Scientology: The Basics versus The Beginning Books

Mr.Pete brought up an excellent point: "I think a little more distinction between the Basic and Beginning books would be helpful rather than just links to them."

"The Basics" are a big deal right now in Scientology. They are mentioned a lot by Scientologists and there have been questions about them in comments on this blog. So I think I'd better clearly explain what they are.

We actually have three things that get talked about:
- The Basics
- The Basic Books
- The Beginning Books

First the word "basic". Here it is being used to mean "most important or essential". It is not being used to mean "elementary: serving as a starting point or minimum". I think some confusion has been caused because the word "basic" has both of these definitions.

The "Basics" are a collection of books and recorded lectures regarded as containing the fundamentals of Scientology and Dianetics. That may not seem significant on first reading, but think about it this way: the Basics are what Scientology is built upon and if you have not studied them then you really don't have a full and complete grasp of what Scientology is.

The "Basic Books" are the books within the the Basics. That is, the books excluding the recorded lectures.

The "Beginning Books" are the books to read to get an introduction to Scientology. They are a sub-set of the Basics and fit the "elementary: serving as a starting point or minimum" definition of the word basic. But to call them "basic" would be really confusing, so we call them the "Beginning Books".

I hope that helps.

Scientology Question: Best way to study the Basics

Andrew S. Doub (a Grateful Dead Fan as you can tell from his chosen screen name) asked:
I am new to Scientology and recently began investigating the church. The nearest mission is about 8 hours away, so I am not in an area where I could go a take a course. I recently purchased the 18 Basic Books and two lecture sets (Professional Course and Clearing Congress). I was wondering, what would be the best way for me to study? I know chronologically reading the books is suggested, but are there any home study courses or study guides I could use? How can I get the most from my time, other than just reading the books?

The best way to do the Basics for someone new is to start with the Scientology Beginning Books and study them at a Church or Mission, but given your situation the next best is to do the Scientology Basics Extension Courses. These are home study courses which will guide you through the books and lectures, plus you have someone that you send your lessons to who can help you with questions, etc.

What I'd suggest is that you contact your nearest Scientology Mission and enroll on the first extension course there. You can find the nearest Mission here: Scientology Global Locator (Mobile version) or Scientology Global Locator (Full version).

Good luck. Tell me how you get on.

Scientology: If you have a holy book, are members encouraged to read it? If so, how often? How do you use this holy book in your life?

Steph asked: If you have a holy book, are members encouraged to read it? If so, how often? How do you use this holy book in your life?

We have a lot of books: Scientology Basic Books. We are definitely encouraged to read them and understand them. There are courses available for every book. Scientologists are encouraged to take those courses and then use those books in their lives. There is no particular requirement to read them often, just to get through the courses so you understand them and can use them in life.

I use the books in most parts of my life. For example: I use the "conditions formulas" from "Introduction to Scientology Ethics" a great deal. Everything is in some sort of condition and these formulas can be applied to improve the condition. So, for example, I wanted to lose weight, so I started on a really grate program (Eat to Live). When my weight went down a little (what I wanted) then I applied the "Normal" formula, when it went up a little (not what I wanted) then I applied the "Emergency" formula. I have now lost 40 lbs and am back at the weight I was in my early 20s :)

Another example is when my wife had a major operation and was in great pain. I gave her Scientology Assists (a form of auditing directed at helping a person recover from physical problems: Scientology Assist ). After a few hours of assists she was able to come off heavy pain killers and next day was able to come off all pain killers.

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Scientology Books - Cost

Sophie said (regarding this post Scientology Materials Guide Chart):
Well in order to buy not even half the materials, here is what my bill came out to be so far: $2,040.00

How come I can read all of the famous writings such as the bible for free in a church but i have to spend up to 2,000 bucks just to get some of the beginning books in Scientology?

Hey Sophie,

Thanks for the question.

First of all, the materials on the Materials Guide Chart are not just the beginning books of Scientology. They are ALL the books and lectures and they range from beginning books to advanced technical books and lectures.

Only someone who is intending to thoroughly study all of Scientology would be buying that much.

I think your confusion could come from the fact that these materials are called "The Basics" but in this case that does not mean "beginning" it means the foundations or fundamentals of the subject. The Basics are all the books and lectures and that is a huge body of knowledge.

Beginning Scientology Books For Free

If you want to read all the beginning books of Scientology, you can do so for free by going to your local library. The Church has been involved in a campaign for a couple of years now to get these books into all libraries throughout the world. I don't know where you live, but I believe that all libraries in Western Europe and North America now have these books.

Also if you wanted to go into a Scientology Church and read the beginning books in the Church library then I don't think anyone would complain.

Cost of getting a basic idea

If you want to get a basic idea of what Scientology is and you want to buy the books rather than go to the library then you can get Scientology: The Fundamentals of Thought for $15 or Scientology: A New Slant on Life for $15. These are brand new editions that have very extensive glossaries, special fonts to make them easier to read, and more.

Checking on Amazon, I see that a new Christian Bible ranges from $9.99 to $26.39, a new Koran goes from $5.59 to $54.50 so I'd say the prices are comparable. (I didn't include Kindle editions.)

Cost of all the beginning books

Now if you want to buy all of the beginning books then there are seven of them and they cost $15 each, which comes to $105. These books don't just tell you about the philosophy of Scientology, they also give you practical things you can do to improve your life and the lives of those around you right here and now.

There is also a beginning book package that contains 7 paperback books, 2 workbooks, 7 audio books (unabridged = 34 CDs) and that comes to $250, which is just under $36 for each book and audio book combination - pretty reasonable for audio books.

You can see all the beginning books and audio books here: Scientology Beginning Books and Audio Books

Cost of the "Basics"

If you intend to study the entirety of Scientology: every book and every lecture ever made, then we are talking millions and millions of printed and spoken words, so obviously it is going to cost a lot more than for seven beginning books.

However, the library project has been putting these materials into libraries too so you can probably find them there also.

Did that answer your question?

Humorous Quote

You may know how poor psychiatrists are at predicting behavior. They have a long history of predicting someone is not dangerous, only to have him go out shortly afterward and commit murder. (John Hinkley is one example. Also see: Eroding Justice: Psychiatry's Corruption of Law)

In fact, predicting human behavior is relatively easy. Just read the book Science of Survival and you'll know an infinite amount more than any psych.

Which brings me to this quote from L. Ron Hubbard:

We expect the fundamentals of behavior
to be complicated simply because
so many highly complicated people
have discussed the subject

How very true!

Dianetics: Personal Stories

Here is a video of people talking about their experiences with Dianetics:

What is a Problem?

A problem consists
of two or more purposes opposed.
It does not matter what problem
you face or have faced,
the basic anatomy of that problem
is purpose-counter-purpose

L. Ron Hubbard from
Scientology: The Fundamentals of Thought

The word "purpose" means "the goal or intended outcome of something" and "the desire or the resolve necessary to accomplish a goal."

A simple example of a problem is that you want to watch "Dollhouse" and your spouse wants to watch "Supernanny". There are two opposed purposes.

Sometimes you have to dig to see the purposes but they are always there. At first the Titanic sinking may not seem to have two opposed purposes, but lets dig a bit. The Titanic wanted to cross a particular patch of ocean but there was an iceberg in the way. You could say the iceberg had the "purpose" to be solid and the Titanic had the purpose to sail through it. There was the problem.

So, go ahead and pick out some problem you have in your life and figure out the opposing purposes. There will be two or more. See if this understanding of what a problem is helps you to solve it.

Tell me what you find.

Question about "Scientology: A History of Man" book

A question about a book:

First of all, Grahame, nice work on the site. There is a lot of useful information here. (Also, I read your profile, and we have similar interests in music. I only recently discovered Symphony X!)

I am not a Scientologist, and can't actually see myself ever becoming one, but I have been researching it lately, just to try to get an idea what it's all about.

Here's my question for you: what is your opinion on Hubbard's book, Scientology: A History of Man? Frankly, it seems (to the non-Scientologist, at least) a little farfetched, e.g. Piltdown Man, clams, etc. I only recently acquired a copy myself, and have only glossed through it so far.

I would just be interested in whatever light you can shed on this interesting book would be appreciated.

Regards,
Cory


Hey Cory,

I'm glad you like the site. Thanks for your question. I'm always ready to answer questions from a fellow music lover :)

First let me say that if you want to get an idea of what Scientology is all about then the Scientology Handbook site is a good place to start. It contains down-to-earth, practical applications of Scientology to everyday life. I'd suggest that as a starting point and then, if you are still interested, go for the Dianetics and Scientology Basic Books.

A History of Man is not going to tell you what Scientology is because that was not its purpose when it was written.

Here is what I know of the book "A History of Man": In the late 1940's Ron Hubbard developed methods to help people remember. He used these methods to alleviate problems caused by past traumas (birth, operations, injuries, etc.). He published the book Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health so he could share his discoveries with others.

As more and more people received Dianetics counseling some began to recall things that had not occurred in their current life. At first these were called "imaginary incidents" and were thought to be false memories caused by the traumas, but it was found that if these incidents were addressed as if they were real and the trauma removed from them, the person got better. When they were treated as imagination and ignored, the person did not get better. So Ron decided to treat them as real and researched further to find out what was really going on.

After a great deal of research with a large number of people Ron found that many people recalled the same or very similar things. The people recalling these same or similar incidents had never met and had never heard of these things before, yet they recalled them from their own viewpoint.

Ron's eventual conclusion was that these were incidents that people were recalling from past-lives. He published his initial findings in the book "History of Man".

The book was meant for experienced Dianetics and Scientology practitioners who had encountered past-lives while counseling others. It was aimed at helping them understand what they were encountering and at helping them help others. It is not a beginning or introductory book.

The couple of things you mention from the book in your question are actually very unimportant and got put in merely so practitioners would know what they were encountering if they came across them. They get a very brief mention in the book and were not deeply researched.

For someone who has never encountered past-lives, the book might appear pretty wild in places, but if you have experience with past-lives, either with your own or with those of people you have counseled, then it doesn't seem that wild at all.

I hope that answers your question. Feel free to ask any more that you may have.

Scientology Materials Guide Chart

You can get a free Scientology Materials Guide Chart (click here: Dianetics and Scientology Materials). The Guide Chart shows you everything that is available to study in Dianetics and Scientology and the sequence in which it should be studied.

For beginning books that I recommend, just look at my side-bar, or click here: Basic Scientology Books.

Scientology & Dianetics Holiday Catalog

It is easy to buy Dianetics and Scientology Books this holiday season. Everything is available online. A fellow blogger posted this great article giving all the data and links you need to find what you want:

2008 Scientology & Dianetics Holiday Catalog « Scientology Organizations Around the World

You may notice that I also have some links to basic and intro books in my right-hand sidebar, just in case you want to go directly. If you want to browse you can click the link to the article or you can try this one: Scientology Books.

Life as a Game

When one is mired down in the sometimes titanic struggle of existence, he is apt to discount the fact that there is joy in living.
L. Ron Hubbard from the book The Problems of Work

When the stock market is crashing, when the financial markets are melting down and when the press is gleefully bombarding us with bad news, it is difficult to realize that there is joy in living. So what can you do about it?

One datum given in the book "The Problems of Work" is that life is a game. "A what?" You exclaim as you stare at the pile of bills on the table. "Is that some kind of sick joke?" No, it is a sober fact because:

A game consists of: Freedoms, Barriers and Purposes.
There are many more complicated factors involved in games, but these are all listed in Scientology.

Just stop for a moment and examine your life.

• Do you know what your Purposes are?
• Do you know what the Freedoms are that help you to achieve your Purposes?
• Do you know what the Barriers are that get in the way of achieving your Purposes?

If you knew these things, not only would you have clarified your own life, but you would have gained a valuable tool that you could apply to every area of your life.

Example: someone is giving you a hard time at work. What is the game he is playing? What are the Freedoms, Barriers and Purposes that he is involved with? How come he thinks you are a Barrier?

"The Problems of Work" contains more data on games and how they apply to life as well as a ton of other extremely useful tools for living. Get it today! The Problems of Work

In these troubled times ...

In these worrying econimic times, when the US Government is setting the printing presses running 24/7 to produce another trillion dollars worth of worthless currency, individuals in our society are probably worrying about the future and what they can do to give themselves some security.

The book "The Problems of Work" by L. Ron Hubbard gives you the tools you need to gain that security.

After reading several of the frightening articles about the current economic situation, the inept actions being taken by the US Government and the criminal actions being taken by the Federal Reserve and associated banks, I decided to read this book again.

After the first chapter I breathed a sigh of relief because there is a way to not become the effect of the economic insanity, and the solution for the individual is contained in this book.

Basic Scientology Books in Public Libraries

I just heard that as of a couple days ago, full packages of basic Scientology books have been sent out to 84,140 libraries all over the world. That means just 16,766 libraries remaining to have covered the entire world for those languages the books are currently available in.

So if you want to find out what Scientology really is you can go down to your local library and get a book.

The books I recommend for people new to the subject are:

• Dianetics: The Evolution of a Science - covers how the basic discoveries of Dianetics (science of the mind) was made. What earlier knowledge was used and what wasn't, etc. It's a fascinating journey and a great intro to the subject.


• Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health - from basic principles to exactly how to use it to help yourself and others. This is called "Book One" by Scientologists because it is the book that introduced the subject to the world. This book requires a bit more time and effort to read than Evolution of a Science.


• Scientology: The Fundamentals of Thought - covers the basics knowledge and wisdom of Scientology. Learn about the basic principles and how you can use them to improve your life and the lives of others.


• Scientology: A New Slant on Life - essays by L. Ron Hubbard that cover the subject and how to use it in your life. You also get an insight into Ron's own viewpoints on life and how to deal with it.

So go to your library or click on the links above and buy online.

Successes in Scientology

I just saw a couple of nice success stories from the Scientology Mission of SoMa in San Francisco. Both are from people who studied the new Basic Scientology Books. A couple of definitions are necessary so you will understand what the people are saying:

The word Postulate as a verb means: to conclude, decide or resolve a problem or to set a pattern for the future or to nullify a pattern of the past.
The word Postulate as a noun means: a conclusion, decision or resolution made by the individual himself to resolve a problem or to set a pattern for the future or to nullify a pattern of the past. For example, a person says, “I like Model T Fords. I am never going to drive another car.” Years later, no longer consciously aware of this postulate, he will wonder why he is having so much trouble with his BMW; it’s because he has made an earlier promise to himself. In order to change he has to change that postulate.

Here are the two success stories:
- Book Course Success
- Beginning Scientology Book

July 4th - Support a Government Designed and Run for All the People

I agree with the Declaration of Independence, Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights. I view these as three of the most important documents in the history of the world. (Other important docs are such things as the Magna Carta, Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Greek philosophy that led to such documents).

I support a government that is designed and run for the benefit of all the people. Here is a video on that topic:


Click here to view other Public Service Announcements

This video covers one of the chapters of the book, The Way To Happiness. This book really does cover how to have a happy life for yourself and those you love.

The Mind and Improving it

When I was a kid in England, the BBC (ad free TV) and ITV (ad supported TV) had quite a rivalry going on. I especially remember one week when the BBC had a documentary about the wonders of the brain and how it was the source of all intelligence and creativity and just two nights later ITV had a documentary that showed how the brain probably didn't have anything to do with these things. (For example, they showed how one of the most brilliant mathematicians of the day had a shrunken brain, how people with brain damage produced amazing art, how there was little evidence to back up various theories about the brain, etc., etc.)

The reason I bring this up is to demonstrate that when it comes to the mind, very little is known about structure. There are a lot of theories out there (left brain/right brain, etc.) but they are soon replaced by the next great fad. And theories based on fad don't get results. Look at the increasing statistics of crime and mental problems.

The great thing about the book Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health is that it doesn't get bogged down in arguments about structure. It looks at things like: What is the purpose of the mind? How does the mind go about achieving that purpose? What stops it?

Because its approach is so practical it can answer such questions as:

- Why do people act irrationally?
- What is the source of unchanging behavior?
- Why do I get into stupid arguments with my husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend?
- What causes compulsions and repressions that I can't control?
- Why did my last relationship fail?

And, more than just answering why, it provides a workable way to solve these problems.

When it was researched and developed, L. Ron Hubbard, the originator of Dianetics, was looking for results, not fancy sounding theories. Because of this, the book is just as applicable today as it was when it was written in 1950.

I recommend it as a great way to start learning about and helping yourself, your friends, your family and anyone else you come into contact with.

Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health

Scientology Basics

A year ago all the basic books of Scientology were re-released after an enormous project to correct long term editorial errors and get the texts to match the original manuscripts and include changes that the author, L. Ron Hubbard, had made post-publication.

Not only were the new books easier to read because of formatting changes (new fonts, new layout, etc.), not only were they easier to read because grammatical and punctuation errors had been fixed but they were also a lot easier to read because omitted section, sections in the wrong order and other major errors were fixed.

So now the actual basics of Scientology are available in an easily readable form. So for all you curious people out there who want to know what this thing "Scientology" is, you can! Go to your local library and check out a copy of a book such as "Scientology: The Fundamentals of Thought" or "Scientology: A New Slant on Life." Or click on the links to the Scientology Basic Books link on the right.

Scientology Secrets

I have answered a lot of questions about Scientology. I'm willing to answer lots more, so don't stop asking.

But there is a better way than getting second-hand information and that is ... get it first-hand.

Many of the questions I've received about aliens and other weird beliefs that Scientologists are supposed to have are answered by reading a book on the subject. The books of Scientology and Dianetics are the source of the subject. They tell you what it is all about.

So, I recommend curling up on the couch with a nice warm book and reading to your heart's content.

In my next few posts I'll be talking about the books and what is in them. But if you don't want to wait you can check them out for yourself: Basic Books of Dianetics and Scientology.

Have fun!

Scientology In Libraries

I just got the "Scientology News" magazine and I thought I'd pass on some of the great things from it.

Since the new Basic books were released last July, the two Scientology Publications organizations (Bridge Publications in the US and New Era Publications in Europe) have had to increase their production capacity by four times!

The project to get the Basics into all libraries all around the world is running in high gear and the stats (percentage of libraries with Basics packages) looked like this as of mid-March:

Africa: 12%
Australia, New Zealand and Oceania: 18%
Canada 55%
Europe: 19%
Latin America: 22%
United Kingdom: 22%
USA: 100%

You can see what is in a Basics package here: Full Scientology Basics Package

Scientology and Relationships

How do you understand others so you can have successful relationships with them? How do you improve an existing relationship? How do you fix a failing or broken relationship? These are questions that many people ask themselves daily. Unfortunately few people know the answers, but the good news is that there are answers and you can find them.

The Scientology Handbook contains an entire chapter on what underlies relationships and an extract from the chapter is online: How can Scientology help me with Relationships?. There are several sections from the chapter available online and they will explain to you things about life and relationships that will make a huge difference to your life. So what are you waiting for? Click the link and check it out!