Most renowned and or popular book on Buddhism?

What is the most renowned and or popular book on the teachings and beliefs of Buddhism? I am looking for something extensive, well written, and most important accurate.

think I must have fallen in love with the pod or something, or more likely it's possible that we were all under some sort of mind control ---we were "told" what we were seeing--so our brains made corrections, ALLOWANCES--maybe we are far more suggestible than we are aware of.

Kingdom of the cults by walter martin...

Great book..

I don't know about extensive and accurate, but Siddhartha by Herman Hesse is a good read.

Go straight to the horse's mouth- proverbially speaking. You can check out Sutras from your local library, such as the Diamond Sutra, the Lotus Sutra, the Amithaba Sutra, &c.

One of the best introductory book of Buddhism at http://www.mediafire.com/?d5mz5dztnm4#1

if you need an UN believable but a true story of a 20Th century spiritual worrier , please read http://www.forestdhammabooks.com/index.p?

it is very important to listen to many dramatics given by renowned monks too,
http://www.abhayagiri.org/main/media_more/C14
http://www.dhammaloka.org.au/downloads/i?
http://www.what-buddha-taught.net/audio_?

Please follow this link and listen to meditation advices. These are immensely helpful. You can even listen to questions asked by mediators and Answers.

http://www.dhammaloka.org.au/downloads/itemlist/category/50-november-2010.html?start=10

You can download some useful talks over here.
http://www.justbegood.net/Downloads.htm

http://mettarefuge.wordpress.com/meditation/

You can download many books on meditation in PD format here.
http://personnellement.net/ajahn-brahm-pdf-1.html

This is one of the best books on meditation, written in simple English worthwhile buying.
http://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-Bliss-Beyond-Meditators-Handbook/dp/0861712757

Hope this might be helpful in some way......

So do you want something renowned and popular or something extensive, well, written, and accurate. The two are not the same.

The straws are rather extensive, but if you want to know what the historical Buddha taught then I would recommend:

Life of the Buddha by Bhikkhu Nanamoli which covers the Buddha's life and most important discourses using translated passages from the Pali Canon.

In the Buddha's Words by Bhikkhu Bodhi which also uses passages from the Pali Canon to cover the Buddha's life and teachings.

Basic Teachings of the Buddha by Glenn Wallis

The Dhammapada by Glenn Wallis

For the Mahayana I would recommend Faces of Compassion by Taigen Daniel Leighton as an excellent overview of the way of the Bodhisattva's.

Also, some other on line sources were provided but I didn't see this one:

www.accesstoinsight.org

Namu Myoho Renge Kyo,
Ryuei

Tibetan Buddhism uses the Lam Rim as their textbook. This is the copy that my teacher (a Tibetan, a monk, a geisha, from the Dalai Lama's monastery) uses at our Center for beginner and intermediate classes:
http://www.amazon.com/Liberation-Palm-Your-Hand-Enlightenment/dp/0861715004/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1298990670&sr=1-3

"What The Buddha Taught: By: Dr Walpola Rahula- is an excellent book of Buddhism. Here is a review of the book: http://calitreview.com/184

*"Buddhism For Beginners" By: Thubten Chodron - teaches the Essence of Buddhism, the Life of The Buddha, Love and Compassion, Purification, and Analytical Meditation, Impermanence and Suffering, Selflessness, Karma: the Functioning of Cause and Effect, Science/Creation/Rebirth, The Buddhist Traditions {IE: Theravada, Mahayana, Pure Land, Zen, Vajrayana, etc.), Steps Along the Path, Working With Emotions, Dharma in Everyday Life, Women and The Dharma, Family & Children, Spiritual Teachers, and Prayers and Rituals. She also has an excellent sequel to this book Called "Open Heart, Clear Mind",

Buddhanet contains a self-study course on Buddhism based on the Historical Buddha, His Teachings, and Buddhist History & Culture: http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/index.htm and Buddhan's E-books provides excellent resources to read about Buddhism..

"What Buddha Taught" http://what-buddha-taught.net/ contains teachings from Buddhist teachers sush as: Thich Nhat Hanh, Ajahn Chah, Bhikkhu Thanissaro, Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda, Ayya Khema, Ajahn Brahmavamso, and many more Buddhist Teachers.

A couple books on Meditation, which may be helpful.

*'"Mindfulness in Plain English" - By: Henepola Gunaratana - is a how to manuel on the practice of Mindfulness Meditation - covering how to meditate, what to do with your body, what to do with your mind, dealing with distractions during meditation, what the difference is between mindfulness and concentration, the practice of loving-kindness meditation and mindfulness in everyday life:
http://www.vipassana.com/meditation/

"Beginning Mindfulness: Learning The Way of Awareness" - a ten week course. By: Andrew Weiss - teaches Mindfulness of Breathing, Walking Meditation, Tonglin: the Art of Practicing Compassion, Lovingkindness Meditation, Mindfulness Meditation and Mindfulness in Everyday Life.

Best Wishes to you in your Buddhist Studies and your meditation practice.

If you want something readable as an introduction, I would recommend the wonderfully poetic prose biography on the historical Buddha, "Old Path, White Clouds" by the famous Vietnamese Zen monk Thich Nhat Hanh. He is a very popular contemporary Zen master from Vietnam, and in this beautiful book he draws on material from both the Theravada and the Mahayana texts and traditions: http://www.wisdom-books.com/ProductDetail.asp?PID=10236

If you want something extensive and profoundly authentic, I would point you to the Tibetan 14Th century master Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism (the tradition the Dalai Lama belongs to). He was probably the brightest of all Tibetan masters, equally profound in philosophy and in tartaric practice. His work was a grand synthesis of all the prevalent traditions of Buddhism in Tibet, taking the best from each of them, and combining with a more clear emphasis on the Indian roots, ethics and the monastic life: http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/en/archives/approaching_buddhism/teachers/lineage_masters/short_biography_lama_tsongkhapa.html
His most important book, the Lamrim Chenmo (Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment) is often said to be the most important book ever written in Tibet, systematically covering the whole way from now to enlightenment and full buddhahood: http://www.wisdom-books.com/ProductDetail.asp?PID=8888

If you want a more modern commentary on this classic, you could choose one (or several) of these three:
A unique, ninety years old oral commentary from Tibet by the the main teacher of the main teachers of the Dalai Lama, written down by one of his main students (who was later to become one of the two main teachers of the Dalai Lama): http://www.wisdom-books.com/ProductDetail.asp?PID=14954
The extensive commentary (in so far three volumes) by one of the greatest Tibetan masters alive today: http://www.wisdom-books.com/ProductDetail.asp?PID=14830
A more popularly written commentary by a young, gifted Tibetan lama living in the US: http://www.wisdom-books.com/ProductDetail.asp?PID=14777