The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (Volume 2)

by Unknown

• ISBN13: 9781559394437
• ISBN10: 1559394439
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2014-12-09
• Publisher: Snow Lion

Summary

The second volume of the 15th-century spiritual classic that condenses Buddhist teachings into one easy-to-follow meditation manual

The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (Tib. Lam rim chen mo) is one of the brightest jewels in the world’s treasury of sacred literature. The author, Tsong-kha-pa, completed it in 1402, and it soon became one of the most renowned works of spiritual practice and philosophy in the world of Tibetan Buddhism. Because it condenses all the exoteric sūtra scriptures into a meditation manual that is easy to understand, scholars and practitioners rely on its authoritative presentation as a gateway that leads to a full understanding of the Buddha’s teachings.

Tsong-kha-pa took great pains to base his insights on classical Indian Buddhist literature, illustrating his points with classical citations as well as with sayings of the masters of the earlier Kadampa tradition. In this way the text demonstrates clearly how Tibetan Buddhism carefully preserved and developed the Indian Buddhist traditions.

This first of three volumes covers all the practices that are prerequisite for developing the spirit of enlightenment (bodhicitta).

Author Biography

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 most famous work, The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path, is a classic of Tibetan Buddhism.

The Lamrim Chenmo Translation Comittee 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