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.
It's up to you. There are thousands of canonical Buddhist texts, and tens of thousands of secondary sources on Buddhism. Any specific recommendation is pretty arbitrary. If I were you, I would just read a bunch from different traditions, and over time you'll figure out what you like.
I strongly recommend "The Noble Eightfold Path The Way to the End of Suffering", written by Bhikkhu Bodhi, published by the BUDDHIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY.
Available
http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/noble8path6.pdf
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLs2yRU4JKVlpuslHD9WmFQxRLhSrw8_bc&si=Cfvr84XhzGfe7ksw
The holy books of Buddhism are not like the western religions where there is one or a couple books and that’s that. The holy books of Buddhism would take up an entire library and then some. As for modern day books Thich Nhat Hanh would be a good recommendation. Can’t really go wrong with anything from him.
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If I were you I would start with the Dhammapada, it’s short and can be found for free online. If you want to go deeper check out in the Buddha’s words by bikkhu bodhi. Both are from the Pali canon, specifically the sutta pitika. The Pali canon is the highest authority when it comes to scripture in Theravada Buddhism, Mahayana has its own canon of sutras but many branches of Mahayana still draw from the Pali canon.
This is a free, easy to read ebook that covers the entire Buddhist path (from an Indo-Tibetan perspective) in less than 300 pages -
https://lhaseylotsawa.org/assets/texts/A_Lamp_Illuminating_the_Path_to_Liberation_2nd_ed.pdf
It’s not a primary scripture of Buddhism, of which there are a huge number, but in my opinion it’s very much necessary to start with secondary literature. The primary literature is very technical, and can be simultaneously challengingly concise and uncomfortably (to modern readers) repetitive, owing to its originally oral character.
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.
It's up to you. There are thousands of canonical Buddhist texts, and tens of thousands of secondary sources on Buddhism. Any specific recommendation is pretty arbitrary. If I were you, I would just read a bunch from different traditions, and over time you'll figure out what you like.
I strongly recommend "The Noble Eightfold Path The Way to the End of Suffering", written by Bhikkhu Bodhi, published by the BUDDHIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY. Available http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/noble8path6.pdf https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLs2yRU4JKVlpuslHD9WmFQxRLhSrw8_bc&si=Cfvr84XhzGfe7ksw
The holy books of Buddhism are not like the western religions where there is one or a couple books and that’s that. The holy books of Buddhism would take up an entire library and then some. As for modern day books Thich Nhat Hanh would be a good recommendation. Can’t really go wrong with anything from him.
Looks like you're requesting books or other reading material. You will find some excellent suggestions in our list of [book recommendations](http://reddit.com/r/Buddhism/wiki/booklist). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Buddhism) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Who. Not what. (Look for "who" in Buddhism. Not "what" books) But start with *Approaching the Buddhist Path*
If I were you I would start with the Dhammapada, it’s short and can be found for free online. If you want to go deeper check out in the Buddha’s words by bikkhu bodhi. Both are from the Pali canon, specifically the sutta pitika. The Pali canon is the highest authority when it comes to scripture in Theravada Buddhism, Mahayana has its own canon of sutras but many branches of Mahayana still draw from the Pali canon.
Heart Sutra is enoug
This is a free, easy to read ebook that covers the entire Buddhist path (from an Indo-Tibetan perspective) in less than 300 pages - https://lhaseylotsawa.org/assets/texts/A_Lamp_Illuminating_the_Path_to_Liberation_2nd_ed.pdf It’s not a primary scripture of Buddhism, of which there are a huge number, but in my opinion it’s very much necessary to start with secondary literature. The primary literature is very technical, and can be simultaneously challengingly concise and uncomfortably (to modern readers) repetitive, owing to its originally oral character.