Greg Dietz:
Thanks for your responses. I'm reading MCTB and it's great (shattering all my illusions), but I think I'll go with something a bit less hardcore for the audience in question.
In thinking on this more, a non-eastern path may be a more appropriate direction. I would appreciate whatever opinions you all care to offer on western paths to awakening (centering prayer, etc...).
Hello Greg,
With regard to "paths to awakening" (notwithstanding whether they be Western or Eastern) it might first be appropriate to define just what one means by using the term "awakening," don't you think? Rather than become encumbered by some sectarian definition which might only seek to divide universal human opinion on such matters, wouldn't it be more appropriate to find a definition that all people could agree upon was of universal benefit, which more clearly crystallized a universal advantage of benefit to all?
In that vein, a quotation comes to mind which seems to characterize this ideal of good intentions and good faith, with regard to its universal appeal. It was spoken to a community of Indian inhabitants known as the Kalamas, who questioned the various sectarian diatribes they had been exposed to, while endeavoring to discover the truth:
"It is fitting for you to be perplexed, O Kalamas, it is fitting for you to be in doubt. Doubt has arisen in you about a perplexing matter. Come, Kalamas. Do not go by oral tradition, by lineage of teaching, by hearsay, by a collection of scriptures, by logical reasoning, by inferential reasoning, by reflection on reasons, by the acceptance of a view after pondering it, by the seeming competence of a speaker, or because you think, 'The ascetic is our teacher.' But when you know for yourselves, 'These things are wholesome, these things are blameless; these things are praised by the wise; these things, if undertaken and practiced, lead to welfare and happiness', then you should engage in them."
If by awakening one means "seeing things as they truly are" in reality, then one may learn a great deal about how to go about accomplishing this using [url=http://amazon.com/o/ASIN/511TNCG4XML/thomelio-20" title="What The Buddha Taught"]what the Buddha taught as a guidepost. I'm referring here not only to the book linked to, but also to the concepts and ideas expressed by this vast intellectual giant who lived some 2,500 year ago.
What he had in mind to teach was neither sectarian nor religious,
per se. Which is to say that it was not characterized as either Eastern or Western, but rather an explanation for what was arguably a basic human issue. The issue of suffering (or the more encompassing term "dissatisfaction") and the alleviation of that suffering.
If finding the source of suffering (or dissatisfaction) and the answer to the alleviation of that suffering is part of what you mean by awakening, then you might benefit from a closer look into what this man taught and what he might be able also to teach you to be able to see through the lens of your own experience. What this entailed for him was a thorough understanding and comprehension of the contents and the source of the contents of his own mind. And what he had to teach was being able to identify for oneself those same constituent parts which make up the human mind, being able to see and to understand them from direct first-hand knowledge, and the effect that they had on his experience of living.
For him, awakening entailed an intimate and detailed knowledge of his own mind and how it worked. It entailed direct knowledge of the source for the arising and the subsiding of suffering, and more importantly, of how to bring that vicious cycle to an end. This latter endeavor entailed an "awakening" of sorts which was meant to bring human mental suffering to an end. It was not meant to end all suffering, because that would be impossible. Meaning that physical suffering is a fact of life. Yet, its impact upon the human mind can be lessened to a considerable degree such that a satisfactory life is able to carry on in spite of whatever physical suffering might need be endured.
If this is what you are seeking, then you will not be disappointed by what the Buddha had to teach, if you are able to find reliable sources from which to learn.
In peace,
Ian