/lit/ - Literature

http://www.dhammaweb.net/books/Dr_Walpola_Rahula_What_the_Buddha_Taught.pdf

Here you go, written by a Shri-Lankan Monk who's also the Professor of History and Religions at Northwestern University. It's specifically to teach white kids about Buddhism. And It's not that complicated.

If you are a weaboo or can't read books without pictures, Osamu Tezuka's manga Buddha also gives a good idea, both of the context Buddhism was created under, and the Buddha's teachings. It does a better job of explaining it's religion than most illustrated bible story books.

So why exactly is Dukkha considered a bad thing? I know it usually gets translated as "suffering" but the actual concept seems to be much more complex, including "imperfection" and "impermanence."

What's really wrong with those things? Why would I want to free myself from it? Is it possible to accept all the premises of Buddhism but disagree with the conclusion and decide to remain in a transient and imperfect world?