Product Description

Of all the Buddha's teachings, perhaps his greatest gift can be found in "the Bodhisattva ideal," a template for living in the world as an "Awakener," a servant of the highest good for all. With his previous bestsellers including Awakening the Buddha Within (300,000 copies sold; Broadway, 1997), American-born Tibetan Buddhist teacher Lama Surya Das has made the helpful, healing insights of the Buddha accessible to millions. Now, with Buddha Is As Buddha Does, he helps listeners to discover: * How to become a Bodhisattva, a peacemaking spiritual warrior, an embodiment of wise compassion in action * How to actively practice the ten paramitas in daily life: generosity, ethics, patience, energetic effort, meditation, wisdom, skillful means, higher aspiration, powers, and pristine awareness * The Seven Jewels of the Bodhisattva: Faith and Devotion, Self-Discipline, Discriminating Wisdom, Charity, Learning, Honesty, and Modesty * Inspirational lessons from history's legendary Bodhisattvas including Tara, Avalokitesvara, and Manjushri--plus contemporary examples of enlightened action based on the realization of the oneness of all life "As long as there is suffering in the world, there is spiritual work to do," explains Lama Surya Das. "We are the Bodhisattvas, the future Buddhas of this world." With Buddha Is As Buddha Does, listeners will experience the fruits of the Buddha's greatest lessons.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #315887 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04
• Format: Audiobook
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 4
• Binding: Audio CD

From Publishers Weekly
The much-published author and respected Tibetan Buddhist teacher offers a guide for spiritual development based on the paramitas, traditional Buddhist teachings. The Sanskrit term is usually translated as "perfections," but the practices are best understood as a set of virtuous actions. An accomplished Western interpreter of the Tibetan branch of Buddhism, which has its arcane aspects, Surya Das explains each of the 10 virtues, offering numerous exercises and tips to apply his teaching. This is all firmly grounded in traditional stories and the examples of historical figures in Buddhism. Surya Das also offers examples of Westerners who embody these virtues, from the Catholic saint Damien, who worked with lepers on the Hawaiian island of Molokai, to Oprah Winfrey, a model of shrewd and skillful action. While the material is helpful, the exposition rambles and is often hard to follow. Some individual chapters read as though they were pasted together. Quotes from famous non-Buddhist figures are thrown in like salt ("Mark Twain, one of my favorite American authors, said..."). Other authors, particularly Sylvia Boorstein, have done more engaging and readable treatments on the 10 virtues. This underedited volume requires patience to absorb.
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From AudioFile
Theres something surprisingly comforting about a man who sounds so ordinary and American teaching listeners how to follow in Buddhas footsteps. With a down-to-earth voice, American-born Buddhist teacher Lama Surya Das outlines Buddhas ten-fold path to living as a bodhisattva (enlightened awakener). The soothing hum of Buddhist chanting introduces each disc, and Dass relaxed voice guides listeners through each of Buddhas 10 paramitas (transcendental virtues). Das draws from other religious and spiritual practices, as well as classical philosophy, to make Buddhas teachings accessible to Westerners. Sadly, Das narrates like a lecturer rather than a storyteller. By the books end, his delivery style leaves the listener feeling well educated but not inspired. J.T. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Review
"A wonderful book for the soul." -- Caroline Myss, author of Entering the Castle and Anatomy of the Spirit

"a solid and substantive work on the compassionate way. " -- Spirituality and Health magazine

Customer Reviews

The road to enlightenment
The author Lama Surya Das has created a book that is truly the road to enlightenment. By presenting the ten Paramitas that Boddhisattvas follow in their practice he has given us the behaviors we must cultivate in our minds that will eventually lead to our own liberation from our ego.(Boddhisatvas are serious Buddhist practioners that take many vows, one of which is to liberate everyone from delusion).
The chapters of this book cover the following Paramitas:(Practices)generosity, self-discipline, patient forbearance, heroic effort, mindfulness and meditation, wisdom, skillful means, spiritual aspirations, higher accomplishments, along with awakened awareness. If you are able to successfully practice any of these Paramitas consistently they will radically change your life. You must change yourself and your motivations. To truly master the Paramitas it takes fearless courage and egoless wisdom. To comprehend the nature of reality the ego must die."Character is the root of action."
What this book will show you is that you need to start taking as much responsibility for thinking in a positive manner as you do for acting appropriately. "Practice and cultivate freedom from extremes in all things.""If you desire to enjoy happiness in this life and the next, don't keep talking about others' qualities, but watch yourself and examine your own path."
The author has produced a very understandable and practical book in which he gives you the information to begin the process of awakening to the fact that your self created ego is not you. You are the pure observing awareness that witnesses everthing through your senses. You are not a brain, thoughts, emotions, beliefs, or a body. When you look for "YOU", you will end up with nothing but conscious awareness, all else is somthing you can observe. Please, do yourself a favor and start on your own path of awakening, either through this book or through a guided meditation practice.
"Enlightenment comes about primarily through nonattachment, wise awareness, and clear vision. The enlightened person is not ruled by external things."

A very helpful book for those who want to practice!
Our meditation class is reading this book and we all think very highly of it. Lama Surya Das makes Buddhist practice practical for the common person. He gives clear and interesting examples and he does a great job of defining Buddhist terminology. The practices themselves are the best things we can do for ourselves and for all beings. I recommend diving into "Buddha is as Buddha Does" with gusto and giving the practices a try. Start small and see what happens!

Debra
www.mainstreetyoga.com

Buddhism is truly a miraculous tradition--thank God for it
This is the first of Lama Surya Das's books that I have read and it will not be the last. Buddha Is as Buddha Does is the most practical and useful book I have read yet on Buddhism for the modern American mind. The wisdom within its pages can be appreciated and applied by Buddhists and non-Buddhists (such as myself) alike.

Lama Surya Das guides his readers along a ten-step path towards spiritual enlightenment utilizing the original six paramitas (perfections) of the Buddha: generosity, ethical behvaior, patience, heroic effort, mindfullness through meditation, and wisdom, and appends the four additional practices of Mahayana Buddhism: skillful means, spiritual aspirations, higher accomplishments, and awakened awareness. It is as if this book has two parts, the first encompassing the original six practices on how to live a life of selfless compassion. The second part outlining the latter four practices borders on the mystical or miraculous, but enlightnment itself is a miracle in our modern world.

For those like myself who wish to live a better, more fullfilled life while still adhering to the mundane necessities of contemporary life, such as meeting sales quotas to pay the mortgage, etc., this is a useful book. What I appreciate the most is that although Lama Surya Das is a lama trained in Tibetan Buddhism, he demonstrates a knowledge of all religions, including in this book inspirational passages from the Christian bible, Sufi mystics, and his own Jewish roots, as well as other schools of Buddhism such as Zen. It is this inclusiveness that has attracted me to Buddhist literature. Furthermore, Lama Surya Das is a rarity in that he is a Buddhist who openly seems to believe in God, although he describes the word "God" as a placeholder for an abstract higher consciousness or reality. The title of my review is an actual quote from the book. He also includes such messages as "Thank God for the Dharma," and "When you learn to give yourself, it may claim all of your energy, body, and soul, but you will receive in return God's heart, Buddha's mind." He even ruminates on the possibility of reuiniting with deceased relatives in Heaven. On the surface, these may seem like contradictions to the Buddhist faith, but on further investigation, it is not hard to see the value of such wisdom as a means of transcending this world of pain and suffering into an existence that is truly enlightened through compassionate living.