It begins with an explanation of what distinguishes the Mahayana practitioner from other Buddhists. The nature of bodhichitta is described in depth, and Geshe Sopa then provides a detailed, contemporary commentary on the two methods to develop this attitude: the “sevenfold cause-and-effect personal instructions” based on the teachings of Atisha and the later Kadampa lineage, and the “training to exchange self and other” based on Shantideva’s Engaging in the Bodhisattva’s Deeds. While bodhichitta’s significance in Mahayana Buddhism is universally known, this attitude alone is not sufficient in the quest for complete enlightenment. A practitioner must devote oneself to the performance of actions motivated by bodhichitta, called the bodhisattva perfections.

Praise & Reviews "From my first encounter with Professor Geshe Lhundub Sopa in 1962, I have been impressed with his kindness, patience, and thorough-going scholarship, qualities so strong that they obviously are based on profound realization. When he received his Geshe degree, he graduated first among the first rank, emerging as his year's national hero; he truly embodies what being a well-versed Tibetan scholar requires-the ability to think and react within many different systems. His good-humored, compassionate persistence and forbearance over the course of his long and often difficult life shine throughout the heartfelt, practical explanations in these books."—Professor Jeffrey Hopkins, author of Meditation on Emptiness, and translator of The Dalai Lama's How to Practice "Geshe Sopa is one of the great living Lamas we have today."—Lama Surya Das, author of Awakening the Buddha Within "Those of us fortunate to have studied directly with Geshe Sopa well know what an inexhaustible fount of Buddhist learning and wisdom he is. With the publication of Volume II of his comprehensive commentary on Tsong Khapa's classic Lamrim Chemmo, a much wider audience will further benefit from these unending riches. This text presents the mature development of Indian and Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism— the shortcomings of cyclic existence, the three trainings of mind, the importance of renunciation and generating the thought of awakening, etc.— not just by skillfully explicating what the teachings have to say but even more importantly by illustrating how they should be practiced. As Geshela himself says, "This is not just a theoretical understanding we are talking about, but a realization that leads to direct transformation of your daily life and the behavior of your body, speech, and mind". In particular, this volume clarifies the complex but crucial relations between the obscuring afflictions (klesha) and the accumulation and fruition of karmic actions—explanations supported, as throughout this rich text, by copious citations from the great classics of Indian and Tibetan Buddhist literature and enlivened by traditional figures whose lives illustrate the wonderous workings of karma. This text will appeal to practitioners and teachers alike for its comprehensive and crystal-clear presentation, in a direct and down-to-earth style, of one of the great encyclopedic texts of Tibetan Buddhism."—William S. Waldron, Associate Professor, Dept. of Religion, Middlebury College

Geshe Lhundub Sopa, Author Born in Tibet in 1923, Geshe Lhundub Sopa is both a spiritual master and a respected academic. He moved to the United States in 1967 to teach in the Buddhist Studies Program at University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he is now professor emeritus. He founded the Deer Park Buddhist Center in Oregon, Wisconsin. He lives in Madison, Wisconsin. Beth Newman, Editor