Reviews

Awakening the Buddha Within: Eight Steps to Enlightenment by Lama Surya Das

kfreedman's review

5.0

Really good overview of Buddhism for a Westerner like me. Inspiring in some places, informational in others. Makes me want to study more and especially begin a meditation practice again - I've been including way more short minsfulness meditations in my days recently already but no sitting / concentration practice.

dmahanty's review

4.0

A great introduction to Buddhism... overall philosophy and specific meditations.

naamon's review

2.0

Good advice, but his writing style is not for me. His fondness for adjectives and his penchant for dropping in Buddhist terms in a passage with little to no explanation makes for an intro to Buddhism that is more new agey and fanatical than level-headed. While reading this book, I decided to look up more about the author, and apparently he has some sexual abuse allegations. This discovery disturbed me so much that I couldn’t really finish the book. I guess he didn’t follow his own words from pages 204 and 212.

mesy's review

3.0

I liked the book. Getting in touch with the eight noble paths to enlightenment is one way to become an enlightened being oneself. It was a book that one must read slowly and carefully to get the full impact o the text.

evolvemind's review

4.0

An accessible introduction to Tibetan Buddhist thought.

infinitebynature's review

5.0

I read this very slowly and found it absolutely packed with valuable information and meditations.

I love Lama Surya Das' writing style, highly recommend for anyone wanting to deepen their understanding of Buddhism, particularly Dzogchen Buddhism.

dfolivieri's review

3.0

I'd hoped that I would have found enlightenment by the end of the book. Alas, not so. Still, it has some good insights into how to live with a mind that's always crawling up the walls and dashing in the wrong direction when you wish it wouldn't.

brocc's review against another edition

5.0

Another reread~

surfinnsb's review

5.0

One of the most important books I've read. My copy recently found its way back to me; it's a gift to have it back on my bookshelf.