This was way too much fun - in a nasty way! Here goes:Because of this book I now know about hungry ghosts, gods and demi-gods, HELL-beings??? and lama's. And here I was thinking that Buddhists are intellectual philosopher's that aren't really religious. (just kidding!) And yet they claim LOVE has priority. Says WHO?I picked this book up because of the retarded comment on the back:"It is very important to value all religious systems...since all religions share these goals, it is important to respect them and value their contributions."Well that just proves that the Dalai Lama is not even a beginner at theology and world religions - he's a Moron. Now look at the world around us: Do religions represent a good attitude towards others based on patience, love, compassion, contentment??? After reading this book I think even Buddhism lies about these issues. Here's why:It keeps discussing sexual misconduct without carefully explaining what it is. Does the Cosmic oneness even care? Why? How? When was this law officially declared to the human race? Who is incharge of Karma? How? Why? Does Karma care? Says WHO? Where do Hell-beings fit into all this foolishness?So how does this Buddhistic Enlightened force declare something official: like women's rights? Look at page 105. The total Holiness Dalai Lama boy acts like a coward and leaves the fate of women nuns in the hands of others rather than declare a full ordination be restored. What is his source on any of this? Says WHO? Did the Cosmic (?whatever?) not leave specific early instructions?And that is my biggest problem with Buddhism: What is it's source for anything? Did Buddha write a book? Did his closest friends and followers of his day? What were the enlightened beliefs for a few thousand years before him? Says who? I honestly think they just make this stuff up as they go along - and a few million easily buy into it - while attempting to carefully place the blame on the Guru's before them.It came to me while reading this babble that you can take this approach and make anything cosmic enlightenment. Here's how:Flood the market with endless philosophical discussions about the meaning of nothingness based on what we see around us - and throw in little bits of truths. For instance:The religion of the great Peanut Butter Sandwich. How do we know this is GREAT? Because it is - it tells us everything...we just need to see it clearly. The sandwich represents all our desires and struggles. Corners of the bread guide us to truth and ever changing oneness of the sandwich. The jelly has sweetness, but along with the peanut butter we have a connection that cannot be denied. We can oneday become ONE with the sandwich - if we eat it! But then the sandwich and us are one, yet the sandwich ceases to be seen. We must take the sandwich to another in symbolism. We must NOT worship ourselves, but the sandwich that came before us. How do we know all this CRAP? Because there's a room full of writings that tell us. Why do we trust them? Because...? How do we test this teaching... we see that it meets our greatest desires and sufferings. With hunger we long for the sandwich. It offers temporary fulfillment - and yet guides us slowly to eternal fulfillment if we focus on ONLY THE SANDWICH. Says "the sandwich".I could on like this for months. Create some monasteries and teach disciples this crap for years. It's easy. Pseudo-psychology. Then of course - ALL RELIGIONS point to this Peanut Butter Sandwich. Jesus' wishes he had this peanut-butter sandwich: but fish and bread were all he could manage - for he had not yet achieved full enlightenment.My first problem with Buddhism is Buddha himself. He had a wife and a child - and he wondered off to find enlightenment. Do you know what that tells us? He was a horrible Father, husband, a deadbeat dad who was only thinking of himself - and then he stumbles across enlightenment? How many times have we heard that story from drunk guys at the pub who should really be home with their families???This is really just humanistic altruistic philosophy wrapped up in oppressive religion. Satan is proud. Well done! Buddhism does not claim too need a savior - and it offers NONE. It even dismisses what Jesus has done for us on the cross. I have alot more I could say about this book - but I doubt many want to hear it. That's enough fun for now.WARNING:I accidentally became enlightened while reading this crap. What a wonderful experience - I now have the cosmic answers to life, the Universe and everything - except they all came from the Bible that was nearby. Over the years I have found myself looking for some sort of spirituality or connection to a higher plain. With many of the mainstream religions I've found an emphasis on following rules and less emphasis on guiding a person to inner strength and morality. After watching a documentary on BBC about Buddhism and the history of, I decided to do a little more research on the history and teachings.After looking over a plethora of books I came across Becoming Enlightened and read the product description as it described..."Drawing from traditional Buddhist meditative practices as well as penetrating examples from today's troubled planet, he presents step-by-step exercises designed to expand the reader's capacity for spiritual growth, along with clear milestones to mark the reader's progress. By following the spiritual practices outlined in Becoming Enlightened, we can learn how to replace troublesome feelings with positive attitudes and embark on a path to achieving an exalted state -- within ourselves and within the larger world."From reading the above I had assumed that the book itself was more of a step-by-step guide to the path of spiritual enlightenment. However after reading it I found it as more of a cliff-note version of the buddhist teachings. Its structure is setup as follows; a header that tells what is next to be mentioned and then two to three paragraphs about the header subject. At first I had thought that this was just a foundation to which more in depth knowledge would be passed on later in the book, however this theme is throughout. Later in the book things do seem to be more informative but I did find some of what was being said was a little hard to follow or was completely over my head as a beginner.The book itself is translated by Jeffery Hopkins, PH.D. and perhaps some is lost in translation, however I find most of my problem lies in the basic structure of the presentation. I would have preferred something more along the lines of; subject: history of, what can be gained from, step-one,two,three-etc., and final thought before moving on to the next subject.Perhaps after reading more on the subject from different literature I may gain better knowledge in order to understand what is presented in this book. If you may know some books that described what I'm looking for please suggest them.
What do You think about Becoming Enlightened (2009)?
Still going on this one. But I've found Dalai Lama XIV's previous writings very illuminating.
—dre
Not bad, but it wasn't the easiest to get through. It felt a little too "instructional."
—janharper
You have to be in a certain mood to read this book, so it's on hold for me right now.
—Fluffy
More than I can take in with just one reading, but I find it profound
—Sassysas
