Awakening the Buddha within: eight steps to enlightenment (1997)

by Lama Surya Das

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It is not often I can say that a book changed my life, but I can with this one. I just loved "Awakening the Buddha Within" and it helped me so enormously in my life that words fail me. If you have any desire to read about Buddhism and how it can help you (and in turn, the people and world around you), this is about the best place to start that I can think of. The funny thing is, this book was sitting on my shelves for about 10 years and I guess now was the right time for me to pick it up. Highly recommended for anyone either interested in learning about the practice, or even furthering it. Lama Surya Das is a wonderful storyteller, guide and just all around nice, interesting guy who easily spreads the joy (and yes, work) of being a better human being. (

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CarolynSchroeder | Mar 20, 2012 |

It probably took me longer to read this book than any other — over 2 years. But I like to think that I read it in a very Buddhist manner, that is, I savored and absorbed small chunks of it as I needed and could understand them. Written from a Western point of view, this book provides a thorough grounding in Buddhist principles and practices. I know I’ll be exploring more, and also returning to this book time and again for inspiration and grounding. (

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sturlington | Aug 4, 2011 |

With the dizzying array of books on spritual enlightenment in general, and Buddhism in particular, I found this book superior to most. Lama Surya Das explains Buddhist terms and concepts in ways that are not confusing or koan-like. (

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kayautic57 | Sep 9, 2008 |

I have a fundamentalist Christian background, and this was my first intro to Buddhism. Because the author is American and has a Judaeo-Christian perspective, the book was pretty accessible -- as far as any book on religion is accessible anyway. Gave me a new view of some of my Christian beliefs and opened me up to some psychological avenues of better managing my life. (

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hopemccormick | Feb 22, 2007 |

very well written and enlightening (

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lachatte | Dec 30, 2006 |

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Canonical title

Awakening the Buddha within: eight steps to enlightenment

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Original publication date

1997

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Epigraph

Dedication

Dedicated to my parents, Joyce and Harold Miller

First words

It is morning in the lush Kathmandu Valley.

Quotations

Last words

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

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Buddhism

Buddhism and abortion

Kalu Rinpoche

Preah Maha Ghosananda

Surya Das

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Book description

Tibetaanse wijsheid voor de weiteme mens De acht stappen naar verlichting
Mot De ontwakende Boeddha brengt Lama Surya Das de essentie van hel boeddhisme binnen handbereik van de moderne westerse mens. Het boek slaat een brug tussen Oosl en West, en tussen heden en verleden, want voor hel eerst wordt de eeuwen oude Tibetaanse wijsheid toepasbaar gemaakt in het hedendaagse westerse leven.
De ontwakende Boeddha staat vol verhalen, voorbeelden en spirituele oefeningen en laat zien hoe het boeddhisme ons leven kan verdiepen. In ieder van ons schuilt immers een Boeddha. Om deze slapende Boeddha te doen ontwaken is het heus niet nodig om naar eenTibetaans klooster af te reizen. Sterker nog, het boeddhisme is een universeel gedachtegoed en toont zijn praktische waarde juist hier in de moderne maatschappij. Het kan zowel thuis alsook in relaties en op het werk een helder houvast bieden bij belangrijke vragen.
Iedereen die op zoek is naar innerlijke vrede zal in De ontwakende Boeddha spirituele voeding, vernieuwing en betekenis vinden. Het boek biedt een toegankelijke en verrassende mengeling van het alledaagse en het wonderbaarlijke.
De uit New York afkomstige auteur is een westerse boeddhist die al meer dan vijfentwintig jaar de grote spirituele Tibetaanse meesters bestudeert. Surya Das kent het boeddhisme van binnen uit en is een veelgevraagd spreker op congressen en lezingen.
'Dit i-, een geweldige nieuwe weergave van de kern an het boeddhisme. Lama Surya Das integreert de essentie van de Tibetaanse leer op toegankelijke wijze in onze westerse cultuur.'
Jack Kornfield, auteur van Een licht voor jezelf.

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▾Book descriptions

Amazon.com Amazon.com Review (ISBN 0767901576, Paperback)

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 Bruya

(retrieved from Amazon Thu, 14 Feb 2013 13:51:30 -0500)

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▾Library descriptions

Drawing on Buddhist spirituality and wisdom, this highly accessible guide offers Western seekers a realistic view of the world today. It is written with humour and compassion.