Customer Reviews

The Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This audio book, incorrectly identified as fiction, is the most comprehensive, well explained and literal explanation the the Buddha's Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path to enlightenment that I have ever come across. I have listened to, or read, 8-10 texts on this subject prior to my stumbling onto this audio book. Listening time is about six hours.

This set of CDs is providing a great summary of some of the basic elements and philosophy behind the 8-fold path. The narrator's soothing voice makes this a true pleasure to listen to, again and again. It is a lot of information, so repeated listening is probably necessary if you truly want to learn about the path. I listen to the CDs in the car or over headphones when taking walks.

I must sincerely agree with the other reviewers of "The Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path" in saying that this is a quality audio offering. It is exceptionally well organized and well narrated.

From a strictly informational standpoint this audiobook is easily the best work that I have encountered on the subject. I learned a great deal from the lectures, and "The Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path" can genuinely be said to contain a wealth of information. In no uncertain terms this book has been exhaustively researched. From a content perspective this book is 5 Stars all the way!

However, from an enjoyment standpoint I was only able to give "The Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path" 4 Stars due to some rather persistent issues I had with the author's interpretation of The Buddha's teachings. I won't bother to elaborate on these issues because it's mostly just an incomparability with my own personal experience, but it did significantly impact my enjoyment of the work.

The bottom line is that I would encourage anyone interested in the subject to purchase a copy of "The Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path" -All interpretations aside it is a truely outstanding work which will hopefully engender a deeper experiancial examination of The Buddha's teachings.

These CDs are immensely practical and very clearly organized. It's a surprise that they are not more widely purchased.

I have been studying and practicing Buddhism for a few years, so still a beginner, but have read many texts. This is one of my favorite for overall quality and brevity of a pretty complicated religion in many ways.

These CDs are not the "simple Buddhism" often presented in books for Americans, but it is probably as core to the Buddha teachings as possible for a short presentation.

Besides the quality of the material, the fact it is on CD is immensely helpful. These CDs, along with the author's other audio book, are probably the best and only clear presentations of basic Buddhist teachings on audio.

These CDs are worth a lot more than the cost..

Listening to this well put together and thorough approach to Buddhist doctrine is like attending a series of college level lectures. This is not a book that will guide you through practice, but rather a book to help you to understand the meaning of the doctrines that describe the paractice. If you are looking for an audio book to inspire you with meditative thoughts, I recomend The Path to Tranquility: Daily Wisdom (Compass) and Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life

Each of the eight principles are presented with careful explanation of the original words in Sanskrit along with the relevant historical context of the meaning to provide a view of something at first blush so ordinary as "right understanding," which after careful examination is revealed as a key component of an elegant and intriguing mental technology. But the principle must be put into practice. The author gives examples of how each principle actually works in practice. Along the way, the author also provides ways to "check your homework" so you can evaluate for yourself your progress.

I took a chance on this one because it had no reviews on the site I usually get audio books from, but I'm glad I did.

This is a resource I will go back to again and again for lucid, thoughtful explanations of the Eightfold Path and its practical application in the material world. My only wish is that I could find it in print so I can go through and highlight all of the key phrases and make notes in the margins.