One of my favorite books is "The World's Religions”, by Huston Smith. Smith was the head of the philosophy department at MIT, and was good friends with the Dalai Lama, dropped acid with Tim Leary, and is about the most interesting person I have read about in a while. He is, in my view, a truly spiritual person. Anyway, he writes a very good understandable section on Buddhism along with other world religions, and is a great read for anyone who is searching. Peace