I finished "What the Buddha taught book" by Walpola Rahula. It is an excellent book in many ways. A great summary of otherwise rather scattered topics in Buddhism. If you are a beginner and thinking where to find a good summary and clear introduction to Buddhism this book is a good choice. If this is your first time trying to read a book on Buddhism, you might need to refer to Wikipedia to have a simple explanation of certain topics. The great thing about the book is that this tiny volume will guide towards the most important concepts. So you shouldn't feel frustrated even if you need to look for less advanced explanations somewhere else.
The core concepts of Buddhism are the spinal cord of this book. Thus, the book at the times can get quite heavy if you are not familiar with some of the concepts. This can especially get tricky when the author starts criticizing other scholars. At the same time, if you are already somehow familiar with these concepts, you appreciate the clarification the author provides. As it is indeed so many of the interpretations of the same texts or teachings that many of them might even misguide your practice. The author clarifies many misunderstandings that are prominent especially in Western Buddhism culture. For example, what do you think when you hear word meditation? For many of us, it is sitting on a zafu in lotus and trying to concentrate on our breathing, or trying to observe your thoughts. Well, that is not what Buddha described as meditation. These things we now consider meditation are just tools to facilitate our meditation. A meditation which aims at your perfect mental health and brings your mind to see things as they really are. Of course, mediation is everything all the time, there is no break from it. It is just you decide what type of meditation you practice, but about this more in another post.
Sometimes it might feel that Rahula is quite assertive with his position, but I think he gives quite a justified argument to support his statements. I also think he employs the slight assertive tone at the times to speak through the book as your teacher. He encourages you to open your mind and explore the concepts in the unspoiled light.
The thing I didn't really like about the book is the organization of the references. If I wish to read those original texts authors refers to in the book, it is almost impossible to track them down with the list provided. I guess you suppose to know what those abbreviations in the book stand for.
All in all, despite my slight dissatisfaction with the reference list, I would give the book five starts. This book is not a one-time read. You will need to re-read it several times. I definitely intend to use this book as my base reference for many of my future posts and to advance my knowledge of Buddhism.
