Customer Reviews

The Essential Nectar: Meditations on the Buddhist Path (A Wisdom basic book)

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I have found this text to be extremely beneficial for daily Lam Rim meditation. The outline in the back is also very helpful for Lam Rim memorization. I took the book to a local copy shop to have the spine chopped off and have the book spiral bound. Now it lays flat during my practice.

I was introduced to this book while staying at the Kopan Monastery just outside of Kathmandu. Upon returning, I studied with a Geshe for 5 years in NYC. This book takes the infinite complexities of an other-culture-"religion" and makes it work.

Western culture often misunderstands the intentions of other cultures. It is easy to get lost in all the new age drivel written about buddhism. This book succeeds both in accuracy, and condensing the 40,000 volumes (or so) of the Lam Rim into an accurate and general synopsis of the path of buddhism. For a beginner, to try to tackle anything more complex than this text would require super human skills. Trust me, this book will be challenging ENOUGH for a learner. Even after many many years of studying and practicing buddhism, I still use this as a reference guide, especially when trying to convey complex concepts to beginners. Rereading this book continually reveals more.

This book is nothing to sniff at. It has many levels, and can be read by the beginner and more advanced buddhist alike. Beginners will probably miss many important concepts in this book, but there is no other way to begin. You must first read a comic book before the harvard classics. It is just the way things are. This is the one book I recommend over all others when people want to know more about buddhism.

good luck! -- kadampa