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Originally Posted by abaya
Thanks for your tip, SM (and also Leto). I'd be willing to give Nhat Hanh's book another try, but it was just my first impression that it was written in a "too-accessible" manner, I guess... a bit entry-level (which is good that he's writing that way, since many people do want that), but again that was my first impression. Maybe I will go with both the Nhat Hanh and the Wahula book, just to have perspectives from two branches of Buddhism.
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I know I'm a bit late to the party here, but as a Buddhist I feel compelled to add my 2 cents. I add them in favor of
The Heart of the Buddha's Teachings. I have read about six books by Thich Nhat Hahn, and I definitely agree that they are highly accessible. But I think that actually speaks to a strength of Buddhism itself.
In my view, the teachings of the Buddha (the Dharma) are intuitive. When reading I often find myself saying, "Of course that is the case." But with a little mindfulness, I find that I'm not
living as if it's of course the case. Understanding the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path is not difficult, it's natural, it's obvious. What's hard is living it. What's hard is looking inside at the deepest darkest recesses of ourselves and accepting, embracing, and transforming them.
With that said, everyone's path is different. Each person can approach the Dharma in his or her way. The books that speak to me are not neccessarily going to be the books that speak to you. Explore around a bit. Look to a multitude of authors until you find one that makes the Dharma blossum like that infamous lotus flower before you. Then branch out from there.
Remember, "There are many paths to the top of Mt. Fuji."