[Buddha-l] Literature written by the Buddha

[alx437 at charter.net]

    Dear Cameron, 
      Bearing in mind that we have no verifiably authentic writings from the historical Buddha, any more than we have such material for our old pal Jesus, I would recommend the following works for someone who wants to get a fairly good general idea of the nature of Buddhist teachings in what is probably fairly close to their earliest distinct form: 
_What the Buddha Taught_, Walpola Rahula
_Theravada Buddhism_, Richard Gombrich
_Thus Have I Heard_, Maurice Walshe
      Others may have different preferences, but I hope none will express strong disagreement with these. In Mahayana, as has been mentioned, the concept of Buddha is redefined, so that the product of any enlightened consciousness is regarded as the work of the Buddha. 
     If this is helpful, that is fine. If not, forget about it. 

              All the best,     Alex Naughton