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Essence of Buddhism
- An Introduction to Its Philosophy and Practice
- Narrated by: Paul Ansdell
- Length: 7 hrs and 28 mins
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Publisher's summary
This lucid overview of the Buddhist path takes the perspective of the three "vehicles" of Tibetan Buddhism: the Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana. While these vehicles are usually presented as a historical development, they are here equated with the attitudes that individuals bring to their Buddhist practice. Basic to them all, however, is the need to understand our own immediate condition. The primary tool for achieving this is meditation, and The Essence of Buddhism serves as a handbook for the various meditative approaches of Buddhist practice.
Beginning with the Four Noble Truths, Traleg Rinpoche incorporates the expansive vision of the bodhisattva path and the transformative vision of Tantra. The final chapters present the transcendent view of Mahamudra. This view dispenses with all dualistic fixations and directly realizes the natural freedom of the mind itself. Along the way, the author provides vivid definitions of fundamental concepts such as compassion, emptiness, and Buddha-nature, and answers common questions: Why does Buddhism teach that there is "no self"? Are Buddhist teachings pessimistic? Does Buddhism encourage social passivity? What is the role of sex in Buddhist Tantra? Why is it said that "samsara is nirvana"? Does it take countless lifetimes to attain enlightenment, or can it be achieved in a moment?
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Do you feel at home right now? Or do you sense a hovering anxiety or uncertainty, an underlying unease that makes you feel just a bit uncomfortable, a bit distracted and disconnected from those around you? In The Road Home, Ethan Nichtern, a senior teacher in the Shambhala Buddhist tradition, investigates the journey each of us takes to find where we belong.
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How can you pass this up?
- By Amy Minutillo on 04-08-16
By: Ethan Nichtern
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Boundless Awareness
- A Loving Path to Spiritual Awakening and Freedom from Suffering
- By: Michael A. Rodriguez, Joan Tollifson
- Narrated by: Leslie Howard
- Length: 7 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Written in clear, accessible language, this book seeks to free listeners from their suffering by drawing attention to the direct experience of self as abiding, loving, boundless awareness. Using practical exercises and meditations, the author guides listeners through a process of spiritual awakening, deconstructing self-delusions and integrating a new concept of existence that is free from the suffering of individual selfhood, but which acknowledges the attachments, traumatic experiences, and emotional pain of being human.
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Good content but OY, the narration!
- By "lparks0111" on 12-16-20
By: Michael A. Rodriguez, and others
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Meditation and Mantras
- By: Swami Vishnu-Devananda
- Narrated by: Vikas Adam, Shuchi Gokhale
- Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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The modern lifestyle with its excesses and worldly desires, the constant need to be connected, and the rapid development in technology, has made stress and lifestyle-related diseases the norm. The need for meditation, thus, is more acute. Meditation calms the mind, brings focus and enhances the senses, resulting in a better quality of life and work. And with the right Mantras, meditation becomes a highly effective tool in unleashing the immense potential within oneself.
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essential for all aspirants on the path
- By Behudet Maat on 05-11-16
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The Heart of Compassion
- The Thirty-Seven Verses on the Practice of a Bodhisattva
- By: Dilgo Khyentse, Padmakara Translation Group
- Narrated by: John Telfer
- Length: 8 hrs
- Unabridged
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What would be the practical implications of caring more about others than about yourself? This is the radical theme of this extraordinary set of instructions, a training manual composed in the fourteenth century by the Buddhist hermit Ngulchu Thogme, here explained in detail by one of the great Tibetan Buddhist masters of the twentieth century, Dilgo Khyentse. In the Mahayana tradition, those who have the courage to undertake the profound change of attitude required to develop true compassion are called bodhisattvas.
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A commentary to be read and contemplated upon over and over
- By Rachel on 08-05-20
By: Dilgo Khyentse, and others
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The Monk and the Philosopher
- A Father and Son Discuss the Meaning of Life
- By: Jean-Francois Revel
- Narrated by: David Shaw-Parker
- Length: 14 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Twenty-seven years ago, Matthieu Ricard gave up a promising career as a scientist to study Tibetan Buddhism - not as a detached observer but by immersing himself in its practice under the guidance of its greatest living masters. Years later, this project was born, and Richard met with his father, Jean-Francois Revel - a French philosopher who became world famous for his challenges to both Communism and Christianity. At an inn, these two profoundly thoughtful men explored questions that have occupied humankind throughout its history.
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The dialogues themselves proved tranquility is attainable.
- By Mingster on 05-16-19
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Buddha is as Buddha Does
- The 10 Original Practices for Enlightened Living
- By: Lama Surya Das
- Length: 5 hrs and 8 mins
- Original Recording
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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 best-sellers including Awakening the Buddha Within, American-born Tibetan Buddhist teacher Lama Surya Das has made the helpful, healing insights of the Buddha accessible to millions.
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Puts the heart into mindfulness meditation
- By Steven on 01-18-18
By: Lama Surya Das
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Feeling Wisdom
- Working with Emotions Using Buddhist Teachings and Western Psychology
- By: Robert Preece
- Narrated by: Paul Ansdell
- Length: 4 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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The realm of emotion is one of those areas where Buddhism and Western psychology are often thought to be at odds: Are emotions to be valued, examined, worked with as signs leading us to deeper self-knowledge? Or are they something to be ignored and avoided as soon as we recognize them?
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Very helpfull
- By Ann Hjälmås on 10-03-19
By: Robert Preece
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The Gradual Path
- By: Miles Neale PsyD
- Narrated by: Miles Neale
- Length: 7 hrs and 52 mins
- Original Recording
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Dr. Neale presents a seven-session audio course to immerse you in the teachings and practices of the Lam Rim - Tibetan Buddhism’s time-tested path for psychological maturity and awakening. Created as an audio companion to Dr. Neale’s book Gradual Awakening, this course brings you a guided experience in the traditional Lam Rim journey, updated with insights from science and psychotherapy to root each step in our modern experience.
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Wonderfully Inspiring Teacher
- By Mr. Mindfulness on 03-27-19
By: Miles Neale PsyD
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No-Nonsense Buddhism for Beginners
- Clear Answers to Burning Questions About Core Buddhist Teachings
- By: Noah Rasheta
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 2 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Presented in a practical Q&A format, No-Nonsense Buddhism for Beginners is the most clear-cut introductory guide to understanding the essential concepts of Buddhism and how they relate to your daily life. How is an awakening different from enlightenment? Can agnostics and atheists be Buddhist? In No-Nonsense Buddhism for Beginners, renowned Buddhism teacher and host of the popular Secular Buddhism podcast, Noah Rasheta, delivers an easily accessible introduction to the teachings of Buddhism that answers these common questions and many more.
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Perfect for someone curious in Buddism
- By Wolf_CPT on 09-01-19
By: Noah Rasheta
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The Jewel Tree of Tibet
- The Enlightenment of Tibetan Buddhism
- By: Robert Thurman
- Narrated by: Robert Thurman
- Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Tibetans call their cherished tradition of Buddhism a "wish-fulfilling jewel tree" for its power to generate bliss and enlightenment within all who absorb its teachings. This path to enlightenment, it is taught, requires more than a sitting meditation practice alone. With The Jewel Tree of Tibet, honored scholar and teacher Robert Thurman brings these insights to you as they were meant to be transmitted, through the spoken word.
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Takes A Couple Listens... But Worthwhile
- By Lotus54 on 03-21-11
By: Robert Thurman
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Unlocking the Mysteries of Birth and Death and Everything in Between
- By: Daisaku Ikeda
- Narrated by: Michael Bove
- Length: 5 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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This introduction to Nichiren Buddhism explores the philosophical intricacies of life and reveals the wonder inherent in the phases of birth, aging, and death. Core concepts of Nichiren Buddhism, such as the 10 worlds and the nine consciousnesses, illustrate the profundity of human existence. This book provides Buddhists with the tools they need to fully appreciate the connectedness of all beings and to revolutionize their spiritual lives based on this insight.
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Unlock Your Buddha Nature
- By Jonathan W. on 07-29-21
By: Daisaku Ikeda
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Thoughts Without a Thinker
- Psychotherapy from a Buddhist Perspective
- By: Mark Epstein M.D., His Holiness the Dalai Lama - foreword
- Narrated by: Mark Epstein M.D.
- Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Upon its first publication, this path breaking book launched an explosion of interest in how Eastern spirituality can enhance Western psychology. Since then, the worlds of Buddhism and psychotherapy have been forged into a revolutionary new understanding of what constitutes a healthy emotional life. In his insightful introduction, Mark Epstein reflects on this revolution and considers how it is likely to evolve in the future.
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Content limited by presentation
- By Kindle Customer on 02-28-15
By: Mark Epstein M.D., and others
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Dreams of Light
- The Profound Daytime Practice of Lucid Dreaming
- By: Andrew Holecek
- Narrated by: Arthur Rowan
- Length: 9 hrs
- Unabridged
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With Dream Yoga, Andrew Holecek guided us into Tibetan Buddhism’s nocturnal path to lucid dreaming. Here, he offers in-depth instruction in the tradition’s daytime practices. “Waking experience is also a type of dream”, teaches Holecek, “and things are not as solid and real as we think. This insight is what transforms a non-lucid life into a lucid one.” For those drawn to Tibet’s profound teachings for awakening to the true nature of reality - in the day or night - this guide shows us the way.
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Highly enjoyable, but how useful is it actually to spiritual practice?
- By Sunyata on 11-11-21
By: Andrew Holecek
What listeners say about Essence of Buddhism
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- JK
- 02-20-23
MUST READ
This is a very interesting book. A lot of information to think about and absorb.
I bought the physical book to follow the narration.
For me some aspects were difficult to grasp and the book is a great help to easily go back over the information.
This definitely is a book to listen to and read again on my path to studying Buddhism.
The author and narrator are both excellent.
My thanks to all involved, JK.
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- John S
- 02-01-15
This is the best book on Buddhism I have read
What made the experience of listening to Essence of Buddhism the most enjoyable?
The reader is totally consumed by the precise details of the authors description for those discovering Buddhism it is very informative
What did you like best about this story?
Everything
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
It was so informative and enjoyable to listen to
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2 people found this helpful
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- Kazie
- 07-17-22
Very worthwhile
This amazing teacher is definitely worth listening to or reading. His book “mind at ease“ is one of the best books and Buddhism I have ever read. This book can sometimes be a little tedious or hidden, if you’ve been practicing for a while, you will find it worthwhile if you stick with it until the end! Blessings and good luck!
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- girlie4zuz
- 03-26-17
Great author!
This is the second book that I've gotten by this author. Compared to other books, by other people, he has been the most comprehensive. Subjects that I have learned about from other authors have been explained again, leaving me with a deeper understanding of the topic that I did before. I hope to find more by him.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Ricardo
- 07-16-16
Excellent.
Excellent introduction to Buddhism by a Tibetan guru. It covers and ties in the key aspects and teachings from the three main vehicles, Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vahjrayana traditions, and brings in elements from some unique and enlightening schools (i.e., Mahamudra).
Portions of the instruction may be difficult to understand for some beginners, but don't worry. Buddhism is so rich that this happens to all of us no matter at what level we consider ourselves to be at. Making notes of those sections that may be unknown helps to later do more research on.
The audio book is also great because it places the different teachings within their own context, and it stays on each subject just about the right amount of time so that it moves forward building on what was previously discussed.
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1 person found this helpful
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- david
- 03-22-15
Good introduction to buddism
Interesting listening, good explanation of the subject, detailed but not too complicated, worth hearing again. Well written and narration was excellent.
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1 person found this helpful
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- justsomeguy 0_o
- 03-09-20
Best intro to Buddhism
This author is truly amazing in his clarity and gives a very lucid perspective on a huge topic like Buddhism. Narrator is excellent
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- Justin Scott
- 04-03-15
A return to the classroom.
This book reminded me of boring college lecturers. It covered a ton of material, but it was difficult for me to get through. It did cover some areas I was interested in.
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