An exploration of the practice of samatha, the style of meditation devoted to focus and attention.

Geshe Sopa continues his elucidation of Lama Tsongkhapa's masterwork on the Buddhist path with an explanation of the core meditative practice of samatha, or calm abiding.

Showing how it is absolutely essential for--and goes hand in hand with--the achievement of insight into reality, he gives practical tips for countering sleepiness, agitation, and their more subtle counterparts. Leading us step by step toward deeper levels of concentration, volume 4 of the Steps on the Path to Enlightenment series brings readers closer to the ultimate goal of samatha: unlimited and effortless focus.

Steps on the Path to Enlightenment, Vol 4: A Commentary on Tsongkhapa's Lamrim Chenmo: Samatha by

Geshe Lhundub Sopa

James Blumenthal

, Wisdom Publications, Hardcover, 208 Pages, 2016, $29.95

Born in the Tsang region of Tibet in 1923, Geshe Lhundub Sopa was both a spiritual master and a respected academic. He rose from a humble background to complete his geshe studies at Sera Je Monastic University in Lhasa with highest honors and was privileged to serve as a debate opponent for the Dalai Lama�s own geshe examination in 1959. He moved to New Jersey in the United States in 1963 and in 1967 began teaching in the Buddhist Studies Program at University of Wisconsin�Madison, where he professor emeritus. In 1975, he founded the Deer Park Buddhist Center in Oregon, Wisconsin, site of the Dalai Lama�s first Kalachakra initiation granted in the West. He is the author of several books in English, including the five-volume comprehensive teaching, Steps on the Path to Enlightenment. He passed away in 2014.

James Blumenthal (1967-2014) trained under Geshe Sopa at the University of Wisconsin and from 1999 to 2014 served on the faculty at Oregon State University. He was also a founding faculty member in Buddhist Studies at Maitripa College in Portland, Oregon. His doctoral research focused on Madhyamaka philosophy in the writings of the Indian master Santaraksita, which was published in his first book, The Ornament of the Middle Way (2004).

Steps on the Path to Enlightenment: A Commentary on Tsongkhapa's Lamrim Chenmo Volume 4: Samatha
Foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama	vii
Editor's Acknowledgments	xi
Technical Notes	xiii
Introduction	1
1 Samatha and Vipasyana	9
2 Preparing for Samatha Meditation	39
3 Focusing Your Mind	83
4 Dealing with Laxity and Excitement	95
5 Attaining Samatha	123
6 Samatha as Part of the Path	151
Appendix: Outline of the Text	171
Glossary	175
Notes	185
Bibliography	187
Index	193