One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism

This is a phenomenal book. As a very newbie practitioner (3/4 years self taught) of meditation and things Buddhist I find deepening my meditation practice to be challenging because while I fundamentally believe that Buddhism is by far the ultimate “best practices” guidance for spiritual understanding and clarity, translating Eastern practices into something accessible to Western mindsets/sensibilities has always seemed a challenging proposition. Until now. One Dharma unveils a very Western way forward that brings understanding, opportunity, excitement and accessibility to a 2,500 year young spiritual guidance system that shows it is a practice that remains relevant for all people seeking a deeper understanding of meditation and more. One Dharma infuses the seeking of refuge in the Buddha, dharma, and sangha with deeper meaning and understanding that brings excitement and accessibility with a Western tone I find incredibly inspiring. Joseph Goldstein’s deep knowledge and understanding of Buddhism makes this book an accessible and exciting read. I cannot recommend it enough.

This a great review of Buddhist teachings. It gives practical advice on how to accept reality and deal with adversity. It also explains how Buddhism can be blended and applied to Western philosophies. I found the book very illuminating and helpful.

As someone who has been involved in "western" Buddhism since the 70s I don't get the "One Dharma" idea. The whole point of Western Buddhism is diversity. Still it's a good read and will help the reader, hopefully, to understand Buddhism in the West, at least as the author sees it.

This is THE book to read if you want a good overview on Western Buddhism. Clear, and concise. I found the chapter on Lovingkindness to be most helpful in his explanation of Relative truth compared to Ultimate truth. We have had long discussions in our sanga about "self" and "no self." To help us understand this complex thought he illustrates a moment in a movie theater in which we are completely involved with the story on the screen.Our emotions are tied up with what's going on there. Yet, if we look up and focus on the beam of light projecting those images we realize that there is nothing really happening on the screen at all except for the play of light and color. Yet, when we are involved with the story it feels very real. On a relative level we are involved with our stories. On an ultimate level it's all a play of momentary, changing elements.

Often times as I Buddhist practitioner, I second-guess myself. Wondering if there is a better tradition - like Zen versus Tibetan versus theravodan. This book helps me see there are different ways to practice wisdom

Joseph Goldstein provides us with his experience and insights into the various traditions of Buddhism and the different paths to illumination, creating a beautiful narrative that intertwines it all into One Dharma. A pearl for those who are already familiar with the author and maybe even more for the ones that are not.

The content of the book is excellent. Can't go wrong with Joseph Goldstein, one of the grandfathers of American Buddhism. My rating is for the condition of the book. Seller said it may contain some highlighting or writing. Well, it was filled with highlighting, drawings, and tons of underling along with a to-do list written on the inside back page. It was so distracting I almost bought a brand new copy and was going to throw this one away. Instead I applied the practice of "being with things as they are." And used this as a lesson in aversion, desire, and wanting things to be a certain way. As Ajahn Sumedo says, "Right now it's like this."

I truly enjoy the writings of Joseph Goldstein. This book encouraged me to explore the idea that all Buddhist traditions are skillful means from which to draw wisdom and that western buddhism is a vivid example of a thriving community that aims to share the values of these ancient traditions and apply them to make a difference in how we live.

Schoenes Buch: clear and enriching !!! Ich kann es nur empfehlen um den Vergleich zwischen den verschiedenen Schulen ein biaschen naeher zu kommen.

I'm not a buddhist but there is so much sense in this book that it doesn't make sense to not be a buddhist! There is so much depth to this book that I know I will return to it again and again. If there was more 'lovingkindness' in the World it would be a much better place.

Excellent read covering the fundamentals of Buddhist philosophy and practice, in addition to the differing views among traditions with a wonderful explanation on how to interpret and understand the differences.

Reading this book has been a life changing experience for me. The author provides great insights into the different schools of buddhism and offers an amazing perspective on integrating and benefiting from the different teachings. It’s a truly enjoyable read.

Very clear, thoughtful and sensitively written exploration of what lies at the heart of and common to the many strands of Buddhism, East and West, and the practical application of this to our lives