i'm looking for...

[Zenshin 善心]

greetings peeps, long time no see. hope your all fine and dandy. myself, i just moved to Japan three months ago and am now half an hour's train ride away from Shogyoji Temple and my master's master

i'm looking for a bit of help book wise and thought here would be a good place to enquire. two things i'm looking for - a good introduction to Tibetan Buddhism, not too light but not too heavy, covering the different schools and practices (but not in a "how to" manner). second - a comparison of the different Mahayana schools, similarities and differences, including Jodo if possible. and there's a caveat - preferrably available on kindle. cheers.

[Mr. G]

greetings peeps, long time no see. hope your all fine and dandy. myself, i just moved to Japan three months ago and am now half an hour's train ride away from Shogyoji Temple and my master's master

I'm very jealous. Japan is the next place I'd like to take a vacation.

two things i'm looking for - a good introduction to Tibetan Buddhism, not too light but not too heavy, covering the different schools and practices (but not in a "how to" manner).

"Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism" by John Powers (on kindle)
Chapter 7 of "Buddhist Thought: A Complete Introduction to the Indian Tradition" by Paul Williams/Anthony Tribe (on kindle)
The Crystal and the Way of Light: Sutra, Tantra and Dzogchen by Chogyal Namkhai Norbu (on kindle)

second - a comparison of the different Mahayana schools, similarities and differences, including Jodo if possible. and there's a caveat - preferrably available on kindle.

"Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations" by Paul Williams (on kindle)

For 2 good books discussing the differences in Pure Land traditions:

"The Pure Land Tradition: History and Development (Berkeley Buddhist Studies)" - James Harlan Foard (Author, Editor), Michael Solomon (Editor), Richard K. Payne (Editor)
"Shinran's Gospel of Pure Grace" by Alfred Bloom

[Mr. G]

In return, you need to post pics of Yugyo-ji Temple

[Zenshin 善心]

thanks Mr G, I'll check out "The Crystal and the Way of Light". i read William's "Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations" a year or two back and while i enjoyed the overview of the different traditions it doesn't really fit the comparative approach i'm after from what i remember.

In return, you need to post pics of Yugyo-ji Temple

will Komyozenji and Sofukuji do for the time being? -

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sweepingle ... 669298406/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sweepingle ... 173594515/

[Mr. G]

i read William's "Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations" a year or two back and while i enjoyed the overview of the different traditions it doesn't really fit the comparative approach i'm after from what i remember.

I think I understand what you're looking for. Perhaps "Vision of Buddhism: The Space Under the Tree" by Professor Roger Corless (kindle) would be useful. He passed away a couple of years ago and was a former Jodo Shinshu practitioner. Very broad book covering Theravada, Zen, Pure Land and Vajrayana. His take on Dzogchen is wrong from what others have advised me, but overall a very fun and good book.

will Komyozenji and Sofukuji do for the time being? -

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sweepingle ... 669298406/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sweepingle ... 173594515/

Beautiful! Thanks!