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Approaching Enlightenment: A Guidebook for Buddhist Ritual
A guide to Buddhist ritual, drawing on research in cultural studies and psychology. Approaching Enlightenment uses the Sevenfold Puja as a basis for understanding ritual activities, symbols and implements. More than a book ‘about’ Buddhist ritual, this is a personal guide to assist the reader move more deeply ‘into’ its practice and benefit from its fruits.
- GenresBuddhism
260 pages, Paperback
Published October 8, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
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February 12, 2025Enjoyed but wasn’t the perfect book for me. My favourite parts in first reading were chapter 5, about the shrine room and the Om Ah Hum mantra. Also chapter 10, on rejoicing.
I also really liked the discussion of rebirth in chapter 8.
There were beautiful stand alone passages, especially on his mother’s possessions (p.184).
“I am in the process of sorting through her effects and my own grief … each artefact is more than a souvenir. Each is a moment of seeing, wanting, holding, treasuring. And, after a while, the things are a source of disappointment, loss, abandonment and forgetting. The objects themselves are an echo of her, a piece of her. These object were constituents of the story of her almost as much as her physical being was. As I sort through the pieces into the various piles, these moments of connection with them are dispersed … there is pain and release in knowing that the clutter of her life will finally be free.”
There is more that can be taken from this book. I could come back to it, and skim read it in a few hours and annotate further, like i did today. It’s a good starting reference for the ideas behind puja and Buddhist imagery.
Frustratingly, there are good points scattered through the chapters, but I didn’t find them in all.
I also really liked the discussion of rebirth in chapter 8.
There were beautiful stand alone passages, especially on his mother’s possessions (p.184).
“I am in the process of sorting through her effects and my own grief … each artefact is more than a souvenir. Each is a moment of seeing, wanting, holding, treasuring. And, after a while, the things are a source of disappointment, loss, abandonment and forgetting. The objects themselves are an echo of her, a piece of her. These object were constituents of the story of her almost as much as her physical being was. As I sort through the pieces into the various piles, these moments of connection with them are dispersed … there is pain and release in knowing that the clutter of her life will finally be free.”
There is more that can be taken from this book. I could come back to it, and skim read it in a few hours and annotate further, like i did today. It’s a good starting reference for the ideas behind puja and Buddhist imagery.
Frustratingly, there are good points scattered through the chapters, but I didn’t find them in all.
January 14, 2025
Very accessible book for people sceptical of Buddhist ritual as well as experienced practitioners. Love the mix of personal anecdotes, pop cultural references and depth - there’s an 8 page section on ‘om ah hum’.
Lots of good reflections questions & suggestions on how to implement devotional practice in your life.
Lots of good reflections questions & suggestions on how to implement devotional practice in your life.
November 19, 2024
A thought-provoking and highly accessible guide to Buddhist ritual. Bodhidasa takes us step-by-step through the words, actions, and things involved in ritual, their meaning, and how they can help to move the practitioner further along the path to Enlightenment.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews