Skip to content

TRUE BOOKS

ENLIGHTENED VAGABOND

His self-deprecating humor and keen intellect combined with a vast heart pierce the human yearning for authenticity amid the sorrows of sentient life. His words go beyond poetic conceits and cultural baggage. In any case, I have remained wildly enthusiastic about the works of Patrul Rinpoche for decades now. The current publication is a much awaited event to carry his mindstream further into the 21st century. If you are unfamiliar with his work, you’re in for a special experience when coming into contact with him. Please read him. If he is an old heart friend, Enlightened Vagabond will not disappoint!
Book Review by Jacqueline Gens.

A STORY FROM THE INFINITE MIND OF THE GYALWANG KARMAPA

This story from one of the previous lives of His Holiness Rangjung Rikpé Dorjé, the XVIth Gyalwang Karmapa, was told in 1976, while his party drove through Jalandhara, a place in Himachal Pradesh. It was raining very slightly and peacocks were singing softly. His Holiness had the car stopped and said to his attendants, “I have come back to my motherland”. He then told the following wondrous story.

THE NATURE OF MIND & SELF-DECEPTION

When people visit me in my monastery in Nepal, they sometimes ask, “Please introduce me to the nature of my mind! My plane leaves tomorrow morning, so I’m in a bit of a hurry!” It almost sounds as if they think the nature of mind is a special thing, a bit like a tourist attraction, which they have to see before they’re off to the airport. On other occasions, people talk to me as if I were a gardener and the nature of mind were a rare flower that they want to see and smell.
–Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche

THE ELEVEN INSTRUCTIONS OF GAMPOPA

The Tibetan master Gampopa is famous for being the foremost student of Milarepa, the great yogi. He is unique in that he fused and combined the practice of mind training, which many of you know from the Dalai Lama’s lectures, with realization of the nature of mind. His writing style is very much down to earth, advice for simple living and easy to understand guidelines for making sure that we are on the right track. Some of his advice takes form of small handy lists to memorize, ponder and measure oneself against. 

DZALENDARA SHARES HIS HEART’S TREASURE

This is Part Three and the end, which concludes The Lotus-Garden, the wonderful story of the previous lives of His Holiness the XVIth Gyalwang Karmapa as Dzalendara and Sun Moon. This wonderful story of Dzalendara is the precious nectar flowing from the lips of His Holiness the XVIth Karmapa, who told this story of his previous lives without any distortion or falsity. When he told the story, he made the wish that it may be the cause for reaching buddhahood for all those who read it, not only for those who feel faith and devotion but also for those who feel dislike or disbelief.

THE TRUE VIEW

Enlightenment is like awakening from sleep. The thinking mind creates all the perceptions and phenomena of daily life, just as whatever you experience at night is created by sleep. When awakening from sleep, the dream disappears, likewise nothing remains of this present confusion when the distorted experience and thinking are completely cleared away.

HOMECOMING AND SPREADING OF THE BUDDHAS TEACHING

A continuation from, A Story From the Infinite Mind of the Gyalwang Karmapa: The two princes built a grass hut in the forest and lived there together. During the daytime they taught the dharma to animals and at night they meditated. One day, while meditating, the younger prince, Sun Moon, saw that the time had come for them to go and spread the dharma in their own country and in other places where it was still unknown…

EVERYTHING CONDITIONED IS IMPERMANENT

Most people never question their day-to-day experiences. They accept whatever is felt and perceived as real. Without examining anything we will never penetrate beyond this illusion to see the actual state of affairs. Instead, we will regard everything that is impermanent as being permanent, what is unreal as being real. What an unfortunate, superficial and mistaken way of perceiving things!

PADMASAMBHAVA’S FOUR TEACHINGS TO THE DAKINI

The single vehicle is the understanding that all teachings are personal advice on how to soften rigid mind-habits, letting go of pointless aims, and then settling into a gentle presence that is both calm and kind. Our attention simply remains for a while in this way, at ease in itself with nothing that needs to be held or cast away. This aware steadiness is often called shamatha, being calm, and it is the basis for all higher or deeper states of authentic insight.

INTRODUCTION TO GROUP STUDY OF SACRED BOOKS

Reading sections out loud invites us to delve deeper into the material. It is too easy to just skim over difficult material while reading by yourself but what you found difficult someone else probably did too. I’m always amazed in a class to learn what I read but didn’t really understand when someone inquires about it!

SUBLIME SOURCE OF GRACE

The background for Tara practice in the Triple Excellence program, written down from the words of recent masters in the Tara lineage and original sources. It is important to know the source to fully trust that the teaching is authentic so one can practice with deeper confidence.

BIG VAST OPEN MIND

The power of bhakti is a swift path for those who are able to harness this energy in their spiritual awakening. The power of love, the power of the heart, can unlock an incredible force within us which cuts through all our conceptual thoughts.

THE FINAL WORDS OF PADMASAMBHAVA

You may wonder, is mind nothing? It still shimmers and flashes forth, like haze in the heat of the sun. You may wonder, is it something? It has no color or shape to identify it but is utterly empty and completely awake. That is the nature of your mind.
– Padmasambhava.

SACRED TEXTS AS A SPIRITUAL TEACHER

It’s pure magic how ink on paper can touch you deeply and resonate with a sound so clear and true that the realization of its meaning comes alive and is part of your own being. This is possible because we all share the same nature of mind.

CUTTING THROUGH SPIRITUAL MATERIALISM

A turning point for spirituality in the West occurred with the publication of a book with radical new perspective. The principle of true spirituality presented as demasking the ego, was in many ways groundbreaking and opened up for authentic meditation training for young people all over.