Sadness, Love, Openness: The Buddhist Path of Joy

Description

A direct, pithy, and accessible guide to the entire path of Tibetan Buddhism by one of the most beloved and respected contemporary lamas. This short and easy-to-read guide teaches us to follow the Buddha's path by embracing both joy and sadness in our lives. Through being open to whatever experiences and hardships we may face, we can develop a genuine attitude to help all beings who suffer and to reduce our own greed and aggession. Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche presents accessible and concise instructions on how we can incorporate our own experiences into our spiritual path in order awaken to how things truly are. Through knowing our own true nature as aware and compassionate, we can progress, step-by-step, on the Buddhist path, and use Rinpoche's teachings along the way as a touchstone. Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche's fresh and engaged approach to timeless Buddhist wisdom provides an opportunity to deeply connect with the teachings in a modern context. This work is a joy and inspiration to read, outlining the major teachings and practices of Tibetan Buddhism.

Meditation master and renowned teacher CHOKYI NYIMA RINPOCHE has been teaching audiences around the world for the past 25 years. Known for his warmth, humor and wit, his teachings offer a unique opportunity to directly connect with the Buddhist tradition in a fresh, vital way that is relevant to our lives today. Rinpoche is the founder of the Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling monastery in Kathamandu and the Rangjung Yeshe Institute, an internationally recognized college that teaches Buddhist philosophy and language. Rinpoche travels extensively teaching Buddhism and has students and centers throughout the world.

"Warm and accessible, yet profound and insightful. Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche offers compelling advice for our times. This book is a treasure of timeless wisdom that today is needed more than ever." -Cher "My friend and teacher Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche is a seasoned and authentic Dzogchen master. He has written a book that throws a lifeline to all of us struggling in the sea of ignorance, desire, and hatred. As he says, "Dharma is not a hobby," but it is a very serious business indeed. Dharma can save us from the ocean of forgetfulness so that we may remember who we really are: beings of light, love, and wisdom. Complete liberation is possible if we do the work and guaranteed if we follow our teacher's advice. Rinpoche takes us through the stages of Buddhist practice leading to the joy and freedom of the Great Perfection, Dzogchen. Rinpoche emphasizes the necessity of embracing the truths of impermanence and dependent origination as the sources of our future enlightenment. This is a truly inspiring book for all practitioners." -Richard Gere "Different traditions differ in how they understand and use the term mindfulness, yet they agree on the nondual nature of mind and the need for authentic instruction and practice. As venerable Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche describes in this elegant, succinct, and extremely useful primer on essential Dharma as a way of being, there are many different methods in the universe of meditation, but in the end-and from the beginning-those that are authentic and trustworthy serve one purpose, and that is realized, embodied wakefulness." -Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of Full Catastrophe Living and Meditation Is Not What You Think "Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche embodies the insight and compassion of a bodhisattva. In Sadness, Love, Openness he shares his profound understanding of the Buddhist view of life-it's suffering and the path to liberation from that suffering-and offers a generous gift to anyone who wants to embrace the Dharma." -Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence "Here we learn how to truly appreciate all of life-in full sadness and full happiness-with the simple recipe of being calm, kind, and aware, and full of joy in everything." -Piet Hut, Professor of Astrophysics and Head of the Program in Interdisciplinary Studies, Princeton "Somewhere between a preliminary guidebook and fine-spun philosophy, this comforting volume succeeds as an easy introduction to Buddhist thinking and practice." -Publishers Weekly "Traditional, yet novel and fresh; challenging, yet kind and encouraging; profound, yet clear and concise. For serious practitioners, aspiring meditators, and those who seek to enhance their practice, this book holds immense promise." -Tricyle