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superlove's review
3.0
This book was OK. I liked it enough. I wouldn't recommend it to someone who is looking to find out what Buddhism is all about. I fear someone with no background knowledge of Buddhism would get the wrong impression from this book.
I think it concentrates too much on Mahayana Buddhism, which developed hundreds of years after the Buddha's death. Mahayana contains too much supernatural filigree for my tastes. I prefer the basic philosophical worldview of Theravadin -- or Old School -- Buddhism. I think readers without basic knowledge of Buddhism would be confused, which seems contrary to what this series is all about. Still, if you just want some light reading for the bus or beach, this book will do.
For readers who want a basic introduction to Buddhism, I would recommend Thich Nhat Hanh's The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching and Henepola Gunaratana's Mindfulness in Plain English.
I like the concept of the "Coffee With..." series. The Coffee with Einstein volume has a foreword by Roger Penrose, so maybe I'll give that one a try.
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