DURING HIS forty-five years of teaching throughout ancient India in the sixth century B.C.E., the Buddha had numerous discussions about spiritual views, conduct, and practice with those he encountered, be they Brahmins (who composed the religious hierarchy of his day), practitioners from other sects, or his own disciples. These teachings, or sutras, were passed down orally for centuries until the first century B.C.E., when they were written down. In subsequent centuries, Indian scholar-practitioners compiled and systematized the important points of the sutras by writing treatises. As Buddhism spread from India throughout Central, East, and Southeast Asia, the scholar-practitioners in these areas also wrote commentaries in order to clarify and make the principal points of the original sutras and Indian commentaries more accessible to the people of those times. The Indian sage Atisha (982–1054), in his short but profound text Lamp of the Path, organized the teachings into three levels of practice—initial, middle, and advanced—according to the gradual development and expansion of a person’s spiritual motivation.

Later generations of Tibetan sages, in particular Je Tsongkhapa (1357–1419), systematized the teachings further, forming the lamrim—the stages of the path to enlightenment. His classic text, the Lamrim Chenmo (or The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment), constitutes three volumes in English translation. He wrote several other lamrim texts of various lengths as well. The teachings of the lamrim can be compared to ready-made clothes that we can easily wear; that is, the authors of the various lamrim texts systematized and explained the major points of the Buddha’s teachings so that we can learn and practice them in an organized and understandable fashion.

The term “lamrim” can be translated into English in various ways, each emphasizing a slightly different aspect of its meaning. When translated as “stages of the path,” we get the idea of a path with definite stages. The translation “steps on the path” gives us the feeling of movement as we take steps along the path. The translation “gradual path” connotes a steady, step-by-step progression. All of these translations and connotations are appropriate. Nevertheless, in this book, “gradual path” is generally used. Since people in modern society tend to be goal-oriented and want to hurry to finish a project, reminding us that spiritual practice is a gradual path helps us to slow down and mindfully focus on the process of transforming our mind.

These systematic teachings of the gradual path are the subject of this book and the accompanying audio meditations. These materials are suitable for beginners, as well as intermediate and more advanced practitioners. The lamrim presents a step-by-step method to tame the mind, and each person will find meaning and insight according to his or her level of understanding. As you practice these meditations repeatedly, your comprehension and experience of them will transform and deepen even though the words used to spark your meditation sessions remain the same.

Part 1 of this book enables us to learn how to meditate. It discusses how to establish a daily practice, from setting up an altar to doing the two kinds of meditation—stabilizing and analytical. You will learn how to prepare your body and mind for meditation, how to practice mindfulness of breathing, and how to meditate on the gradual path.

Part 2 presents the meditations—meditation on the Buddha and the analytical meditations on the lamrim. The texts of various other recitations you may like to do are also included.

Part 3 presents supplementary material to assist you in meditating on the lamrim. This includes an overview of the gradual path to enlightenment, instructions for working with distractions, antidotes to mental afflictions, advice for newcomers, and suggestions on how to deepen your Dharma practice. An appendix with the outlines of the meditations available for download, a glossary, and a list of suggested readings are provided at the end for your convenience.

The audio meditations will assist you in learning the analytical, or checking, meditations on the topics of the gradual path. These recordings are guided meditations, not teachings. Ideally, they should be used in conjunction with oral teachings on the gradual path from a qualified teacher and supplemented with readings from lamrim books. However, since you may live far from your Buddhist teachers or a Dharma center, my hope is that these guided meditations will enable you to begin and continue a daily meditation practice.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I pay homage to Shakyamuni Buddha, as well as to the spiritual masters of the Nalanda tradition, Lama Atisha, Je Tsongkhapa, and the lineage of spiritual mentors who preserved and transmitted the scriptures and realizations from the Buddha to the present day. In addition, I am forever indebted to my teachers for sharing the precious teachings on the gradual path with me: H.H. the Dalai Lama, Tsenzhap Serkong Rinpoche, Lama Thubten Yeshe, Zopa Rinpoche, Geshe Ngawang Dhargye, Geshe Sonam Rinchen, Khenzur Jampa Tegchok Rinpoche, Geshe Lhundrup Sopa, and many other masters who learned, practiced, actualized, and taught the meditations on the stages of the path to enlightenment.

Several people kindly assisted in the production of this audio and book. I led these guided meditations while Peter Aronson did the audio recording in 2001. Peter then edited the recording, while Kim Shetter, with assistance from Barbara McDaniel, coordinated this project. Ang Hwee Leng, Peter Aronson, and Steven Vannoy did the “proof-hearing.” Lama Thubten Yeshe and Zopa Rinpoche composed the meditation on the Buddha. The chanting is the Praises of Tara, performed by the Tibetan Buddhist nuns of Khachoe Ghakyil Nunnery in Nepal. We appreciate receiving their permission to use it. I would also like to thank Ven. Tenzin Chogkyi who edited the manuscript of the book. All of us hope that you will find this combination of a book and audio helpful in your spiritual journey. Since some people learn better by hearing and others by reading, everyone should be able to benefit.

To learn more about Buddhism, read Dharma articles, and listen to Dharma talks online, visit www.thubtenchodron.org.

PLEASE NOTE

People who are familiar with the gradual path teachings will notice that points of the traditional lamrim outline have been altered in a few places. For example, because most Westerners were not raised Buddhist, a section with meditations that introduce the Buddhist view is included at the beginning. This will assist people who are new to Buddhism to gain some familiarity with the Buddhist concepts of mind, heart, rebirth, cyclic existence, and liberation, as well as to see how mind, thoughts, and emotions create our experience.

In the meditation on the precious human life, points mentioning the unfortunate realms have been omitted, and the points of the freedoms and fortunes have been combined. This was done to ease new practitioners into these topics. The topic of the unfortunate realms is included in the meditation on compassion as an easier way for new practitioners to understand this concept. An extensive outline for the meditation on the precious human life is included as Appendix 2 so that those who wish can do the full meditation on this topic.

The meditation on relying on a spiritual mentor is presented at the end of the gradual path, rather than the beginning, because if you are new to Buddhism, you will see the importance of cultivating a good relationship with a qualified teacher after you have an understanding of the gradual path as a whole. This follows the way in which H.H. the Dalai Lama presents the Dharma. He teaches the Buddhist worldview first, followed by the meditations to transform the mind. As a result of understanding these, people will naturally appreciate, respect, and wish to rely on a spiritual mentor in a healthy and beneficial way.

Concerning terminology, the Sanskrit term klesha (Pali: kilesa; Tibetan: nyon mongs) can be translated in various ways into English: mental afflictions, disturbing attitudes, and negative emotions, delusions, afflictive emotions, disturbing emotions, and so forth. In this book and the accompanying audio, many of these terms have been used interchangeably, depending on the context and the emphasis. They all refer to the collection of mental factors that disturb the mind and are the chief impediments to liberation from cyclic existence. Some of these, such as distorted views and ignorance, tend to be attitudes; others, such as anger and attachment, are more emotional in nature. All misconceive either the conventional situation or its ultimate mode of existence, thereby obscuring and disturbing the mind and motivating actions (karma) that disturb our lives and the lives of others.

Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron

Sravasti Abbey, Newport, WA, USA

Vesak Day, May 31, 2007