The Requisites of Enlightenment

By: Ven. Ledi Sayadaw

Narrated by: Saif Terai

In this treatise, noted Burmese scholar and monk Ledi Sayadaw explains the bodhipakkhiya dhamma: the 37 requisites of enlightenment. The requisites are comprised of the four foundations of mindfulness, four right efforts, four bases of success, five controlling faculties, five mental powers, seven factors of enlightenment, and the eight factors of the Noble Eightfold Path. This book is valuable to those interested in understanding the Buddha's teaching at a deeper level, while providing the inspiration to continue walking step-by-step on the path.

©2013 Pariyatti Publishing (P)2016 Pariyatti

Not a Beginner Book

If you don't have a basic understanding of Buddhism, you may do well to go to another book first. Can you name the 5 aggregates, what's a sotapanna, what is A.N. and M.N. if you can't answer these then I'd pass. In that case I would suggest Joseph Goldstein or some anglo Buddhists who really know how to present the dharma to a western audience who have had a limited exposure. This is strongly based on the Visuddhimagga and other Buddhist text which reading this without some a fairly solid understanding of the dhamma would be like having an interest in medicine and starting with post grad medical texts - most would find it too big a first step and you would likely just come to the conclusion that Buddhists are big on lists and find it way to dry and esoteric to get much out of.

BUT, If you're someone who's already done a retreat or more, are considering or reading the nikayas and spend typically an hour or two meditating a day with the goal of enlightenment - this is your book! I've listened to the audio book a few times (I don't listen to audio books more than once - so it's a rare exception). To be honest, there are still several sections I need to listen too a few more times.