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Overview
In Praise of Great Compassion, the fifth volume of the Library of Wisdom and Compassion, continues the Dalai Lama’s teachings on the path to awakening. While previous volumes focused on our present situation and taking responsibility for creating the causes of happiness, this volume concerns opening our hearts and generating the intention to make our lives meaningful by benefiting others.
We are embedded in a universe with other living beings, all of whom have been kind to us in one way or another. More than any other time in human history, we depend on one another to stay alive and flourish. When we look closely, it becomes apparent that we have been the recipient of great kindness. Wanting to repay others’ kindness, we cultivate a positive attitude by contemplating the four immeasurables of love, compassion, empathic joy, and equanimity, and the altruistic intention of bodhicitta. We learn to challenge the self-centered attitude that leads to misery and replace it with a more realistic perspective enabling us to remain emotionally balanced in good and bad times. In this way, all circumstances become favorable to the path to awakening.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781614296836 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Wisdom Publications MA |
| Publication date: | 08/11/2020 |
| Series: | The Library of Wisdom and Compassion , #5 |
| Sold by: | SIMON & SCHUSTER |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 420 |
| File size: | 4 MB |
About the Author
Thubten Chodron has been a Buddhist nun since 1977. A graduate of UCLA, she is the founder and abbess of Sravasti Abbey in Washington State. She is a popular speaker and author of numerous books, including Buddhism for Beginners.
Table of Contents
Preface xi
Abbreviations xvii
Introduction 1
1 The Four Immeasurables 3
The Four Immeasurables in the Pali Tradition 3
The Three Higher Trainings and the Four Immeasurables 4
Introduction to the Four Divine Abodes 6
Meditation on Love 11
Counteracting Animosity and Anger 13
Continuing the Meditation on Love 19
Cultivating Love Benefits Self and Others 23
Meditation on Compassion 27
Meditation on Empathic Joy 29
Meditation on Equanimity 29
Types of Equanimity 31
The Four Divine Abodes and Insight 33
Near and Far Enemies of the Four Immeasurables 35
The Four Immeasurables in the Mahayana 38
The Four Immeasurables in the Vajrayana 45
An Intimate Feeling with All Beings 46
2 The Altruistic Intention of Bodhicitta 49
The Fundamental Vehicle and Mahayana 49
The Ultimate Purpose of Dharma Practice 52
What Is Bodhicitta? 54
The Causes or Bodhicitta 58
The Benefits of Bodhicitta 62
Bodhisattvas as Inspiring Role Models 67
Two Types of Mahayana Disciples 69
3 How to Cultivate Bodhicitta: The Seven Cause-and-Effect Instructions 75
The Seven Cause-and-Effect Instructions 76
Training the Mind to Be Intent on Others' Well-Being 78
Developing the Attitude That Is Intent on Others' Welfare 91
Bodhicitta 112
4 Equalizing and Exchanging Self and Others 117
Equalizing Self and Others 118
The Disadvantages of Self-Centeredness 124
Benefits of Cherishing Others 128
Exchanging Self and Others 131
Using Jealousy, Competition, and Arrogance in the Exchange 136
How to View the Body 138
Taking and Giving 140
True Practitioners 145
Comparing and Combining the Two Methods 146
5 Becoming a Bodhisattva 149
The Self-Centered Attitude and Self-Grasping Ignorance 149
Self-interest and Self-Confidence 152
Integrating the View with Bodhicitta 153
Who Can Generate Bodhicitta? 156
Definite and Indefinite Lineage 157
Can Bodhicitta Degenerate? 158
Signs of Irreversibility 159
Classifications of Bodhicitta 160
6 Homage to Great Compassion 171
Compassion Is the Root of All Goodness 172
The Three Principal Causes of Bodhisattvas 176
Compassion Observing Sentient Beings 182
Compassion Observing Phenomena 188
Compassion Observing the Unapprehendable 192
Combining Wisdom and Compassion 199
7 Aspiring and Engaging Bodhicitta 207
Identifying Aspiring and Engaging Bodhicitta 207
The Ceremony for Generating Aspiring Bodhicitta 210
Guidelines of Aspiring Bodhicitta 213
Engaging Bodhicitta 216
Taking the Bodhisattva Vow 218
The Bodhisattva Ethical Code in the Tibetan Tradition 223
A Kind Heart 236
8 Love, Compassion, and Bodhicitta in Chinese Buddhism 239
Love and Compassion-Prerequisites to Bodhicitta 239
Causes and Conditions to Generate Bodhicitta 244
Ten Factors to Spur the Generation of Bodhicitta 247
Vasubandhu on Cultivating Bodhicitta and the Bodhisattva Vow 258
Exhortation to Resolve on Buddhahood 262
Cultivating the Three Types of Mind and the Five Great Vows 264
The Four Great Vows 272
The Bodhisattva Ethical Code in Chinese Buddhism 274
The Bodhisattva Ethical Code in Japanese Buddhism 282
Bodhicitta, True Suchness, and Buddha Nature 283
The Five Stages of Cultivating Bodhicitta 284
9 Bodhicitta and Bodhisattvas in the Pali Tradition 287
Compassion 287
The Compassion of Arhats and Sravaka Learners 290
Compassion in Daily Life 291
Levels of Love and Compassion 296
The Bodhisattva Path 297
The Bodhisattva in Pali Literature 300
For the Success of Bodhicitta 305
10 Mind Training 309
Taking Adversity into the Path 311
Specific Advice for Difficult Situations 315
A Lifetime's Practice 320
The Commitments and Precepts of Mind Training 322
Gathas to Train the Mind 334
Notes 345
Glossary 353
Recommended Reading 367
Index 371
About the Authors 393