[sesame]

Which Book to read?
Bordo Thodol will appear gibberish.
Dhammapada is too vast.
Jataka stories are all about moral values, cleverly narrated.

Find something about Vipassana meditation instead. Its easy and direct and the substance of Dhammapada and the real teaching of Buddha.
The flowery branches of Buddhism... Hinayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana came much later. The essencial teaching of Buddha is Yogic Meditation. For the first 500 years after Buddha's passing, there were no images of Buddha. Buddha forbade ritual worship. He said, "Follow the enlightened path and become Buddha yourself!" But knowledge comes with hard practice. And common people only wanted to worship the Enlightened One, not become Him! So after 500 years of referring Buddha as images of Bodhi tree, or the Ladder, or with symbols, finally his image was carved out of stone. And the era of ritual worship began in Buddhism. Gradually in Vajrayana Buddhism, the whole religion became ridden with numerous Deities, yabyum and Tantric rituals! Rituals are representatives of the difficult yogic accomplishments. Then came rituals that represented preceding rituals... gradually the rituals lost their real meanings! The yogic steps that were the essence, were soon forgotten, replaced by chants and postures and deities that were quite irrelevent!

After the end of the Pala era, the Buddhists who could, took refuge in forests, most wise ones found their way to Tibet (follow the silk route) and the rest were either killed or converted to Islam. Bihar, which was the main seat of Buddhism, became a killing ground for the Buddhists. The famous Nalanda University was burnt to ashes. The Islamic word "Booth-Parasti" meaning "Idol worship" was coined during this period by the conquerors. "Booth" means "Buddha". The monasteries were lavishly decorated with idols of Buddha and numerous other deities. The gold hidden in the monasteries were the sought after items. Also, the Hindu Kings turned their backs to the fallen Vajrayana Buddhists. They were fed up with the Tantric sexual orgies and frequent abortions of vajrayana nuns! This resulted in a huge population of social outcasts! 500 years ago, (from now) Sri Chaitanya absorbed them back into the mainstream of the society and this in turn resulted in a sudden increase in the Vaishnava population. Thus Buddhist Vipassana became extinct from India, centuries ago, vanished without trace with the Pala Dynasty. The Buddhists came back later, but the Jem of Vipassana was long lost, only the skeleton of Buddhism remained. Though, I must mention the Buddhist Lamas deep in the Himalayas. They must have retained it somehow.

Ajapa sadhana has always remained with the great Hindu yogis of the Himalayas (another form of Vipassana). Hints are also in the Gita. Chapter 4, verse 29. Sewing up mantras with the inhalation and exhalation is a very ancient technique of the Yogis of yore, even before Patanjali. Recently, Vipassana has reappeared again. Hints about it are scattered in Dhammapada. This wonderful meditation remained hidden among the Buddhists of Thailand for many centuries.

For basics about the spirit, Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Sankhyayoga is a treasure chest. The Upanishads are great too, but there are so many and they are sooo vast. I like Shvetashvatara Upanishad Not only does it describe the Absolute Consciousness, but also gives hints about Yoga in gradual stages. Wisdom without real experience is of no use. So a basic knowledge and consistant practice are both necessary.