PATH TO BUDDHAHOOD: Teachings on Gampopa's Jewel Ornament of Liberation, by Ringu Tulku, foreward by Mathieu Ricond, Shambhala, Boston, ISBN 1 59030 012 2, pp. 208, ￡9.99.
摘要
This book is based on the Jewel Ornament of Liberation text composed by Gampopa, the main spiritual son of the great hermit Milarepa. Ringu Tulku Rinpoche's clear English well describes the individual journey to Buddhahood.
In the beginning, he says, that all phenomena can be categorized from a Buddhist perspective as being in Samsara or Nirvana. Samsara describes our present state and is manifest by emptiness (sunyata), confusion and suffering because of our misperceptions. By contrast Nirvana, or Enlightenment, is manifest by emptiness, exhaustion of confusion and liberation from suffering.
In the early chapters he talks about Buddha-nature, which is inherent in everyone. He maintains that in order to reach enlightenment one needs to meet a genuine spiritual friend. The major part of the book is written as the instructions of a spiritual friend. He describes the stages of the journey, which requires our commitment, and goes onto describe the four antidotes to the obstacles that prevent us from reaching Enlightenment. The first is contemplating impermanence, which is considered the best meditation. The second is contemplating the misery of Samsara and suffering, which is related to our Karma, which is interdependence. He then describes clearly how to break the chain of Karma. The third is love and compassion, which teach us the essence of generosity and how to develop loving kindness. The fourth antidote is bodhicitta and he describes in some detail how it is possible to achieve this. The final chapter is on the activities of a Buddha. It gives four examples of how a Buddha's mind functions. The aim of this teaching is to introduce the mind directly to its true nature when it is calm and clear and has developed wisdom and compassion to the highest level. When this deep realization has been come to, we can see inside ourselves at this very moment.
This book describes in a very detailed way the journey to Buddhist Enlightenment. But as Ringu Tulku is an academic and there are lots of quotatios from texts this book needs to be read slowly. As it is also written clearly, the reder will gain an enourmous insight into the path to Buddhahood. This is a very compelling book.
