What the Buddha Taught

By: Walpola Sri Rahula

Narrated by: Taradasa

Length: 6 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's Summary

Long regarded as one of the best introductions to Buddhism, What the Buddha Taught draws on the actual words spoken by the Buddha to give a lucid and accurate account of the fundamental principles of Buddhist doctrine. Richly supported by extracts from the ancient texts, Walpola Rahula gives clear and direct explanations of Buddhism's essential teachings including:

• the Buddhist attitude of mind
• the Four Noble Truths
• The Noble Eightfold Path
• meditation and mental development
• what the Buddha taught and the world today.

What the Buddha Taught also features an illustrative selection of texts from the Suttas and the Dhammapada. The Venerable Dr Walpola Sri Rahula was a Buddhist monk and scholar. He received a traditional training and education in his native Sri Lanka before studying at the University of Calcutta and the Sorbonne. He held a chair at Northwestern University, Illinois, and was Vice-Chancellor of Vidyodaya University, Colombo. He was widely regarded as one of the most qualified and enlightened scholars of the Buddhist tradition with a deep knowledge of the original texts.

©1959 The Estate of Walpola Sri Rahula (P)2016 Dharma Audiobooks

Critic Reviews

"By far the best introduction to Buddhism available." (Professor R. F. Gombrich, Boden Professor of Sanskrit, University of Oxford)

Enlightening

Best Book on Budhas teaching I have read complete and clear gives you a full understanding

I thought I understood the Buddha’s teaching until I read this book!

I listen to many podcast and read many books and went to talks at various centers and I even earned a Dharma & Yoga teachers training certification from Spirit Rock but after taking a college Buddhism course that began with a thorough reading and compression of this book I realized right away I understood very little and there is where my complete understanding began. Under the guidance of a teacher was very helpful because with the gap in time period and language there is a lot to chew on however, if your wanting to understand the path this book is the one to begin with. Now I know what Buddhism lineage is ideal for me at this time in my life and why. I understand perspectives of Buddhism teachers like the Dalai Lama or Ajahn Chah or writers such as Jack Kornfield, Pema Chodrin and Tara Brach by being mindful of their chosen lineages. This book is for the lay person that holds interest in learning what the Buddha taught without too much bias opinion from other teachers it’s direct and easy to digest once fully chewed.

Amazing

The narrator is amazing gives much details on Buddhas teachings and with such emotion

a book that I wish I discovered much sooner...

even my mom understands what the buddha taught thanks to this book. this is essential reading for anyone curious about the four noble truths.

nteresting teachings, a bit repetitive,

The information presented as a near quote from the Buddha was good to hear.

amazingly insightful

I love this book. It covers the most important lessons and I recommend this book to anyone who just experienced unhappiness and it will lead you to the cure.

Soul Balancing

I personally loved it and could not stop listening. I would recommend this book to friend or unmet friend alike.

A standard for a reason

Now, there are several good books on Buddhism. My first copy went back to the 70s’ The Audio addition is a treat for those of us who learn via lecture. This is not a dry lecture but a short but comprehensive teaching about a wonderful Cognitive Psychologist, who evolved into a loving spiritual leader.

Foundational and definitive.

For me this essential book is the definitive collection of the most foundational teachings from the Pali canon. The annotations are clear and concise, the narration is quite pleasant too.

best treatment of buddhism I've found

to anyone wanting ro explore buddhism, I haven't found a better place to start. I've both read the book and now listened through audible. the audible version is very good.

Beautiful introduction to Buddhism

I thoroughly enjoyed this well-read text. The narrator has a calm peaceful voice that enhances the text. Whilst there are a few mispronounciations of pali words and names of historical characters, this doesn't detract from the author's beautifllly presented, epic work. this id a highly recommended introduction to Buddhism, a way of life that distills many complex texts into an easy to understand reference book. It is worth listening to many times.

Easy for beginners to enjoy

Narrator was excellent. The content was delivered in a meaningful and illuminated way. Thank you.

To me an exelent first book on this subject.

Well read and a good text selection allthough sometimes irritatingly repetitive in a probably very authentic way :-) I have nothing to compare it with, but I feel well informed and do not think I need other supplementing books. I may hear this one a few times more.

Truly Enlightening

I have listened to this book over and over again and each time I learn something new. Clear explanations and easy to understand. A great book for anyone wanting to learn more about Buddhism and life in general.