Words of My Perfect Teacher: A Complete Translation of a Classic Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism

For the first time I felt while reviewing a book that 5☆ are not sufficient. The book is actually a philosophy cum instruction book for the practitioners of spirituality of any method, tradition, religion. Even though its written as a Buddhist handbook but everyone can get directions from it. Such is the beauty and profoundness of the instructions here. It tells us what to do and what not to do. It makes us aware of all the pitfalls on the spiritual pathway beforehand so that we can avoid them.The whole book is divided into 3 sections.1st one is titled 'Ordinary or External preliminaries'. Here we learn about: The difficulty of finding the freedoms and advantages; The impermanence of life; The defects of samsara; Actions: the principles of cause and effect; The benefits of liberation; and How to follow a spiritual friend(Guru)2nd section is titled 'The extraordinary or internal preliminaries'. Here we learn: Taking refuge: the foundation stone of all paths; Arousing Bodhichitta, the root of the Great Vehicle; Meditating and reciting on the teacher as Vajrasattva to cleanse all abscurations; Offering the mandala to accumulate merit and wisdom; The kusäli's accumulation: destroying the four demons at a single stroke; Guru yoga, entrance way for blessings, the ultimate method of arousing the wisdom of realisation.And finally in 3rd section we study transference of consciousness, the instructions for the dying: Buddhahood without meditation.What surprised me was the fact that how much resemblance is between Buddhism and Hinduism. We have known Buddhism to be a counter Hinduistic religion but at no point I felt as if I am reading about some other religious beliefs. Everything was so familiar, be it importance and praises for Guru or effect of good-bad karma or acceptance of rebirths and cycle of samsara, importance of devotion and so on. As a Hindu I actually ended up getting the basics of my own religion clarified in a very scientific manner.

It’s the best book, great learning for beginners

Must buy , for brothers n sisters, who r interested in inner science of human body. Thanks Amazon

Guide for perfect living

The ideal book for Ngondro practice.....it's so precise and full of wisdom....I highly recommend it as it systemises the practice. For someone as new as me who is prone to making mistakes, this will at least minimize that a lot....

Third time I m buying this book.the earlier two I gifted to someone. Really a life changing book.

Good book

Feels like I am reading a huge fanatic advertisement of the author's take on 'Dharma'. It is one of those books which could have very well be written in 100 pages but actually takes up more than 500 pages due to alot of unrequired circulation around alot of topic which also makes it a monotnous read. If you are looking to LEARN about Buddhist/Tibetan teachings, this book won't do the job. If you are looking for a fanatic crusade-like painstakingly long explanation on why you will rot in 'Naraka' for multiple 'Kalpas' if you don't blindly follow 'Dharma and your guru' , this book is for you.

I love this book. It’s the best. It’s not basic. If your looking for basic or beginner practice books, this isn’t it. If you have devoted your life to practice, and have a teacher/had empowerment and are looking for advanced knowledge this is a must for your library.

I picked up this book after having finished reading The Practice of Lojong by Traleg Kyabgon. That book, which I highly recommend, referenced this one quite often as almost an inspiration for it and so I felt I needed to read it. I am glad I did.Words of My Perfect Teacher is a book of guidance from one's beginning to one's end. The underlying message is that when one undertakes the path of Buddhism, a Teacher is your most valuable asset and it is most important to have the right teacher. This book outlines many facets of Buddhism and how to identify if someone you have put in that role is truly faithful to Buddhism or not.In my near 40 years of an on again / off again relationship with Buddhism that has become more on in the last few years I have never found a teacher other than books on or about the subject matter of Buddhist thought and spirituality. The aforementioned The Practice of Lojong is perhaps the best book I have read on proceeding down the road of Buddhism. This book is a deeper dive in to where that book originated from, in my opinion. The Dhammapada, The Way of the Bodhisattva and the Tao Te Ching comprise a core of Buddhism for me and I can say this book has helped me deepen my understanding of these works so I will now list it as works I will continually review and keep with me.Five plus stars all the way.

The content of the book is excellent, beyond discussion. My low rating is due to the poor printed version. I was expecting a better print of the text and figures, and a better quality of the paper. Looks like it was printed in a cheap printer with the ink running out.

Friendly "warning" :) If you are just curious or starting to learn about Buddhism, this book is probably not for you.

Book arrived on time and in perfect condition