The Vision of the Buddha: An Illustrated Guide to the History, Beliefs, and Practices of Buddhism [With Flap]

While I agree with the other reviewers who say this is a good book for people just being introduced to Buddhism, I would add that it also has much to offer to more experienced practitioners, especially in the West. Most of the Western practitioners I know (myself included) tend to be informed only about whatever form of Buddhism they practice, and have little knowledge of the many other forms and schools and sub-sects. This book does an excellent job of giving a brief, highly readable overview of Buddhist concepts, history, and the tremendous diversity of forms Buddhism has taken in different places and times. Chapters are concise and easy to digest, with many helpful sidebars and illustrations. Rather than presenting Buddhism as a single monolithic doctrine, it is shown to be constantly evolving and morphing to fit each new cultural context, adapting aspects of whatever indigenous belief systems or social conditions it encounters, and engaging in all-too-worldly political power struggles. I do not find that the book's accessibility makes it in any way superficial. Those wanting to dig deeper into any one aspect of Buddhism will find no shortage of lengthy, scholarly, and often opaque or esoteric texts to ponder. This book succeeds by virtue of its breadth and clarity.

A very accessible book, supplemented by numerous illustrations. It presents Buddhism's start and its spread through time and countries, and the variegated transmutations it underwent in the process. Brief, yet clear distinction between the various transmutations of Buddhism are also provided. At the end of the book are a list of well-known Buddhism gurus, a list of important Buddhist sites acorss the world, useful addresses(by each variety of Buddhism!), and a helpful glossary. An informative read for students of Buddhism.

While obviously not a definitive text, Tom Lowenstein's "The Vision of the Buddha" is to me a good beginners guide to the history and practice of Buddhism. The life of Buddha is well described, as are the various schools of Buddhism from original Mahayana to Theravada and from Pure Land to Soto Zen, each with its own distinct practices. The author also includes discussions of related and/or contemporary religions- Taoism, Shinto, Confucianism- as well as the historical context. The book is very well illustrated and a pleasure to read. I gave a copy to the local Soto Zen Center and they were very pleased with it.Of all the world's major religions, Buddhism is nearly unique because it functions without a definition of "God" or "gods." To most Buddhists the question of the existence of God or gods is unanswerable and therefore not relevant to the practice (although gods- including Hindu deities- do show up in many Buddhist myths, they are not usually meant to be literal). For this reason Buddhism is often classified not as a religion, but as a philosophy. It has in recent years increased in the West to become a serious practice much beyond the Beat Generation and New Age practitioners. In addition, therapists, some businesses and even some Christian groups have taken up meditation as a useful technique. This book is a very good starting place for anyone wanting to understand what Buddhism is all about.

While obviously not a definitive text, Tom Lowenstein's "The Vision of the Buddha" is to me a good beginners guide to the history and practice of Buddhism. The life of Buddha is well described, as are the various schools of Buddhism from original Mahayana to Theravada and from Pure Land to Soto Zen, each with its own distinct practices. The author also includes discussions of related and/or contemporary religions- Taoism, Shinto, Confucianism- as well as the historical context. The book is very well illustrated and a pleasure to read. I gave a copy to the local Soto Zen Center and they were very pleased with it. Of all the world's major religions, Buddhism is nearly unique because it functions without a definition of "God" or "gods." To most Buddhists the question of the existence of God or gods is unanswerable and therefore not relevant to the practice (although gods- including Hindu deities- do show up in many Buddhist myths, they are not always meant to be literal). In recent years various polls have asked the question "Do you believe in God or a divine spirit" and the majority of Buddhists answer "yes", although a sizable minority say "no". It would be interesting to discover exactly what is meant by "god" in each of the cultures involved, but a literal belief in god or gods (or goddesses) does not seem to be required to be a Buddhist. For this reason Buddhism is often classified not as a religion, but as a philosophy. It has in recent years increased in the West to become a serious practice much beyond the Beat Generation and New Age practitioners. In addition, therapists, some businesses and even some Christian groups have taken up meditation as a useful technique. This book is a very good starting place for anyone wanting to understand what Buddhism is all about.

This book makes an interesting and worthy read for someone who knows little about Buddhism but is interested in knowing more. Mr Lowenstein outlines the life of the Buddha and the major traditions that have grown out of His teachings in an easy to follow, however very brief, format. The book is easy to read and very well illustrated, I don't think there are many other books that serve the capacity of being a "beginners" guide to Buddhism that are so enjoyable to read. Another helpful aspect in the book is that when Buddhist terms are repeated a reference always follows to help you find the explaination of the word (instead of assuming you have instantly remembered the meaning!) The illustrations really help bring the vitality and differences in Buddhist tradition to light. However I think anyone with more than a little knowledge of Buddhism would find this book somewhat frustrating in it's lack of detail as it really is a basic overview. I would recommend this book to beginners as an excellent source with which to get started understanding Buddhism.