Not really interested in hearing about the mundane stories about how some guy grew up. If you can't show me anything that I don't already know in the first few chapters, sorry I'm ditching you because there are many excellent books more worthy of my time.

I took my time reading this book. It's easy to read and chock full of practical advice for the person who is interesting in learning something about Buddhism, the Eightfold Path, and meditation. It's book to refer back to, a book to study. So far, of all the books I've read (not that I've read that many), this is one I'll keep by my bedside.

I got about halfway through this book and then got distracted and haven’t finished it yet. I think it was more work to read and take in than I had energy for at the time I was reading it. I was trying to understand karma and was wondering if the depression and unhappiness I was experiencing at the time were the result of past life influences and unfinished business. I was really desperate to understand why I was so depressed and for so long. Guess I stopped reading this midway because I wasn’t getting the answer I was seeking.

I still have the book - and will read it again - maybe the time of my first read just wasn't the right time for me to be reading it.

A journey through the fundamentals of Tibetan Buddhism. This book is fairly deep so requires an interest in Tibetan Buddhism to begin with. I appreciated it, but not as much as the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying.

I read this very slowly and found it absolutely packed with valuable information and meditations.

I love Lama Surya Das' writing style, highly recommend for anyone wanting to deepen their understanding of Buddhism, particularly Dzogchen Buddhism.

The second book I've finished etched into paper by Surya Das. Without a doubt has become one of my more favoured writers exploring the cliffs, caves, and ceaseless cascading mountains of Tibetan Buddhism. A great Lama of many talents (at his time of this book's creation he had +30 years in the field), this is yet another guided ascension into the Dharma.

A good solid introduction to Buddhism directed to Western readers. Lama Surya Das grew up Jewish in the U.S. but spent decades studying with Dzogchen masters in Asia. He has a comfortable, reassuring tone that never oversimplifies the concepts he's dealing with. There's just a touch of self-help language, emphasizing the compatibility of Buddhism and various types of psychology. I was particularly thankful for the specific meditation exercises and, as always, the humorous wisdom of the classic Buddhist teaching stories. I gave a copy to a friend just beginning to explore Buddhism, so I guess that means I think it's as good a place as any to start.

A Buddhist friend recommended this as a good general introduction to Buddhist thought. She said it would be more accessible to me because Lama Surya Das is from the U.S. It is a very useful book and I use it for reference often.

Almost 2.5 years later

This was my first introduction to Buddhism, back in high school. I remember reading it and feeling like I had finally found a “home” in spirituality; concepts that really resonated with my personal values. This book is my go-to when I’m feeling uncentered. It is a guide for me to get back on the right path and remember what really matters. Highly recommend for anyone looking to learn about Buddhism.

Amazon.com Review

If you dropped the Buddha into a modern metropolis, would he come off sounding like a 16th-century morality play or more like a drive-time disc jockey? Lama Surya Das doesn't spin platters for a living, but he does have a hip delivery that belies his years of sheltered training in Buddhist monasteries. In Awakening the Buddha Within, he borrows a time-tested bestseller format for a 2,500-year-old tradition that comes off as anything but ancient. With the "Five T's of Concentration," the question of "need or greed," and the story of the monk who bears his backside to prove a point, Surya Das invokes a path of wisdom that is as accessible and down-to-earth as a worn pair of loafers. It's not an easy path--it demands thought, effort, and discipline. But Surya Das is there for you, lighting the way to wisdom training, coaxing you into ethics training, and laying out step by step the path of meditation training. And if that's not enough to get you to live in the now, consider these words of the enlightened lama: "You must be present to win." --Brian Bruya

Review

"A warm, accessible, deep, brilliantly written exploration and adventure along the Buddhist path." --Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D.

"[T]his is a great achievement and I feel deeply grateful for it."
--Thich Nhat Hanh, author of Living Buddha, Living Christ

"This open-hearted offering of the Buddha's teachings ranges from fundamentals to magic. It is a wonderful gift."
--Sharon Salzberg, author of Loving Kindness

"Wise and wonderful, gentle and profound. . . . This is surely one of the finest spiritual manuals meant for a larger public and it succeeds brilliantly."
--Ken Wilbur, author of A Brief History of Everything

From the Trade Paperback edition. -- Review

A great Buddhism refresher for the beginning western mind. Very readable. The last section on meditation was a bit repetitive for me but overall there were many parts of the book that resonated with me. It will be gifted to another in hopes that it’s impact can continue.