Modern Buddhism: The Path of Compassion and Wisdom - Volume 1 Sutra

Wow... I have always been drawn to Buddhism... the gentleness and reverence for all life... the teachings of Buddhism, the ones I am aware of, have always been one of the closest ones to my core being, even since I was young.. I have not, though, ever done an in-depth study on it. Yet. That is about to change. I was always interested but the timing just never seemed quite right for me to really dig into the basics. I feel today is that day,and this little book is a stepping stone.I have been doing some searching for a while now... soul-wise... and I suddenly came across this gem today, as if in answer to the questions of my heart.. I have a Kindle reader (OH I LOVE my Kindle!!!) and while looking for something else, completely... I happened on this. I felt immediately drawn to it and recognized that perhaps this is a place and a path that it's time to investigate further, in this journey of my life. It was one of those "things" that you just know is a nudge from Someone or Something. When I saw that the author, an ordained monk (from the time he was 8!!) just wanted to make it freely available for everyone to read... I felt so humbled and appreciative, that this person would make these teachings available via free e-book, for anyone wanting to learn.I sat down to read, and just the preface alone was enough to stop me in my tracks. It touched my heart.. my soul... I just felt like I had come home, as I continued to read. I reluctantly had to stop long enough to do the laundry for my dear family LOL and now I have to run to the store and get dog food for my dogs *sigh* and then I have to come back and ... and.. life is just so busy. But I cannot stop thinking about the words in this book and can't wait to find a few quiet moments, to resume my thought processes and get into deep reading mode again. The words have been with me all day. I feel that I have come to a definitive spiritual mark on my path."Modern Buddhism, The Path of Compassion and Wisdom, Volume 1, Sutra" is written in a very humble, touching and loving spirit, which helps you see beyond the day to day material surface and focus on the quietly, infinitely spiritual matters of the heart, soul and mind. I would say the gentle wisdom this book has to offer is life-changing, for those who put it into practice. There are 2 more in the series. I can't wait to delve into them. :)If you have a Kindle.. and if you too are drawn to more spiritual things and have not quenched your thirst on the things you have found in this world so far... give this little book a try. You have nothing to lose and so much peacefulness to gain! :)Thank you to the monk who made this and the other books available. I am so thankful and appreciative for the opportunity to read this freely. It caught my eye, today, and I feel for me, it was just the right timing. The fact that it was free meant that a lack of money did not stop me from venturing a step into a new tomorrow for me.

As many readers have done, I originally downloaded the 3 volume eBook version of Modern Buddhism. I asked some friends of mine who are Buddhists who follow the Nyingma Lineage what they thought of Geshe Kelsang Gyatso's writing and they tried to talk me into reading a different author, which is when I learned about the controversy between the Dalai Lama and much of the Tibetan Buddhist community in exile on the one hand and the New Kadampa Tradition on the other. I did read their suggested title, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, by Sogyal Rinpoche, which I did enjoy. However, since I am not a Buddhist and not a disciple of the Dalai Lama, I read the first 2 of the three volume eBook and browsed the 3rd volume. Of course, if I was a Buddhist and was a disciple of the Dalai Lama, I would have followed his instructions on this controversy. However, as a Monotheist who practices the Sutra of the Full Awareness of Breathing and reads books by Rinzai Zen Buddhist Master Thich Nhat Hanh, I did not see that the ban against the NKT applied to me.I found Modern Buddhism not only an excellent overview of the New Kadampa Tradition, but also a good book for non-Buddhists who find good things the teachings of Buddhism. Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, like Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh and teacher Jack Kornfield, does a very good job of communicating the teachings of his branch of Buddhism. I don't know that I would give 5 stars to every book written by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, but Modern Buddhism is a 5-Star book to me. I have since read both Geshe Kelsang Gyatso's and the Dalai Lama's commentary on the the Heart Sutra and would give BOTH of those books 5 Stars. The Libertarian/US Constitutionalist in me believes that the NKT has not been dealt with justly in this controversy by their opponents, though I do not think the Dalai Lama was wrong to ask his disciples to abstain from certain traditional practices of the Kadampas. It is the treatment of the NKT as a result of the ban that I believe is unjust.Today, the Hardcover edition of Modern Buddhism should arrive. After I go through the book (at a slower pace) a second time, I will read a few more books by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. Certainly, as a monotheist, there are practices that are a part of the NKT that I will not do, but NKT and many non-NKT Tibetan Buddhist teachers don't have any problem with that, as well as teachers I like to read in other branches of Buddhism. There are Jewish, Christian and Muslim teachers that are not opposed to Christians and Muslims learning about Buddhism. Some Sunni and Shia Muslim scholars even believe the Buddha was a prophet of God. For that matter, Hindus who are involved in the Krishna Consciousness movement believe the Buddha was an incarnation of God. Thus, non-Buddhists will read about Buddhism from Buddhist sources, and that means some of these readers will read NKT publications. Those who wish to represent the NKT as a "dangerous cult" to non-Buddhists may one day find themselves on the wrong side of history, just a Roman Catholics and Protestants who martyred Anabaptists such as the early Mennonites are now considered to be in the wrong, even by contemporary Catholics and Protestants scholars. That does not mean that Tibetan Buddhists can't obey the ban of the Dalai Lama for their personal faith and practice, of course, or give their reasons compassionately why others might want to follow the advice of the Dalai Lama.I would not have commented so much on the controversy between the Dalai Lama and Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, except that I have run into so much criticism against the NKT, including the attempt to sway me away from reading Modern Buddhism by Buddhist who follow and practice the Nyingma Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism (although these Buddhists were always friendly in their attempt to sway my opinion). A few others were not so friendly, but those few probably thought they were doing me a big favor, so I have nothing against them.For those who are not disciples of the Dalai Lama, I recommend Modern Buddhism to Buddhists and non-Buddhist who desire to read a good overview of one tradional version of the Gelugpa Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism (Mahayana/Vajrayana - forvive me if the word is misspelled).

This book is really a great introduction to Buddhism, and it's written in a way that us westermers can understand. I found out about it while taking a meditation class at my local community college. After years of feeling interested in Buddhism but never really "getting it," I finally feel like this book has helped me understand so much more than ever before. It helped me have a better understanding of attachment, karma, and it has a fascinating section on reincarnation. It is definitely worth reading...I got a lot of good out of it.

I was looking for a book on a basic first approach to Buddishm, and gave this one a try. However, this book mixes Buddhism with several religious elements from the Tibet that I find hard to believe and relate to. It emphasizes faith and not true inner discovery. It's not the practical simple approach I was looking for. The religious part was so heavy that I could not finish reading it.

The book is great as it sets out the underlying principles that relates to Buddhism in the modern age and it relates particularly well on how to apply the idea to the western world. Highly recommended

Very motivational and inspiring.

Excelente libro sobre budismo. Muy útil para aplicar a la vida diaria aunque no seas budista. Son enseñanzas atemporales, tienen miles de años pero sirven para estos tiempos que vivimos....como si las hubieran creado en éste siglo.

Finally a Buddhist text that openly talks about the basic teachings of the ancient Mahayana and Vajrayana tradition to everybody, in an easy and direct fashion.An excellent reference and practical guide for people that want to initiate the Tibetan Buddhist practice and a basic lecture for people that want to progress further in the Tantric practice.I recommend it to every practitioner that wants to progress in his spiritual practice.

Very well presented guide on practicing Buddhism. Easy to understand and to follow. Definitely one of my favourite books on the subject.