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From Here to Enlightenment: An Introduction to Tsong-kha-pa's Classic Text The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment
When the Dalai Lama was forced to go into exile in 1959, he could take only a few items with him. Among these cherished belongings was his copy of Tsong-kha-pa's classic text "The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment." This text distills all of the essential points of Tibetan Buddhism, clearly unfolding the entire Buddhist path to enlightenment.
In 2008, celebrating the long-awaited completion of the English-language translation of "The Great Treatise," the Dalai Lama gave a historic six-day teaching at Lehigh University to explain the meaning of this classic text and to underscore its importance. It is the longest teaching that he has ever given to Westerners on just one text, and Westerners have never before had the opportunity to receive such a complete teaching that encompasses the totality of the Buddhist path from the Dalai Lama." From Here to Enlightenment" makes the teachings from this momentous event available for a wider audience.
In 2008, celebrating the long-awaited completion of the English-language translation of "The Great Treatise," the Dalai Lama gave a historic six-day teaching at Lehigh University to explain the meaning of this classic text and to underscore its importance. It is the longest teaching that he has ever given to Westerners on just one text, and Westerners have never before had the opportunity to receive such a complete teaching that encompasses the totality of the Buddhist path from the Dalai Lama." From Here to Enlightenment" makes the teachings from this momentous event available for a wider audience.
216 pages, Paperback
First published October 16, 2012
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About the author
Dalai Lama XIV
1,559 books6,168 followersJetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso (born Lhamo Döndrub), the 14th Dalai Lama, is a practicing member of the Gelug School of Tibetan Buddhism and is influential as a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, the world's most famous Buddhist monk, and the leader of the exiled Tibetan government in India.
Tenzin Gyatso was the fifth of sixteen children born to a farming family. He was proclaimed the tulku (an Enlightened lama who has consciously decided to take rebirth) of the 13th Dalai Lama at the age of two.
On 17 November 1950, at the age of 15, he was enthroned as Tibet's ruler. Thus he became Tibet's most important political ruler just one month after the People's Republic of China's invasion of Tibet on 7 October 1950. In 1954, he went to Beijing to attempt peace talks with Mao Zedong and other leaders of the PRC. These talks ultimately failed.
After a failed uprising and the collapse of the Tibetan resistance movement in 1959, the Dalai Lama left for India, where he was active in establishing the Central Tibetan Administration (the Tibetan Government in Exile) and in seeking to preserve Tibetan culture and education among the thousands of refugees who accompanied him.
Tenzin Gyatso is a charismatic figure and noted public speaker. This Dalai Lama is the first to travel to the West. There, he has helped to spread Buddhism and to promote the concepts of universal responsibility, secular ethics, and religious harmony.
He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, honorary Canadian citizenship in 2006, and the United States Congressional Gold Medal on 17 October 2007.
Tenzin Gyatso was the fifth of sixteen children born to a farming family. He was proclaimed the tulku (an Enlightened lama who has consciously decided to take rebirth) of the 13th Dalai Lama at the age of two.
On 17 November 1950, at the age of 15, he was enthroned as Tibet's ruler. Thus he became Tibet's most important political ruler just one month after the People's Republic of China's invasion of Tibet on 7 October 1950. In 1954, he went to Beijing to attempt peace talks with Mao Zedong and other leaders of the PRC. These talks ultimately failed.
After a failed uprising and the collapse of the Tibetan resistance movement in 1959, the Dalai Lama left for India, where he was active in establishing the Central Tibetan Administration (the Tibetan Government in Exile) and in seeking to preserve Tibetan culture and education among the thousands of refugees who accompanied him.
Tenzin Gyatso is a charismatic figure and noted public speaker. This Dalai Lama is the first to travel to the West. There, he has helped to spread Buddhism and to promote the concepts of universal responsibility, secular ethics, and religious harmony.
He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, honorary Canadian citizenship in 2006, and the United States Congressional Gold Medal on 17 October 2007.
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July 27, 2024
The Dalai Lama Teaches A Classic Tibetan Buddhist Text
The Dalai Lama has become a revered spiritual teacher to many people, Buddhist and non-Buddhist. Some of his many books are written on an almost secular, general level with little explicitly sectarian content, for example "Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World". Other books deeply explore Buddhism, specifically Tibetan Buddhism. The book under review here, the Dalai Lama's "From Here to Enlightenment: An Introduction to Tsong-Kha-Pa's Classic Text 'The Great Treatise on the stages of the Path to Enlightenment" is in the latter category. The book is based on the Dali Lama's 2008 lectures at Lehigh University, Pennsylvania.
Some background is necessary to understand the scope of the Dalai Lama's teaching in this volume. Tsong-Kha-Pa was a Tibetan monk who wrote prolifically about Buddhism, with his "Great Treatise" appearing in 1402. It is a massive work of 1200 pages. A committee of scholars translated the work into English for the first time in three volumes published in 2000, 2002, and 2004: "The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (Volume 1)" ; "The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (Volume 3);" "The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (Volume 2)". The Dalai Lama agreed to give a series of teachings on the book to celebrate the completion of the translation. The "Great Treatise" was personally important to the Dalai Lama as it was one of the few works he was able to carry with him into exile when he fled Tibet in 1959. He has taught the book several times but never in the United States with the degree of detail of the 2008 lectures.
The lectures were given through an interpreter. Then, Guy Newland, Professor of Religion and Chair of the Department of Philosophy of Religion, Western Michigan University, translated and edited the work for publication from the Dalai Lama's Tibetan manuscript. Newland also added extensive notes and cross-references to other Tibetan and Indian sources. Newland participated in the translation of the "Great Treatise" and he has written on the concept of emptiness which plays the central role in "The Great Treatise."
At about 200 pages, the Dalai Lama's book is short but dense and difficult. The "Great Treatise" was written to synthesize the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism and its different schools and the Indian philosophy from which Tibetan Buddhism derived. The Dalai Lama begins with a long introduction about the book and how it presents themes of interdependence and religious harmony which he finds critically important. He advises his audience that Tibetan teachings differ substantially from the theism of Judaism and Christianity in its stress on causality and interdependence as opposed to a transcendent creator God. The goal of the lectures is not to convert, which the Dalai Lama in fact discourages, but to explain.
The Dalai Lama quotes heavily and expounds on Tsong-Ka-Pha's text and discusses as well many other early Tibetan and Indian sources. The book moves from the relatively simple to the profoundly difficult. The Dalai Lama finds the key teaching of Buddhism to lie in the nature of selflessness, a difficult teaching with many possible interpretations that will be hard to grasp for Westerners. The Dalai Lama discusses at length the Buddha's teaching of Dependent Origination which is likewise central to the book and, as the Buddha himself warned his followers, deep and difficult. The book then ties these broad teachings into an exploration of the Four Noble Truths, into a discussion of the meaning of life, the path of the Bodhisattva, serenity and insight meditation and -- the nature of emptiness which is derived largely from the doctrine of Dependent Origination. The latter parts of the book explore briefly notoriously difficult eptistemological, metaphysical, and logical questions that arise from the teaching of emptiness.
The book is written lucidly, with modesty, and with the Dalai Lama's wonderful good humor and kindness. As an oral introduction to a long unfamiliar text, it is difficult reading indeed. The Dalai Lama advises his hearers that the Tsong-Kah-Pah's teachings take months if not years to understand and to try to practice. The effort is ongoing. For readers emboldened to read the three-volume work for themselves, the Dalai Lama counsels slow, deliberate reading studying perhaps one page per day. This pace would require between three and four years to work through the book.
Throughout the book, the Dalai Lama emphasizes his belief in reason, analysis, and critical thinking as a means to understanding, religious and otherwise. The book includes small sections of question and answer sessions between the Dalai Lama and his audience. In a passage I thought captured much of the book, an interlocutor says he is new to the study of Buddhism and asks the Dalai Lama how he might attain greater understanding. Here is part of the Dalai Lama's response.
"Read more. There are translations of Buddhist texts into English, as well as French, German, Spanish, and of course Chinese-- although I think there are fewer translations into Chinese than into English. There are many new translations into English. Read such texts daily for an hour or at least a half hour. Then turn your mind inward and contemplate what you have learned. Examine and investigate, comparing what the text says with your usual way of thinking and living."
This daunting book by the Dalai Lama is for readers with a serious interest in Buddhism and in Tibetan texts. Careful reading offers great insight into Tibetan Buddhism and, for those readers so inclined, into one's own practice.
Robin Friedman
The Dalai Lama has become a revered spiritual teacher to many people, Buddhist and non-Buddhist. Some of his many books are written on an almost secular, general level with little explicitly sectarian content, for example "Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World". Other books deeply explore Buddhism, specifically Tibetan Buddhism. The book under review here, the Dalai Lama's "From Here to Enlightenment: An Introduction to Tsong-Kha-Pa's Classic Text 'The Great Treatise on the stages of the Path to Enlightenment" is in the latter category. The book is based on the Dali Lama's 2008 lectures at Lehigh University, Pennsylvania.
Some background is necessary to understand the scope of the Dalai Lama's teaching in this volume. Tsong-Kha-Pa was a Tibetan monk who wrote prolifically about Buddhism, with his "Great Treatise" appearing in 1402. It is a massive work of 1200 pages. A committee of scholars translated the work into English for the first time in three volumes published in 2000, 2002, and 2004: "The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (Volume 1)" ; "The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (Volume 3);" "The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (Volume 2)". The Dalai Lama agreed to give a series of teachings on the book to celebrate the completion of the translation. The "Great Treatise" was personally important to the Dalai Lama as it was one of the few works he was able to carry with him into exile when he fled Tibet in 1959. He has taught the book several times but never in the United States with the degree of detail of the 2008 lectures.
The lectures were given through an interpreter. Then, Guy Newland, Professor of Religion and Chair of the Department of Philosophy of Religion, Western Michigan University, translated and edited the work for publication from the Dalai Lama's Tibetan manuscript. Newland also added extensive notes and cross-references to other Tibetan and Indian sources. Newland participated in the translation of the "Great Treatise" and he has written on the concept of emptiness which plays the central role in "The Great Treatise."
At about 200 pages, the Dalai Lama's book is short but dense and difficult. The "Great Treatise" was written to synthesize the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism and its different schools and the Indian philosophy from which Tibetan Buddhism derived. The Dalai Lama begins with a long introduction about the book and how it presents themes of interdependence and religious harmony which he finds critically important. He advises his audience that Tibetan teachings differ substantially from the theism of Judaism and Christianity in its stress on causality and interdependence as opposed to a transcendent creator God. The goal of the lectures is not to convert, which the Dalai Lama in fact discourages, but to explain.
The Dalai Lama quotes heavily and expounds on Tsong-Ka-Pha's text and discusses as well many other early Tibetan and Indian sources. The book moves from the relatively simple to the profoundly difficult. The Dalai Lama finds the key teaching of Buddhism to lie in the nature of selflessness, a difficult teaching with many possible interpretations that will be hard to grasp for Westerners. The Dalai Lama discusses at length the Buddha's teaching of Dependent Origination which is likewise central to the book and, as the Buddha himself warned his followers, deep and difficult. The book then ties these broad teachings into an exploration of the Four Noble Truths, into a discussion of the meaning of life, the path of the Bodhisattva, serenity and insight meditation and -- the nature of emptiness which is derived largely from the doctrine of Dependent Origination. The latter parts of the book explore briefly notoriously difficult eptistemological, metaphysical, and logical questions that arise from the teaching of emptiness.
The book is written lucidly, with modesty, and with the Dalai Lama's wonderful good humor and kindness. As an oral introduction to a long unfamiliar text, it is difficult reading indeed. The Dalai Lama advises his hearers that the Tsong-Kah-Pah's teachings take months if not years to understand and to try to practice. The effort is ongoing. For readers emboldened to read the three-volume work for themselves, the Dalai Lama counsels slow, deliberate reading studying perhaps one page per day. This pace would require between three and four years to work through the book.
Throughout the book, the Dalai Lama emphasizes his belief in reason, analysis, and critical thinking as a means to understanding, religious and otherwise. The book includes small sections of question and answer sessions between the Dalai Lama and his audience. In a passage I thought captured much of the book, an interlocutor says he is new to the study of Buddhism and asks the Dalai Lama how he might attain greater understanding. Here is part of the Dalai Lama's response.
"Read more. There are translations of Buddhist texts into English, as well as French, German, Spanish, and of course Chinese-- although I think there are fewer translations into Chinese than into English. There are many new translations into English. Read such texts daily for an hour or at least a half hour. Then turn your mind inward and contemplate what you have learned. Examine and investigate, comparing what the text says with your usual way of thinking and living."
This daunting book by the Dalai Lama is for readers with a serious interest in Buddhism and in Tibetan texts. Careful reading offers great insight into Tibetan Buddhism and, for those readers so inclined, into one's own practice.
Robin Friedman
March 15, 2013
We can best walk the “Middle Way” (or “Middle Path”) of the Buddhist tradition in the form of a continual meditation on emptiness – coming to understand that things exist, but not in the way we think they do. They exit, but only arise through dependence on each other, having no inherent existence of their own.
This is a fine distinction, and parts of this book are devoted to discussing how various schools of thought in the Chinese, Indian, and Tibetan lineage (as well as those of other religions) view these principles in similar but crucially distinct ways. The Dalai Lama has worked with The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment for his whole life partly because its author “Tsong-kha-pa is unique in that he sets out to explain the hardest passages in the Indian texts.” But it is vitally important to have the correct philosophical framework if our meditation practice is to be an effective one that leads to insight and peace.
What the Dalai Lama describes is an ongoing practice of renunciation (of refutation, or even of deconstruction). “We have to take the form as we perceive it and then negate its inherent existence.” But the trick is “not negating too much or too little.” We must remember that the objects we encounter of course exist in reality, but not essentially. They may be materially real, but our perception is still illusional. This is true of objects, others, and the self.
“Among the origins of suffering,” the Dalai Lama tells us, “the real root is ignorance regarding the ultimate nature of reality.” This includes ignorance about the ultimate nature of ourselves. We make up stories to fill in the gaps, to feel like we know who or what we are. But grasping after a sense of self is the central source of suffering, just as seeking spiritual fulfilment in the material world is futile. Meditation on the emptiness of existence is the key. “Direct knowledge of emptiness is the only antidote powerful enough to eliminate the root of cyclic existence.”
However, this begs an important question. If our senses and perceptions are unable to give reliable knowledge of the essential nature of things, then how are we supposed to see this intrinsic emptiness? Again, this is the challenge of our practice. Meditating on this idea makes it more familiar to us and starts bringing real benefits: it softens the need to make sense of things; loosens the grip of our attachments and anxieties; shows our fears to be less significant than we imagine them to be; and frees our heart and mind to do the greater work of remaining peaceful and open in the present moment.
Cleansing and focusing our mind through meditation is therefore the way to bring the wisdom of discernment into alignment with the right path to our highest welfare. Cessation of these mental activities – the cyclic existence of our compulsions – is an end to the continual rebirth of our desires in new forms. It thereby promises to bring about a final liberation and nirvana in this lifetime. And once again, the correct view of emptiness is “the heart of the path” to this liberation.
Belief, ordinarily an act of faith, is here an act of intelligence, a directing of consciousness. Belief in a literal God or Buddha is not necessary – this is simply the way to transcend our limitations. “Faith here refers to confidence in the benefits of meditative stabilization,” the Dalai Lama tells us, “a sense of trust in what one is trying to accomplish.”
Even compassion is not an end in itself but a means to an end. If attachment to this world brings suffering, then the puzzle is how to keep engaging our heart while at the same time restraining our ego. Compassion becomes that key to moving beyond the prison of our own narrowness. Meditation on the suffering of others is the way to apply our heart to this world without getting caught up in self-interest or self-pity.
The Dalai Lama also tells us to meditate with the goal of fortunate rebirth in mind. Belief in reincarnation is not necessary – this is simply the way to renounce our attachments to this world while at the same time investing our energies in it. Meditate with the goal of liberation in mind – not a heavenly reward but a freedom from suffering which means quieting the longings and cravings that distract and dissipate our focus.
Meditate on the path to enlightenment as described by the Tibetan masters and dedicate the practice to the bodhisattvas. Becoming a Buddhist is not necessary – rather, building a sense of discernment in line with and dedicated to our gurus (including the wisdom of whichever religion we were raised under) is how to avoid the harms of negative thoughts and actions without cultivating the distractions of aversion, judgement, or preference.
But most of all meditate on emptiness – on how impermanence, change, and death is necessary and inherent. This brings the wisdom of the knowledge that everything is illusion, built up from our shared illusions. After all, this is our greater reality. We meditate on impermanence because that's what we experience constantly. Everything changes, passes on, goes away. Nothing remains except for our practice of meditation, for as long as we are fortunate enough to be alive to maintain it.
This is a fine distinction, and parts of this book are devoted to discussing how various schools of thought in the Chinese, Indian, and Tibetan lineage (as well as those of other religions) view these principles in similar but crucially distinct ways. The Dalai Lama has worked with The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment for his whole life partly because its author “Tsong-kha-pa is unique in that he sets out to explain the hardest passages in the Indian texts.” But it is vitally important to have the correct philosophical framework if our meditation practice is to be an effective one that leads to insight and peace.
What the Dalai Lama describes is an ongoing practice of renunciation (of refutation, or even of deconstruction). “We have to take the form as we perceive it and then negate its inherent existence.” But the trick is “not negating too much or too little.” We must remember that the objects we encounter of course exist in reality, but not essentially. They may be materially real, but our perception is still illusional. This is true of objects, others, and the self.
“Among the origins of suffering,” the Dalai Lama tells us, “the real root is ignorance regarding the ultimate nature of reality.” This includes ignorance about the ultimate nature of ourselves. We make up stories to fill in the gaps, to feel like we know who or what we are. But grasping after a sense of self is the central source of suffering, just as seeking spiritual fulfilment in the material world is futile. Meditation on the emptiness of existence is the key. “Direct knowledge of emptiness is the only antidote powerful enough to eliminate the root of cyclic existence.”
However, this begs an important question. If our senses and perceptions are unable to give reliable knowledge of the essential nature of things, then how are we supposed to see this intrinsic emptiness? Again, this is the challenge of our practice. Meditating on this idea makes it more familiar to us and starts bringing real benefits: it softens the need to make sense of things; loosens the grip of our attachments and anxieties; shows our fears to be less significant than we imagine them to be; and frees our heart and mind to do the greater work of remaining peaceful and open in the present moment.
Cleansing and focusing our mind through meditation is therefore the way to bring the wisdom of discernment into alignment with the right path to our highest welfare. Cessation of these mental activities – the cyclic existence of our compulsions – is an end to the continual rebirth of our desires in new forms. It thereby promises to bring about a final liberation and nirvana in this lifetime. And once again, the correct view of emptiness is “the heart of the path” to this liberation.
Belief, ordinarily an act of faith, is here an act of intelligence, a directing of consciousness. Belief in a literal God or Buddha is not necessary – this is simply the way to transcend our limitations. “Faith here refers to confidence in the benefits of meditative stabilization,” the Dalai Lama tells us, “a sense of trust in what one is trying to accomplish.”
Even compassion is not an end in itself but a means to an end. If attachment to this world brings suffering, then the puzzle is how to keep engaging our heart while at the same time restraining our ego. Compassion becomes that key to moving beyond the prison of our own narrowness. Meditation on the suffering of others is the way to apply our heart to this world without getting caught up in self-interest or self-pity.
The Dalai Lama also tells us to meditate with the goal of fortunate rebirth in mind. Belief in reincarnation is not necessary – this is simply the way to renounce our attachments to this world while at the same time investing our energies in it. Meditate with the goal of liberation in mind – not a heavenly reward but a freedom from suffering which means quieting the longings and cravings that distract and dissipate our focus.
Meditate on the path to enlightenment as described by the Tibetan masters and dedicate the practice to the bodhisattvas. Becoming a Buddhist is not necessary – rather, building a sense of discernment in line with and dedicated to our gurus (including the wisdom of whichever religion we were raised under) is how to avoid the harms of negative thoughts and actions without cultivating the distractions of aversion, judgement, or preference.
But most of all meditate on emptiness – on how impermanence, change, and death is necessary and inherent. This brings the wisdom of the knowledge that everything is illusion, built up from our shared illusions. After all, this is our greater reality. We meditate on impermanence because that's what we experience constantly. Everything changes, passes on, goes away. Nothing remains except for our practice of meditation, for as long as we are fortunate enough to be alive to maintain it.
December 12, 2022
Excellent Book! Really pleased that I shared it with my World Religions class in the context of Buddhist-Christian dialogue. Dependent arising has many echoes in the Gospel of Matthew in particular. My students found new insights in the parables as a result of their engagement of Buddhist philosophy. Here are the notes that we discussed:
The Dalai Lama guides us through the Great Treatise with grace humor, passion, and utter mastery, weaving his explanations around a single, profound theme: dependent arising, the notion that all things arise and exist only through deep interconnections.
p.16 Even the attainment of Buddhahood is the result of something: it arises from causes and conditions. Buddhahood does not come out of nowhere, nor is it an eternal permanent state that is uncaused… The Buddha, through some processes, came to be a reliable person.
p.16 the Buddha whom we revere, the blessed Buddha, was previously an ordinary being on the path to becoming a buddha. There was a time when the Buddha was just like us. By gathering all of the relevant conditions, he evolved into a fully enlightened being.
p.17 The primary way that the Buddha acts for the welfare of others is speech. Thus, the enlightened quality of the Buddha’s speech is its capacity to fulfill the aspirations of living beings
p.18 The enlightened quality of the Buddha’s mind is its capacity to be fully immersed in realization of ultimate truth while in the same instant perceiving the world of diversity as well. This enlightened mind of the Buddha is the actual identity of Buddhahood.
p.22 How do we fulfill our aspirations for better rebirth? This is done through adopting a way of life that is not harming, nonviolent. The heart of that practice is to live one’s life on the basis of trust and confidence in the law of karma. So it requires cultivation of confidence that dependent arising works in the sense that our actions have karmic effects. Living one’s life according to that conviction is the primary method by which one seeks to fulfill the aspiration to gain a fortunate rebirth.
The other aspiration is to seek final enlightenment or liberation, and here the primary method is to cultivate an understanding of the ultimate nature of reality. We understand the ultimate nature of reality primarily through the Buddha’s teaching that dependent arising entails emptiness
Attainment of liberation of individuals, liberation from unenlightened existence. But there is also attainment of Buddhahood for the benefit of all beings.
p.29 Deep and firm conviction must come out of analytical meditation in which we see for ourselves how things are
p.31 Many qualities of a good teacher have been identified, including the four qualities for attracting students. Among these four, the last two are very important: (1) teaching appropriately and (2) living by the ideals that you teach, making your own life an example. The teacher has to have the skill to adapt the teachings according to the level, the need, and specific circumstances of the listeners so that it is most effective. When these conditions are created, then it will be most beneficial to teach or to listen to Dharma teachings.
p.32 With that kind of personal knowledge of emptiness, it becomes clear that it really is possible to end suffering. You know tat suffering arises from ignorance, a distorted mental state, and you know that there is a powerful antidote to that mental state.
p.33 Knowing that it is actually possible to end suffering can lead to a powerful feeling of compassion for all beings
p.42 In nontheistic religions, including Buddhism, there is no divine Creator; we have instead the law of causality. Things arise in dependence upon causes and conditions. Causes are the creatorof the result—and each cause is also the result of previous causes
This notion of conditioning indicates the lack of prior intelligent design. . Things do not come into being as a result of some divine intelligence, some earlier intelligence that designs them and brings them forth. Rather each thing comes into being from its own causes.
p.43 In the case of the twelve links of dependent origination, the first cause in the chain is ignorance. At the natural level, no one loves suffering and wishes for it—but just the same, we keep creating the conditions for suffering. So the root cause of our suffering is ignorance.
p.45 It is not just Buddhists who accept the notion of previous lives, the idea of rebirth; many philosophical traditions subscribe to this idea
p.48 The effort to attain Buddhahood is fundamentally motivated by an altruistic intention to work for the welfare of an infinite number of living beings for as long as space remains, to the furthest reaches of space . Once Buddhahood is attained, that buddha does not cease to exist
p.59 The five afflictions
(1) vessels for future suffering
(2) vessels for suffering based on what presently exists
(3) vessels for the suffering of pain
(4) vessels for the suffering of change; and
(5) vessels for the suffering of conditionality
p.61 the four characteristics of conditioned phenomena: arising, enduring, decay, and then cessation
p.62 Pleasurable, painful, and neutral feelings are suffering, all are unsatisfactory. All of the mental states associated with those feelings are suffering; the sensory faculties and their objects, which give rise to those feelings, are suffering. They all engender suffering, so they are classified together.
p.62 Among the four seals of the Buddha’s teaching, the first is that all conditioned phenomena are impermanent or transient; the second is that contaminated phenomena are in the nature of suffering. With the third seal, the Buddha teaches that all phenomena are empty and devoid of self. This is the root of all other afflictions. In fact, this grasping at self-existence can be demonstrated to be a distorted way to perceive and experience the world. It is not consonant with reality. Hence, there is a powerful antidote to it and we can cultivate that antidote. This powerful antidote, when applied, can eliminate and eradicate grasping at self. Therefore, the buddha teaches the fourth seal: nirvana is true peace. By applying a powerful antidote against the root of suffering, which is grasping at self, we can develop insight into the nature of reality.
p.64 [Where does suffering come from?]
We also must abandon the origin of suffering. An affliction is defined as a phenomenon that, when it arises, is disturbing in character and that, through arising , disturbs the mind-stream. The mind has a natural state of equilibrium. Certain mental states, thoughts, or emotions tend to disturb that equilibrium. Afflictions have this quality.
p.77 Tsong-kha-pa uses the concept that persons are of three capacities: small, medium, and great. To define the person of small capacity, he states “know as the lowest those persons who diligently strive to attain solely the joys of cyclic existence, by any means, for their own welfare alone.” Their primary aim is worldly happiness; their approach to everything is shaped by that motivation.
p.78 Atisha’s text then defines the person of medium capacity: This persons are called “medium” who stop sinful actions, turn their backs on the joys of cyclic existence, and diligently strive just for their own peace. The main motivation of these individuals is to obtain freedom from cyclic existence; they are deeply disenchanted with all the apparent delights of cyclic existence. Practitioners of medium capacity turn away from such actions and diligently strive for their own peace and freedom, liberation from cyclic existence. Their main practices are the three higher trainings in ethics, meditation, and wisdom.
p.78 Then Tsong-kha-pa cites Atisha’s definition of persons of great capacity: “ Those persons are called “superior” who sincerely want to extinguish all the sufferings of others by understanding their own suffering. These practitioners have insight into their own suffering and then extend that same understanding to all other beings. They are motivated to end the suffering of all beings and it is on that basis that they aspire to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all beings. They practice both the ultimate and conventional forms of the spirit of enlightenment, as well as the six perfections. These practices are unique to the practitioner of great capacity.
p.83 [Selflessness and Liberation] A common question is: If there is no inherently existing self, what transmigrates? Part of the problem comes from an incomplete understanding of the teaching of selflessness. The Buddha does not reject the existence of a personal self. There is a person who acts, amassing karma. There is a person who experiences the consequences of those actions. The Buddha asks us to analyze the nature of our self. Buddhists refute not the person, but a mistaken conception about the self.
p.87 [Liberation and Love] Each type of affliction has its own specific set of antidotes presented in the teachings. For example, love is an antidote to aversion, anger, and hatred. If you are afflicted with attachment, particularly in the form of lust, then it is recommended that you meditate on the impurity of the body. However, these antidotes act only to suppress, not to eradicate, the affliction against which they are directed.
p.101 [Ecumenism] For an individual practitioner the notion of a unique truth that is found through one’s own religion is very important. I am a Buddhist and I find the Buddhist approach most effective; for me Buddhism is the best way to transform a negative mind. For another person, however, the concept of a Christian God is the most powerful and for that person Christianity is best; they may feel that the only final truth is in that religion.
We cannot say in general what medicine is best. Each medicine is best for a different illness.
p.104 [need for secular ethics] Knowledge alone, with no sense of responsibility and no sense of compassion, can be destructive. This is very clear. And there is a limit to how effective external laws, rules, and guidelines can be in restraining this harm. The key is self-discipline, an internal sense of responsibility based on compassion.
p.105 [lama and tulku] A tulku is a recognized reincarnation of a past holy person. One could be both a lama (a teacher) and a tulku. Or one could be a tulku but not a lama, or a lama who is not a tulku. And of course, one could be neither.
p.106 When you experience your own suffering there is an element of involuntariness and lack of control. The pain you feel for others due to compassion has a different aspect because you have chosen to share this pain and it has a dimension of wisdom. In the case of our own pain there is a greater tendency toward fear and insecurity. Whereas when we allow ourselves to share in the pain of others, this may actually increase courage instead of fear.
p.109 What is compassion? It involves two main aspects: a sense of affection that holds other living beings as dear and a sense of concern for the suffering of those beings. Thus developing compassion involves cultivating a sense of affection for others along with a wish to relieve their suffering. It is crucial to have a deep understanding of the suffering from which we wish all living beings to be free.
p.123 Armorlike joyous perseverance requires cultivating an attitude that takes into account an extremely long time frame. [Panchen Lama’s Offerings to the Guru says, “I will strive for the welfare of others, even for the sake of a single living being; even if I must remain in the lower realms for eons, I shall not be disheartened.”]
p.124 How can we be sure about the existence of the three realms—the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm? We can get some understanding by examining our own mental states. Mental states pertaining to the desire realm are quite gross, so they have coarser forms of the afflictions and other mental processes
p.163 Once you can maintain an understanding of ultimate reality as emptiness of intrinsic existence, not negating too much r too little, then you can understand dependent origination. And when dependent origination works within emptiness, then the notion of suffering is sustainable because suffering is a dependently arisen phenomenon. When you can understand suffering as a dependent-arising, within emptiness, then you can understand its origins. Among the origins of suffering, the real root is ignorance regarding the ultimate nature of reality. So understanding emptiness allows you to understand the possibility of cessation and a path to that cessation.
p.172 These sections of the Great Treatise are very difficult, quite tough. There is a saying that when reading the more difficult sections of this text, you should be like a toothless old man trying to eat—what you cannot chew, you just swallow.
The Dalai Lama guides us through the Great Treatise with grace humor, passion, and utter mastery, weaving his explanations around a single, profound theme: dependent arising, the notion that all things arise and exist only through deep interconnections.
p.16 Even the attainment of Buddhahood is the result of something: it arises from causes and conditions. Buddhahood does not come out of nowhere, nor is it an eternal permanent state that is uncaused… The Buddha, through some processes, came to be a reliable person.
p.16 the Buddha whom we revere, the blessed Buddha, was previously an ordinary being on the path to becoming a buddha. There was a time when the Buddha was just like us. By gathering all of the relevant conditions, he evolved into a fully enlightened being.
p.17 The primary way that the Buddha acts for the welfare of others is speech. Thus, the enlightened quality of the Buddha’s speech is its capacity to fulfill the aspirations of living beings
p.18 The enlightened quality of the Buddha’s mind is its capacity to be fully immersed in realization of ultimate truth while in the same instant perceiving the world of diversity as well. This enlightened mind of the Buddha is the actual identity of Buddhahood.
p.22 How do we fulfill our aspirations for better rebirth? This is done through adopting a way of life that is not harming, nonviolent. The heart of that practice is to live one’s life on the basis of trust and confidence in the law of karma. So it requires cultivation of confidence that dependent arising works in the sense that our actions have karmic effects. Living one’s life according to that conviction is the primary method by which one seeks to fulfill the aspiration to gain a fortunate rebirth.
The other aspiration is to seek final enlightenment or liberation, and here the primary method is to cultivate an understanding of the ultimate nature of reality. We understand the ultimate nature of reality primarily through the Buddha’s teaching that dependent arising entails emptiness
Attainment of liberation of individuals, liberation from unenlightened existence. But there is also attainment of Buddhahood for the benefit of all beings.
p.29 Deep and firm conviction must come out of analytical meditation in which we see for ourselves how things are
p.31 Many qualities of a good teacher have been identified, including the four qualities for attracting students. Among these four, the last two are very important: (1) teaching appropriately and (2) living by the ideals that you teach, making your own life an example. The teacher has to have the skill to adapt the teachings according to the level, the need, and specific circumstances of the listeners so that it is most effective. When these conditions are created, then it will be most beneficial to teach or to listen to Dharma teachings.
p.32 With that kind of personal knowledge of emptiness, it becomes clear that it really is possible to end suffering. You know tat suffering arises from ignorance, a distorted mental state, and you know that there is a powerful antidote to that mental state.
p.33 Knowing that it is actually possible to end suffering can lead to a powerful feeling of compassion for all beings
p.42 In nontheistic religions, including Buddhism, there is no divine Creator; we have instead the law of causality. Things arise in dependence upon causes and conditions. Causes are the creatorof the result—and each cause is also the result of previous causes
This notion of conditioning indicates the lack of prior intelligent design. . Things do not come into being as a result of some divine intelligence, some earlier intelligence that designs them and brings them forth. Rather each thing comes into being from its own causes.
p.43 In the case of the twelve links of dependent origination, the first cause in the chain is ignorance. At the natural level, no one loves suffering and wishes for it—but just the same, we keep creating the conditions for suffering. So the root cause of our suffering is ignorance.
p.45 It is not just Buddhists who accept the notion of previous lives, the idea of rebirth; many philosophical traditions subscribe to this idea
p.48 The effort to attain Buddhahood is fundamentally motivated by an altruistic intention to work for the welfare of an infinite number of living beings for as long as space remains, to the furthest reaches of space . Once Buddhahood is attained, that buddha does not cease to exist
p.59 The five afflictions
(1) vessels for future suffering
(2) vessels for suffering based on what presently exists
(3) vessels for the suffering of pain
(4) vessels for the suffering of change; and
(5) vessels for the suffering of conditionality
p.61 the four characteristics of conditioned phenomena: arising, enduring, decay, and then cessation
p.62 Pleasurable, painful, and neutral feelings are suffering, all are unsatisfactory. All of the mental states associated with those feelings are suffering; the sensory faculties and their objects, which give rise to those feelings, are suffering. They all engender suffering, so they are classified together.
p.62 Among the four seals of the Buddha’s teaching, the first is that all conditioned phenomena are impermanent or transient; the second is that contaminated phenomena are in the nature of suffering. With the third seal, the Buddha teaches that all phenomena are empty and devoid of self. This is the root of all other afflictions. In fact, this grasping at self-existence can be demonstrated to be a distorted way to perceive and experience the world. It is not consonant with reality. Hence, there is a powerful antidote to it and we can cultivate that antidote. This powerful antidote, when applied, can eliminate and eradicate grasping at self. Therefore, the buddha teaches the fourth seal: nirvana is true peace. By applying a powerful antidote against the root of suffering, which is grasping at self, we can develop insight into the nature of reality.
p.64 [Where does suffering come from?]
We also must abandon the origin of suffering. An affliction is defined as a phenomenon that, when it arises, is disturbing in character and that, through arising , disturbs the mind-stream. The mind has a natural state of equilibrium. Certain mental states, thoughts, or emotions tend to disturb that equilibrium. Afflictions have this quality.
p.77 Tsong-kha-pa uses the concept that persons are of three capacities: small, medium, and great. To define the person of small capacity, he states “know as the lowest those persons who diligently strive to attain solely the joys of cyclic existence, by any means, for their own welfare alone.” Their primary aim is worldly happiness; their approach to everything is shaped by that motivation.
p.78 Atisha’s text then defines the person of medium capacity: This persons are called “medium” who stop sinful actions, turn their backs on the joys of cyclic existence, and diligently strive just for their own peace. The main motivation of these individuals is to obtain freedom from cyclic existence; they are deeply disenchanted with all the apparent delights of cyclic existence. Practitioners of medium capacity turn away from such actions and diligently strive for their own peace and freedom, liberation from cyclic existence. Their main practices are the three higher trainings in ethics, meditation, and wisdom.
p.78 Then Tsong-kha-pa cites Atisha’s definition of persons of great capacity: “ Those persons are called “superior” who sincerely want to extinguish all the sufferings of others by understanding their own suffering. These practitioners have insight into their own suffering and then extend that same understanding to all other beings. They are motivated to end the suffering of all beings and it is on that basis that they aspire to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all beings. They practice both the ultimate and conventional forms of the spirit of enlightenment, as well as the six perfections. These practices are unique to the practitioner of great capacity.
p.83 [Selflessness and Liberation] A common question is: If there is no inherently existing self, what transmigrates? Part of the problem comes from an incomplete understanding of the teaching of selflessness. The Buddha does not reject the existence of a personal self. There is a person who acts, amassing karma. There is a person who experiences the consequences of those actions. The Buddha asks us to analyze the nature of our self. Buddhists refute not the person, but a mistaken conception about the self.
p.87 [Liberation and Love] Each type of affliction has its own specific set of antidotes presented in the teachings. For example, love is an antidote to aversion, anger, and hatred. If you are afflicted with attachment, particularly in the form of lust, then it is recommended that you meditate on the impurity of the body. However, these antidotes act only to suppress, not to eradicate, the affliction against which they are directed.
p.101 [Ecumenism] For an individual practitioner the notion of a unique truth that is found through one’s own religion is very important. I am a Buddhist and I find the Buddhist approach most effective; for me Buddhism is the best way to transform a negative mind. For another person, however, the concept of a Christian God is the most powerful and for that person Christianity is best; they may feel that the only final truth is in that religion.
We cannot say in general what medicine is best. Each medicine is best for a different illness.
p.104 [need for secular ethics] Knowledge alone, with no sense of responsibility and no sense of compassion, can be destructive. This is very clear. And there is a limit to how effective external laws, rules, and guidelines can be in restraining this harm. The key is self-discipline, an internal sense of responsibility based on compassion.
p.105 [lama and tulku] A tulku is a recognized reincarnation of a past holy person. One could be both a lama (a teacher) and a tulku. Or one could be a tulku but not a lama, or a lama who is not a tulku. And of course, one could be neither.
p.106 When you experience your own suffering there is an element of involuntariness and lack of control. The pain you feel for others due to compassion has a different aspect because you have chosen to share this pain and it has a dimension of wisdom. In the case of our own pain there is a greater tendency toward fear and insecurity. Whereas when we allow ourselves to share in the pain of others, this may actually increase courage instead of fear.
p.109 What is compassion? It involves two main aspects: a sense of affection that holds other living beings as dear and a sense of concern for the suffering of those beings. Thus developing compassion involves cultivating a sense of affection for others along with a wish to relieve their suffering. It is crucial to have a deep understanding of the suffering from which we wish all living beings to be free.
p.123 Armorlike joyous perseverance requires cultivating an attitude that takes into account an extremely long time frame. [Panchen Lama’s Offerings to the Guru says, “I will strive for the welfare of others, even for the sake of a single living being; even if I must remain in the lower realms for eons, I shall not be disheartened.”]
p.124 How can we be sure about the existence of the three realms—the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm? We can get some understanding by examining our own mental states. Mental states pertaining to the desire realm are quite gross, so they have coarser forms of the afflictions and other mental processes
p.163 Once you can maintain an understanding of ultimate reality as emptiness of intrinsic existence, not negating too much r too little, then you can understand dependent origination. And when dependent origination works within emptiness, then the notion of suffering is sustainable because suffering is a dependently arisen phenomenon. When you can understand suffering as a dependent-arising, within emptiness, then you can understand its origins. Among the origins of suffering, the real root is ignorance regarding the ultimate nature of reality. So understanding emptiness allows you to understand the possibility of cessation and a path to that cessation.
p.172 These sections of the Great Treatise are very difficult, quite tough. There is a saying that when reading the more difficult sections of this text, you should be like a toothless old man trying to eat—what you cannot chew, you just swallow.
July 8, 2013
This is a good book in that it deals with some of the harder subjects of Buddhism. Actually the Great Treatise of the Stages to the Path of Enlightment by Tsong-kha-pa’s 18 volume set deals with the hardest aspects of Buddhism. In this book, the Dalai Lama deals with some of the hardest subjects from the 18 volumes. He has been studying this work since he was introduced to it at 16.
I wish I could say that he made the concepts so simple that I got each of them, but that was not the case. Most of the book was over my head, but I do think it was important for me in that it pried open some concepts for me. These are around dependent origination and Emptiness subjects that I have been struggling to understand for a long time.
This book would have been better if I had a more technical background. And I don’t recommend it unless you have done a lot of background reading already.
I wish I could say that he made the concepts so simple that I got each of them, but that was not the case. Most of the book was over my head, but I do think it was important for me in that it pried open some concepts for me. These are around dependent origination and Emptiness subjects that I have been struggling to understand for a long time.
This book would have been better if I had a more technical background. And I don’t recommend it unless you have done a lot of background reading already.
August 9, 2022
First, I would rate my understanding of HHDL's words as 2 star. This is not a book for a beginner but more suited to one who has practiced/studied for a little while. Also, I did not have the 3 volumes of Tsongkhapa's Path to Enlightenment treatise that this book is a commentary of. I feel that it almost necessary if you wish to understand what is being said. Finally, this book is not intended to be read by just anyone as you would a Stephen King novel, some knowledge of the subject is most beneficial before reading this book.
As I study the book more and begin to understand more of what is being said, I will edit this post and add more.
This book is worth getting if you are a practicioner of Vajrayana Buddhism, but study is of vital importance.
As I study the book more and begin to understand more of what is being said, I will edit this post and add more.
This book is worth getting if you are a practicioner of Vajrayana Buddhism, but study is of vital importance.
April 3, 2015
This is one of the best things I've ever consumed. It's an audio book. If you enjoy the Dalai Lama, but want to hear him talking to Buddhists rather than a secular or pluralistic western audience, you will probably enjoy this. The text that he discusses here is the one that he has based his entire life's practice on. He started it when he was 16. He was 73 when he did this and cannot claim to have mastered it. I will need to listen to it many times to even fully get this introduction. It delves deep into the nature of perception and existence as that relates to the practice of meditation and the Buddhist path. Amazing stuff.
October 31, 2017
This book is based on a series of talks that HH Dali Lama gave on a Buddhist text that essentially sums up the philosophy and practice of Buddhism. It is written in the clear style of the Dali Lama with a very good translator. There are a multitude of notes to help the reader who probably is not familiar with the text he is commenting on. I recommend this book for readers with some knowledge of Buddhism.
September 7, 2021
Kurzmeinung: Zuversicht
Eine Empfehlung von ganzem Herzen
Das Buch ''Von Hier zur Erleuchtung'' gibt Einblicke in den tibetischen Buddhismus, erzählt aus Sicht des Dalai Lama.
Das Buch ist ein Transkript/ bzw. Aufnahme einer Vorlesung, die der Dalai Lama selbst gehalten hat. Es erzählt dem Leser über die Weisheiten des Buddhismus. Betont wird, dass dieser Vortrag besonders zugeschnitten für die westliche Welt ist, denn man kann hier alles in zugänglicher Form auch als Laie verstehen, ohne alles über die tiefgreifendere Lehren zu wissen. Der Dalai Lama spricht in seinem Vortrag über die Stufen auf dem Pfad zur Erleuchtung, genannt Tsong-kha-pa. Gerade durch seine Gleichnisse, Geschichten und Erfahrungen aus seiner Vergangenheit, kann der von ihm erklärte Buddhismus als zeitlose Weisheit interpretiert werden. Er selbst musste seine Heimat verlassen und wurde als Flüchtling in Indien aufgenommen, wo er auch noch heute lebt. Der Dalai Lama erzählt die traditionellen Weisheiten gerne mit einer besonderen Leichtigkeit, dass es Spaß macht ihm zuzuhören, auch der Humor über dessen Leben und Lehre wirft für die heutige Zeit, meiner Meinung nach, ein positives Licht auf das Ganze. Er sagt, warum es so wichtig ist, sich miteinder zu verbinden, auch über verschiedene Kulturen hinweg. Und er macht klar, dass wir nur zusammen existieren können und wir alle voneinander abhängig sind. Das Buch bietet einen breitgefächerten Schatz an Wissen, welcher zum Denken anregt. Nicht umso weniger kann man sich bei sorgfältigem Lesen inspirieren lassen.
Ich habe schon vieler seiner Bücher gelesen, der Dalai Lama ist meiner Meinung nach eine interessante Persönlichkeit, auch geschichtlich und ich nehme die Weisheiten immer zu Rat, wenn ich meinem Herzen folgen möchte.
Das Buch ist eine unermessliche Hilfe , gerade in Krisenzeiten und in einer Welt des Wandels, kann dieses philosophische Gedankengut Zuversicht geben.
Das Cover finde ich sehr aussagekräftig, es ist modern und zeigt den Buddha beim Meditieren, der höchste Ausdruck von Spiritualität.
Ich empfehle das Buch von ganzem Herzen!
Eine Empfehlung von ganzem Herzen
Das Buch ''Von Hier zur Erleuchtung'' gibt Einblicke in den tibetischen Buddhismus, erzählt aus Sicht des Dalai Lama.
Das Buch ist ein Transkript/ bzw. Aufnahme einer Vorlesung, die der Dalai Lama selbst gehalten hat. Es erzählt dem Leser über die Weisheiten des Buddhismus. Betont wird, dass dieser Vortrag besonders zugeschnitten für die westliche Welt ist, denn man kann hier alles in zugänglicher Form auch als Laie verstehen, ohne alles über die tiefgreifendere Lehren zu wissen. Der Dalai Lama spricht in seinem Vortrag über die Stufen auf dem Pfad zur Erleuchtung, genannt Tsong-kha-pa. Gerade durch seine Gleichnisse, Geschichten und Erfahrungen aus seiner Vergangenheit, kann der von ihm erklärte Buddhismus als zeitlose Weisheit interpretiert werden. Er selbst musste seine Heimat verlassen und wurde als Flüchtling in Indien aufgenommen, wo er auch noch heute lebt. Der Dalai Lama erzählt die traditionellen Weisheiten gerne mit einer besonderen Leichtigkeit, dass es Spaß macht ihm zuzuhören, auch der Humor über dessen Leben und Lehre wirft für die heutige Zeit, meiner Meinung nach, ein positives Licht auf das Ganze. Er sagt, warum es so wichtig ist, sich miteinder zu verbinden, auch über verschiedene Kulturen hinweg. Und er macht klar, dass wir nur zusammen existieren können und wir alle voneinander abhängig sind. Das Buch bietet einen breitgefächerten Schatz an Wissen, welcher zum Denken anregt. Nicht umso weniger kann man sich bei sorgfältigem Lesen inspirieren lassen.
Ich habe schon vieler seiner Bücher gelesen, der Dalai Lama ist meiner Meinung nach eine interessante Persönlichkeit, auch geschichtlich und ich nehme die Weisheiten immer zu Rat, wenn ich meinem Herzen folgen möchte.
Das Buch ist eine unermessliche Hilfe , gerade in Krisenzeiten und in einer Welt des Wandels, kann dieses philosophische Gedankengut Zuversicht geben.
Das Cover finde ich sehr aussagekräftig, es ist modern und zeigt den Buddha beim Meditieren, der höchste Ausdruck von Spiritualität.
Ich empfehle das Buch von ganzem Herzen!
May 29, 2022
Contemplation, enlightenment, insight, and states of consciousness through following the spiritual path of Buddhism are all discussed in this easily navigable book. A practical and straightforward way of referencing the ways we can move toward becoming more fully aligned through the vision of the Buddha.
I do not connect as readily to Dalai Lama XIV's way of writing just yet (perhaps with more time I will find the connection I seek). There are others whose writings resonate (Chögyam Trungpa, Pema Chödrön, Thich Nhat Hanh, etc.) more fully with me, yet, the references to historical Buddhists texts are great and many in this book and that is worth another visit.
I do not connect as readily to Dalai Lama XIV's way of writing just yet (perhaps with more time I will find the connection I seek). There are others whose writings resonate (Chögyam Trungpa, Pema Chödrön, Thich Nhat Hanh, etc.) more fully with me, yet, the references to historical Buddhists texts are great and many in this book and that is worth another visit.
January 17, 2020
A great read, well-structured explanation by the Dalai Lama of Lama Tsong Khapa's treatise on the path to enlightenment (Lam Rim).
The end notes are immensely helpful, and the translation and editing is to the point.
May not be the ideal for those not yet familiar with Buddhism, in particular from Tibetan schools.
The end notes are immensely helpful, and the translation and editing is to the point.
May not be the ideal for those not yet familiar with Buddhism, in particular from Tibetan schools.
September 15, 2022
What about those various paths…
Are they down from the castle to beg for rice from the hard workers already on their path?
Are the paths up to the castle where there is now room, since all the previous were slaughtered unable to defend themselves.
Why is the Dali Lama not in his own land at his own castle…. Where do the proceeds from the books go?
Are they down from the castle to beg for rice from the hard workers already on their path?
Are the paths up to the castle where there is now room, since all the previous were slaughtered unable to defend themselves.
Why is the Dali Lama not in his own land at his own castle…. Where do the proceeds from the books go?
May 12, 2025
The best introduction to buddhist thought i have read so far, hearing the thoughts of the Dalai Lama is very eye opening and highlights how Buddhist thinking aligns so closely with many already established ideals in the worlds largest religions. I often found myself thinking of a question and soon after i thought it, my question would be answered in the text.
December 11, 2017
Very dense read, and not for people looking for an introduction to Buddhism. However, lots of good info. I had to consistently read elsewhere to even understand some of the nomenclature and basic concepts that are assumed to be known.
June 13, 2019
I studied this book as part of my daily meditation practice, and it was deeply rewarding. Towards the end, it became very difficult and knotty, as HHDL explained different logical arguments about emptiness and inherent existence.
February 4, 2024
really a tour de france of Mahayana Buddhist thought.. super detailed while being very accessible.. HH Dalai Lama is a great teacher🙏
January 6, 2025
Not for the layperson.
January 25, 2016
Event though this amounts to a book review by the Dalai Lama, I really liked this book. Mr. Lama breaks down Tson-Kha-Pa's book on the stages to enlightenment for a Western audience. With chapters as "Four Noble Truths", "How to Practice", "Serenity", and "The Purpose of Emptiness" it really gets into what makes Buddhism, well, Buddhism.
A lot of the Dalai Lama's books feature bite sized chunks of Buddhism in hopes of helping even non-Buddhists. This book says such things like, due to the nature of dependent origination nothing truly exists innately and that is the meaning of emptiness. I'm paraphrasing (poorly) but methinks it gets my point across.
If not, let me try again: this book is great for Buddhists because it delivers pearls of wisdom that keeps us thinking for weeks. But for non-Buddhist curious about Buddhism? I'd say go pick up The Art of Happiness.
A lot of the Dalai Lama's books feature bite sized chunks of Buddhism in hopes of helping even non-Buddhists. This book says such things like, due to the nature of dependent origination nothing truly exists innately and that is the meaning of emptiness. I'm paraphrasing (poorly) but methinks it gets my point across.
If not, let me try again: this book is great for Buddhists because it delivers pearls of wisdom that keeps us thinking for weeks. But for non-Buddhist curious about Buddhism? I'd say go pick up The Art of Happiness.
March 4, 2013
I like the Dalai Lama's attitudes about life, and this was an interesting read. However, it's also a translation of an explanation of a book that is itself an explication of even more arcane books, so it's tough reading. It also goes deep into "angels on the head of a pin" territory, stressing complicated analysis of the tiniest shadings of the Buddha's meaning.
I find the more prosaic aspects of Buddhism to be useful. I strive to see the connections between things, to let go of my anger and excessive attachments, and there are some good reminders about that in here. But reading this makes me suspect that a lot of these classic Buddhist scholars have gotten lost in the thickets of their own scholarship.
I find the more prosaic aspects of Buddhism to be useful. I strive to see the connections between things, to let go of my anger and excessive attachments, and there are some good reminders about that in here. But reading this makes me suspect that a lot of these classic Buddhist scholars have gotten lost in the thickets of their own scholarship.
Read
January 30, 2013Hôm nay, chúng ta tề tựu về đây không phải để nghe kể chuyện này, chuyện nọ, mà là để lắng nghe Phật pháp. Việc chuyển hóa thân, khẩu, ý của quý vị là điều quan trọng, để thẳng tiến đến giác ngộ nếu có thể. Do đó, ít nhất là trong các buổi giảng Pháp này, quý vị hãy cố gắng hướng tâm vào việc tu tập tâm linh. Hãy cố gắng ghi nhớ bất kỳ ý nghĩa nào mà quý vị tiếp nhận được từ các buổi giảng Pháp này và nỗ lực thực hành theo đó cho thuần thục. Nghe giảng Pháp không chỉ là để trau dồi học thuật, mà mục đích chính là để thuần phục và chuyển hóa tâm. Do đó, điều quan trọng là sau khi nghe giảng Pháp, chúng ta phải đạt được kết quả là có sự chuyển hóa trong cuộc sống của mình.
April 9, 2014
I think that this book is nothing more than an attempt to make money using the figure, fame and respect from this holy man. He travels the world giving good common sense advice and then some wise men tape his speeches and turn them into books to make them commercial success. I guess there is nothing wrong with that, and I guess His Highness has no problem with that either, but I think that the one book I read from him (Ethics for the New Millennium) is more than enough to grasp a little of his pure and important line of thought and spirituality.
November 4, 2012
I liked this book, most of all the questions and the answer of Dalai Lama, but I think my way to the enlightenment is still very long and complicated....
Mi è piaciuto questo libro, soprattutto le domande e le risposte date dal Dalai Lama, comunque resta il fatto che la mia strada verso "l'illuminazione" è ancora molto lunga e complicata....
THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND SHAMBALA PUBLICATIONS FOR THE PREVIEW!
Mi è piaciuto questo libro, soprattutto le domande e le risposte date dal Dalai Lama, comunque resta il fatto che la mia strada verso "l'illuminazione" è ancora molto lunga e complicata....
THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND SHAMBALA PUBLICATIONS FOR THE PREVIEW!
July 22, 2016
Very intellectual book on the path to enlightenment. Has a lot of technical terminology and references that are better understood by a more learned Buddhist practitioner. I was a simple beginner interested in the basics and origins of Buddhism when i read this book and unlike others that I read around the same time period this one was not as clear and concise. I still enjoyed reading it and learning some history on Buddhism and the Dalai Lama XIV.
February 3, 2013
This is a good book for better understanding the overall goals of Tibetan Buddhism. It is rather complex and multi-leveled. There is much general wisdom to be gained as well as much speculation. Yet it certainly does open a window of understanding into the concepts and belief of this particular philosophy and belief system.
January 28, 2016
Man sollte mindestens eine Idee grundsätzlicher buddhistischer (Mahayana) Konzepte haben. Das Buch verschafft einen guten Überblick, hilft auch beim Verständnis der "Leerheit", könnte aber detaillierter sein. (Es ist die Mitschrift eines Vortrages.) Schwerpunkte werden auf "Leerheit" und "Erleuchtungsgeist" gelegt.
March 30, 2013
I love how The Dalai Lama explains things. Here he explains some key points of The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment. This will be a great book to return to on a regular basis...as my understanding hopefully grows.
May 3, 2013
I read this book today at the Johnson Library, Hackensack, NJ. It is a nice book. H.H.Dalai Lama gives a beautiful explanation for each of the themes he takes for discussion from out of the Treatise. The translation is immensely precise and elegant.
September 21, 2012
Such a great teaching!
March 9, 2013
Get's technical in the later chapters, but the introduction is just great. One of DL's best
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