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However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you if you do not act on upon them? ~ Buddha

Are you looking for the best Buddhist books for beginners? Then look no further!

My top five Buddhist books for beginners is perfect if you want to understand Buddhism, and how to apply it to your daily life! These book recommendations are also beneficial if you don’t have a Buddhist teacher yet (or close by), and are attempting to learn on your own.

After reading all of my Buddhist books for beginners recommendations, you can dive into other books and scriptures that relate to your branch/school of Buddhism (click here to learn more about Buddhist scripture for Beginners).

This article is part of a series on the basics of Buddhism: Click here to view more.

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Top Buddhist Books for Beginners

These five books will be more than enough to get you started in learning about Buddhism, and putting that knowledge into direct practice. Be sure to check out my additional recommendations at the end of this article which include FREE books/resources!

By Ven. Walpola Rahula



[Learn the basics about Buddhism] This is the first book I’d like you to start off with. Although this book was written in the 1950’s, it’s a fantastic book to start off with for anyone who is new to Buddhism and will give you the good foundation to begin your practice. It is considered a “classic” among many (myself included) in Theravada Buddhism, so it is one you will want to have on your bookshelf (and read!). You will learn about the Buddha, the Four Noble Truths, and other Buddhist concepts. Also included are selected texts to include some selections from the Dhammapada. Even though the title says “What the Buddha Taught”, it will not contain in-depth information about every topic. This is Ven. Walpola Rahula’s explanation and discussion about the Buddha’s teachings, and he does a great job at it.

By Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh



[Learn the basics, and much more, about Buddhism] While “What the Buddha Taught” was one of my first books, it is still fairly limited in what information you can gain from it. However, my next recommendation is from one of my favorite authors, Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh, who gives a great review of the Buddha’s teachings. This may seem like a similar book to my first recommendation, What the Buddha Taught, but it’s not. Thay (as his followers call him which means “Teacher”) gives you in-depth information about the Buddha’s teachings, without making it overly complex (not an easy feat!). You’ll gain wisdom from one of the world’s great Buddhist teachers that will help your practice especially if you don’t have a teacher already (I call this book “a teacher in a book”). Topics include the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, other basic Buddhist teachings (such as the three Dharma seals). Throughout this book are helpful diagrams, illustrations, and tables which I felt help ‘visualize’ the concepts and text so you can more easily understand it. I refer to this book often, and recommend it if you can only get one book initially.

By Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh



[Core Buddhist Scripture For Your Practice] In 2019, I came across this fantastic book and added it to my top 5 list (don’t worry, I added the prior book “Buddhism for Beginners” to my list at the end of this article). This book provides both Theravada Suttas and Mahayana Sutras in one book with great commentary on what it means, and how to apply it to your practice. Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh has long articulated that having Theravada and Mahayana scripture has helped to preserve the different teachings of the different schools of Buddhism that existed. In this book, he gives a few of the scripture he says will be the foundation of your practice. While this is a thick book (of course, it has scripture and commentary), I liked how it was laid out and the commentary provided a way for everyone to understand the scripture. I believe scripture is important to practice, yet it can be difficult to figure out (especially without a teacher), so this book is one of my top picks. However, it can wait until later. My first two books will give you a foundation to start understanding Buddhism before you dive into scripture.



As another option, In the Buddha’s Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon (The Teachings of the Buddha), By Bhikkhu Bodhi, is a great foundational book of the Buddha’s sermons from the Pali Canon of Theravada Buddhism

By Gary Gach



[A fun and complete book for beginners] Not only is this a great book for beginners, author Gary Gach provides plenty of humor (at all the right points) to help make learning about Buddhism fun. You will get to explore all the different Buddhist traditions, gain some insightful historical and practical information, and much more. For those who are “just becoming a Buddhist” or “exploring Buddhism”, this is a great way to get not only an overview of the religion, but also very beneficial for those who are new to it.

By Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh



[Learn about the Buddha’s life and teachings] I am absolutely in love with this story about the Buddha’s life and teachings. Drawn from 24 Pali, Sanskrit, and Chinese sources, Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh presents the Buddha’s life in a beautiful and meaningful way that has made this book a classic. With any religion, knowing the founder or central figure is important, and that goes for Buddhism as well. By understanding our teacher, the historical Buddha (Shakyamuni Buddha), you will understand his struggles, understandings, teachings, beauty, love, and profound impact he has had for over 2,600 years. I enjoyed how you follow this story through both the Buddha, and Savasti (a buffalo boy) who later became a Bikkhu (monk). This helped to nicely balance the story and teachings in a very accessible and enjoyable way. Highly recommended.

Special note: I cannot recommend highly enough to (also) get the Audible “audiobook” version of this. Why? The narrator, Eduardo Ballerini (a frequent narrator of other Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh books) does an amazing job that “pulls” you into the world of the Buddha and you feel very much a part of the story.

Additional Buddhist Books for Beginners

The following are some of my additional book recommendations if you would like to expand your collection, and learn more about the religion.

FREE Buddhism Books and Booklets!

Now that you have seen several Buddhist books for beginners that can help you, what about some free resources?

Several organizations offer free online versions of their publications, such as the Fo Guang Shan International Translation Center (FGSITC), the website Buddhanet, and more. The following are some publications I believe will be helpful to you and are FREE!

Buddhist Scriptures

While my Buddhist books for beginners recommendations are a great place to start, they are usually explanations of Buddhist thought and teachings. If you want to dive into the sutras/suttas (scriptures), check out these resources:

Article Notes Article’s Main Featured Photo: CC 2.0 Photo by Abhishek Sundaram on Flickr

CC 2.0 Photo by Abhishek Sundaram on Flickr Questions? If you have any questions on which book(s) would be best for you, feel free to send me a message!

If you have any questions on which book(s) would be best for you, feel free to send me a message! Recommended Reading: For some other lists for new Buddhists, consider Lions Roar “ 10 Buddhist Books Everyone Should Read “, and Barbara O’Brien’s “ Recommended Books for Buddhist Beginners “.

For some other lists for new Buddhists, consider Lions Roar “ “, and Barbara O’Brien’s “ “. Updates: The order of my top 5 book recommendations were changed and reordered a few times since the creation of this article to make the recommendations better in helping people with understanding Buddhism, and to reflect availability of the books (some of my original recommendations went out of print). If you would like to watch a video with my original recommendations (remember, not all are in print) please click here.

This article is Copyright © by Alan Peto.

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