Guided Meditations on the Stages of the Path (with 15 hour mp3 meditation CD) [Hardcover]

Thubten Chodron (Author), H.H. the Dalai Lama (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 5, 2007

The lamrim (stages of the path) presentation of Buddhist teachings has become a core topic of study at many Buddhist centers in the West. For busy practitioners, the lamrim gives a concise and easily graspable picture of the Buddhist path. Best-selling author Thubten Chodron has a unique ability to present these teachings. In this volume, she provides clear explanations of the stages of the path, while the mp3 files on the accompanying CD contain guided meditations on each of the topics covered in the text.

The meditation teachings of lamrim, says Buddhist teacher Thubten Chodron, are like ready-made clothes that are easy to wear—they're systematized so that we can "wear" them right away, so we can learn and practice them in an organized fashion. Lamrim can be translated in various ways: "stages of the path," "steps on the path," or "gradual path." "Gradual path" reminds us that the process of transforming the mind, unlike so many other things in our hurry-up society, is a slow and thoughtful one.

These systematic teachings are the subject of this book and the accompanying CD. The lamrim presents a step-by-step method to tame the mind, and each person will find meaning and insight according to his or her level of understanding. As readers practice these meditations repeatedly, their comprehension and experience will transform and deepen even though the words used to spark the meditation sessions remain the same.

 

The first section of Guided Meditations discusses how to establish a daily practice, how to set up an altar, and how to approach the two kinds of meditation—stabilizing and analytical. The second presents the meditations. The third supplies an overview, instructions for working with distractions, antidotes to mental afflictions, advice for newcomers, and suggestions on how to deepen Dharma practice.

The accompanying mp3 CD contains over fourteen hours of guided meditations. Individuals who live far from Buddhist teachers or Dharma centers will appreciate the personal guidance offered with these meditations, enabling them to begin and continue a daily meditation practice.

American Buddhist nun Thubten Chodron guides you through the lamrim meditations. Fourteen hours of step-by-step meditations help the practitioner understand how mind, thoughts, and emotions create our experience.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I am very happy to learn that Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron has undertaken to record the analytical meditations on lamrim. As I often tell people, the analytical meditations on the points of the lamrim will transform our minds and enable us to become more compassionate and wise. I encourage people to do these meditations as part of their daily practice."—H.H. the Dalai Lama

"Ven. Thubten Chodron is someone whose life embodies the virtues of kindness, simplicity and a clarity of vision which lie at the heart of the Buddha's teachings. It is these perennial qualities that shine through her writings and touch the hearts of readers all over the world."—Thupten Jinpa, translator for H.H. the Dalai Lama

"Ven. Chodron is well known for her many clear writings. As the CD shows, she also has a clear, gentle, and calm voice, which makes the selected meditations on the Stages of the Path a delight and also very positive to listen to.... If the graduated path, as the lam rim approach is also called, has proven helpful to countless generations of monastics, it is even more important to modern Western lay practitioners, who are dealing with a good many more challenges and distractions. I can recommend without reservation both Ven. Chodron’s book and the audiorecording, which generously extends over 14 hours."—Georg Feuerstein, Ph.D.

"Listen and learn as the lighthearted, happy, kind voice of Bikshuni Thubten Chodron guides us along the gradual path to enlightenment. Yes, this wonderful 224-page book is accompanied by a fourteen-hour MP3 CD with no less than 46 meditations! How often have we heard a teacher describe the teachings of the lam-rim and gone away wondering how to put them into practice—and here is a way to actually experience them. No more excuses: Soon the rhythm of meditating becomes as habitual and essential as the morning cuppa. Are you working with distractions? Dealing with mental afflictions? Distinctly possible under this gentle, kindly guidance."—Mandala

"I have found few guides through the sometimes-complex practices of Tibetan Buddhism that are this thorough, accessible, and practical. The questions Chodron presents throughout the book and MP3 CD are the types of questions you might want to tape to your bathroom mirror, and she provides enough of them that you could easily start your day contemplating a different question for months. This is not the sort of book that requires a sequential reading; it is superbly organized to provide quick and easy access to any of the concepts you are currently working with, and there is plenty for those at each stage of the path. Even if you are not strictly a student of Tibetan Buddhism, there are enough core spiritual and ethical concepts covered in this book as to make it a worthwhile read for anyone...whatever your primary spiritual practice."—The Feminist Review

From the Publisher

The meditation teachings of lamrim, says Buddhist teacher Thubten Chodron, are like ready-made clothes that are easy to wear--they're systematized so that we can "wear" them right away, so we can learn and practice them in an organized fashion.

These systematic teachings are the subject of this book and the accompanying CD. The lamrim presents a step-by-step method to tame the mind.

The first section of Guided Meditations discusses how to establish a daily practice; how to set up an altar, and how to approach the two kinds of meditation--stabilizing and analytical. The second presents the meditations. The third supplies an overview, instructions for working with distractions, antidotes to mental afflictions, advice for newcomers, and suggestions on how to deepen Dharma practice.

The accompanying mp3 CD contains over 15 hours of guided meditations. Individuals who live far from Buddhist teachers or Dharma centers will appreciate the personal guidance offered with these meditations, enabling them to begin and continue a daily meditation practice.

"Ven. Thubten Chodron is someone whose life embodies the virtues of Kindness, simplicity and a clarity of vision which lie at the heart of the Buddha's teachings. It is these perennial qualities that shine through her writings and touch the hearts of readers all over the world."
--Thupten Jinpa, translator for H.H. the Dalai Lama

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 220 pages
• Publisher: Snow Lion Publications; Har/MP3 edition (September 5, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1559392819
• ISBN-13: 978-1559392815
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 6.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #100,504 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Thubten Chodron is an American Buddhist nun in the Tibetan tradition. A student of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan masters, she became a nun in 1977. She has been resident teacher at Amitabha Buddhist Centre in Singapore and at Dharma Friendship Foundation in Seattle. Active in interfaith dialogue, she also does Dharma outreach in prisons and teaches the Dharma worldwide. She is abbess of Sravasti Abbey, a Buddhist monastery in eastern Washington State. She is the author of several books, including Open Heart, Clear Mind; Buddhism for Beginners; Taming the Mind; Working with Anger; and How to Free Your Mind: Tara the Liberator. Ven. Chodron emphasizes the practical application of Buddha's teachings in our daily lives and is especially skilled at explaining them in ways easily understood and practiced by Westerners.

"Venerable Thubten Chodron is someone whose life embodies the virtues of kindness, simplicity and clarity of vision, which lie at the heart of the Buddha's teaching. It is these perrenial qualities that shine through her writings and touch the hearts of many readers all over the world."--Thupten Jinpa, author and translator for the Dalai Lama

Working with Anger by Thubten Chodron has been chosen for a Spirituality and Health Award as one of "The Best Spiritual Books of 2001." Spirituality and Health is a quarterly print magazine covering the people, the practices, and the ideas of today's spiritual renaissance. Their website is http://www.spiritualityhealth.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Missing Link to Establishing a Daily Meditation Practice, January 4, 2008

By 

Bruce Cantwell "tkmalone" (PORTLAND, OR United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Guided Meditations on the Stages of the Path (with 15 hour mp3 meditation CD) (Hardcover)

The guided meditation mp3 CD in this book was the missing link I had been looking for in establishing a daily meditation practice. Thubten Chodron communicates the practical benefits of Buddhist teachings more effectively than anyone I've read and each of these guided meditations focuses on drawing connections between Buddhist principles and everyday situations. Distributing over 14 hours of guided meditations on one CD accompanying this hardbound volume provides an invaluable tool at an EXTREMELY reasonable price. If you have any hesitation at all about ordering this book and mp3 CD, visit thubtenchodron.org and listen to one of the author's talks or read one of her essays. Discover for yourself whether or not her down to earth approach is right for you.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars George Feurestein, Manalda Magazine, and the Feminist Review, January 28, 2008

By 

Sravasti Abbey Media Group "Sravasti Abbey Me... (Newport, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Guided Meditations on the Stages of the Path (with 15 hour mp3 meditation CD) (Hardcover)

"Ven. Chodron is well known for her many clear writings. As the CD shows, she also has a clear, gentle, and calm voice, which makes the selected meditations on the Stages of the Path a delight and also very positive to listen to.... If the graduated path, as the lam rim approach is also called, has proven helpful to countless generations of monastics, it is even more important to modern Western lay practitioners, who are dealing with a good many more challenges and distractions. I can recommend without reservation both Ven. Chodron's book and the audiorecording, which generously extends over 14 hours."--Georg Feuerstein, Ph.D.

"Listen and learn as the lighthearted, happy, kind voice of Bikshuni Thubten Chodron guides us along the gradual path to enlightenment. Yes, this wonderful 224-page book is accompanied by a fourteen-hour MP3 CD with no less than 46 meditations! How often have we heard a teacher describe the teachings of the lam-rim and gone away wondering how to put them into practice--and here is a way to actually experience them. No more excuses: Soon the rhythm of meditating becomes as habitual and essential as the morning cuppa. Are you working with distractions? Dealing with mental afflictions? Distinctly possible under this gentle, kindly guidance."--Mandala

"I have found few guides through the sometimes-complex practices of Tibetan Buddhism that are this thorough, accessible, and practical. The questions Chodron presents throughout the book and MP3 CD are the types of questions you might want to tape to your bathroom mirror, and she provides enough of them that you could easily start your day contemplating a different question for months. This is not the sort of book that requires a sequential reading; it is superbly organized to provide quick and easy access to any of the concepts you are currently working with, and there is plenty for those at each stage of the path. Even if you are not strictly a student of Tibetan Buddhism, there are enough core spiritual and ethical concepts covered in this book as to make it a worthwhile read for anyone...whatever your primary spiritual practice."--The Feminist Review

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Meditator, November 29, 2007

By 

Scott I. Lawley (Oregon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Guided Meditations on the Stages of the Path (with 15 hour mp3 meditation CD) (Hardcover)

If you want a concise and informative review that will help your understanding of the Dharma in a way that you can use on a daily basis, this is the book for you. The Lam Rim is a comprehensive meditation practice in use for centuries and is often thought to be inaccessible to the Western practitioner. Ven Thubten Chodron demystifies this important practice and in the CD provides actual guided meditations that are "user friendly" without compromising the heart of the wisdom in the ancient texts.

Definitely worth one's attention if you are serious about your Dharma practice.