The Jewel Ornament of Liberation

by GUENTHER, HERBERT V.

• ISBN13: 9781570626142
• ISBN10: 1570626146
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2001-05-01
• Publisher: Shambhala

Summary

In this skillful translation, Herbert Guenther offers English-speaking readers sGam.po.pa's comprehensive and authoritative exposition of the stages of the Buddhist path. A masterly survey of Tibetan Buddhism,The Jewel Ornament of Liberationexplains how an enlightened attitude is strengthened by practicing the six perfections (generosity, discipline, patience, exertion, meditation, and knowledge) and offers a concise presentation of Buddhism as a living experience. As Chouml;gyam Trungpa writes in his forword: "It is in the flow of karma that this book materialized in 1959 on the very eve of the destruction of the spiritual land of Tibet. Professor Guenther was instrumental in making available the only commentary and guide in English to the bodhisattva tradition of Tibet, Japan, and China. The book remains the classic text of all Buddhists."

Author Biography

sGam.po.pa, who lived in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, was the organizer of the Kagyn order of Tibetan Buddhism.

Table of Contents

Foreword
Preface	p. vii
Introduction	p. ix
The Motive	p. 1
The Working Basis	p. 14
Meeting Spiritual Friends	p. 30
The Instruction in the Transitoriness of the Composite	p. 41
The Vicious State of Samsara	p. 55
Karma and Its Result	p. 74
Benevolence and Compassion	p. 91
Taking Refuge	p. 99
The Acquisition of an Enlightened Attitude	p. 112
The Training in an Enlightened Attitude	p. 142
The Six Perfections	p. 148
The Perfection of Liberality	p. 152
The Perfection of Ethics and Manners	p. 163
The Perfection of Patience	p. 173
The Perfection of Strenuousness	p. 181
The Perfection of Meditative Concentration	p. 187
The Perfection of Awareness	p. 202
The Five Paths	p. 232
The Spiritual Levels	p. 239
Perfect Buddhahood	p. 257
Buddha Activity	p. 271
Pronunciation Guide	p. 277
Index of Book Titles
Tibetan	p. 283
Sanskrit	p. 291
Pali	p. 294
Index of Technical Terms
Tibetan	p. 295
Sanskrit	p. 302
Index of Names and Subjects	p. 311
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