Awakening the Buddha Within : Tibetan Wisdom for the Western World by Lama Surya Das

Awakening the Buddha Within :

Tibetan Wisdom for the Western World
by Lama Surya Das

Paperback - 414 pages (July 1998)
Broadway Books; ISBN: 0767901576

Synopsis:

Lama Surya Das, the most highly trained American lama in the Tibetan tradition, presents the definitive book on Western Buddhism for the modern-day spiritual seeker.

The radical and compelling message of Buddhism tells us that each of us has the wisdom, awareness, love, and power of the Buddha within; yet most of us are too often like sleeping Buddhas. In Awakening the Buddha Within, Surya Das shows how we can awaken to who we really are in order to lead a more compassionate, enlightened life.

Reviews:

Very Concise Overview for a Novice in Buddhism

October 4, 1999

Reviewer: A reader from San Francisco, California

This review is for the audiotape. Very well researched and puttogether, listening to this audiotape you get a good grasp of basic Buddhist teaching. This can serve as a valuable tool to gage how far you want to go into this religion. Definitely meditation was what I was seeking, hence my purchasing an audiotape, alas it fell short of going thoroughly into that subject matter (with a proper step by step demo). When mentioning Buddhist terms in their proper language he sounded a bit odd and to add insult to injury the way he would pronounce "Buddha" left much to be desired! The author should just be himself (New York Jew) not some want to be. What he should have emphasized is that we can be better Catholics, Jews, Muslims, etc. if we can incorporate many of the valuable teachings found in Buddhism. One cannot realistically avoid stepping on an ant or swatting a mosquito or fly and that was something he suggested we aspire to in order to be an optimal Buddhist. In general, I would recommend this cassette if you're not in the mood to reading, since he clearly states the main facets of Buddhist in a thorough and easy to understand way and indeed I did learn quite a bit from it.

Still Mind Blowing After All These Years!

January 23, 2000

Reviewer: Synthia from Houston

I have studied with Surya and attended the Dzogchen Foundation retreats since the early 1990's and I bought a copy of this book when it first came out. It's a wonderful book that covers Buddhist basics from the Dzogchen viewpoint of the Non-Sectarian Practice Lineage, of which Surya is the recognized lineage-holder. Dzogchen is known as the "quick and comfy" path to awakening in this very lifetime, and emphasizes experiential techniques as a compliment to the more traditional techniques of Buddhist study and practice. It's not very well-known in the Buddhist world and we are fortunate to have access to these teachings...and to have them presented to us in a very clear and humorous way!

I have just completed an intensive week long silent retreat in the Three Vital Points with Surya and the first thing I did upon returning was to re-read this book. It has been a great aid over the years in helping me to integrate and stabilize my retreat experiences into daily life...and is even more useful now (as my awareness grows) than the first time I read it.

To the other reviewers who pooh pooh this book and / or Dzogchen in general....Sogyal Rinpoche's Tibetan Book of Living and Dying is an awesome book, but it emphasizes Guru Yoga, the bardo states, and is a great preparation for those who are entering a ngondro practise. It covers / emphasizes a different subject matter area than does Awakening the Buddha Within. I find the 2 books to be complimentary in my own practise.

Homage to the Lama who placed Buddha in the palm of my hand! May we all together complete our spiritual journeys! Emaho!

Buddhism for the West

February 22, 2000

Reviewer: Diana from Southeast Texas

Lama Surya Das does a wonderful job of introducing the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism to the Western mind. Many people in the West see Buddhism as an exotic and arcane Eastern tradition without any relevance to our lives here and now. How unfortunate. One need not embrace Buddhism to gain much from Buddhist concepts.

The Lama is a little soft in this writing on certain concepts (like reincarnation and magic). However, I think that this book is meant for one not already deeply involved in the practice of Buddhism; so I don't find fault with him here.

Surya Das has written a loving tribute to the Buddha in us all.

Great intro to Tibetan Buddhism

February 16, 2000

Reviewer: papierman

This is a great book explaining the major concepts and practices of Tibetan Buddhism, in a way that Westerners (like me) can understand. Accordingly, it gives you the background to understand more Eastern texts, such as the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Furthermore, it provides several meditations/exercises for the beginning Buddhist.

The book, constrary to many other classics in this area, also advocates a new Westernized Buddhism practice. This is especially helpful when you're trying to figure out how to begin a Buddhist practice without running away to join a Tibetan monastery :)

All in all, if you are interested in studying Tibetan Buddhism, this is a great intro. If you are interested instead in finding out about the different branches of Buddhism, i.e., you don't know what's the difference between Zen and Tibetan Buddhism, don't look for that answer here. Read Dinty Moore's "The Accidental Buddhist" instead.

Happy journeys

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Very Concise Overview for a Novice in Buddhism	October 4, 1999
Reviewer: A reader from San Francisco, California
This review is for the audiotape. Very well researched and puttogether, listening to this audiotape you get a good grasp of basic Buddhist teaching. This can serve as a valuable tool to gage how far you want to go into this religion. Definitely meditation was what I was seeking, hence my purchasing an audiotape, alas it fell short of going thoroughly into that subject matter (with a proper step by step demo). When mentioning Buddhist terms in their proper language he sounded a bit odd and to add insult to injury the way he would pronounce "Buddha" left much to be desired! The author should just be himself (New York Jew) not some want to be. What he should have emphasized is that we can be better Catholics, Jews, Muslims, etc. if we can incorporate many of the valuable teachings found in Buddhism. One cannot realistically avoid stepping on an ant or swatting a mosquito or fly and that was something he suggested we aspire to in order to be an optimal Buddhist. In general, I would recommend this cassette if you're not in the mood to reading, since he clearly states the main facets of Buddhist in a thorough and easy to understand way and indeed I did learn quite a bit from it.