Icon Books (UK), Totem
Books (USA). Written
by Jane Hope, Illustrated / designed by Borin Van Loon
"It is
exceptionally
entertaining, brilliantly written and illustrated."(See
Reviews below)
Meditation, Karma, Zen, Tantric, Nirvana - these are
some of the many
Buddhist
ideas that have entered our Western popular idiom, usually
inappropriately.
What is the truth of Buddhism, its history and variety of practices?
This
vast and complex non-theistic religion is woven into the fabric of
Asian
civilizations from India to the Himalayan regions, China, Vietnam,
Korea,
Japan and elsewhere.
Introducing Buddha
describes the life and teachings of the
Buddha.
Author Jane Hope, who has herself taught Buddhism extensively, also
shows
that enlightenment is a matter of experiencing the truth individually
and
by inspiration which is passed from the teacher to the student. The
book
illuminates this process through a rich legacy of stories and explains
the
practices of meditation, Taoism and Zen. It goes on to describe the
role
of buddhism in modern Asia and its growing influence on Western thought.
Introducing Eastern Philosophy
provides an interesting
companion-piece.
Cover for original edition of Introducing
Buddha by Borin Van Loon
This was my third book in the
Icon Beginners series. After 'Darwin'
had
formed one of the four relaunched titles in 1992, followed by Steve
Jones'
'Genetics', Buddha gave me a chance to attend to the more spiritual
side.
My main approach to drawing Buddha was to make him a cypher, an
everyman.
There are many Buddhas and his earthly existence is a constantly
reworked
myth, so he should be largely faceless as a comic book character. In
this
way he walked through all his early, life-changing experiences enabling
us to impose our own interpretations on his actions and impulses. The
initial
letter of each heading in this book is represented by the appropriate
engraved
'deaf and dumb' hand signal to echo the significant gestures of some
Buddhist
monks.
Reviews
Stumbling into the
Buddha in Brooklyn. I have always found it interesting when
books seem to randomly, perhaps auspiciously, find their way into my
life. I find it particularly interesting when these books are dharma
books. I am sure many of you out there have experienced this as well,
but occasionally it is as if we do not find certain teachings, but they
find us.
A few days ago, while walking my dog, I found myself straying from the
usual route and before long, the two of us were taking a long walk
through the streets of Brooklyn. Brooklyn is a fascinating, complex,
and vast borough, and I have always loved the fact that no matter how
long I live there, I can still discover neighborhoods I've never seen
before. On one block I came across an old man selling books out of a
milk crate. Most all were novels save an old, beat-up copy of
Introducing Buddha, a short illustrated introduction to Buddhism
written by Jane Hope and illustrated by Borin Van Loon. Five minutes
and five dollars later I found myself sitting on neareby steps reading
while my dog caught his breath in the shade. As I read I quickly
noticed that beyond it's comic-book charm, it contained some
surprisingly pithy and well-written descriptions. Here are a few pages
from it: On lineage and knowledge:On
Mahayana: On absolute and relative truth:On
Buddhism in "The West":
Review on tricycle website, July 15, 2010 (http://www.tricycle.com/blog/stumbling-buddha-brooklyn)
I am so smitten by
your work. Introducing Buddha is the work of yours that I
have around my house. My 5-yr-old regularly picks it up and hands
it to me. She looks at the pictures with me and wants to talk
about them all. Of course, us mature minds find many
rational reasons to appreciate it as well :) Thank you, and have a
beautiful day. Michelle McGee
Dear Mr Borin!! My
name is Mark Nemirovsky.I was born in the Soviet
Unuon,emmigrated in the Israel in 1985,work here like caretaker.I
certainly was Budda in one of my past lifes,
and I want to say.that real name of Budda was Hautama,but Sidartha is
the name of his father. like Sid of Mark Twain in the book "Tom
Soyer".I very like your illustrations to the book "Budda": the portrait
of mother Budda Mayadevi,the portrait of Vimalakirti(like Usama Ben
Ladan)...
Thank You for wonderfull illustrations to the book about Budda.
I really liked this
book on Buddhism, and I have to say, I'm not usually a fan of
graphic novels and the like. It's a comprehensive little volume, with
brief, illustrated blurbs on Buddhist history and practice. I felt like
I got a lot out of it and will be keeping it around for reference. The
illustrations are really something, sometimes I feel like they do a
better job of illustrating the concept than the copy, although the
writing is really good, too. Hope, I think, does a fine job of
distilling some of these more escoteric concepts and making them easier
for a Western audience to digest. She also hand-picks stories from the
tradition to punctuate her points. There's a short, annotated
bibliography at the end of the book. I would highly recommend this to
anyone interested in learning more about Buddhism, I really enjoyed it.
Litchick (May 27, 2011). www.goodreads.com
Presented in the style of a 'Horrible
History' book, with large illustrations dominating the page and
nuggets of choice information dotted about the page in easily
digestable bites, I thought I could read this book and reinforce my
basic knowledge of Buddhism whilst filling in any gaps I might have.
Unfortunately, I never finished the book. Despite each page or double
page being devoted to a different subject, I found the different
sections of text so disjointed I found it hard to take anything in.
Given that many Buddhist speakers will talk for hours on end on one
aspect of Buddhism, I'm not convinced the 'short and sweet' approach
works. The text rambles far too much to convay anything but the very
foundations of Buddhism and the life of Buddha and these are covered
within the very first few pages. Amanda (Jan 09, 2009) www.goodreads.com
Interesting concept and lay-out for
discussing one of Humanities largest Religions. It is
essentially a graphic novel with the telling of one interpretation of
the Buddha's enlightenment and certain points of the Buddhist way of
living. Jordan Albright (Jun
25, 2011). www.goodreads.com
If you starting from little more than
scratch and are just curious about Buddhism as a whole. this book is a
great place to start.
from an Email I sent to a friend recommending this book:
'The heavy-stylization has one huge Pro and one minor
“con”. The positive effect is that the narrative is very
conversational and therefore easily understood, the negative is that
you can feel like people think you are reading a children’s book.
(you can decide if this is a bad thing or not for yourself). I read it
in College (5 yrs ago) and it made reading the more extensive or
abstract texts much more accessible.' Johnflynch
(Aug 15, 2008). www.goodreads.com
A really quick overview of the main
ideas and principles behind Buddhism. A great place to start if
you know absolutely nothing about the subject. David
(Nov 04, 2007) www.goodreads.com
Short, cute and fairly honest.
Fast-food reading, but tasty as a snack. Nathan
(Nov 11, 2009) www.goodreads.com
With its distinctive philosopy, its specific
terminology, and its many groups, schools and sects, sorting out the
basics of Buddhism can be somewhat daunting for new-comers... and
no-so-newcomers, too. The books in this section are ones I've found
particularly direct and useful - both for "intellectual" understanding,
and for clear presentations of the heart of Buddhism - how we practice
in everyday life. These are the titles I mention frequently when
someone asks me for suggested "getting started" reading.
My recommendations emphasize books that make an effort to be balanced
and non-sectarian - without diluting the differences between the
various Buddhist paths. I've also leaned toward western Buddhist
teachers - or traditional teachers who have spent considerable time in
the West - because of their familiarity with the perspectives and
issues those of us raised in predominantly Christian cultures may bring
to Buddhist study and practice.
Introducing Buddha by Jane Hope and Borin Van Loon / Paperback
/Published 1994. This is a fun-to-read starter book, loaded with
illustrations and easy on text. It does a nice job of summarizing both
the history of Buddhism and the major schools and practices, giving
newcomers a quick overview and a basic understanding of common Buddhist
terms that have found their way into use in the West. I frequently
suggest this book for those who are curious about Buddhism - a good
choice for your non-Buddhist friends who wonder what you've gotten
yourself into!Uncredited review (http://www.purifymind.com/BuddhismStart.htm)
A concise yet expansive summary of the origin and
development of Buddhism, Introducing Buddha describes the life and
teachings of the Buddha in an easy-to-understand way. Covering a lot of
ground, it approaches its vast subject with little jargon, yet manages
to capture the spirit of the teachings of Siddhartha. Clearly
presented, the graphics have been superbly illustrated in fine line
drawings reminiscent of a comic book, giving this book a light-hearted
feel to what is considered somewhat dense, philosophical subject
matter. This results in easy and efficient learning. You’ll learn
all about the Buddha history, traditions, culture, and philosophy and
the many experiences of sudden enlightenments and flashes of epiphany,
as well as the practices of meditation, Taoism and Zen. It goes on to
describe the role of Buddhism in modern Asia and its growing influence
on Western thought. Introducing Buddha is a lovely book to get you
started in Buddhism and is deceptively a “great book”
despite it’s small format – don’t write it off!
(http://completeyoga.co.za/2011/04/introducing-buddha)
I don't like the illustrations.. it's
scary
^^;; (3 stars. Qonita) www.goodreads.com
So cool, so fun, leave it in your bathroom! Seriously! (5 stars.
Heidi) www.goodreads.com
Good intro to Buddha and Buddhism. The best I have read out of
four or five intros to the subject. Describes the life and teachings of
the Buddha. This book also shows that enlightenment is a matter of
experiencing the truth individually and by inspiration which is passed
from teacher to student. It illuminates this process through several
stories and explains the practices of meditation, Taoism and Zen. (5
stars. Neonsolid Solidia) www.goodreads.com
If you starting from little more than scratch and are just curious
about Buddhism as a whole. this book is a great place to start. From
an Email I sent to a friend recommending this book: 'The
heavy-stylization has one huge Pro and one minor “con”. The
positive effect is that the narrative is very conversational and
therefore easily understood, the negative is that you can feel like
people think you are reading a children’s book. (you can decide
if this is a bad thing or not for yourself)'. I read it in College (5
yrs ago) and it made reading the more extensive or abstract texts much
more accessible. (5 stars. Johnflynch) www.goodreads.com
A wonderful book! Fantastically illustrated, it is amazingly
concise and interesting! Jane Hope seems to have solid scholarship
behind her ideas and the illustrator makes everything very clear and
easy to understand (and, often, quite hilarious!) It is true, as
previous reviews said, that it is more about Buddhism than Buddha. But
you do get the historical and cultural history of Siddhartha Gautama,
who becomes known as the Buddha, as well as introductions to kharma,
dharma, tantra, taoism and many other intriguing aspects of Buddha's
legacy:-) (5 stars. Ryan) www.goodreads.com
... If only we could put our worry aside – a
recent Sunday Times report (13 Sep 09) reported that a drug that will
wipe out troubling memories has just been developed; but a chemically
induced fug doesn’t really seem to be the answer for any of
life’s problems. Maybe a little mind-training to be in the
‘present’, such as with T’ai Chi, would help; Jane
Hope and Borin Van Loon in ‘Buddha for Beginners’ put it
very nicely:
"We are pre-occupied with the past, which has already happened,
and we are pre-occupied about the future, which does not yet exist. We
worry about what will happen and we think about various things that
make us feel anxious, frustrated, passionate, angry, resentful, afraid.
While we are so preoccupied, our awareness of the here-and-now slips by
and we hardly notice its passing. We eat without tasting, we look
without seeing and live without ever perceiving what is real."
Here it may be interesting to see how a couple of aspects of the
above relate to a wider context. Take the concept of
‘stuckness’ in body and mind, for instance, which results
from a Spleen imbalance; and then link it to the
‘connectedness’ felt from well-balanced Lungs. If you
are ‘stuck’ to something, then you are
‘attached’ to it. So to follow the mantra in
T’ai Chi and Buddhist circles, etc, to ‘connect, not
attach’ (both physically and mentally), then you will nourish
both your Spleen and Lungs and greatly benefit the creation and
maintenance of your Qi. ... (Extracted from The Autumn of our
Yearsby Metta on Wed 14 Oct 2009.
http://blog-nca.chinese-medicine.co.uk/)
This one is a lot of fun,
a quick read, and you'll be surprised
how
much genuine information you'll get from it. It's one of those
illustrated
graphic texts, done by the same people who did the series of books like
Freud for Beginners, Marxism for Beginners, etc. ("...for Beginners"
has now been changed to "Introducing...") The illustrations by
van Loon are just that: Looney retro-interpretations that can be fun,
illuminating
and downright hilarious in places. And Jane Hope does an excellent job
of
giving the meat of an overview of Buddhism. Starting from its
historical
beginning with Siddharta/Shakyamuni Buddha, she goes through it's
progression
through the east in China, Indonesia, Korea, Japan and then the modern
West,
the different flavors of the teachings that emerged from each culture,
how
each reflect a different aspect of the same basic teaching, and their
reflections
in Modern Western Thought. Bet you never thought you'd get all that
from
a book full of cartoons. (http://home.earthlink.net/~faddahwolf/readings.html)
A
book true to its name. A book
that gives you a brief idea
on
Buddah's teaching, his life, and development of the religion. Briefs of
the schools of religion that follow the same teaching are also
provided.
Good overall picture given on the links between the original teaching
and
the later development of the religion. You can definitely understand
more
about the relationships between the original teaching and the
subsequent
development and branches of Buddhism after reading the book. A simply
delightful
and simple read. (5 stars. A reader from Hong Kong)
This is a fun-to-read starter
book, loaded with illustrations
and
easy on text. It does a nice job of summarizing both the history of
Buddhism
and the major schools and practices, giving newcomers a quick overview
and
a basic understanding of common Buddhist terms that have found their
way
into use in the West. I frequently suggest this book for those who are
curious
about Buddhism - a good choice for your non-Buddhist friends who wonder
what you've gotten yourself into! (www.khandro.com/bookstore/check.gif
(Bodhisatdva
Bookstore))
I recommend this fully
illustrated book to those who
would
simply
like to know who the Buddha was, what Buddhism is, and what the basic
differences
between the main Buddhist traditions are. (R.C. Toonen, eNtRopY site)
Remarkably informative and
readable 'cartoon' book. (Amida
Trust
- Sheffield)
Excellent Introduction to
Buddhism. If you want a concise
yet
accurate
summary of the origin and development of Buddhism, this is the book to
buy.
The text is easy to understand, and the book covers a lot of ground on
the
subject without using a lot of jargon. The illustrations are vivid and
often
humorous. A lot of people have misconceptions of what Buddhism really
is;
this book will help you understand the true spirit of the teachings of
Siddhartha.
It's a lot different than what you may have thought! Rating: 5 (http://www.anybook4less.com/detail/1840460768.html)
This
is the best book on Buddhism I've seen.
It's very
concise,
clear and enjoyable to read. The graphics are quite entertaining as
well.
This is the most readable and understandable book you will find on
Buddha's
teachings.' Charles S., a college student in Tennessee, February 5,
2001,
5stars.(http://search.barnesandnoble.com)
If
you want a concise yet accurate summary
of the origin and
development of Buddhism, this is the book to buy. The text is easy to
understand,
and the book covers a lot of ground on the subject without using a lot
of
jargon. The illustrations are vivid and often humorous. A lot of people
have misconceptions of what Buddhism really is; this book will help you
understand the true spirit of the teachings of Siddhartha. It's a lot
different
than what you may have thought! (http://www.fetchbook.info)
..."Introducing Buddha" by Jane Hope and Borin Van Loon, an excellent
little intro to the history of
Buddhist traditions and practice. I
would
be happy to lend it to anyone. (http://www.nonsensical.com/work/development/buddha/)
Review
by UK guest 11th Feb 2004
User Ratings: Value for money
10/10 Overall rating
10/10
A book that gives you a breif idea on buddah's teaching, his life, and
development
of the the religion. Briefs of the schools of religion that follow the
same
teaching are also provided. Good overall picture given on the links
between
the original teaching and the later development of the religion. You
can
definitely understand more about the relationships between the original
teaching and the subsequent development and branches of buddah after
reading
the book. A simply delightful and simple read.
Recommended: Yes (http://www.reviewcentre.com/review70591.html)
Introducing Buddha
is the
first of
its kind to combine Jane
Hope’s brilliant literature
perfectly with the simple yet entertaining illustrations of Borin Van
Loon. Buddhism is one of the oldest, and least understood religious
practices still in existence today. Its sudden spread to the western
world has given rise to many books on the subject of meditation and
tantric executions. Very few give anywhere near the scope and essential
truth of Introducing Buddha. By a description of historical structure
and the spread of Buddhism, even beginners to Buddhism can clearly
understand complex concepts and ideas that are made difficult by
obscure texts and specific reference to little known idioms. This
modern original can be read time after time and something new will
always be learned. It is exceptionally entertaining, brilliantly
written and illustrated.
Reviewed by Lydia, 12th grade
(http://lsnhs.leesummit.k12.mo.us/fpentlin/HomePageNew/What'sNew/Read/Books.htm)
A simple
introduction. This review is of Introducing Buddha
(Introducing...) (Paperback)
This book is a good and easy to read summary. Of course any summary is
bound to be an over-simplification.
The illustrations are the weakest point. For some reason the
illustrator of this book gives the Buddha open eyes, which is atypical.
May be he is worried that the usual lidded-eye Buddha will not engage
the reader.
Also the choice of images are not always apt. An image of the Earth
Goddess washing her hair to sweep away Mara, his daughters and his
demons thus rescuing the Buddha is shown as if the Earth Goddess is one
of the lascivious temptresses. By "billhoad", 26 April 2005
Introducing...
Buddha - a graphic guide
On
Mahayana: 
On
Buddhism in "The West": 