Budismo moderno: El camino de la compasión y la sabiduría

Modern Buddhism #1-3

by Kelsang Gyatso, Mariana Libano (Translation)

A dynamic and comprehensive presentation of Buddha's teachings, including practical explanations on how to attain lasting happiness and freedom from problems for ourselves and others. With clear and accessible language, Geshe Kelsang Gyatso guides the reader from the fundamentals of Buddhist meditation and philosophy, through a powerful explanation of the true nature of reality, to reveal the preciousness of Tantra--offering the paths to liberation and enlightenment to modern, busy people. A brief history of Kadampa Buddhism shows how Buddha's timeless teachings have traveled from teacher to student over thousands of years, and how Buddhists in the West are now applying what was once available only to mystics and monks--practical advice to solve our daily problems and accomplish the real meaning of our human life. This inspiring handbook for daily practice is designed for those seeking solutions within Buddhism to the problems of everyday life, as well as to encourage people of all faiths to deepen their understanding and enjoyment of the spiritual paths.

Genres: Buddhism, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Philosophy

416 pages, Paperback

First published March 31, 2014

About the author

*'Geshe' is a Tibetan Buddhist academic degree for monks and nuns.

Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche is a fully accomplished meditation Master and internationally renowned Teacher of Buddhism who has pioneered the introduction of modern Buddhism into contemporary society. Presenting Buddha’s teachings in a way that is relevant and suitable for modern people with busy lives, he shows how these teachings can be used by anyone, Buddhist or non-Buddhist, to solve problems, improve relationships and eventually attain a deep and lasting inner peace and happiness.

He has also created all the conditions necessary to support the study and practice of Buddhism in modern society: writing 22 highly acclaimed books that perfectly transmit the ancient wisdom of Buddha; establishing over 1,200 Kadampa Buddhist centers and groups throughout the world; developing modern study programmes; training qualified Teachers; and establishing local, national and international courses, festivals and retreats. Through all these and other activities Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche is giving new life to Buddhism, enabling people everywhere to discover inner peace and happiness through Buddha’s teachings, thereby bringing greater peace to a troubled world.

The term "Rinpoche," added to Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso's name, is a Tibetan word that means "Precious One," and has been added as a mark of deepest respect.

To discover more about Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche’s compassionate vision and activities visit http://tharpa.com/us/benefit-all-worl....

Reviews

[Dariosk · Rating 1 out of 5]

"The teacher who teaches emptiness unmistakenly is superior to any other teacher"
how can you put emptiness and superior in the same sentence?
c'mon!

man, it hurts to read this book...
it's full of unhappy concepts like that one
and also stuff about 'training' and should should should...
if you are forcing yourself to do the 'right' thing
who is forcing who?
and what good comes out of that violence?

[Robert Graves · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is nothing modern about the perspective of this book. It spends far too much time rehashing silly, pointless mythologies of Dharma, and it truly flunks, in my opinion, when it speculates about how painful and harsh our prenatal existences are. This book makes Benjamin Hoff's assessment of Buddhism in the Tao of Pooh appear to be dead-on: Remember, good vinegar is supposed to be bitter.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this because it was available as a free Kindle book. I was expecting reading it to be a more positive and calming experience than it turned out to be, instead it seemed to explain some of its tenets in a very negative way and ultimately this approach put me off. I'll be looking for something else that is a bit more accessible.

[Thady · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book didn't resonate at all - when Buddhists start talking about hell etc i find it hard to accept what they say. When they talk about the experience of pregnancy from the foetus' viewpoint in such negative horrible terms then i just switch off completely. Couldn't read the rest of it - though i tried.

[Michel Gonzalez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Empieza bien, cosas muy prácticas, pero después de la mitad del libro sigue con cosas muy míticas que una persona que no es creyente o que no tiene el conocimiento suficiente lo tomará como fantasía o nada útil.

[Vimal · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the depth of the heart of Buddhism to the profoundness of the enormous knowledge and spiritual guidance granted to humankind by the modern approaches meant for the handling of the various sinful encounters of our today’s cruel world, comes the book written by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso which is entitled Modern Buddhism: The Path of Compassion and Wisdom. Geshe Kelsang Gyatso’s book brightens the skies of our dawns and dusks. It illuminates all that is needed to be conveyed to the modern world with such passion and devotion from its written plot, which by itself is only indebted to the sacred knowledge given to us by Buddha Shakyamuni (or, originally known as Prince Gautama Siddhartha Shakya).

Geshe Kelsang Gyatso has two basic pillars from which he derives his teachings in this book of his. These are SUTRA and TANTRA. The main functions and true purposes of the teachings of Buddha Shakyamuni is bestow mental peace and give blessings to all living beings—these serve as the main causes to practise Kadam Lamrim. Kadam Lamrim is the main root of the Sutra which is the union of the teachings of Buddha Shakyamuni (Prince Gautama Siddhartha Shakya) and Atisha (Birth name: Chandragarbha; Year: AD 982). Tantra (or, well-known as the secret mantras) is also dictated and well-explained as per having been the chosen pathway of Atisha who widespread Kadam Lamrim through the might empowered over his blessed being by another Spiritual Guide, Rahulagupta. Atisha has widespread Kadam Lamrim while having taken three major scopes as the means to instruct his teachings.

Kadam Lamrim’s three stages of instructions are no other than the following:
1. The instructions on the stages of the path of a person of initial scope;
2. The instructions on the stages of the path of a person of middling scope;
3. The instructions on the stages of the path of a person of great scope

While presenting such a pattern of the three sub-roots of Kadam Lamrim (the stages of the Path of Enlightenment) towards the eventual inclusions of Sutra and Tantra as the basis and fundamental foundations of his book, Geshe Kelsang Gyatso targets the origins and natures of our sufferings and miseries in the world we live in. Instead, the instructions given state that all our miseries and sufferings are born at the time we have our own natural human birth. Our prized possessions and prized owning can not free us from the miseries and sufferings that will eventually lead to a deadly encounter. The fear of death, as we call it, is the source of all our miseries. The distress and pain encountered at the time of death and the fact that the consciousness of the departure from our body at death, are continuously giving rise to our accumulated virtuous and non-virtuous actions; will always deceive us from countless painful situations and truly separate us from our spiritual body to our spiritual ‘spirit’. Thus, Geshe Kelsang Gyatso instructs his readers that by meditating on Death, we engage in the following contemplation, “I may die today”; then, “Since I shall soon have to depart from this world, there is no sense in my becoming attached to things in life. Instead, from now on I will devote my whole life to practising Dharma purely and sincerely.” (p. 31)

Geshe Kelsang Gyatso has very concisely put together the motive behind this book of his: he wishes to promote the seeking of refuge in the teachings of The Buddha through the waves of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Through meditation and by meditating on the immense meanings of wisdom and non-ignorance, the fear of Death and the solution to dissolving the realistic significations of the latter will all result into making Buddha, Dharma and Sangha as the perfect protective means that will dissociate us from such a dangerous happening—a happening which is nothing but mere reality to all living entities.

The Yoga Sutra and Yoga Tantra (or, Tantric Yoga) are simply guides walking with us along the pathway of spiritual knowledge via the medium which is taught to us through the art of creating compassion and wisdom into our self (inner-self and outer-self). From our inner-self (our inhalation, our senses, our inner organs and our mindful spiritual self) to our outer-self (our speeches, our exhalation, our actions, our encounters, our intentions and our influences), both Sutra and Tantra appeal to us being humongous and truly expressible as blessings in the ways they portray themselves. Sutra is the direct connection between the teachings from the spiritual guides to the spiritual apprentices—it bonds and creates a very firm link between the master and the student (the one who is learning to become enlightened); whereas, Tantra is the series of Mantras (or, secret mantras) which endorses and reinforces what the connection between the spiritual master and spiritual learner is truly worthy of. To reinstate harmony and maintain peace, and to promote the wisdom of compassion in the relationships between human beings; Kadam Lamrim is taught to inspire one in the realization of Boddhichitta. Kadam Lamrim (one of the flourished instructions forming part of the teachings of the Buddha, Buddhadharma). Geshe Kelsang Gyatso focuses very deeply and very profoundly on, and he explains the significant values of The Sutra and The Tantra. By explaining why and what are the real significances that underlie these two notations, Geshe Kelsang Gyatso is able to bring light to this book of his while stressing on its purpose of being entitled Modern Buddhism: The Path of Compassion and Wisdom.

Modern Buddhism: The Path of Compassion and Wisdom is a very symbolic and meaningful book which has many historical, spiritual and enlightening facades of the pathways that lead to liberation from the ideal of Death. It addresses that this latter ideal is neither terminal nor is it the end result of our spiritual self. Modern Buddhism: The Path of Compassion and Wisdom attaches many values and much profound meanings to the idea of why our human body is so much tied to the universal and spiritual world. Thus, Modern Buddhism: The Path of Compassion and Wisdom undoubtedly attempts to free us from all sufferings and desperation, should the detachment from the non-virtuous and material world be taken into account.

[Joaquin Castañ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Buen libro para introducirse en la temática del budismo.

Budismo moderno: El camino de la compasión y la sabiduría -volumen 1: Sutra

[Harold Marquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Livianas palabras para una profundidad de conocimiento.

[Novalee · Rating 4 out of 5]

me ajudou muito

[Jay Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

I came to this to get some information about Buddhism and naively thought this would offer a modern description with a compassionate and gentle approach.
I have been meditating in the samatha approach for 2 years.
I hope some of the issues arise from a translation or language mismatch, I was prepared to be challenged in my thinking but this was in parts nonsensical and contradictory, so either that is the basis of the belief or it was poorly communicated.
Non attachment to avoid suffering is mentioned but it seems all a person's existence is likely to be suffering through their incarnations as animals, hungry ghosts and in hell. The fleeting chance to redeem from this endless suffering as we have attained human form is mentioned but it seems very hit and miss. Having to persist doggedly with dhamma etc to improve our karma seemed very much attached to avoiding suffering.

While the bit about foetus suffering in utero was just bizarre and speaks from a very male and somewhat misogynistic attitude.

I tried the recommended chapter about emptiness but it seemed vague and lacked details, the idea that nothing has inherent reality was poorly explained I felt as it was just dogmatic and unsubtle.
The opening with the assortment of characters and their influence on the teachings felt far from modern.

Confirmed my suspicion that I don't want to follow Buddhism. Search for a better book on the topic continues.

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most thorough and easy to understand overview of Buddhism I’ve ever found. An unexpectedly easy to understand synthesis of Sutra (the philosophic, ethical, and psychological ideologies) and Tantra (the advanced meditative practices) from the context of the Vajrayana path.

In the first section (Sutra), Geshe Kelsang Gyatso makes clearly reasoned and logical explanations of the core concepts and teachings of the Buddha that, too often, remain deeply abstract. The second section (Tantra) is perhaps best regarded as a catechism and guide to meditative practices that range from basic mindfulness, to “unraveling” the thread that weaves together a perceived sense of self, to even directly accessing our most subtle, causal, subconscious mind.

Geshe Kelsang Gyatso’s translation, compilation, and summary of the Buddha’s 84,000 teachings is an absolute treasure. It belongs on the bookshelf and in the hands of anyone curious to see how this rich, contemplative tradition fits into the increasingly globalized culture of the 21st century.

[Gary Knapton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very logical and enjoyable introduction to many core Buddhism concepts including Mother Recognition and the Eight Extremes. The Three Principal Paths of Bodhicitta are very neatly and patiently laid out. Produced and Unproduced Space is hinted at. Early on, Atisha's journey is narrated in loving detail.

Come take a look at Emptiness in a non-intimidating setting. See if you can grasp the illusion of material things.

A fun primer on the road to ultimate Zen Karma. Highly recommended.

[Therese]

$0.0

[Jim Travis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Introduction to New Buddhism ... Many other books go with this New Kadampa by master GESHE KELSANG GYATSO called to the west from Tibet to write and translate the Tibetan Buddhism in English ..

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderful information but slightly difficult to understand at times.

[Chris Dziewa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book, especially because it didn't have a bunch of mysticism like the second one. It was very relatable and enjoyable.