That book is supposed to be an answer to the Christian gospels: it’s made by a Pure Land temple but doesn’t actually focus on Pure Land teachings, instead, it takes a words-of-the-founder approach so as to make sense for people coming from a Protestant background.
The thing is, much of Buddhism just isn’t focused on early texts or Gautama Buddha—he plays a comparatively small role in many Mahayana or Vajrayana traditions, and isn’t necessarily venerated above other Buddhas.
Excerpts from the Tripitaka (the early Buddhist scripture this book is based on) also won’t provide social and cultural context or explain actual Buddhist practice. Wikipedia would actually be a better resource in my opinion.
That book is supposed to be an answer to the Christian gospels: it’s made by a Pure Land temple but doesn’t actually focus on Pure Land teachings, instead, it takes a words-of-the-founder approach so as to make sense for people coming from a Protestant background.
The thing is, much of Buddhism just isn’t focused on early texts or Gautama Buddha—he plays a comparatively small role in many Mahayana or Vajrayana traditions, and isn’t necessarily venerated above other Buddhas.
Excerpts from the Tripitaka (the early Buddhist scripture this book is based on) also won’t provide social and cultural context or explain actual Buddhist practice. Wikipedia would actually be a better resource in my opinion.
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