The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (Volume 1) (The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path, the Lamrim Chenmo)

Of the many works of the Tibetan master Tsong-kha-pa, none compare in terms of popularity and breadth of influence with his Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment, which has been treasures by practitioners and scholars alike for centuries.--H.H. the Dalai Lama Titel......Page 2 Cobyright......Page 3 Table of Contens......Page 4 Editor's Preface......Page 8 Foreword by Robert A. F. Thurman......Page 12 Introduction by D. Seyfort Ruegg......Page 16 Prologue......Page 32 1 Atisha......Page 34 2 The Greatness of the Teaching......Page 44 3 How to Listen to and Explain the Teachings......Page 54 4 Relying on the Teacher......Page 68 5 The Meditation Session......Page 92 6 Refuting Misconceptions About Meditation......Page 108 7 A Human Life of Leisure and Opportunity......Page 116 8 The Three Types of Persons......Page 128 9 Mindfulness of Death......Page 142 10 Reflecting on Your Future Life......Page 160 11 Going for Refuge to the Three Jewels......Page 176 12 The Precepts of Refuge......Page 190 13 The General Characteristics of Karma......Page 208 14 The Varieties of Karma......Page 214 15 Cultivating Ethical Behavior......Page 246 16 The Attitude of a Person of Small Capacity......Page 260 17 The Eight Types of Suffering......Page 264 18 The Six Types of Suffering......Page 280 19 Further Meditations on Suffering......Page 288 20 The Origin of Suffering......Page 296 21 The Twelve Factors of Dependent-Arising......Page 316 22 The Attitude of a Person of Medium Capacity......Page 328 23 Ascertaining the Nature of the Path Leading to Liberation......Page 334 24 The Nature of the Three Trainings......Page 342 Appendix 1: Outline of the Text......Page 356 Appendix 2: Glossary......Page 366 Notes......Page 372 Abbreviations......Page 408 Bibliography......Page 410 Index......Page 424

The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (Lam rim chen mo) is one of the brightest jewels in the world's treasury of sacred literature. The author Tsong-kha-pa (1357–1419) completed this masterpiece in 1402 and it soon became one of the most renowned works of spiritual practice and philosophy in the world of Tibetan Buddhism. Tsong-kha-pa took great pains to base his incisive insights on the 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. Volume One covers all practices that are prerequisite for developing the spirit of enlightenment (bodhicitta). Volume Two explains how to train in the six perfections in order to develop the heart of compassion indispensable for any student who wants to put the Dharma into practice. Volume Three contains a presentation of the two most important topics to be found in the Great Treatise: meditative serenity (shamatha) and supramundane insight into the nature of reality (vipasyana).

The first volume of the 15th-century spiritual classic that condenses Buddhist teachings into one easy-to-follow meditation manualThe 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).