who do prefer visual content, I would start with the well made 2 hour PBS documentary "The Buddha" released in 2010. Richard Gere narrates the life story of Siddhartha Gotama and how he became the Buddha. The IMDB Rating is 7,5 out of 10 which I would consider as rather high. The footage, music and animations throughout the movie make it very pleasurable to watch. It is a movie that I do like to watch from time time, just to refresh my memory and to get inspired. If you are a US citizen, the most convenient way is to start a free 7-day test trial of the "PBS Documentaries Channel"* on Amazon. PBS also made a DVD* available for sale (around 13 $). Non US citizens can somehow not do this PBS channel trial, at least that's my understanding. Youtube and other streaming platforms are another option.


2) Enroll in the Harvard University class "Buddhism through its scriptures"

If you need a more structured approach to Buddhism with a clear set of learning goals, I would recommend the free edX course "Buddhism through its scriptures"*, which was compiled by the Harvard University. I stumbled across this course and I really enjoyed it, as it has a very specific approach to getting to know Buddhism. It doesn't tell you what Buddhism is, but tries to explain it through the scriptures itself. The course does also paint a good picture on how vast and diverse Buddhism is. I remember vividly that it was made clear, that if you are a Buddhist in let's say Vietnam and try to practice in Japan, you would be totally overwhelmed since rites and rituals would be not comparable at all. So how does the course work? You enroll for free on edX and then you have access to the curriculum. It is set up as a 4 week course with 5-10 hours of effort per week. As this course is completely self paced you can do it faster or slower. But why not let them explain what the course is all about?


3) Visit the Wikipedia page for "Buddhism"

Wikipedia? Really? If someone asks me for a an introduction book into Buddhism, I refer them to the
Wikipedia page, as I haven't found a book yet, that I can fully recommend without a further need put a caveat in front of my recommendation. Most books that are written by a buddhist monk or nun automatically do have a flavour of the Buddhist lineage they are a part of and therefore might not be neutral enough to give a beginner a rather neutral introduction. So I do think that the Wikipedia entry for Buddhism is a great start to get to know the history, concepts and different paths to liberation. And it also gives people who like to jump back and forth and dive into different topics a great opportunity to play around.


4) Listen to Bhikku Bodhi's 10-lecture series "Introduction to Buddhism"

Bhikku Bodhi is a revered Buddhist monk and follows the Theravada tradition. He has been very active in the translation of Pali scriptures into English and published several books on general Buddhism as well as higher teachings. His well known 10-lecture series was recorded in 1981 at the Washington Buddhist Vihara. In this series he dedicates every lecture to one specific topic: The Buddha, the four noble truths, nature of existence, dependent origination, rebirth & kamma, nibbana, eightfold path, meditation, social teachings of Buddha, the Sangha. Each session is about 80 minutes long. You can find the series as a YouTube playlist here*. It is recommended to keep the chronological order.

5) Do the "Buddhism for Beginners"-Q&A by the Tricycle Foundation

Gamification works for you? Then this great Q&A quiz for Buddhism beginners by the Tricycle Foundation might be up your lane. The Q&A is divided in 3 levels with different difficulties: 1 - Let's get started, 2 - Discover the major Buddhist traditions, 3 - Delve deeper into Buddhist teachings. 
Level 1 starts off the Q&A with a simple "Who was Buddha?", while Level 2 questions might pose a more difficult task: "What makes a Buddhist a Zen Buddhist?".  Level 3 brings us closer to the moral codes as well as rites and rituals and asks the question "What holidays celebrate Buddhists?" and "What are precepts?". Every question is answered in detail with additional sub questions. Overall this Q&A is beautifully designed and is fun to click through. The Tricycle is in general a good source for news around Buddhism. They also offer a daily newsletter that you might want to check out.



More resources for your journey can be found in my Buddhist Journey Companion.

How did you start your Buddhism journey and what can you recommend for beginners? 

With Metta
Buddhist Teachings

* mark affiliate links or cross-links to my own YouTube channel.

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