Is English your Preferred Language?
I have a collection of books on Buddhism. They are all in Sinhala.
In my opinion , Sinhala is the best medium to understand Buddhist concepts. Sinhala is so close to Pali, and the Buddhist concepts are so ingrained in the Sinhala language as well as in the Sinhala culture.
Many Sinhalese I know, prefer to read on Buddhism in English.
Buddhism embodies concepts which are, in many ways, alien to Western cultures.
For example, Karma, Kusal, Rebirth, Anaathma,...
As a matter of fact, these concepts are alien to almost all other cultures. So, the regurgitating Buddhist concepts through other languages, leads to interpretations, which can throw the student off the Path.
Have you heard about the story of the Blind Man and Curd?
Two friends were resting under a tree on their way home after a sumptous meal arranged by a close friend. The two could not help discussing the dishes, specially the curd (say, plain yoghurt) they were served as dessert. Unknown to them, a blind man was also resting under the same tree, but out od sight. The blind man could hear everything the friends were discussing. The more they described the curd in ever glowing terms, more the curiosity of the blind man to discover what this thing was.
So, he interrupted the discussion.
"Sir," he began. "I am extremely curious to know what this curd is, when I hear about it in most superlative terms. Can you please tell me about it," he pleaded.
"It is something white," one of the friends casually replied, even without looking at the man.
The blind man pondered for a good minute. "White? What is white?"
"Sir, I must beg you pardon for interrupting you, but what is white?"
The second friend came with a description. "It is the colour of the swan,".
The blind man was stumped again. He shook his head, stroked his beard, puzzled. With great reluctance, he butted in again, "Sir, what is a swan?"
The friend who spoke first, was visibly annoyed by the interruption. He turned towards the man, and when he saw he was blind, he calmed down a bit, and went to the blind man.
The friend bent his left hand at the elbow, and at the wrist, so as to create a rough model of a "swan". Then he took the blind man's hand guided it over the model swan so that the blind man would know what a swan was.
The blind man stroked the "swan" from one end to the other several times. A smile began to develop on his face. He let go the "swan" and addressed the friend.
"Sir, curd may have been the tastiest thing in the world, but I cannot figure how you two managed to eat it,"