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flower blooming on a beautiful tree that is

wholeheartedly committed to true inquiry and

practice. Lama Surya Das uses the appropriate

language that can communicate the wisdom

and experience of Buddhism to the people

of his times and environments. To me this

is a great achievement and I feel deeply grateful

for it. I wish Lama Surya Das a great deal

of happiness in living and sharing the

Buddha Dharma in the West.”

—THICH NHAT HANH

PLUM VILLAGE, APRIL, 1997

Dedicated to

my parents,

Joyce and

Harold Miller

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

PREFACE

PART ONE

Discovering Ancient Wisdom in a Modern World

WE ARE ALL BUDDHAS

A TIBETAN PROPHECY

DECONSTRUCTING THE HOUSE THAT EGO BUILT

PART TWO

Walking the Eight-Fold Path to Enlightenment—The Heroic Journey

THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS

WISDOM TRAINING:

Seeing Things As They Are

STEP ONE: RIGHT VIEW

The Wisdom of Clear Vision

STEP TWO: RIGHT INTENTIONS

Plumbing Your Wise Buddha-Nature

ETHICS TRAINING:

Living a Sacred Life

STEP THREE: RIGHT SPEECH

Speaking the Truth

STEP FOUR: RIGHT ACTION

The Art of Living

STEP FIVE: RIGHT LIVELIHOOD

Work Is Love Made Visible

MEDITATION TRAINING:

Awareness, Attention, and Focus

STEP SIX: RIGHT EFFORT

A Passion for Enlightenment

STEP SEVEN: RIGHT MINDFULNESS

Keeping Your Eyes Open

STEP EIGHT: RIGHT CONCENTRATION

The Joy of Meditation

EPILOGUE:

Toward a Western Buddhism and Contemporary Dharma

RECOMMENDED READING

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I wish to gratefully acknowledge the inspiration and guidance of my gracious late Buddhist teachers Kalu Rinpoche, Gyalwa Karmapa, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Dudjom Rinpoche, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche; my living mentors, the Dalai Lama, Nyoshul Khenpo Rinpoche, and Tulku Pema Wangyal; and all the many others who so lovingly shared their wisdom.

Also, many thanks to my spiritual friends, colleagues, and companions along the Way; and to the people who helped hands-on with this book—Dan Goleman, Anandi Friend, Paul Crafts, John Miller, Suil, Roger Walsh, Sylvia Boorstein, Julia Coopersmith, Bob Hildebrand, Lewis Richmond, Josh Baran, Mitch Kapor, Sharon Salzberg, Jack Kornfield, Stephen Batchelor, Kate Wheeler, Amy Elizabeth Fox, Gary Cohen, Mirabai Bush, Lucy Duggan, David Berman, Martha Ley, Florence Tambone, John Bush, Rebecca Holland, Michele Tempesta, and my publisher at Broadway Books, Bill Shinker, as well as my editor Janet Goldstein, and literary agents Eileen Cope and Barbara Lowenstein.

May joy, blessings, and peace be theirs.

PREFACE

Many people have asked me in recent years to explain Buddhism from the ground up, and to speak about what timeless Tibetan wisdom has to contribute to us today. People want to know about the spiritual path and practical steps to enlightenment from an American perspective as well as how to meditate and find peace of mind.

Today there is a genuine need for an essential, Western Buddhism: pragmatic, effective, and experiential, rather than theoretical or doctrinal. We are drawn to spirituality that is simple, direct, and demystified—a sane, nonsectarian, integrated path to wisdom, personal transformation, and enlightenment for modern men and women actively engaged with life.

This book is one response.

In the Himalayas, I found a veritable treasury of living, vibrant Dharma, a gold mine of truth and delight. The lessons of enlightenment offer profound insights and a liberating, life-enhancing, healing message: good for the home, family, the inner life, relationships, workplace, for conscious death and dying, and even the afterlife.

Buddhism originally reached the Western world mainly through books and translations, starting approximately two hundred years ago. May this book further open a gateway to the timeless treasure that is our deep spiritual inheritance. May it be helpful. May it advance virtue and be a source of hope, strength, and blessings in our turbulent times.

Homage to the natural Buddha within you.

May all realize it.

SURYA DAS

Cambridge, Massachusetts,