Awakening on the Buddha’s Path is the third in a three-volume series about the teachings of the Buddha. In this book we are going to enter the realm of the transcendent. This is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, although in typically Buddhist fashion, the pot of gold is empty.
This book begins by describing the Buddhist understanding of the cycles of rebirth and the Buddhist cosmology. This is the problem definition. This is what we are ultimately up against. It’s the elephant in the room. The goal of Buddhist practice ultimately is not a favorable rebirth, it is escape from the rounds of rebirth altogether.
Then there is a discussion of the different ways in which the Buddha described awakening. What does it mean to awaken? What does it mean to be released from suffering, to attain nirvāṇa?
Then we come to the most vital Buddhist question, “How do I become free from suffering?” How do I attain enlightenment and awaken?
The ultimate prize in the Buddha’s training is to awaken, to become free from the rounds of rebirth. This book shows how that is possible. It may seem like a far-off dream. But it is the journey of 1,000 miles, and you take it one mindful breath at a time.
