Awakening the Buddha Within: Tibetan Wisdom for the Western World
by Lama Surya Das
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Book Summary Information
Author: Lama Surya DasEdition: Paperback
Published: 1998-06-15
ISBN: 0767901576
Number of pages: 414
Publisher: Doubleday
Book Reviews of Awakening the Buddha Within: Tibetan Wisdom for the Western World
Book Review: Ruined by lousy prose
Summary: 2 Stars
I naively bought this book after visiting Lama Surya Das's Dzogchen Center in Cambridge, MA (LSD was not there). I am now sorry that I spent my money on it. Somewhat new to Buddhism, I am in no position to evaluate the merits of the book's content--for all I know, it could be full of 100% accurate information, though, judging from some of the other reviews here, I doubt it. Still, there must be something of value here for the spiritual aspirant, right?
I did not have the patience to find out. I can only say that the writing style left me cold. I gamely endured about 100 pages of Surya Das's corny prose, hell-bent on getting my money's worth, until I could no longer stand the platitudes, vague questions, and saccharine proverbs. I can see why some call LSD's books "Dharma lite"--he reads like a brochure. A 400-page, Buddhist brochure. I recommend the reader skip over this one and check out any of the many excellent Buddhist authors out there, like Chogyam Trungpa, Pema Chodron, or Shunryu Suzuki. Anything but this, really.
Summary of Awakening the Buddha Within: Tibetan Wisdom for the Western World
If you dropped the Buddha into a modern metropolis, would he come off sounding like a 16th-century morality play or more like a drive-time disc jockey? Lama Surya Das doesn't spin platters for a living, but he does have a hip delivery that belies his years of sheltered training in Buddhist monasteries. In Awakening the Buddha Within, he borrows a time-tested bestseller format for a 2,500-year-old tradition that comes off as anything but ancient. With the "Five T's of Concentration," the question of "need or greed," and the story of the monk who bares his backside to prove a point, Surya Das invokes a path of wisdom that is as accessible and down-to-earth as a worn pair of loafers. It's not an easy path--it demands thought, effort, and discipline. But Surya Das is there for you, lighting the way to wisdom training, coaxing you into ethics training, and laying out step by step the path of meditation training. And if that's not enough to get you to live in the now, consider these words of the enlightened lama: "You must be present to win." --Brian BruyaLama 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.
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