Introducing Buddhism Course

By Mike Horne

Introduction

The web pages contain some of the course notes from the Introducing Buddhism and Further Studies in Buddhism courses that I run for the University of Hull, Centre for Lifelong Learning. There are also some articles that I have written on aspects of Buddhism, some suggested reading and some of my thoughts on Buddhism.

But I must make a few points clear about the course/web-pages:

The course is ABOUT Buddhism. It is not a Buddhist teaching. Although I am a practising Buddhist my aim is not to convert you to Buddhism, nor to convert other Buddhists to my favourite form of Buddhism, but to present some facts about Buddhism and Buddhist teachings in a helpful and hopefully unbiased way. In fact the Buddha expressly forbade proselytising.

There are several possible reasons why you are interested in finding out more about Buddhism. You may be interested in religions generally, you may be comparing Buddhism with your own religion. You may be interested in oriental cultures, or the "new age". You may have heard about the benefits of meditation or be looking for ways to find a less stressful way of life. Or you may want to become a Buddhist. Well I hope this class will tell you something about Buddhism but it will not make you a Buddhist - to do that you will seek out a meditation group, retreat centre or Buddhist Teacher.

Please understand that I am not a Buddha nor a "Buddhist Teacher". I am not authorised to pass on the Buddhism of a particular tradition nor give individual counselling or advice. I am presenting you with an introduction to Buddhism in general and it is up to you to take it further if you wish.

Please also bear in mind that whilst I try to present an unbiased view of Buddhism, it is my view of Buddhism and influenced by the kinds of Buddhism that I have encountered and tried.

These are notes from the course and not the course itself! You can find out more by attending the classes. But if that is not physically possible then I hope that these pages are helpful to you, as along as you realise that they were not originally intended as a complete web-based form of learning.