Buddhism Plain and Simple by Steve Hagen
5/5
Not only is this fantastic as a standalone book, which is how I originally read it (though I had read a dryer, more academic account from a ‘Western’ perspective before), as I have now moved onto ‘What the Buddha Taught’ by Walopola Sri Rahula, I can appreciate it further, not only as the accessible, entertaining, insightful, thought-provoking work I originally found it to be, but also as being supremely faithful to Buddhist thought and philosophy, and a great access-point to pursuing it further should you wish to do so. Despite ‘What the Buddha Taught’ being an introductory text, I think I would have struggled to appreciate it as fully if I hadn’t read Hagen first.
Well worth reading on numerous levels, and cannot recommend it highly enough for anyone wishing to pursue their interest in this area.
Tracing Horizons 