Things Pertaining to Bodhi The Thirty-seven Aids to Enlightenment

The Thirty-seven Aids to Enlightenment are a set of fundamental teachings of Buddhism in the form of a list. The listrs"s seeming simplicity belies the fact that it is in fact a kind of road map to enlightenment for anyone who follows it with diligence and sincerity. The Thirty-seven Aids comprise seven practices conducive to awakening. Each of the seven practices is itself a set of elements, which add up to the total of thirty-seven: (1) The Four Foundations of Mindfulness, (2) The Four Proper Exertions, (3) The Four Steps to Magical Powers, (4) The Five Roots, (5) The Five Powers, (6) The Seven Factors of Enlightenment, and (7) The Noble Eightfold Path. Master Sheng Yenrs"s down-to-earth teachings take the reader on a progression through each of the practices-many of which are familiar to all major schools of Buddhism-illustrating how they relate to the readerrs"s own practice on the path toward enlightenment.

Chan Master Sheng(1930-2009) was a widely respected Taiwanese Chan (Chinese Zen) master who taught extensively in the West during the last thirty-one years of his life, with twenty-one centers throughout North America, as well as dozens of others throughout the world. He has co-led retreats with the Dalai Lama, and he is the author of numerous books in Chinese and English.