Approaching the Buddhist Path

The Library of Wisdom and Compassion

By: His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Thubten Chodron

Narrated by: Peter Aronson

Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's Summary

The first volume in a multi-volume collection presenting the Dalai Lama’s comprehensive explanation of the Buddhist path.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama has been publicly teaching Buddhism for decades. This series collects his presentations of every step of the path to enlightenment, compiled and coauthored by one of his chief Western disciples, the American nun Thubten Chodron.

The Buddha wanted his students to investigate, to see for themselves whether what he said was true. As a student of the Buddha, the Dalai Lama promotes the same spirit of investigation, and as the rich tradition of the Buddha makes its way into new lands and cultures, His Holiness has recognized that new approaches are needed to allow seekers in the West to experience the relevance of the liberating message in their own lives. 

Such an approach cannot assume listeners are free from doubt and already have faith in Buddhism’s basic tenets. The Library of Wisdom and Compassion series, therefore, starts from the universal human wish for happiness and presents the dynamic nature of the mind. This first volume also provides a wealth of reflections on Buddhist history and fundamentals, contemporary issues, and the Dalai Lama’s own personal experiences. It stands alone as an introduction to Buddhism, but it also provides a foundation for the systematic illumination of the path in the volumes to come. 

The Library of Wisdom and Compassion collects the Dalai Lama’s decades of presentations of every step of the path to enlightenment. It has been compiled and coauthored by one of his chief Western disciples, the American nun Thubten Chodron.

©2017 Wisdom Publications (P)2018 Peter Aronson

Loved it!

Narrator was good and easy to understand. There were some recording volume issues between sections but not too bad. Happy I purchased this book.

A lovely experience

A wonderful introduction to the Buddhist path. I am grateful to have received it.

Superb Read for Serious Inquiry into Buddhism

This is a very-well written and engaging treatment of Buddhism. Its approach is adapted to the mindset and sensibilities of the western mind.

I applaud both of the authors for the outreach, which is incredibly thorough, but still clear to me (a non-buddhist reader)

I hope that the subsequent volumes are soon made available in audiobook format.

Read, think, and meditation

i learned a lot from this book. it was difficult to understand at first but thinking on it and rereading it help me with the concepts.

The motherload!

An essential listen either as a first introductory text, or someone looking to deepen their practice.

Clearly written and narrated, the work is well structured and written to appeal to a western audience.

Reference is made to the various Buddhist schools, along with why they’re different and how they evolved. Buddhist cannon is also discussed, and more importantly for me, how these seemingly ancient teachings (and stories) apply to our condition today. We are still the same human beings who experience suffering and joy after all!

My only regret is that I didn’t find this sooner, I think it‘s very underrated/ranked given the content and the authors! I look forward to the next volume.

Complex for a listen - missing last few chapters

This is a challenging but interesting listen and covers background to canons, etc. But only covers the first two thirds/three quarters of the book. I reheard much of it as it is easy to lose track when doing other things - driving for example. It would be good to have the rest of the book and library in audible form. Very worthwhile for anyone with a sincere interest in understanding the Buddhist back story.