Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, a world-famous Buddhist master who has written 22 highly acclaimed books, wants to give away a free electronic version of his new book, Modern Buddhism ~ The Path of Compassion and Wisdom, to everyone in the world who wants one!
If you are interested in practicing meditation, I think you will find something you like in this book. Just click on this link for your copy: Free Modern Buddhism eBook.
(If you are new to meditation, and are interested in simple easy getting-started instructions, you might like one of these articles.)
Geshe Kelsang says:
“Through reading and practicing the instructions given in this book, people can solve their daily problems and maintain a happy mind all the time.”
I cannot help but feel rather happy about this cosmic no-holds-barred act of giving Buddha’s teachings, especially as I think Modern Buddhism is a spiritual masterpiece. It contains every Buddhist meditation and is a wealth of practical advice for living a happy, positive, and meaningful life.
So what can I do to help give it away? I can help to spread the word amongst family, friends and others. I also feel I can join in helping this come about by the sheer mental act of wanting it 
I have been doing this special tailor-made visualization on giving Modern Buddhism to everyone for some time now. It only takes a minute or so. I base it on the meditation on giving that Geshe Kelsang explains in Modern Buddhism itself, in a fabulous section called “Training in Giving in Conjunction with the Practice of the Six Perfections” (search for it in Volume One of your brand new eBook!!)
“How do we meditate on giving? In Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, Shantideva says:
… to accomplish the welfare of all living beings
I will transform my body into an enlightened wishfulfilling jewel.
We should regard our continuously residing body, our very subtle body, as the real wishfulfilling jewel; this is our Buddha nature through which the wishes of ourself and all other living beings will be fulfilled.”
If you prefer, you can visualize your regular body as the wishfulfilling jewel. (Just so you know, any words you are not familiar with are explained clearly in the book. For example, according to Buddha’s Tantric teachings given in Volume 2, our very subtle body or subtle energy wind is our actual body, as opposed to this gross meaty body with a limited shelf life. Our very subtle mind and body travel never-endingly from life to life and, once fully purified through the practice of meditation, will become the mind and body of an enlightened being.)
At this point, I imagine that at the end of each infinite ray of light is a copy of the Modern Buddhism, and that as soon as the living beings receive it they experience pure and lasting happiness. Then I make a dedication, such as the one by Geshe Kelsang below.
This meditation feels great! It creates enormous good karma (the mental potential for good fortune) and the cause to give spiritual teachings directly to everyone. And there is no reason you cannot adapt it to other things too.
This gift feels to me like one of Geshe Kelsang‘s auspicious deeds, in a whole lifetime spent in the service of others. He is starting by giving away the UK English version of Modern Buddhism eBook, but who knows where he may go with this next… And there are teachers he has trained in countries all over the world who are giving oral commentaries to this book to bring it even more alive. The idea of everyone in the world, whoever they are, and however much money they do or don’t possess, having access to this treasury of exquisite practical liberating advice in their own language sounds almost too good to be true! Almost.
“May everyone who reads this book experience deep peace of mind, and accomplish the real meaning of human life.”
(Geshe Kelsang’s kindness in giving away Modern Buddhism reminds me of how good it is to have met such an accomplished spiritual master in this life, hence this article: What is the point of faith).
13 Comments
Thank you very much. I just downloaded the book and will start it tonight. I appreciate the gesture of offering what I know is hard work for free just as to spread the word. Have a great day.
I LOVE the idea of allowing people to donwload the book for free to spread the word about Buddhism, however I was unable to load it to my Kindle from the zip file. I have many other books about Kadampa Buddhism but don’t want others to become frustrated if they can’t get the book on their Kindle.
Hi Kathy – I was lucky enough to be involved with the eModernBuddhism site. I would be very happy to help you get the files working on your Kindle if you want. Are you struggling to get into the zipped folder or putting the mobi files on your kindle?
I have been reading the book – it’s pretty profound and a great thing to have on your laptop or iPhone.
Your blog is my stepping stone, my friend. Thanks for that heads up on this subject matter.
I have been focusing on one meditation a week from the book “Modern Buddhism.” I am discovering that it is helping to tame my mind from always wanting more, even from a Dharma book. In short, it is teaching me contentment, along with everything else I need!
The Buddhist meditations and instructions provided by Geshe Kelsang definitely work. They will only lead to peace and happiness for yourself and others. I know this from my own experience over many years – when I actually have put the work in I have had only good results! Even a tiny bit of practice can bring great results.
In the vast array of books and other reading material we can get our hands on today, this book is one that is truly meaningful and worth reading!
I own the hardback version and was wondering what the e-version would be like. It is nicely formatted and easy to navigate – I have the Kindle version on my phone. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn more about Buddhism or anyone looking for practical advice to help understand how our mind works and how we can begin to actively create happiness for ourself. You definitely don’t have to be Buddhist to benefit from reading this book.
My hardback version is over 200 pages, not including the lengthy appendices. Also, anyone wanting to know the real meaning of Tantra, not what you find out on Google, should definitely read this book.
There is no other book on Buddhism like this one – especially the clear and unmistaken teachings on Tantra; SO needed in this modern world. Everyone can benefit from this book, whether they’re Buddhist or not!
So you are promoting Buddhism?
Hi Yasir, Thanks for your question. Buddhism is not evangelical or proselytizing and accepts the validity of other religions. Buddha requested people to test out the teachings as they would assay gold to see if they work for them before adopting them. Also, anyone can apply Buddhist meditation techniques in their daily lives, Buddhist or not. So in answer to your question, yes I am promoting Buddhism, but not out of any desire to convert anyone. I’m trying to share Buddha’s teachings and meditations from my practice over the last 30 years. I say more about this on the About page. All the best, Luna.
…and as an added freebie, there’s the Sadhana of Arya Tara , Liberation from Sorrow (including praise to the 21 Taras) in Volume 3.
Yes, that is pretty cool, Mother Tara, mother of all the Buddhas, protector of the protectorless.