The Dalai Lama’s The Complete Foundation is one of the most inspirational and transformational books on Tibetan Buddhism that you’ll read. If you are getting serious about practicing Buddhism, this book will help you progress along your spiritual path.
The Complete Foundation is clear, concise, but by no means an easy read. It covers the foundational practices that are required for tantra and other spiritual development. This book assumes a basic level of familiarity with Mahayana Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism.
Summary
The Complete Foundation covers the basic practices behind the system of Lamrim Meditation based on Atisha’s Lamp for the Path of Enlightenment and Tsongkhapa’s Lamrim Chenmo. It begins with an introduction to the practice and what it is. From here, we get into the requisite preliminary practices and theory.
The second major section focuses on Lamrim Meditation with primary exercises, exercises for less experienced practitioners, and progresses to more advanced practices. Our primary work ends with some notes on tantra and features several appendixes, a glossary, notes, index, etc. There is also a section which is a full set of notes about each part of the book which is useful for reference.
Lamrim Meditation
Lamrim Meditation is effectively a condensed version of Shakyamuni Buddha’s practices and teachings all condensed down to one session. The meditations guide one through the various philosophical revelations of Buddhism and progresses through both the Hinayana and Mahayana paths of Buddhism.
Lamrim Meditation can be thought of a cheat-sheet to practicing all the Buddhism has to offer at once in a condensed form. As such, there is a lot which needs to be understood before undertaking this practice. The preliminary practices themselves are included, but this book is written to not have to explain every idea in Tibetan Buddhism. I’d recommend reading something else first to get context.
An Introduction to Tantra
When most people think of tantra in the west, they think of weird spiritual sex. Tantra is a lot more than that though. I won’t even begin to get in it with this review because it’s a massive undertaking to explain.
The Lamrim Meditations are arguably a prerequisite to the practice of tantra (along with a teacher). The last chapter (or rather page) of The Complete Foundation basically says that if you’ve learned Lamrim Meditation you should move on to tantra. As such, this book serves as the basis of Tibetan tantric practice.
Why It’s Great
This book is a complete system to learn Lamrim Meditation and it manages to do so clearly and concisely. Every concept is expanded on and grown organically and in a way which makes sense. Though you do need a degree of familiarity with Tibetan Buddhism, this book can arguably be the first big step into practicing. It is made to be a self-contained course on the preliminary practices and the basics of Lamrim.
It weighs in at just over 200 pages, but it takes quite a while to really work through this book and thoroughly apply what you’re reading. Each chapter further pushes and expands the previous chapters, so you need to read carefully. You also need to practice. If you just want to read about Tibetan Buddhism, this isn’t the book for you.
The appendix includes a set of notes for the entire book as well. These notes are kind of sparse, but can serve as refresher. You won’t figure much out just looking at the notes, but it helps keep track of the practice and what you should be doing. It’s definitely a value add, but you have to put in the work to make it add value.
Who It’s For
If you’re serious about learning to practice Tibetan Buddhism, this book is what you want. This book is suitable for people new to Tibetan Buddhism as well as more advanced practitioners. Even if you’ve learned about Lamrim Meditation before, this book will offer a different insight than many other works.
If you’re just curious about Tibetan Buddhism, this book may be a bit heavy and you may want to try something like Inside Tibetan Buddhism: Rituals and Symbols Revealed instead. This book is intended for someone who really wants to practice. It ideally shouldn’t be your first foray into meditation or Tibetan Buddhism, but it doesn’t require an expert to get started.
Conclusion
This is a great book on Tibetan Buddhism which really delves deep into more advanced meditations. It’s accessible, understandable, clear, and concise. You’ll be left asking more questions than it answers, but not due to omissions or issues. This work makes you think deeper about what Buddhism means for your life and for your spiritual path.
If you’re in any way serious about Tibetan Buddhism, this book is great for you. If you plan to practice tantra, this is the introduction to that path. As promised, this is a systematic approach to training the mind to reach new heights in your spiritual practice.
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