Steps on the Path to Enlightenment, Vol. 4

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“In this fourth volume of the commentary Steps on the Path to Enlightenment, Geshe Sopa draws from his extraordinary erudition and meditative experience to further elucidate this indispensable aspect of Buddhist meditation, which is all too often overlooked or marginalized in contemporary Buddhist practice. This should be carefully studied and practiced by all those who wish to proceed along the Buddhist path to enlightenment.”—B. Alan Wallace, author of Stilling the Mind

STEPS ON THE PATH TO ENLIGHTENMENT, VOL. 4

A Commentary on Tsongkhapa's Lamrim Chenmo, Vol. 4: Śamatha

Geshe Lhundub Sopa James Blumenthal

Geshe Sopa continues his elucidation of Lama Tsongkhapa’s masterwork on the Buddhist path with an explanation of the core meditative practice of śamatha, or calm abiding.

Showing how it is absolutely essential for—and goes hand in hand with—the achievement of insight into reality, he gives practical tips for countering sleepiness, agitation, and their more subtle counterparts. Leading us step by step toward deeper levels of concentration, volume 4 of the Steps on the Path to Enlightenment series brings readers closer to the ultimate goal of śamatha: unlimited and effortless focus.

book information
  • Hardcover
  • 224 pages, 6.50 x 9.25 inches
  • $29.95
  • ISBN 9781614292876
  • ebook
  • 224 pages
  • $17.99
  • ISBN 9781614293118
about the author
Steps on the Path to Enlightenment, Vol. 4

Born in the Tsang region of Tibet in 1923, Geshe Lhundub Sopa was both a spiritual master and a respected academic. He rose from a humble background to complete his geshe studies at Sera Je Monastic University in Lhasa with highest honors and was privileged to serve as a debate opponent for the Dalai Lama’s own geshe examination in 1959. He moved to New Jersey in the United States in 1963 and in 1967 began teaching in the Buddhist Studies Program at University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he was professor emeritus. In 1975, he founded the Deer Park Buddhist Center in Oregon, Wisconsin, site of the Dalai Lama’s first Kalachakra initiation granted in the West. He is the author of several books in English, including the five-volume comprehensive teaching, Steps on the Path to Enlightenment.

Geshe Lhundub Sopa passed away on August 28, 2014, at the age of 91. His Holiness the Dalai Lama composed a prayer of request for the swift return of Geshe Sopa.

Other books by Geshe Lhundub Sopa:
Nāgārjuna’s Advice for Buddhists
The Crystal Mirror of Philosophical Systems
Steps on the Path to Enlightenment, Vol. 5
Peacock in the Poison Grove
Like a Waking Dream
Steps on the Path to Enlightenment, Vol. 3
Steps on the Path to Enlightenment, Vol. 2
Steps on the Path to Enlightenment, Vol. 1

Steps on the Path to Enlightenment, Vol. 4

James Blumenthal (1967–2014) trained under Geshe Sopa at the University of Wisconsin and from 1999 to 2014 served on the faculty at Oregon State University. He was also a founding faculty member in Buddhist Studies at Maitripa College in Portland, Oregon. His doctoral research focused on Madhyamaka philosophy in the writings of the Indian master Śāntarakṣita, which was published in his first book, The Ornament of the Middle Way (2004).

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