The Wings to Awakening: An Anthology from the Pali Canon

by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu

This anthology contains more than 200 new translations of passages from the Buddha's teachings, along with commentary to help the reader understand their meaning and relation to the practice of meditation. Includes teachings on the Four Frames of Reference, the Four Right Exertions, the Four Bases of Power, the Five Faculties, the Five Strengths, the Seven Factors for Awakening, and the Noble Eightfold Path.

Genres: Buddhism, Spirituality, Religion, Meditation, Philosophy

352 pages

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu, also known as Ajaan Geoff (born Geoffrey DeGraff, 1949), is an American Theravada Buddhist monk of the Dhammayut Order (Dhammayutika Nikaya), Thai forest kammatthana tradition. He is currently the abbot of Metta Forest Monastery in San Diego County. Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu is a translator of the Pāli Canon as well as more modern Buddhist works and the author of many articles and books on Dhamma.

Reviews

[John Greef · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book that convinced me of the Buddha. It's complex and simple. Dry and exciting. I love it and I fear it

[Derek Baldwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This can be a slog at times but likely to be of most benefit (as stated in the introduction) as a source to revisit when reading around one of the themes. The sections on the hindrances I found especially useful. The explanatory sections by Thanissaro are very helpful in setting the scene and summarising. There's something a little passionless about the text which is a shame but as a serious piece of scholarship I guess this is inevitable. This is not going to be everyone's cup of tea and not recommended if you haven't got a reasonable grounding in Buddhist ideas.

[Tom Booker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nicely structured by having introductory essays alongside the anthologies that explain each of the systems. I also liked his innovative use of chaos theory and phenomenology to explain Buddhist theory and practice. There were some digs at anonymous contemporary teachers and it come across sectarian. Amazing that this book is offered for free.

[Alexandru · Rating 4 out of 5]

took a while to finish but it was worth it!
the commentary is certainly helpful but at times it does feel a bit too academic
there might be more poetic introductions to the dhamma but this one is still good!

[Oskar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly insightful (literally, and even more phenomenologically). A great complement to the wonderful discourses from my teacher S N Goenka.