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A review by karmakat
Approaching the Buddhist Path, Volume 1 by Dalai Lama XIV, Thubten Chodron
4.0
Probably more like 3.5.
There is a vast amount of information in this book. It's the first volume in a multi-volume exploration of Buddhism. The first half (roughly) deals with a more historical look at Buddhism and the Buddhist texts and sects. The second half deals more with practices and development. I would definitely not recommend this book as a person's first book on Buddhism. Even with a more-than-average knowledge of Buddhism and the basic principles, I found this book to be a bit of a mountain to tackle. It is definitely more of a scholarly work that a book for the armchair enthusiast.
That being said, there is a wealth of good information in here, but it is best taken in small bites. Some of my favorite parts about this book:
-The Dalai Lama says several times that Buddhists should read and study the material themselves and that everyone who studies Buddhism should make their own decisions about what is true. This is refreshing compared to other religious and spiritual paths. For example, "The Buddha wanted us to test his teachings, not to accept them blindly." (p 266)
-I really enjoyed the chapter at the end where The Dalai Lama talks about Buddhism and how it relates to current social issues like gender equality, science, politics, etc.
-I really appreciate that The Dalai Lama himself still thinks of himself as a student almost more than a teacher and he makes it very clear that he does not feel that he is actually 'awakened' yet and that it will likely take him many lifetimes to reach this goal.
One of my favorite passages, that I think speaks so well on what Buddhism is: "We depend on others, and each of us contributes to the common good in his or her own way. The global economy means that we influence each other dramatically. If we human beings use the model of survival of the fittest and try to procure more and better resources for ourselves individually or for just our own group, we will sabotage our personal happiness and endanger the existence of human beings on this planet." (p 73)
There is a vast amount of information in this book. It's the first volume in a multi-volume exploration of Buddhism. The first half (roughly) deals with a more historical look at Buddhism and the Buddhist texts and sects. The second half deals more with practices and development. I would definitely not recommend this book as a person's first book on Buddhism. Even with a more-than-average knowledge of Buddhism and the basic principles, I found this book to be a bit of a mountain to tackle. It is definitely more of a scholarly work that a book for the armchair enthusiast.
That being said, there is a wealth of good information in here, but it is best taken in small bites. Some of my favorite parts about this book:
-The Dalai Lama says several times that Buddhists should read and study the material themselves and that everyone who studies Buddhism should make their own decisions about what is true. This is refreshing compared to other religious and spiritual paths. For example, "The Buddha wanted us to test his teachings, not to accept them blindly." (p 266)
-I really enjoyed the chapter at the end where The Dalai Lama talks about Buddhism and how it relates to current social issues like gender equality, science, politics, etc.
-I really appreciate that The Dalai Lama himself still thinks of himself as a student almost more than a teacher and he makes it very clear that he does not feel that he is actually 'awakened' yet and that it will likely take him many lifetimes to reach this goal.
One of my favorite passages, that I think speaks so well on what Buddhism is: "We depend on others, and each of us contributes to the common good in his or her own way. The global economy means that we influence each other dramatically. If we human beings use the model of survival of the fittest and try to procure more and better resources for ourselves individually or for just our own group, we will sabotage our personal happiness and endanger the existence of human beings on this planet." (p 73)