The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (Volume 3)

Author Tsongkhapa
Look inside
Paperback
$39.95 US
On sale Dec 09, 2014 | 448 Pages | 9781559394444

See Additional Formats
The third volume of the 15th-century spiritual classic that condenses Buddhist teachings into one easy-to-follow meditation manual

The 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).
Editor's Preface
PART ONE: MEDITATIVE SERENITY
1. Serenity and Insight
2. Preparing for Meditative Serenity
3. Focusing Your Mind
4. Dealing with Laxity and Excitement
5. Attaining Serenity
6. Serenity as a Part of the Path
PART TWO: INSIGHT
7. Why Insight Is Needed
8. Relying on Definitive Sources
9. The Stages of Entry into Reality
10. Misidentifying the Object to Be Negated
11. Dependent-Arising and Emptiness
12. Rational Analysis
13. Valid Establishment
14. Conventional Existence
15. Production Is Not Refined
16. Not Negating Enough
17. The Actual Object to Be Negated
18. Misinterpretations of the Svātantrika / Prāsangika Distinction
19. Refuting misinterpretations of the Svātantrika / Prāsangika Distinction
20. Our Interpretation of the Svātantrika / Prāsangika Distinction
21. Our Critique of Svātantrika Does Not Hurt Our Own Arguments
22. Analyzing Chariot
23. The Person Lacks Intrinsic Nature
24. Objects Lack Intrinsic Nature
25. Insight Requires Analysis
26. Uniting Insight and Serenity
27. Summary and Conclusion
Dedication
Colophon
Appendix 1: Outline of the Text
Appendix 2: Glossary
Appendix 3: Emendations to the Tibetan Text
Notes
Abbreviations
Bibliography
Index
Je Tsong-Kha-Pa (1357–1419), founder of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism, was one of Tibet's greatest philosophers and a prolific writer. His most famous work, The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path, is a classic of Tibetan Buddhism.

The Lamrim Chenmo Translation Comittee is composed of José Cabezón, Daniel Cozort, Joshua W. C. Cutler, Natalie Hauptman, Roger R. Jackson, Karen Lang, Donald S. Lopez Jr., John Makransky, Elizabeth S. Napper, Guy Newland, John Newman, Gareth Sparham, B. Alan Wallace, and Joe B. Wilson.

About

The third volume of the 15th-century spiritual classic that condenses Buddhist teachings into one easy-to-follow meditation manual

The 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).

Table of Contents

Editor's Preface
PART ONE: MEDITATIVE SERENITY
1. Serenity and Insight
2. Preparing for Meditative Serenity
3. Focusing Your Mind
4. Dealing with Laxity and Excitement
5. Attaining Serenity
6. Serenity as a Part of the Path
PART TWO: INSIGHT
7. Why Insight Is Needed
8. Relying on Definitive Sources
9. The Stages of Entry into Reality
10. Misidentifying the Object to Be Negated
11. Dependent-Arising and Emptiness
12. Rational Analysis
13. Valid Establishment
14. Conventional Existence
15. Production Is Not Refined
16. Not Negating Enough
17. The Actual Object to Be Negated
18. Misinterpretations of the Svātantrika / Prāsangika Distinction
19. Refuting misinterpretations of the Svātantrika / Prāsangika Distinction
20. Our Interpretation of the Svātantrika / Prāsangika Distinction
21. Our Critique of Svātantrika Does Not Hurt Our Own Arguments
22. Analyzing Chariot
23. The Person Lacks Intrinsic Nature
24. Objects Lack Intrinsic Nature
25. Insight Requires Analysis
26. Uniting Insight and Serenity
27. Summary and Conclusion
Dedication
Colophon
Appendix 1: Outline of the Text
Appendix 2: Glossary
Appendix 3: Emendations to the Tibetan Text
Notes
Abbreviations
Bibliography
Index

Author

Je Tsong-Kha-Pa (1357–1419), founder of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism, was one of Tibet's greatest philosophers and a prolific writer. His most famous work, The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path, is a classic of Tibetan Buddhism.

The Lamrim Chenmo Translation Comittee is composed of José Cabezón, Daniel Cozort, Joshua W. C. Cutler, Natalie Hauptman, Roger R. Jackson, Karen Lang, Donald S. Lopez Jr., John Makransky, Elizabeth S. Napper, Guy Newland, John Newman, Gareth Sparham, B. Alan Wallace, and Joe B. Wilson.