Buddhist-Meditation-Systematic-and-Practical

The Buddha's whole system of teaching has been
described and we next examine what the Patriarchs have
taught. By them, the sequence of the Path from the
ordinary unenlightened worldling to the attainment of
Buddhahood has been very clearly delineated.
1. The first of the great teachers whom we shall mention,
one who has shown clearly the different preparatory and
practical elements, is Jetsun Gampopa. His famous
work on the Stages of the Path (Lam Rim) has been
translated into English as "The Jewel Ornament of
Liberation." In this book, Chapters One through Seven
concern hearing and thinking, that is, the acquisition of
philosophic knowledge. In Chapter Eight, one takes
Refuge and various subjects follow in good order up to
Chapter Sixteen, which deals with meditation. The first
fifteen chapters, then, are preparatory to the succeeding
ones. English readers should make good use of this
book and gain great benefits in their understanding of
Buddhadharma.
2. Unfortunately there is still no translation available of
the Great Stages of the Path (Lam Rim Chen Mo) by
Jetsun Tsong Khapa, the founder-patriarch of the
Yellow Sect. This exhaustive work, dealing only with
the exoteric Mahayana tradition, (his exposition of the
Tantra being contained in another and even larger book,
The Stages of the Tantra) gives the divisions of the Path
according to peoples' capacity to practice. Three types
of practitioners are given:
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