An Introduction to the doctrine of Theravada Buddhism for those who have no previous knowledge. The four noble Truths - suffering - the origin of suffering - the cessation of suffering - and the way leading to the end of suffering - are explained as a philosophy and a practical guide which can be followed in today's world.

The author has a deep authoritative background and has already had several books on the Abhidhamma (higher teaching) published. This book explains the Buddhist doctrine in a straightforward manner but does not shy away from the 'depth, subtlety and difficulty' of the original teaching. Contains 50 quotations from the original Pali texts.

Buddha's Path, Nina van Gorkom, Zolag, Paperback, 130 pp, $15.00

Nina van Gorkom was born in 1928 to a family of socialist intellectuals. Her father was a member of the Dutch parliament. She studied at Leyden University and during this time she became a Catholic. In 1952, she married Lodewijk van Gorkom, a Dutch diplomat. In 1965, Lodewijk was posted to Thailand and Nina started learning the Thai language. She took a keen interest in Buddhism, attending classes for foreigners at Wat Mahathat. There she met, in the summer of 1966, Sujin Boriharnwanaket. Impressed by the profundity of the Buddhist teachings, she became convinced of the truth of the Buddha's words and later assisted Khun Sujin in discussions about Buddhism for Thai radio stations. These talks were later published as Buddhism in Daily Life, her first book. Nina and Lodewijk left Thailand in 1970 and lived in Japan, New York, Indonesia (where Lodewijk was the Dutch ambassador) and Austria. Lodewijk retired in 1990 and she now lives in The Hague in Holland. Nina's writings are well-known amongst English speaking Buddhists, and she is highly respected in Thailand where several of her books have been translated into the Thai language with (after many reprints) over one hundred thousand copies now. Her books have also been translated in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Nepal, China, Vietnam and Germany.

CONTENTS: Buddha's Path
Preface		iii
1	Introduction	1
2	The Truth of suffering	15
3	The Truth of non-self	27
4	The mind	43
5	Deeds and their results	57
6	A wholesome life	73
7	Mental development	91
8	The eightfold Path	109
9	Pali Glossary	127
A	Appendix	129