A Path of Practice
The Bodhi Path Program
In Toward Awakening: The Bodhi Path Program, Künzig Shamar Rinpoche offers his vision of focused Dharma practice with the power to lead practitioners in today's world toward achieving the state of awakening.
His emphasis lies in general on Mahayana Buddhism as the essential support of such practice, and in particular on the path of Mahamudra as transmitted in the Kagyü tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. From these perspectives, he describes the various elements of meditation practice, that is, the path of Dharma to be walked consistently. In addition, he recommends the study of certain Buddhist topics which can help a meditator to navigate through the different layers of his or her spiritual practice and encourages practitioners to develop the right view which can then lead the meditation.
Shamar Rinpoche, Mipham Chökyi Lodrö (1952–2014), was the 14th Shamarpa. Born in Derge, Tibet, Shamar Rinpoche was recognized by the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa in 1957 and by the 14th Dalai Lama. Shamar Rinpoche was an accomplished Buddhist master and teacher, respected and cherished by many students of Buddhism the world over. In 1996, he began organizing Bodhi Path Buddhist Centers, a network of centers covering many continents, in which a non-sectarian approach to meditation is practiced. In addition, over the years, Shamar Rinpoche founded several non-profit organizations worldwide engaged in charitable activities, including projects to provide schooling for children born into poverty, and an organization committed to promoting animal rights.