On the Path to Enlightenment: Heart Advice from the Great Tibetan Masters

by Matthieu Ricard

Overview

An anthology of the most inspiring and instructive texts on spiritual enlightenment from great Tibetan masters—handpicked by a best-selling author and Tibetan Buddhist monk
 
Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard has selected and translated some of the most profound and inspiring teachings from the eight traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. The selected teachings are from the Buddha himself, Nagarjuna, Guru Rinpoche, Atisha, Shantideva, and Asanga; the great masters of the past, Thogme Zangpo, the Fifth Dalai Lama, Milarepa, Longchenpa, and Sakya Pandita; and contemporary masters, including the Fourteenth Dalai Lama and Mingyur Rinpoche. The teachings address such topics as:
 
• The nature of the mind
• The foundations of taking refuge, generating altruistic compassion, acquiring merit, and following a teacher
• View, meditation, and action
• How to remove obstacles and make progress on the Buddhist path
 
Inspired by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Ricard creates his anthology with Khyentse’s religious philosophy in mind: “When we come to appreciate the depth of the view of the eight great traditions [of Tibetan Buddhism] and also see that they all lead to the same goal without contradicting each other, we think, ‘Only ignorance can lead us to adopt a sectarian view.’”

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780834828537
Publisher:	Shambhala
Publication date:	06/25/2013
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	384
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Matthieu Ricard is a former scientist who gave up that life to become a Tibetan Buddhist monk. He is the Dalai Lama's interpreter in French, has translated numerous Buddhist texts, and is the author of The Quantum and the Lotus, Journey to Enlightenment, and, with Jean-François Revel, The Monk and the Philosopher.

Table of Contents

Preface xi

Introduction 1

Part 1 Turning the Mind to the Spiritual Path

1 The Value of Human Existence 9

2 Reflections on Impermanence and Death 19

3 From Seed to Fruit, or the Law of Cause and Effect 31

4 The Inherent Unsatisfactoriness of the World Conditioned by Ignorance 37

5 Giving Up the Causes of Suffering 45

Part 2 The Foundations of Practice

6 Taking Refuge 73

7 Altruistic Love and Compassion 77

8 The Six Perfections or Transcendent Virtues 105

9 Purifying Obscurations and Acquiring Merit 131

10 The Spiritual Master 143

Part 3 The Main Path

11 Understanding the Nature of the Mind 159

12 The Hermit 179

13 Deepening Spiritual Practice 189

14 View, Meditation, and Action 195

Part 4 Removing Obstacles and Making Progress in the Practice

15 Exposing Faults 225

16 Overcoming Inner Demons 259

Appendix: The Eight Great Chariots of the Accomplishment Lineage in Tibetan Buddhism 265

Sources 271

Bibliography 283

Biographical Notes 291