The Bodhisattva Vow: A Practical Guide to Helping Others [Paperback]

Geshe Kelsang Gyatso (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1995

A Bodhisattva is a friend of the world who, motivated by compassion, spontaneously seeks enlightenment to benefit all living beings.

In this practical guide to compassionate living, Geshe Kelsang explains in detail how to take and keep the Bodhisattva vows, how to purify downfalls, and how to practise the Bodhisattva’s deeds of giving, moral discipline, patience, effort, concentration and wisdom. 

With this handbook as our companion, we can enter the Bodhisattva's way of life and progress along the path to full enlightenment.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A perfect transmission of the ancient wisdom of Buddha to the modern world."  —East West Journal

About the Author

Geshe Kelsang Gyatso was ordained as a Buddhist monk in Tibet at the age of eight.
He is a fully accomplished meditation master, prolific author, and international teacher
who has lived in the West since 1977 and has founded over 1,100 Kadampa Buddhist
meditation centers and groups around the world. His 21 acclaimed books reveal the
entire Buddhist path to enlightenment, including Buddha’s Sutra and Tantra teachings.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Tharpa Publications; 2nd edition (September 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0948006501
• ISBN-13: 978-0948006500
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,115,083 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #59 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Theology > Philosophy
  • #91 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Religion & Spirituality > Buddhism > General

More About the Author

Geshe Kelsang Gyatso was ordained as a Buddhist monk in Tibet at the age of eight. He is a fully accomplished meditation master, prolific author, and international teacher who has lived in the West since 1977 and has founded over 1,200 Kadampa Buddhist meditation centers and branches around the world. His 20 acclaimed books reveal the entire Buddhist path to enlightenment, including Buddha's Sutra and Tantra teachings.

For more information on his books, audio, artwork, meditation supplies, and cards visit www.tharpa.com/us

For more information on his meditation centers across the US and around the world visit www.kadampa.org

For books in Spanish see www.amazon.com/author/gueshe_kelsang_gyatso

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A clear and practical introduction to purification practice., October 1, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Bodhisattva Vow: A Practical Guide to Helping Others (Paperback)

The author presents in a traditional Tibetan Buddhist manner the Mahayana practice of confession to the 35 Confession Buddhas. He clear sets out the importance of purification and the steps that need to be taken for the individual to overcome delusions and to progress on the spiritual path to enlightenment.

The text then explains the ritual of confession and contains detailed descriptions of the Buddhas and instructions on how you or I should engage in this practice. The text is very clear and avoids the tendency of some writers to obscure the meaning by using technical jargon - Kelsang Gyatso has avoided this and should be thanked for his efforts.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb clarity and compact guide to Bodhisattva vows, October 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Bodhisattva Vow (Audio Cassette)

This book is most helpful for those following or interested in the Bodhisattva way of life. It clearly lists all vows, and gives brief explanations on the meaning of each one, (It's size makes it reasonably portable, so is useful for those who have just recieved the vows and find them difficult to remember). It also contains a brief commentary on the practise of the six perfections. I have found this an indispensable guide to help me along the Bodhisattva path, and know of no other like it. I hope others will find it as useful as I do.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Meticulously deatiled as ever, January 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Bodhisattva Vow (Audio Cassette)

The Geshe's style of elucidation is clear and step by step. This will be of more interest to the practitioner than the casual reader, or one interested in anecdotes and stories.