<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: A Perfect Gem among all his Gems
Review: All of Geshe Kelsang Gyatso's books that I have read are beautiful, pure Dharma, and this book is my favorite among them. As the subtitle of the book proclaims, this is "The Complete Buddhist Path to Enlightenment."Geshe writes so carefully and precisely in his books, as if each word is precious and none to be wasted. This helped me to slow down and read and study the text with care -- the perfect way to study Lam Rim (the gradual, step-by-step path to enlightenment.) Don't rush through this book; your care will be rewarded! Before getting to the first step of the path, the author gives us some introductory material. This includes a brief outline of lam rim, the qualities of the author (the original author of the lam rim was Atisha who brought these teachings to Tibet where they were preserved), how to listen properly to dharma teachings, and some introduction to meditation. Then Geshe begins to lead us down the path. The path begins with reliance on a good spiritual guide. Just as we would rely upon a guide while trying to pass through dangerous mountains, and we would choose a qualified guide that knew the path well, so too should we find a guide along this path to enlightenment, and check out his qualifications before choosing him (or her.) Geshe spells out the proper qualifications we should look for, and then shows us what we should do after finding a proper guide (how we should approach that guide and what respectful behavior we should have.) Geshe continues through the next steps of the path, giving us meditations on: appreciation for our good fortune in having this human life where we can pursue a spiritual path, how death is certain and may come unexpectedly so we should practice diligently, and why and how to go for refuge in the Buddha, his teachings (the Dharma) and the community of fellow spiritual seekers (the Sangha). After further helpful meditations on karma, the Four Noble Truths, delusions, the path to liberation, Geshe concludes with the heart of the Mahayana Dharma: bodhicitta (the wish to attain enlightenment to benefit all beings, not just ourself.) As Geshe-la says, "[Bodhicitta] is born from great compassion -- a mind that cannot bear others to experience pain and that wants to release all beings from every kind of suffering. ...Seeing how many and how great their sufferings are, we have a spontaneous and continuous wish, 'How wonderful it would be if all living beings were entirely free from every kind of suffering.' Having generated great compassion, when we become determined to attain enlightenment for the sake of others and this determination is spontaneous and continuous all day and all night, we have realized bodhicitta." (p. 382-383) Geshe-la guides us through each step in generating this most important quality in ourselves, not just in our minds as a wish, but in our actions and activities every day. One of his chapters' titles is "Engaging in a Bodhisattva's Actions" and has subsections such as 'Giving Material Things', 'The Perfection of Moral Discipline' and 'The Moral Discipline of Benefiting Living Beings'. He goes through in detail the six perfections in this chapter, which are: generosity, ethics, patience, joyous effort, meditative concentration, and wisdom. His concluding chapter describes what the mind and activities of an enlightened Buddha are like, but also acknowledges that this is difficult for us to comprehend: "If a bird flies high in the sky it must eventually come down somewhere, no matter how far it soars. This is not because the bird has arrived at the end of space, but because it has run out of energy to fly. Space is vast and endless and the bird's power is exhausted before it has travelled throughout space. The good qualities of a Buddha are like space and our understanding is like this bird. If we were to try to describe all the good qualities of a Buddha, our wisdom and skill would run out before we could finish describing them. They are beyond our imagination." (p. 552) However, if we study and put into practice this marvelous teaching from Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, eventually we will experience these qualities first hand.
Rating:
Summary: Indispensable commentary
Review: Every time I open this book I am awestruck. I have never before read such a complete and moving presentation of the Buddhist Path. Brilliant!
Rating: 
Summary: Not worth reading
Review: It misses the point.
The original and best Lam Rim text is going to be ISBN: 1559391529,
a direct translation of the Lam Rim Chenmo.
Rating: 
Summary: I miss something in the book
Review: Of course this is a good summerize to the path and a good book for beginners and practical guidance. But I miss on which sources the author relies in his presentation. Which scrpitural source he is using. Atishas presentation is different and also Je Tsongkhpas Lam Rim Chen Mo is in some points also different.
In the chapter on relying to a teacher there is missing the whole section about the qualities of a desciple which are necessary to check a teacher correctly. In the scriptural sources (Lam Rim Chen Mo/Tsongkhapa) it is said: A proper student of the Mahayana Dharma has to have three defining characteritics: nonpartisan, intelligent and diligent. Without this he is not a proper vessel for the Mahayana Dharma.
Nonparsian means not to have attachment to your own religious system and aversion to other religious systems. If you suffer from this, you will be obstructed to see what is correct and what is a fault...(you find this in detail in Volume One of "The great treatise on the stages of the path to enlightenment" by Tsong-ka-pa, Snow Lion)
Also if you can not distinguish between good explanation of the Dharma and fault explanations, your not proper prepared and you will make mistakes.
Why I emphasize these points?
Just to believe your teacher is a Buddha how the author in his book describes is not enough. And also this statement is not to take literally. And if you have not the three mentioned qualities you can not decide which teacher is really qualified. You will see faults of him as qualities and qualities as faults.
If you than rely on a wrong teacher, than this is very dangerous.In this case you also need methods how to go to distance to him without becoming negative.
But this important point I miss very much, too. There are today many teachers who have a abusing and misleading behaviour and a desciple should be protected and learn how to recognize wrong teachers and not to follow such people.
From that perspective the advertisement of this book as the "complete path" I can not follow and do not agree.
That's why only three stars.
Better you use the main Gelug Text: Lam Rim Chen Mo by Tong-ka-pa himself.
Rating:
Summary: Path of Good Fortune
Review: Path of Good Fortune is a book you need to own. It outlines Buddhist psychology and philosophy in a clear and concise manner. What is most important about this book to me is that the advice found within its pages has helped me to bridge the gap between the meditation bench and the real world. I read it as part of a regular practice of meditation and yoga. I am on my third 'read', but each day it seems as if I find something fresh, new, and meaningful in this book. It is one of those books that seems to know what you need to hear, it seems to answer your questions as if it could hear your heart speak.
Rating: 
Summary: Wish Wash
Review: Prior to becoming interested in Buddhism I did not know how to contemplate on my actions and thus, did not know their effects on other people and also myself. After learning how to meditate and live a conscious life according to the methods found in "The Joyful Path," I have not slept, or lived unconsciously. I know what people now mean by the word enlightenment. I think that there are many steps or levels to enlightenment, besides the enlightment of Buddha, which are subtly explained in "The Joyful Path." My first enlightenment came at a sudden moment when I realized there was no other way to live happily and beneficially other than to actively, not passively practice the joyful path. Hence the name of Geshe Kelsang Gyatso's book. I call it enlightenment because it was a moment in which a new world opened before my eyes. Nothing has been the same since. I have become fully awake in all my actions. The lesson on practicing the kindness of mothers opened my eyes to treat everyone with respect and joy. I agree with the person who stated that he almost quit his job because of his boss and then learned to live with him peacefully. Working in an everyday fast paced job, I can sympathize with the hardship of people's attitudes and tempers. I believe that reading evan a small part of this text everyday keeps me in balance. It brings me back to the center where all goodness resides and allows me to bring that light forward towards others. I now know how to contemplate on how I say things, what the expression was when I say it, how the other person must feel as they hear the tone of my voice with which I used to conveyed it. And at the end of the day, if I had to do it again, would I do it the same or how could I have improved it.
Although I miss opportunities to practice these acts out of frustration, anger or sadness, I am fully conscious enough to realize the impact, and then tell myself that I will try again. There are a million self-help books on the market. But none that I have encountered discuss how to help yourself at the same time as helping others. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to improve their lives and that of others by living in the moment with regard to humanity by expressing pure love and compassion in every action.
Rating:
Summary: Not worth reading
Review: The is the Lamrim ("Graduated Path to Enlightment") and it is
the very spine of all Buddhism. Whatever aspect of Buddhism
that you learn can be fitted into the Lamrim. It's sort of like
the main frame of a computer. Whatever you find can be beutifully fitted inside. But we need a frame of the Buddha's
teachings. And this is it. I have read this text twice. And
I want to read and study it twenty times. The writer of this text is Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. The most brillant writer of Buddhist texts in the twentieth century. He explains something
brillantly with words. And with images. And then we understand
perfectly. His works, including this one, are beautifully
constructed. And this is the entire frame for all Buddhist
teachings everywhere. It is the Bible of Buddhism. If you would
like to be a practioner as well, please buy Geshe Kelsang Gyatso's "Meditation Handbook" when you order this book
Rating:
Summary: THE BEST BOOK EVER WRITTEN, INCLUDING THE BIBLE!
Review: The is the Lamrim ("Graduated Path to Enlightment") and it is
the very spine of all Buddhism. Whatever aspect of Buddhism
that you learn can be fitted into the Lamrim. It's sort of like
the main frame of a computer. Whatever you find can be beutifully fitted inside. But we need a frame of the Buddha's
teachings. And this is it. I have read this text twice. And
I want to read and study it twenty times. The writer of this text is Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. The most brillant writer of Buddhist texts in the twentieth century. He explains something
brillantly with words. And with images. And then we understand
perfectly. His works, including this one, are beautifully
constructed. And this is the entire frame for all Buddhist
teachings everywhere. It is the Bible of Buddhism. If you would
like to be a practioner as well, please buy Geshe Kelsang Gyatso's "Meditation Handbook" when you order this book
Rating:
Summary: EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS BOOK ! ! ! ! ! !
Review: This book (as do all GKG's books)is easy to read, easy to undrestand and easy to use. I've read dozens of books on Buhddism and meditaion, and athough many were quite good, none were as useful as this one book. It spells everything out in plain English and offers a realistic working guide apply theese concepts to anyones life of any already existing faith. I see thing s so much differently now. And as a result I don't get so frustrated with people or situations that only a few short months ago would made me completely NUTS. The more I put to use what I've read, the more relaxed and peaceful my mind gets! And ALL of my relationships, both personal and professional, have benefited greatly as a direct result.
Rating:
Summary: This book has everything
Review: You will probably never need another book to learn about even the most intricate thoughts and concepts of Mahayana Buddhism. Yes, you may use other books to digg further in particular areas, but you will always come back to this one. The basis for any Buddhist studies. I have read many other books from other authors (including the famous ones), but none live up to the purity of this author. His teachings are uniquely pure with no self-interest.
<< 1 >>
| 
