Paperback. The Dalai Lama explains the principles of meditation in a practice-oriented format especially suited for Westerners. Based upon the middle section of the Bhavanakrama by Kamalashila, a translation of which is included, this is the most extensive commentary given by the Dalai Lama on this concise but important meditation handbook. It is a favorite text of the Dalai Lama and he often takes the opportunity to give teachings on it to audiences throughout the world. In his words, "This text can be like a key that opens the door to all major Buddhist scriptures." Topics included are: the nature of the mind, how to develop compassion and loving-kindness, calm abiding, wisdom, and how to establish a union of calm abiding and special insight. With the Tibetan text.
Stages of Meditation, Dalai Lama, Snow lion Publications, 210 pp, Paperback, $16.95
Tenzin Gyamtso, the 14th Dalai Lama, was born on July 6, 1935 in a small village called Takster in northeastern Tibet. At the age of two, His Holiness was recognized as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama. He was enthroned at the age of five and assumed full political power in 1950. In 1959, His Holiness was forced into exile and has striven ever since for a peaceful solution to the the Sino-Tibetan crisis. He continually promotes his compassionate approach to life struggles, whether personal or global, and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.
Geshe Lobsang Jordhen, a graduate of the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics, Dharmasala, who since 1989 has been religious assistant and personal translator of His Holiness the Dalai Lama; Losang Choephel Ganchenpa, who also trained at the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics and has worked for over a decade as a Buddhist translator; and Jeremy Russell, who is editor of Cho-Yang.
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Contents: Stages of MEDITATION |
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Preface |
7 |
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Prologue |
10 |
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Introduction |
17 |
| 1. |
What is the Mind? |
28 |
| 2. |
Training the Mind |
36 |
| 3. |
Compassion |
42 |
| 4. |
Developing Equanimity, the Root of Loving-Kindness |
48 |
| 5. |
Identifying the Nature of Suffering |
59 |
| 6. |
Wisdom |
85 |
| 7. |
Common Prerequisites for Meditating on Calm Abiding and Special Insight |
94 |
| 8. |
The Practice of Calm Abiding |
107 |
| 9. |
Actualizing Special Insight |
122 |
| 10. |
Unifying Method and Wisdom |
140 |
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Glossary |
159 |
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Bibliography of Works Cited |
163 |
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Tibetan Text of Stages of Meditation |
167 |
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