Guided Meditations on the Stages of the Path by Chodron, Thubten (2007) Hardcover

by Thubten Chodron

Guided Meditations on the Stages of the Path by Thubten Chodron. Published by Snow Lion,2007, Hardcover

Genres: Buddhism, Nonfiction, Meditation, Spirituality

Hardcover

First published October 25, 2007

About the author

Born in 1950, Venerable Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron (Ch: 圖丹.卻淮) grew up near Los Angeles. She graduated with a B.A. in History from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1971. After travelling through Europe, North Africa and Asia for one and a half years, she received a teaching credential and went to the University of Southern California to do post-graduate work in Education while working as a teacher in the Los Angeles City School System.

In 1975, she attended a meditation course given by Ven. Lama Yeshe and Ven. Zopa Rinpoche, and subsequently went to their monastery in Nepal to continue to study and practice Buddha's teachings. In 1977, she received the sramanerika (novice) ordination, and in 1986, received bhikshuni (full) ordination in Taiwan.

She studied and practiced Buddhism of the Tibetan tradition for many years in India and Nepal under the guidance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tsenzhap Serkong Rinpoche, Zopa Rinpoche and other Tibetan masters for many years. She directed the spiritual program at Lama Tzong Khapa Institute in Italy for nearly two years, studied three years at Dorje Pamo Monastery in France, and was resident teacher at Amitabha Buddhist Center in Singapore. For ten years she was resident teacher at Dharma Friendship Founation in Seattle, where she continues to be spiritual advisor.

Ven. Chodron was a co-organizer of Life as a Western Buddhist Nun, and took part in the conferences of Western Buddhist teachers with H.H. the Dalai Lama in 1993 and 1994. She was present during the Jewish delegation's visit to Dharamsala, India, in 1990, which was the basis for Rodger Kamenetz' The Jew in the Lotus, and attended the Second Gethsemani Encounter in 2002. She is keen on interreligious dialogue. She has also been present at several of the Mind-Life Conferences in which H. H. the Dalai Lama dialogues with Western scientists.

Ven. Chodron travels worldwide to teach the Dharma: North America, Latin America, Israel, Singapore, Malaysia, and former communist countries.. Seeing the importance and necessity of a monastery for Westerners training in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, she founded Sravasti Abbey and is currently involved in developing it.

Ven. Chodron emphasizes the practical application of Buddha’s teachings in our daily lives and is especially skilled at explaining them in ways easily understood and practiced by Westerners. She is well-known for her warm, humorous, and lucid teachings.

Reviews

[Demi · Rating 5 out of 5]

For any Buddhist practicing in the Tibetan tradition, I think this is a must have for a Beginner or Intermediate practioner. I especially love the Audio CD which contains guided meditations on all the stages of the Lam Rim. I've found this a wonderful support over the last 6 years, especially whenever I'm travelling. I've transferred all the tracks onto my ipod and it's the equivalent of having the Lam Rim in your back pocket!

What I also love is the booklet. It contains a lot of great insight into the everyday details of daily practice (ie how to offer water bowls, setting up an altar) and also a section on how to overcome obstacles.

In short, this book is definitely one of my favourites.

[Aria Summers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is extremely comprehensive and an excellent step by step guide for anyone seeking a path to enlightenment. Some of the topics covered include, setting up a daily routine and how to incorporate meditation into your schedule (even if you have children), It covers setting up an alter, creating a sacred space for meditation, breathing, covers levels for beginners, intermediate and advanced practitioners, different meditations and how to stay on track and so much more. It includes a lovely bonus of a link to guided meditations for all levels of practice. This book is easy to read and follow along with in depth explanation on many questions you may have. If you've ever wanted a detailed guide to buddhist mediations, look no more, this is the only book you'll need.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great birthday present--thanks Fred and Derya! Much easier to understand than some of the other lamrim stuff I read back in the day.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thubten Chodron studied with the Dalai Lama and many other great teachers. However, she has her unique perspective as a Westerner and she explains the materials in a easy to understand and tailoring to Western audiences. Even though I’m Vietnamese, I found reading Buddhist teaching in my own native language hard to understand as many words have Chinese root.

This book is a precious gem for students who are interested in taking lamrim, the graduated path. I do the Buddha visualization as well as analytical meditation every day. I’ve only been doing for 3 months and I already memorize the Buddha visualization as well as the English translation. It also sets a positive motivation for your entire day as you finish the meditation and go about your day.

Coupled this with her lamrim texts collaborated with the Dalai Lama (5 series books starting with The Foundation of Buddhist practice), you will develop better and deeper understanding of Buddhist philosophy and mind training.

Contemplating about different dharma concepts and applying them in your daily life (relationships, politics, health, science, etc.), you will see that your entire life, your every living moment is Dharma teaching.

Watching videos Thubten Chodron posts regularly on her monastery’s youtube channel also helps clarify misconceptions about Dharma teachings, especially difficult topics such as emptiness and compassion and you can engage in complex topics and life situations with a different more realistic attitude and world view, such as how to approach racism (George Floyd) and how people behave during the coronavirus outbreak, the US election, immigration and etc.

[Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent text containing a basic outline of the Lamrim, antidotes to the mental afflictions, structure of a daily practice, and 14 hours of downloadable guided meditations to use in that daily practice. Really good if you're not quite sure how to start a practice.