Awakening the Buddha Within

By: Lama Surya Das

Narrated by: Lama Surya Das

Length: 3 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

Lama Surya Das, the most highly trained American lama in the Tibetan tradition, presents the first comprehensive book of Western Buddhism for the modern-day spiritual seeker.

Buddhism offers a profound yet practical path to enlightenment. In this loving and generous book, the American-born and Tibetan-trained Lama Surya Das offers at once a definitive and nonsectarian guide to the wisdom found in ancient Tibetan teachings and a tried and true path of spiritual transformation.

The radical and compelling message of Buddhism tells us that each of us has the wisdom, awareness, love, and power of the Buddha within; yet most of us are too often like sleeping Buddhas. Surya Das shows how we can awaken to who we really are and thus walk the liberating, peaceful path of mindful and compassionate living. With lively language, meditations, and spiritual practices, this unique book provides a bridge between East and West, past, present, and future.

Awakening the Buddha Within offers a complete yet accessible understanding of the unique Buddhist teachings embodied in the traditional Noble Eight-Fold Path and its Three Enlightenment Trainings, common to all schools of Buddhism:

• Wisdom Training: Developing clear vision, insight, and inner understanding - seeing reality and ourselves as we really are.
• Ethics Training: Cultivating virtue, self-discipline, integrity, and compassion in what we say and do.
• Meditation Training: Practicing mindfulness, concentration, and awareness of the present moment.

This fresh and original work illuminates such key principles as karma (what we do does matter), rebirth (every moment is an opportunity to start afresh), letting go (simplifying our lives by clarifying our hearts and minds), as well as conscious living and dying, and Dzogchen, the ultimate, mystical teaching of Tibet.

In this wonderful marriage of the timeless and the timely, Surya Das has written an invaluable, authoritative text for the novice and the experienced student of Buddhism alike. Awakening the Buddha Within reveals how sacred wisdom, contemplative practice, and altruism can be integrated into our outer and inner lives - in our relationships, in the workplace, and at home.

Here is a guidebook to enlightenment - a sourcebook of the sacred for anyone who wants to lead a more serene and beautiful life.

©1997 Surya Das (P)1997 Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, a Division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc.

May the Buddha watch over you

This is an excellent book. No matter your religion this could be used to help many people. It's main goal is to help you become "de-stressed" and live life with a love for all rather than the fast paced, my way or the highway that many people have. It would be totally a pleasure to be able to totally be immersed in Lama Surya Das's world for just a day or two. I loved hearing this book. I've read it already and each time I sat down and would read some I would always step away more relaxed and calmer than when I started.

Insightful Book

Very insightful for a new comer to Buddhism. The guidance on meditiation was very useful.

Enlighten

Hearing this book made me feel so good and calm. I loved it. The narrator voice was so soothing

Good. But not that good

Useful in the way of what it adds-up to your life. Some small details that can be adopted. But by no means a life-changing or trascendental book

Wonderful guidance!

This is my favorite book on Buddhism. Lama Surya Das presents the basics with humor and compassion, making the ideas accessible to everyone, regardless of spiritual background. I've listened to it several times and find it uplifting and motivating every time.

Great book for those on spiritual path

This was a fantastic book... I started listening to it and couldn't stop. I put on the head-phones went outside and listened to the tape and let my heart and soul follow.... Would recommend it to everyone!

monkglen's perspective

Good reading (listening)-- Lama Surya Das is upbeat, and inspirational, but he is also very practically informative. He takes you to the seminal questions quickly and illustrates and clarifies with a rush of fresh breeze and a splash of light. Being from Brooklyn, he sounds really fun speaking of his Tibetan life. I developed a fondness for his approach. His other book on this site is excellent also. Some repitition but good repitition. I highy recommend this, especially if you can sit outside and listen to it.

A basic introduction to Buddhism

Lama Surya Das describes the basic teachings of Buddhism, covering the four noble truths and the eightfold path. He focused on the "what" but does not touch sufficiently on the "why" and "how". For instance, he says "walk like the Buddha, talk like the Buddha" but leaves the listener wondering how a Buddha would walk and talk.

Easy & Personable Listen

I have been interested in various religions, for years. I am at a place where I’m deeply searching for my true path, distinguishing who I was raised to be from who I am becoming. Buddhist teachings speak to my need to actualize self without succumbing to nor pressuring others. In addition to reading the literature, I wanted to hear someone explain the lifestyle of a Buddhist. This book has done that for me, as Lama explains the process of become Buddhist, as well as how each of us is Buddha. I was extremely comfortable with him as narrator, playing the book throughout the day during my daily work and personal tasks. My son and I would laugh at the way he pronounces Buddha as “the Boo-dah”. I’m going to listen again and purchase more books by Lama Surya Das.

Lama Surya Das' Spirit comes through in narration.

I just LOVE HIS NARRATION, HIS SPIRIT JUST COMES THROUGH so CLEARLY.
A LAMA OF HIS OWN WORD / OWN LIFE.
HIS "EARTHINESS" PERMEATES HIS Buddhist TEACHINGS . HE IS SO WELL GROUNDED IN HIS BUDDHIST WAYS AND IN HIS LIFE.
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