Contents: Letter to a Friend
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Foreward by Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche
IX |
xi
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Biography of Author |
xiiii
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Acknowledgements |
xvii
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Editor's Biography |
xxviii
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Introduction to Text |
1 |
Encouragement to Listen to the
Teachings |
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Focus on the Meaning of the Teachings |
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The Importance of Learning |
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The Main Body of the Text - Pursuing
the Virtuous Life |
6 |
The Six Reminders |
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Recollecting the Qualities of the
Buddha |
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Recollecting the Qualities of the
Buddha's Teachings |
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Recollecting the Qualities of the
Sangha |
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Counsel to Remain Steadfast in One's
Ones Virtuous Conduct |
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Reflecting on Karma |
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Recollection of Generosity |
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Recollection of Moral Precepts |
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The Practice of Taking Moral Precepts |
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Practicing the Six Perfections of
Mahayana |
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Remaining Steadfast in Virtue
--General Advice For Laypeople practicing Dharma |
28 |
Filial Piety |
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Taking Precepts from time to time |
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Transforming one's attitude |
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Practicing heedfulness |
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The practice of patience |
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Preparation for meditation - counsel
to lay people |
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Giving up enmity |
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To practice correct conduct of body,
speech and mind. |
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The importance of pleasant speech |
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The four forms of migration |
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The four catagories of persons |
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Refraining from causing harm to others |
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Protecting the mind |
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Uprooting the cause of excessive desire |
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Mastering the six sense organs |
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Abandoning excessive desires |
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The Development of Wisdom |
61 |
The nature of reality |
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Meditation on dependent origination |
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Cultivating the superior qualities |
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Regarding the eight worldly dharmas
equally |
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Consequences of Negative Karma cannot
be shared |
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The action of karma |
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Acquiring the wealth of the holy ones |
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Perserving inner wealth |
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The importance of contentment |
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The importance of having few desires |
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The Practice of Meditation |
76 |
Cultivating Tranquility |
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Medition before sleep and upon wakening |
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The four immeasurables |
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Contemplating the nature of appearances |
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Contemplating Interdependence |
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Contemplating ultimate reality |
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The Practice of Shamata |
82 |
The four levels of concentration |
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Cultivating virtues |
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The power of virtue |
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the five obscurations |
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the five powers |
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The importance of humility |
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Right View |
91 |
Be guided by right view |
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The four seals |
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The nature of the self and aggregates |
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The nature of conditioned existence |
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Primal cause argument |
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Theistic argument |
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No cause argument |
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The three fetters |
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The four-Fold truth |
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Encouragement in the disciplines of
ethics, wisdom, and concentration |
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Impermanence and preciousness of life |
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Considering the Excellent Qual;ities
of Nirvana and Practice the Path Resulting in Nirvana |
106 |
Practice the path with urgency |
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The three higher trainings |
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The seven limbs |
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The two accumulations |
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The importance of avoiding speculation |
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The twelve links of interdependent
arising |
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The eightfold path |
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The four noble truths |
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Disciplining the mind toward virtue |
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Maintain persistence in applying the
methods |
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The fruition of the path |
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Concluding Remarks |
127 |
Notes |
130 |
Bibliography |
137 |
Glossary |
138 |
Index |
150
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