The Dhammapada for Awakening

Book excerpt: With a refreshing and timely perspective to ancient wisdom, Abbot George's unique background shows seekers of inner peace how they can effectively lead a spiritual life in the modern world. The Dhammapada for Awakening explores the Buddha's answers to the urgent questions, such as "How can I find find lasting peace, happiness and fulfillment that seems so elusive?" and "What can I do to avoid many of the miseries big and small that afflict all of us?". Drawing on the proven wisdom of different ancient traditions, and the contemporary masters of spiritual life, as well as his own studies and first-hand knowledge of the mystical traditions of East and West, Swami Nirmalananda illumines the practical wisdom of Buddha in the Dhammapada – and more importantly, and make that makes that teaching relevant to present day spiritual seekers. The Dhammapada is the first collection of Gautama Buddha's practical teachings for those seeking Nirvana, compiled only three months after his passing away by his enlightened disciples, who named it Dhammapada: The Way of Dharma. It is a distillation of forty-five years of the Buddha's teaching. Swami Nirmalananda says of the Dhammapada, "Over and over in the teachings of Buddha we find that he is giving us only that which can be applied in our daily lives in order to fit ourselves for freedom from all that binds us." In The Dhammapada for Awakening you will learn: • An esoteric understanding of the mind and how to deal with it. • How we create our destinies by our thoughts and actions, and how we can use that knowledge to shape a better present and future for ourselves. • What are the obstacles to reaching our full potential, and how we can avoid those obstacles. Whether a person is Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, simply spiritual, or merely discontent with the status quo of their lives, the universal spiritual principles in The Dhammapada for Awakening will prove helpful in empowering seekers to tread the path to Freedom, that they may become finders.