What is the Dharma?: The Essential Teachings of the BuddhaTo walk in the footsteps of the Buddha we need a clear and thorough guide to the essential principles of Buddhism. Whether we have just begun our journey or are a practitioner with more experience, What is the Dharma? is an indispensable exploration of the Buddha's teachings as found in the main Buddhist traditions. Constantly returning to the question 'How can this help me?' Sangharakshita examines a variety of fundamental principles, including: karma and re-birth, nirvana and shunyata, conditioned co-production, impermanence, unsatisfactoriness and insubstantiality, ethics, meditation, and wisdom. The result is a refreshing, unsettling, and inspiring book that lays before us the essential Dharma, timeless and universal. |
Contents
What is the Dharma? | 5 |
The Essential Truth | 21 |
The Dynamics of Being | 35 |
The Texture of Reality | 53 |
Nirvana | 69 |
The Mystery of the Void | 77 |
The Gravitational Pull and the Point of No Return | 89 |
The Spiral Path | 105 |
The Journey to Enlightenment | 127 |
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Common terms and phrases
arises in dependence awareness become bliss bodhichitta Bodhisattva body Buddha Buddhist tradition called concentration conditionality conditioned existence conditioned things consciousness course craving develop Dhammapada Dharma disciples Eightfold Path emotional emptiness energy ethical experience fact faith feel five precepts five spiritual faculties give goal Going for Refuge gravitational pull happy human impermanence India jnana karma least literally living look Mahayana sutras Majjhima-Nikaya means meditation mental metta mind monk Nanamoli nidanas nirvana one's oneself ourselves painful Pali Canon Perfection of Wisdom perhaps physical practice prajna precepts principle purify raft rapture reality realize rebirth represents samadhi Sangha Sangharakshita Sanskrit scriptures sense Shariputra shunyata simply skilful someone sort speak spiral path spiritual path stage suffering Sutta teacher teaching there's Three Jewels Tibetan tion transcendental transformed translated truth Unconditioned unskilful vijnana virya vision visuddhi Western Buddhist Wheel whole Windhorse word