Dalai Lama - Courageous Compassion

Advance Praise for
COURAGEOUS COMPASSION

In the sixth installment of their extraordinary Library of Wisdom and Compassion series, H. H. the Dalai Lama and Ven. Thubten Chodron transport us through the higher reaches of the Buddhist path, as envisioned by the Theravda, Strayna, and Mahyna traditions. Led by two expert guides, we come to appreciate the perfections we must practice, the stages of spiritual ascent we must traverse, and the sublime awakened states awaiting at journeys end. At once informative and deeply inspiring, Courageous Compassion should have a place on the bookshelf of every Buddhist, along with the other volumes in this masterful collection.

Roger Jackson, author of Mind Seeing Mind: Mahmudr and the Geluk Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism

In this volume H. H. the Dalai Lama and Ven. Thubten Chodron address how to develop and sustain compassion in the ordinary life we have today all the way up to the completion of our spiritual path. The turn to applying compassion requires not only profound knowledge of the Buddhist textual tradition but also great sensitivity to the circumstances of peoples ordinary lives and to twenty-first-century societies. This book brings both to bear as it asks, What would our lives look like if we lived and acted purely out of compassion?

Damch Diana Finnegan, PhD

In this sixth volume of their extraordinary series mapping the Buddhist path to awakening, H. H. the Dalai Lama and the Ven. Thubten Chodron, in conversation both with the Pli and the Indo-Tibetan Mahyna traditions, show how to build on the insight, the understanding, and the cultivation achieved through study and practice in order to become a powerful agent for the welfare of oneself and others, and to ascend to the advanced stages of the path to awakening. Their account is rich in scholarship, deeply humane, and powerfully inspirational.

Jay L. Garfield, Doris Silbert Professor in the Humanities, Smith College and the Harvard Divinity School

THE LIBRARY OF WISDOM AND COMPASSION

The Library of Wisdom and Compassion is a special multivolume series in which His Holiness the Dalai Lama shares the Buddhas teachings on the complete path to full awakening that he himself has practiced his entire life. The topics are arranged especially for people not born in Buddhist cultures and are peppered with the Dalai Lamas unique outlook. Assisted by his long-term disciple, the American nun Thubten Chodron, the Dalai Lama sets the context for practicing the Buddhas teachings in modern times and then unveils the path of wisdom and compassion that leads to a meaningful life, a sense of personal fulfillment, and full awakening. This series is an important bridge from introductory to profound topics for those seeking an in-depth explanation from a contemporary perspective.

Volumes:

1. Approaching the Buddhist Path

2. The Foundation of Buddhist Practice

3. Sasra, Nirva, and Buddha Nature

4. Following in the Buddhas Footsteps

5. In Praise of Great Compassion

6. Courageous Compassion

More volumes to come!

At this critical time the world is in need of guides who embody both wisdom and genuine compassion, such as His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Venerable Thubten Chodron, who serve as living examples of courageous action in upholding the bodhisattva ideal both in word and in deed. Now they have collaborated to give us a volume on the practical application of fearless compassion. May this serve as an inspiration to Buddhist practitioners, now and in the future, to bravely embody compassion for the benefit of all. We welcome this addition to the series, which deals with the central relevance of courageous compassion as we walk the path.

JESUNMA TENZIN PALMO

C ourageous Compassion, the sixth volume of the Library of Wisdomand Compassion, continues the Dalai Lamas teachings on the path to awakening. The previous volume, In Praise of Great Compassion, focused on opening our hearts with love and compassion for all living beings, and the present volume explains how to embody compassion and wisdom in our daily lives. Here we enter a fascinating exploration of bodhisattvas activities across multiple Buddhist traditionsTibetan, Theravda, and Chinese Buddhism.

After explaining the ten perfections according to the Pli and Sanskrit traditions, the Dalai Lama presents the sophisticated schema of the four paths and fruits for rvakas and solitary realizers and the five paths for bodhisattvas. Learning about the practices mastered by these exalted practitioners inspires us with knowledge of our minds potential. His Holiness also describes buddha bodies, what buddhas perceive, and buddhas awakening activities.

Courageous Compassion offers an in-depth look at bodhicitta, arhatship, and buddhahood that you can continuously refer to as you progress on the path to full awakening.