Customer Reviews

Awakening the Buddhist Heart: Integrating Love, Meaning and Connection into Every Part of Your Life

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have been a follower of Buddhist philosophies for many years and during that time have read all the books of Lama Surya Das. Even if exploring the philosophies of Buddhism takes you into unknown territory, you will find his books easy to follow and understand because the author's concepts have been adapted for the Western World. If you are just beginning to read the books of Lama Surya Das, I would suggest starting with, "Awakening the Buddha Within" as it gives a very general overview of the fundamentals of Buddhism; however, all his books are excellent, leaving much food for thought.

In this book, the author helps the reader to understand the importance of integrating love, compassion and understanding into our personal relationships on a daily basis. The limits also go beyond to encompass the relationships we have with those in our community, our country and around the world. By awakening one's own Buddhist heart, one will find inner peace, contentment and happiness abound. The greatest gift we can share with the world is our love for humanity.

The beautiful meditations and amusing anecdotes the author lavishly uses in this third book of the "Awakening" series will immediately warm your heart and soul. The reader quickly realizes Lama Surya Das is a man with strengths and weaknesses like our own. He is humble, compassionate, kind, inspirational and enlightening, everything one would expect to find in a true "Bodhicitta." I highly recommend this beautiful and expressive book from a inspiring and insightful man.

Buddhism tends to layer itself on top of whatever culture it enters. Tibetan Buddhism makes use of many elements of the Tibetan Bon religion. Zen has elements from Taoism and Confucianism. So I was hunting for what the American version of buddhism would be like. Surya Das has a great ear for the subtleties of the 'American' religion and what elements Buddhism can enhance. Without being new-agey he mixes self-help style chapters with Buddhist exercises and philosophy to create an american manual on buddhism. This book for me was a great introduction to Buddhist philosophy and I was able to start practicing the exercises and getting results in my life almost immediately.

This is a very fine book on Buddhism in general and Tibetan Vajrayana in specific. I did like his prior "Awakening the Buddha Within" a bit better (I gave it 5 stars). For me, 4 stars is pretty darn good! This sequel is well worth reading. I think that if you are a Myers-Briggs F-type (Feeler) you will especially enjoy it, but perhaps the T-types (Thinkers) might just get more balance from it. Surya Das has a very easy-going style but gets across lots of good instruction and some practical activities as well. He uses lots of personal anecdotes which make the book more accessible than many others that are available. If I were to recommend books to someone first exploring Buddhism or Vajrayana, his would be at the top of the list (followed by Pema Chodron's books). Of course, it's lots easier to attune with a Western Buddhist master who shares more cultural assumptions and conceptions with you. Many Vajrayana books are laced with Tibetan mythology, psychology, medicine, etc. that are, frankly, alien to the Westerner. Surya Das' books have far less of this. My favorite quote from this book is: "No appointments, no disappointments...Unedit yourself...Become a spiritual astronaut." (page 173). Pretty modern view, no?

In this book, Lama Surya Das introduces readers to karma and dharma and other central tenets of Buddhism in an easy-to-understand (but not always easy to live out!) way. Most importantly, Lama Surya Das helps readers begin to chart a more loving, eyes-wide-open path through life. Thank you, Lama Surya Das, for sharing your wisdom! Your gift has begun to awaken at least one person, and I daresay, thousands more! (As an aside: The book's jacket art is simply beautiful.)

Lama Surya Das is probably one of the best Buddhist authors, using examples from real life to prove his points, and even tackles the toughest parts of Buddhism. He has a great way of sounding like he's speaking to you personally. He is also able to know more than his reader and teach them, without sounding condescending or arrogant.

"Awakening the Buddhist Heart" is a great book, in which Lama Surya Das maintains his style of writing. Each passage is very inspirational, and has a lot of re-readability, with easily organized sections. It is a slow read, because there's a lot to digest, but is well worth the time. It's a good read for anyone curious about Buddhism, to the Dali Lama himself.

I am reading several different books at once about Buddhism and such. But this is the ONE. I just love the way LSD writes and explains things. I can really uderstand the point he is trying to make. Not an easy thing to do when writing about Buddhism. The book is so good at times he sem to be writing just to me. Buy it! Read it! NOW and get the other books by LSD as well.;

Lama Surya Das made Buddhism easy to grasp in this very readable book. I highly recommend it to both beginner and advance seekers.

Although a bit too anecdotal this is still a good read. Surya Das guides the reader to their own awakening with a gentle hand. The information provided at the end of the book is most helpful.

Lord Buddha is the Holy One, the Enlightened One, the Perfect One of all knowledges and conduct, the Well-Gone, the World Enlightener, the incomparable Supreme Teacher of gods and humans, and the Awakened and Blessed One. This book teaches the truth about human life.... and how to pay respect to anyone around us... We will be guide to be a good person!!