The Easy Path: Illuminating the First Panchen Lama's Secret Instructions

By Gyumed Khensur Lobsang Jampa

The First Panchen Lama's Easy Path (de lam), written nearly four hundred years ago, is like a chest of jewels that has, until now, been locked to English speakers. This translation, with Gyumed Khensur Lobsang Jampa's commentary, unlocks that chest and holds each jewel up to the sunlight to reveal its great beauty and value.

A number of books in the past have explained how to meditate on the stages of the path, but Geshe Lobsang Jampa's volume is unique in showing the reader how to integrate visualizations from highest yoga tantra, guru yoga, and the instructions of the oral tradition within the contemplations of every single stage. From the initial meditations on the precariousness and immense value of human existence, through the contemplations of how we perpetuate the cycle of suffering, to the highest teachings on the practice of universal compassion and the empty nature of phenomena, The Easy Path leads practitioners step by step through the journey to enlightenment.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wisdom Publications
• Release date: Apr 22, 2013
• ISBN: 9781614290988

Gyumed Khensur Lobsang Jampa

As one of the last generation of Tibetan Buddhist scholars to begin their educational careers in Tibet prior to the Chinese invasion, Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Jampa has played an instrumental role in the reestablishment and preservation of Tibetan Buddhist traditions in exile, and in the spread of Tibetan Buddhism to the Western world. Highly regarded for his scholarship and depth of religious practice, Rinpoche teaches frequently in New York, Washington D.C., and at Do Ngak Kunphen Ling (DNKL), a Tibetan Buddhist center in Connecticut, where he hosted a visit from the Dalai Lama in 2012. He is abbot emeritus of Gyumed Tantric College, head of Mey College's Thewo regional house at Sera Monastery-one of the largest Tibetan monasteries in exile-and Spiritual Director of DNKL where he resides.

Reviews for The Easy Path

[nielsengw_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is one those rare books where I had to get a lot of background information before proceeding too far. While many people at least recognize the title of Dalai Lama, the Panchen Lama is a bit more obscure. It turns out that the Panchen Lama and the Dalai Lama function as sort of the Vice President and President of Tibetian Buddhism. Since each is the current reincarnation of the two original Lamas, each serves as the witness for the next incarnation of the other. If the current Panchen Lama dies, it is the duty of the current Dalai Lama to recognize the next one, and vice versa. (Side note: the sitting Panchen Lama has not been seen in public since 1995 as he is currently a Chinese political prisoner).All that out of the way, this book is a detailed explanation of the teachings of the 1st Panchen Lama Khedrup Gelek Pelzang (better known as Khedrup Je) who lived from 1385 to 1438 CE. His treatise entitled The Easy Path was meant as a guide on how to attain spiritual enlightenment. This wasn’t meant as a quick route to nirvana, but a way to decrease the time from several lifetimes to a single one. When considered this way, it truly was the easy path. This rather dense guidebook teaches the Buddhist devotee how to frame and focus their meditations about the universe, death, freedom, knowledge, and even themselves.This is definitely not the first book for anyone looking to learn about Tibetan Buddhism. Once you’ve gotten through the basic history and the original texts, then these commentaries will probably have more relevance. On the other hand, you will be completely immersed in Tibetan theology here. One of the more interesting aspects of this book is its references to all the different categorizations involved in meditation. There are the five different timelines to buddhahood, the five Mahayana paths, the ten boddhisattva grounds, the three scopes which cover the eight contemplations, the six perfections, the six faults, and so on and so forth. All this is a lot to take in, but makes for a very organized (and hyper-compartmentalized) way of looking at the universe. A tough but educational book.