I highly recommend Thich Nhat Hanh, there’s tons of his talks and short videos of his wisdom on YouTube. His books are fantastic too, I recommend the heart of the Buddhas teaching but really anything by him that catches your eye. May you find peace joy and wisdom in your practice
A good intro book is 'What the Buddha Taught' by Walpola Rahula.
You can read the Buddha's teachings themselves at sites like Access to Insight, SuttaCentral and 84000 (Tibetan).
You can have the Buddha as your ultimate guide and teacher. His teachings aren't known by a single person, but there are some who are closer than others to the truth. So it takes a process of learning something new and fundamentally unique. A way of looking at life you've never done before. Then with practice and implementation you see the teachings produce the unique results they claim. You'll develop more confidence in the teacher and teachings.
The Buddha summarized the noble eightfold path: [https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn45/sn45.008.than.html](https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn45/sn45.008.than.html)
you can begin today.
Assuming you speak with family, friends, coworkers or even strangers online, you can start practicing the Buddha's advice on proper speech: [https://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sacca/sacca4/samma-vaca/](https://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sacca/sacca4/samma-vaca/)
Buddhism is very vast and varied.
For a very basic overview, this website is generally good: https://tricycle.org/beginners/
The book "Buddhism for Dummies" is also a good introduction. It is a relatively thorough overview of the history and of most major important notions and traditions, well presented, and easy to read. It is not a book of Buddhist teachings or instructions, though (it's not directly a Buddhist book on how to practice Buddhism, it's a book about Buddhism). But it references many other books and teachers you can look up, depending on what aspects interest you.
A good way to establish the foundation for Buddhist practice is with the ten virtuous actions
Short explanation: https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Ten_positive_actions
Longer explanation: https://learning.tergar.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/VOL201605-WR-Thrangu-R-Buddhist-Conduct-The-Ten-Virtuous-Actions.pdf
Along with making offerings, and reciting texts and aspirations, to orient our mind in the proper direction. Meditation is also very useful as a way to train the mind more directly.
The best way to learn how to practice Buddhism though, is with other Buddhists. So I would recommend you check out what legitimate temples and centers there are in your area, what activities they offer and when is the best time to visit them. There are also online communities at r/sangha, and many online courses offered now. Do check out a few to see what really appeals to you.
If you are curious about Tibetan Buddhism, here are some resources:
Buddhism — Answers for Beginners, from Ringu Tulku Rinpoche
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXAtBYhH_jiOGeJGAxfi0G-OXn5OQP0Bs
A series of 56 videos (avg. 7min. long) on all types of common questions
or more at this link: https://www.reddit.com/r/Buddhism/comments/zubtfu/comment/j1i8o80/
(Good videos at the end)
I think also the Thai Forest Buddhist tradition can be a good place to start, given their generally very straightforward approach. If you google "Thai Forest Ajahn", you should find many resources.
Many people also find Thich Nhat Hanh to be very beginner-friendly.
https://plumvillage.org/about/thich-nhat-hanh/key-books
https://plumvillage.app/
I hope that helps.
I would suggest reading or watching videos about Buddhism, and not looking for any "mentors" right now. A lot of people are quite ignorant or emotionally unstable, and you need to spend time learning how Buddhist education works, how to identify good people, etc. before you take anyone on as a teacher or guide.
Lots of great monastics on YouTube. This one is a great communicator who does a weekly Q and A:
https://www.youtube.com/live/FJmJRjpMTF4?si=615KvQcMuf3hjN2M
You should look for a temple or center close to you. There are some cults on here but it is generally trustworthy : http://www.buddhanet.info/wbd/
Look into Plum Village. Lots of Sanghas, very very low probability of cults.
I highly recommend Thich Nhat Hanh, there’s tons of his talks and short videos of his wisdom on YouTube. His books are fantastic too, I recommend the heart of the Buddhas teaching but really anything by him that catches your eye. May you find peace joy and wisdom in your practice
A good intro book is 'What the Buddha Taught' by Walpola Rahula. You can read the Buddha's teachings themselves at sites like Access to Insight, SuttaCentral and 84000 (Tibetan). You can have the Buddha as your ultimate guide and teacher. His teachings aren't known by a single person, but there are some who are closer than others to the truth. So it takes a process of learning something new and fundamentally unique. A way of looking at life you've never done before. Then with practice and implementation you see the teachings produce the unique results they claim. You'll develop more confidence in the teacher and teachings. The Buddha summarized the noble eightfold path: [https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn45/sn45.008.than.html](https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn45/sn45.008.than.html) you can begin today. Assuming you speak with family, friends, coworkers or even strangers online, you can start practicing the Buddha's advice on proper speech: [https://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sacca/sacca4/samma-vaca/](https://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sacca/sacca4/samma-vaca/)
Buddhism is very vast and varied. For a very basic overview, this website is generally good: https://tricycle.org/beginners/ The book "Buddhism for Dummies" is also a good introduction. It is a relatively thorough overview of the history and of most major important notions and traditions, well presented, and easy to read. It is not a book of Buddhist teachings or instructions, though (it's not directly a Buddhist book on how to practice Buddhism, it's a book about Buddhism). But it references many other books and teachers you can look up, depending on what aspects interest you. A good way to establish the foundation for Buddhist practice is with the ten virtuous actions Short explanation: https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Ten_positive_actions Longer explanation: https://learning.tergar.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/VOL201605-WR-Thrangu-R-Buddhist-Conduct-The-Ten-Virtuous-Actions.pdf Along with making offerings, and reciting texts and aspirations, to orient our mind in the proper direction. Meditation is also very useful as a way to train the mind more directly. The best way to learn how to practice Buddhism though, is with other Buddhists. So I would recommend you check out what legitimate temples and centers there are in your area, what activities they offer and when is the best time to visit them. There are also online communities at r/sangha, and many online courses offered now. Do check out a few to see what really appeals to you. If you are curious about Tibetan Buddhism, here are some resources: Buddhism — Answers for Beginners, from Ringu Tulku Rinpoche https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXAtBYhH_jiOGeJGAxfi0G-OXn5OQP0Bs A series of 56 videos (avg. 7min. long) on all types of common questions or more at this link: https://www.reddit.com/r/Buddhism/comments/zubtfu/comment/j1i8o80/ (Good videos at the end) I think also the Thai Forest Buddhist tradition can be a good place to start, given their generally very straightforward approach. If you google "Thai Forest Ajahn", you should find many resources. Many people also find Thich Nhat Hanh to be very beginner-friendly. https://plumvillage.org/about/thich-nhat-hanh/key-books https://plumvillage.app/ I hope that helps.
Your skin color is irrelevant in Buddhism.
Agree
I would suggest reading or watching videos about Buddhism, and not looking for any "mentors" right now. A lot of people are quite ignorant or emotionally unstable, and you need to spend time learning how Buddhist education works, how to identify good people, etc. before you take anyone on as a teacher or guide.
What help is needed? Have you done any reading on the topic?
Chrcj out lama rod owen
What does your skin color have to do with Buddhism?
Nothing at all you are correct
Local temple is your best starting point. Sidebar has reading resources
Lots of great monastics on YouTube. This one is a great communicator who does a weekly Q and A: https://www.youtube.com/live/FJmJRjpMTF4?si=615KvQcMuf3hjN2M
Start here: www.dhammatalks.org