Summary of Thubten Chodron's Buddhism for Beginners

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

Sample Book Insights:

#1 The Buddha’s teachings can be broken down into the Four Noble Truths: the truth of suffering, the cause of suffering, the cessation of suffering and its causes, and the path to that cessation. The path is to realize reality and increase your good qualities.

#2 The three principal aspects of the Buddhist path are the determination to be free, the altruistic intention to become a Buddha, and the wisdom realizing reality. We must have the determination to be free from the confusion of our problems and their causes.

#3 The Buddhist path leads us to discover a state of lasting happiness for ourselves and others by freeing ourselves from cyclic existence, the cycle of constantly recurring problems that we experience at present. We are liberated from the cycle of rebirth by generating the wisdom realizing emptiness or selflessness.

#4 Taking refuge means relying on the Three Jewels to guide us toward a constructive and beneficial direction in our lives. It does not mean passively hiding under the protection of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. It is a process of moving in the direction they show us and thus improving the quality of our life.