Things Pertaining to Bodhi: The Thirty-seven Aids to Enlightenment

by Chan Master Sheng Yen

Overview

The Thirty-seven Aids to Enlightenment are a set of fundamental teachings of Buddhism in the form of a list. The list’s seeming simplicity belies the fact that it is actually a kind of road map to enlightenment for anyone who follows it with diligence and sincerity. The Thirty-seven Aids comprise seven groups of practices conducive to awakening. Each of the seven groups is itself a list of enlightenment factors, which add up to a total of thirty-seven: (1) The Four Foundations of Mindfulness, (2) The Four Proper Exertions, (3) The Four Steps to Magical Powers, (4) The Five Roots, (5) The Five Powers, (6) The Seven Factors of Enlightenment, and (7) The Noble Eightfold Path. Master Sheng Yen’s down-to-earth teachings take the reader on a progression through each of the practices, illustrating how they relate to the reader’s own path toward enlightenment.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781590307908
Publisher:	Shambhala
Publication date:	06/08/2010
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.51(h) x 0.57(d)

About the Author

Chan Master Sheng Yen (1930–2009) was a widely respected Taiwanese Chan (Chinese Zen) master who taught extensively in the West during the last thirty-one y ears of his life, with twenty-one centers throughout North America, as well as dozens of others throughout the world. He has co-led retreats with the Dalai Lama, and he is the author of numerous books in Chinese and English, including Song of Mind, The Method of No-Method, and his autobiography, Footprints in the Snow.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Editor's Introduction 1

1 The Four Foundations of Mindfulness 11

2 The Four Proper Exertions 27

3 The Four Steps to Magical Powers 45

4 The Five Roots and the Five Powers 55

5 The Seven Factors of Enlightenment 85

6 The Noble Eightfold Path 127

Editor's Afterword 171

Appendix: The Thirty-seven Aids to Enlightenment 175

Glossary 179

Index 191

Editorial Reviews

Chan Master Sheng Yen is a great teacher.”— Master Thich Nhat Hanh

“Master Sheng Yen is a true spiritual practitioner of deep and broad learning.”—His Holiness the Dalai Lama

From the Publisher