From the main practice manual studied by the lay yogi-practitioner lineages of Tibet; now in English for the first time; this volume presents the foundational stages of the Buddhist path according to the Nyingma; or Ancient; tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. In 1838; Choying Tobden Dorje; a Buddhist yogi-scholar of eastern Tibet; completed a multivolume masterwork that traces the entire path of the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism from beginning to end. Written by a lay practitioner for laypeople; it was intended to be accessible; informative; inspirational; and above all; practical. Its twenty-five books; or topical divisions; offer a comprehensive and detailed view of the Buddhist path according to the early translation school of Tibetan Buddhism; spanning the vast range of Buddhist teachings from the initial steps to the highest esoteric teachings of great perfection. Choying Tobden Dorje’s magnum opus appears in English here for the first time. In Foundations of the Buddhist Path; which covers the first ten of the treatise’s twenty-five books; the author surveys the scope of the entire work and then begins with the topics that set the cornerstones for all subsequent Buddhist practice: what constitutes proper spiritual apprenticeship; how to receive the teachings; how to make the best use of this life; and how to motivate ourselves to generate effort on the spiritual path. He then describes refuge and the vows that define the path of individual liberation before turning to the bodhisattva’s way—buddha nature; how to uplift the mind to supreme awakening; the bodhisattva’s training; and the attainments of the paths leading to supreme awakening.
#1640856 in Books Univ of Massachusetts Pr 2001-10-25Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.64 x .64 x 5.68l; .0 #File Name: 1558493344224 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Sacrificed for politicsBy Rose KeefeWhen Joshua Spooner; a 'gentleman farmer' of Brookfield; Massachusetts; was beaten to death and his body stuffed down a well in March 1778; newspapers called his murder "the most extraordinary crime ever perpetrated in New England." Four people stood trial for the killing- two British soldiers; a 17 year old Continental soldier; and the victim's wife; Bathsheba. They were found guilty and hanged before 5000 spectators the following July. Mrs. Spooner had attempted to secure a temporary reprieve by 'pleading her belly'; but reports from two 'matron juries' sent to confirm her pregnancy were conflicting; and the Massachusetts Council rejected her petition. During the post-execution autopsy; she was found to be five months pregnant.Thirty-two year old Bathsheba Spooner was a figure of revulsion in the community after her participation in her husband's murder became known. Deborah Navas acknowledges Mrs. Spooner's guilt and condemns the crime as selfish and abhorrent. She had concieved a child with the young Continental soldier who was fated to become her co-defendant; and fearing the punishment meted out to adulteresses in eighteenth century America; persuaded her teenaged lover and two British deserters from General Burgoyne's defeated army to kill the spouse she despised. On the surface it appears that she instigated Joshua Spooner's death to prevent him from accusing her of adultery and subjecting her to public consequences; but Navas presents the intriguing possibility that Bathsheba wanted to be caught and executed by the state. She confessed to the crime without hesitation; and when led to the gallows; she seemed unnaturally calm and happy. The inference is that Bathsheba; whose behaviour could be erratic; may have committed the eighteenth century version of 'police suicide' by bungling a capital crime so thoroughly that the death she sought was guaranteed.Bathsheba Spooner's only real unselfish act was to request a stay of execution so that she could deliver her baby. But she was stonewalled by a politically hostile judiciary that despised her as the daughter of Brigadier General Timothy Ruggles; state's most prominent and hated Loyalist. The deputy secretary of the Council that considered her petition also happened to be the stepbrother of the murdered Joshua Spooner. Because justice was not blind; the whole affair claimed two victims instead of one.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Murder in our ancestry??!! WowBy molly123This is astonishing family history of which my generation never knew. Amazing reflection of the time and its law. Researching our ancestry has revealed a very tragic event!0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Murder by the WifeBy V.R. RANNIGANThe book is what I expected. Very well done.Would recommend it to my friends who live in or around Brookfield.
