Buddhism is one of the most fascinating of the world’s religions. Indeed, many would argue it is more of a philosophical system than a religion in the more prevalent use of the term.

Buddhism does not believe in a creator deity of any form and rejects the concept of an inherently separate eternal soul or spirit. While these doctrinal differences certainly make Buddhism stand apart from other religious systems, its most unique characteristic is its nearly scientific approach to truth.

The Buddha taught his students to test what he said (the Dhamma). They should accept nothing on the basis of belief, and not trust scriptures or teachers automatically, but should apply the wisdom they are given and see if it works. 

The approach the Buddha recommended was that we should follow the path of investigation, testing, weighing, comparing, and contrasting: pull the teachings apart, apply them and test them. Then and only then, because of what you have personally experienced, use it in your life. 

The Dhamma should be treated like gold: test it, scratch it, heat it, use various chemicals with it, and only when it has passed all the tests, do you accept it as true gold and use it accordingly. 

All the teachings and practices within Buddhism are like that. You hear them, you think about them, you try them out, and you see how they apply to you. If they work for you, you only then develop faith. This is a faith based upon practical direct experience, and in some sense it is a knowing or gnosis rather than what the West understands as faith. It is certainly not blind belief, but a faith based on lived experience and reasoned wisdom.

This unique approach has made Buddhism one of the most far reaching religions in world history. It travelled the globe and adapted itself to each culture it encountered. Because of its unique approach to truth, Buddhism evolved into myriad forms and traditions. 

It ranges from the asceticism of Asia to the colourful Tantra of Tibetan Buddhism, from the devotional cults of Pure Land to the crazy wisdom of Zen. Indeed the many forms of Buddhism allow for the seeker to find a form which specifically relates to their own level of development and experience. 

Rather than being seen as competing sects, they really represent different facets of the one wisdom, which offer paths suited to different personalities, cultures and levels of understanding. This is most notable in Tibetan Buddhism where many levels of wisdom are taught, each one being more complex than the other, until the final understanding is gained after many years of study.

Jo Durden Smith offers an excellent introduction to the philosophy, history and practice of Buddhism. With an emphasis on the academic we get a solid historical outline of the development of Buddhist thought, the many sects and schools and the various philosophical lineages from Theravadin through to Vajrayana or Tantra. There are precise summaries of basic Buddhist concepts along the way and a critical yet sympathetic outline of controversies within the tradition.

For a relatively brief volume, The Essence of Buddhism is surprisingly comprehensive and will prove of great interest to anyone who wants to understand what Buddhism is all about. 

For the beginner it is a superb introduction, for the more well read student there will still be many gems and maybe even some surprises.

– Reviewed by Robert Burns in New Dawn No. 94