Synopses & Reviews
The second volume of the fifteenth-century spiritual classic that condenses the enormous breadth of Buddhist teachings into one easy-to-follow meditation manual. The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (Tibetan title: Lam rim chen mo) is one of the brightest jewels in the world's treasury of sacred literature, and certainly in the world of Tibetan Buddhism. The author, Tsong-kha-pa, completed this masterpiece in 1402 to help lead people along a series of progressive stages from this-worldly self-centeredness to cosmically altruistic expansiveness. For centuries it has continued to be essential reading for any student of Buddhist thought who wants to put the Buddha's teachings into practice.
Volume Two is the heart of the Great Treatise. It explains how to train in the six perfections in order to develop the heart of compassion.
Synopsis
JE TSONG-KHA-PA (1357-1419), founder of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism, was one of Tibet's greatest philosophers and a prolific writer. His works combine a profound meditative spirituality with meticulous reasoning. THE LAMRIM CHENMO TRANSLATION COMMITTEE is composed of José Cabezón, Daniel Cozort, Joshua W. C. Cutler, Natalie Hauptman, Roger R. Jackson, Karen Lang, Donald S. Lopez Jr., John Makransky, Elizabeth S. Napper, Guy Newland, John Newman, Gareth Sparham, B. Alan Wallace, and Joe B. Wilson.
Table of Contents
Editor's Preface
1. The Stages of the Path for Persons of Great Capacity
2. Compassion, the Entrance to the Mahāyāna
3. The Seven Cause-and-Effect Personal Instructions
4. Exchanging Self and Other
5. The Ritual for Adopting the Spirit of Enlightenment
6. Maintaining the Spirit of Enlightenment
7. An Introduction to the Six Perfections
8. Training in the Mahāyāna: Precepts and Perfections
9. The Perfection of Generosity
10. How to Give
11. The Perfection of Ethical Discipline
12. The Perfection of Patience
13. The Perfection of Joyous Perseverance
14. The Perfections of Meditative Stabilization and Wisdom
15. Helping Others to Mature: The Four Ways to Gather Disciples
Appendix 1: Outline of the Text
Appendix 2: Glossary
Appendix 3: Emendations to the Tibetan Text
Notes
Abbreviations
Bibliography
Index