Directions to the Sacred Path of Buddhism

Are you a seeker? On a spiritual path? Lama Surya Das, author of the best-selling “Awakening the Buddha Within,” addresses his new book specifically to you, “a spiritual traveler or wayfarer, a pilgrim who has embarked on a quest to find and experience the sacred.” If your eyes were attracted to this corner of the newspaper, the chances are good that you are already in some significant way engaged, and “Awakening to the Sacred” will prove a wonderfully informative, encouraging and compassionate guide along the way.

Born and raised a Jew, Surya Das has himself been a seeker throughout his life. Having devoted the last 30 years to the study and practice of Buddhism with some of the greatest teachers of our age, he is at the forefront of those dedicated to making it more widely available to Westerners. The appeal of Buddhism to so many of us today, I think, is that it fosters a progressive opening of the heart and mind. Sadly, the course of human history provides ample evidence that the practice--though clearly not the intention--of the world’s great religions has led to the opposite: the closing of minds around beliefs that have become dogmatic, exclusive and intolerant. After a century of wars, in a world where my “right” too often clashes with your “wrong,” the hearts of most of us yearn for peace. And, understanding that it begins within ourselves, we are finding an entry point in the ancient wisdom of the Buddha, the “awakened one,” in which “morality is not based on any ideas of absolute good or absolute evil” that lead to conflict, but rather on “the bottom line of wise and foolish, skillful and unskillful--the compassionate logic of benefit and harm.”

There are numerous excellent introductions to this wisdom on the market, and “Awakening to the Sacred” ranks among the best of them. Surya Das divides his book into three parts.

“Matters of the Spirit” explores the spiritual and philosophical underpinnings of Buddhism in straightforward and engaging ways--the author salts his text with pithy stories, poems and citations from an amazing variety of cultural sources--clarifying such easily misunderstood concepts as karma, rebirth and enlightenment.

“Approaches to Spiritual Practice” offers sound, eminently usable guidance on such matters as starting a meditation practice, finding a teacher, developing sangha (“community”: Try the Internet at www.dharma.net) and learning how to chant and pray.

The last section, “Coming Home to Your True Nature,” expands this teaching into the realm of personal serenity and the daily possibility of true happiness in “finding the Buddha within” with simple hints and instructions on how to go about it, from simple breathing and relaxing to keeping a journal and writing haiku. Finally, there is an excellent section of resources for further study and service.

*

What is especially impressive about this book is the breadth of mind--and the depths of soul--from which it springs. The cover image of open hands supporting a lotus blossom gives the clue: There is no lecturing here, only the opening of possibility and the invitation. Embracing the wisdom of other religious traditions with constant reference to their teachings, the author avoids the simplifications of fuzzy New Age inclusiveness because he also comes from a solid intellectual base. And while the vast range of his knowledge and experience (how many months- or years-long retreats with the masters can one man accomplish?) risks intimidating the reader, it is tempered always by a gentle, self-deprecating humor that puts his teaching within our reach.

The book’s subtitle, “Creating a Spiritual Life from Scratch,” of course implies the itch. For anyone who feels that urge toward what the poet Wallace Stevens called “something beyond us, yet ourselves,” “Awakening to the Sacred” will provide an excellent starting point; and for those beyond the starting point, a reliable companion.

*

Peter Clothier is the author of “While I Am Not Afraid: Secrets of a Man’s Heart” (High Mountain Press) and “David Hockney” (Abbeville).