The Great Path of Awakening: The Classic Guide to Using the Mahayana Buddhist Slogans to Tame the Mind and Awaken the Heart (Paperback)

by Jamgon Kongtrul (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Jamgon Kongtrul's commentary on the Kadampa slogans is one of the best books I studied. . . . I was relieved that Buddhism was so simple and that you could actually do something about it. You can actually practice. You can just follow the book and do as it says, which is extraordinarily powerful and such a relief."—Chögyam Trungpa

Product Description
Written by the nineteenth-century Tibetan scholar Jamgon Kongtrül, this book provides clear and concise instructions for working with fifty-nine traditional Buddhist maxims or slogans. This practice--made popular in such books as Start Where You Are by Pema Chödrön and Training the Mind by Chögyam Trungpa--is designed to awaken the heart and cultivate love and kindness toward oneself and others.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 108 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala (May 2, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570625875
• ISBN-13: 978-1570625879
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #893,575 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the key cannonical texts on ethics ever written, June 20, 2000

By	Dr. John T. Fleming (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

The underlying text of this commentary is a deeply inspired canon on ethics. This work is as groundbreaking as the New Testament but is born from an eastern perspective. It is hard to understand that this text is so little known in the west. I would rate this, along with the Sermon on the Mount and the Tao and Kant's categorical imperative, as one of the definitive works on ethics and spirtual insight. Part of the commentary is colored by Buddhist beliefs which I personally substract from its general message(as I would with Christian dogma from the New Testament). If you are looking for some kind of exotic, new age, feel good chanting sort of philosophy you should definitely skip this. This is one of the toughest prescriptions for ethical living that I've ever come across. This goes far beyond the Judeo-Christian call to "love thy neighbor as thyself" and calls for you to "offer all gain and victory to others while taking upon yourself all sufferings"- this especially applies to your enemies who you should be most thankful to since: "In particular, all those who hurt me are worthy of gratitude since they are my companions and helpers for gathering the accumulations of merit and pristine wisdom and for clearing away the obscurations of disturbing emotions and conceptual knowledge". Pretty strong stuff. If humans, with their vast technology but miniscule ethics, are not to go extinct during the next millenium, they are going to have to eventually follow a philosophy such as this. " Winner takes All " has gone about as far as it can in a world were the losers are armed with nuclear weapons.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential for those on the mahayana path, April 21, 2002

By	Katie Vento "tipiinc" (miami, florida USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This classic text was written for those who wish to cultivate bodhicitta (compassion). The great path of awakening is a commentary of an earlier text The Seven Points of mind training by Chekawa Yeshe Dorje.

The development of compassion toward all sentient beings is an integral part of the mahayana path along with meditation and yidam practice, with a goal to fully realise our Buddha nature. In the mean time, the cultivation of compassion will quieten the mind, relinquish ego clinging and make us nicer people to know.

The text is easy to digest and the points are easy to put into practice. In practice, for the novice, Bodhicitta is hard to cultivate and requires diligence and dicipline in ones practice.

Although intended for practicing Buddhists any one could benefit from reading this book. Much of what is written can be found in contemporary self-help books, yet it was written in the late 19th century.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Perfect Book At Any Stage On The Path, March 19, 2005

By	William L. Hobart (San Antonio Texas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is one of the best I have read on practice. It breaks down the subject so it is easily comprehended by a beginner. I would recommend this along with 'Turning the Mind Into An Ally' by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche as the first two books on practice for a new student. 'Turning the Mind Into An Ally' will teach basic practice and this book will teach the cultivation of compassion and loving kindness during practice. What else can you ask for?

I, however, came to this book after several years of study and found it just as useful. It really drove home how compassion and loving kindness are what the path is all about.

Highly recommended!