Awakening the Buddha Within

by Surya Das

Paperback, 1997

Collection

Lam Rim

Status

Available

Call number

DAS-002

Publication

Broadway (1997), Edition: First Paperback Edition

Description

Lama Surya Das, the most highly trained American lama in the Tibetan tradition, presents the definitive book on Western Buddhism for the modern-day spiritual seeker. The radical and compelling message of Buddhism tells us that each of us has the wisdom, awareness, love, and power of the Buddha within; yet most of us are too often like sleeping Buddhas. In Awakening the Buddha Within, Surya Das shows how we can awaken to who we really are in order to lead a more compassionate, enlightened, and balanced life. It illuminates the guidelines and key principles embodied in the noble Eight-Fold Path and the traditional Three Enlightenment Trainings common to all schools of Buddhism: Wisdom Training: Developing clear vision, insight, and inner understanding--seeing reality and ourselves as we really are. Ethics Training: Cultivating virtue, self-discipline, and compassion in what we say and do. Meditation Training: Practicing mindfulness, concentration, and awareness of the present moment. With lively stories, meditations, and spiritual practices, Awakening the Buddha Within is an invaluable text for the novice and experienced student of Buddhism alike.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member Clara53

This is a kind of book to be read on and off, spread out over time and giving time - to absorb what's in it. And that's what I did. It is a thoughtful blend of inspiring stories from the history of Buddhism (Dzogchen lineage in particular) along with the author's own experience on the path towards

enlightenment, as well as basic concepts of Buddhism, and very detailed practical meditation advice (quite doable!). Meditation is a way of life, the author says: "... think of daily meditation as a mental hygiene, a form of mental floss that retards truth decay". He warns against "instant-coffee mind" that most of us tend to have; he stresses the concept of "allowing": "The universe is beyond our control anyway. Trying to control things creates more stress, struggle, and irritating friction in the greater system". Practically all aspects of everyday life are touched upon in this book (no renunciation required), with the central idea being - "Living a mindful life is a sacred way of being in this world". I found it most appealing. I know I would be returning to this book over and over again: to re-enforce some of the things that I am already doing and to learn new notions.

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LibraryThing member hopemccormick

I have a fundamentalist Christian background, and this was my first intro to Buddhism. Because the author is American and has a Judaeo-Christian perspective, the book was pretty accessible -- as far as any book on religion is accessible anyway. Gave me a new view of some of my Christian beliefs and

opened me up to some psychological avenues of better managing my life.

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LibraryThing member kayautic57

With the dizzying array of books on spritual enlightenment in general, and Buddhism in particular, I found this book superior to most. Lama Surya Das explains Buddhist terms and concepts in ways that are not confusing or koan-like.

LibraryThing member sturlington

It probably took me longer to read this book than any other — over 2 years. But I like to think that I read it in a very Buddhist manner, that is, I savored and absorbed small chunks of it as I needed and could understand them. Written from a Western point of view, this book provides a thorough

grounding in Buddhist principles and practices. I know I’ll be exploring more, and also returning to this book time and again for inspiration and grounding.

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LibraryThing member CarolynSchroeder

It is not often I can say that a book changed my life, but I can with this one. I just loved "Awakening the Buddha Within" and it helped me so enormously in my life that words fail me. If you have any desire to read about Buddhism and how it can help you (and in turn, the people and world around

you), this is about the best place to start that I can think of. The funny thing is, this book was sitting on my shelves for about 10 years and I guess now was the right time for me to pick it up. Highly recommended for anyone either interested in learning about the practice, or even furthering it. Lama Surya Das is a wonderful storyteller, guide and just all around nice, interesting guy who easily spreads the joy (and yes, work) of being a better human being.

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LibraryThing member NetteinNJ

A good introduction to Buddhism for Westerners from a western point of view.

LibraryThing member pmtracy

This is a decent introduction to some core Buddhist beliefs from a Western perspective. I think Lama Das could have spent a little less time talking about himself. About half the book was on meditation and there's so much more to discuss like Dharma and noble choices but, overall, not bad.

LibraryThing member moukayedr

I listened to the abridged version of this book read by the author. He had quite and interesting journey as a Jewish boy from Long Island, to the Tibet during the wild sixties.

Although Tibetan Buddhism sounds to me like a fundamentalist type of religion, the overall principles resonated with me

completely. The awareness that we are only a small part of a great divine whole is a beautiful idea, and explains the diversity of human journeys some of which are extreme in their difficulty while others are cut short and seem to lack any value for the person living them.

I always thought that life is precious, more precious than eternity, simply because of its transient and fleeting nature, so the principle of living in the moment is paramount for a peaceful existence.
This book is a landmark for me in my spiritual journey and I think I will read it again in its printed and unabridged form.

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LibraryThing member Chris.Wolak

This book was my constant companion when I first started reading about Buddhism and the one I've most recommended.

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