Buddhism Plain and Simple The book Buddhism Plain and Simple, by Steve Hagen, caught my attention and became more interesting to me than I thought. I have always heard of the religion Buddhism, but I never knew what it was all about. I never thought that Buddhism was as huge as it is. I knew that it existed in other countries, but I never knew what exact countries. Many of the views in this book surprised me and the book taught me a lot about morals and better ways to live your life. The word Awareness is talked heavily all through this book. For Buddhists, this is probably the most important aspect in their religion.Unlike the other books I have read, this book left out a lot of elements like ritual, prayer, clothing, and all of the trappings of religion. I really do not agree with this part of the book. I find this part of religion interesting and I was looking forward to reading and learning about it. I am still not disappointed, but I would have liked the book better if it was expressed.I never knew that, Buddhism is sometimes called a non historical religion. In other words, it does not tell a story of creation, or speculate that we are heading toward a heaven or afterlife of some kind (p.10). For me it is hard to imagine not believing in any of this like people who practice Buddhism do. It is difficult to understand how they might see where they will be when they die. I look forward to being in heaven after I live and complete my life. I could not imagine dying and not having any kind of afterlife. I know that one day when I die I will see all the people that died who I love and dearly miss. I had a best friend die and I cannot wait to be with him after I die.One view of Buddhism that I strongly agree with is awareness. Buddhism believes you should be conscious of reality; know what life is, and live life to the fullest. Its about examining and exploring the most basic questions of life (p 3). This idea sounds accurate in m...
