Snow Lion Publications

Buddhism Through American Women’s Eyes

brittany — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Buddhism Through American Women’s Eyes, a collection of thirteen essays edited by Karma Lekshe Tsomo, offers an introspective exploration of Buddhist philosophy and practices. First published in 1995 and re-issued in 2010, these works are written by women who attended a California retreat in August 1989.

The last chapter of the book, “Continuing the Conversation,” discusses the diverse experience of this retreat: “There was a mix of women, some of whom had been practicing for ten, twenty, or thirty years, and some who were brand-new to meditation, providing both depth and freshness, tradition, and innovation.”

This information could have been placed at the start rather than the end of the book to add context. For example, a few essays are interspersed with “Response” sections where the writer interacts with questions or comments from other participants. Without knowledge of the retreat, these sections may disorient readers.

There is some context—the introduction, “Openings,” addresses the patriarchy found within several Buddhist traditions, particularly how the texts teach enlightenment for all beings, yet give preference to men as the true spiritual conduits and teachers. One noted exception is the Vajrayana tradition of Buddhism with its female figure of enlightenment, Tara. Not surprisingly, this empowering representation doesn’t often extend to “actual living traditions in Buddhist society.” Buddhism Through American Women’s Eyes proves that women’s interpretations can transform Buddhist practice.

“Forging a Kind Heart in an Age of Alienation” and “Reflections on Impermanence” explore reconciliation and grief—subject matters for any practitioner. Yet these works also show that meditative practice can be imbued by women’s experiences. One writer narrates her difficult relationship with a terminally ill father and her decision to be open and honest with him instead of falling into the habit of “play[ing] the co-dependent role of ‘Mary Sunshine.’ ”

In “Mothering and Meditation,” Jacqueline Mandell shares how when her twins are born, a friend shows up for a week to help with housework and take care of the children. This prompts Mandell to consider the concept of “mother care.” Her Buddhist friends ask whether she has time to meditate, but she invites a better question: “‘Now that you’re a mother, may I help you so that you can meditate?’” “Abortion: A Respectful Meeting Ground” relates Yvonne Rand’s grief after having an abortion. Eventually, the Buddhist precept of not doing harm to living beings is what motivates her anti-abortion stance. However, Rand stays resolutely pro-choice. What seems like a contradiction is Buddhism in action—it is not about judgment. “There is no easy or ‘right’ answer,” Rand concludes. Instead, Buddhism is about “the practice of awareness.”

Other practitioners consider the intersection of Buddhism with relationships and daily stress. Many of the essays expand on karma as well as the conflict between Buddhist traditions and American life. A collaborative work, “The Monastic Experience,” personalizes this conflict as several women discuss their study and practice of Buddhism in the East and West.

Readers may want to know how or if the situation has changed for Buddhist American women since 1995, so an updated foreword could have proved useful. There is an excellent glossary and suggestions for further reading, yet the philosophical discourse is leveled at experienced readers of Buddhism. The book is accessible, but this is no primer.

Buddhism Through American Women’s Eyes is at its best when it leaves behind the abstract language of philosophy and connects spiritual practices to everyday concerns. For readers interested in Buddhist women, this book provides a voice for new traditions.

Written by: Andrea Dulanto, February 9th 2011

Self-Liberation: Through Seeing with Naked Awareness

mandy — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 08:00:00 +0000

By John Myrdhin Reynolds, Guru Padmasambhava

Snow Lion Publications

Self-Liberation is a new translation of a Buddhist text said to have been hidden for generations by its creator, Guru Padmasambhava, in order to ensure that it was not uncovered until such time as Tibetans were mentally prepared for it. This is one of many such texts, but is revered to be the epitome of all Buddhist teachings by many scholars.

The book itself begins with a foreword that establishes the historical context for the teachings as well as explaining the difficulty in translation. John Myrdhin Reynolds is a particularly appropriate translator of this material since he is a Buddhist scholar as well as someone who is able to read Tibetan. After the translator’s introduction, the translation itself is written, followed by an outline of the text, the translator’s comments on the meaning of the text, and several appendices. The original Tibetan text is included as well.

The material is very academic and philosophical in nature, although if the reader is knowledgeable of Buddhist teachings, much of it will be familiar. The ultimate meaning of the term self-liberation is to free one’s self from identifying with his or her own thoughts and to realize that what we have come to know as reality is simply a construct of our mind itself. To simply contemplate the world around you, the author writes, is the act of being purely aware and transcending “mind.”

Throughout, the text repeats its lessons in the format of explaining a principle (View), how to think about the principle (Meditation), how to act on the principle (Conduct), and what one can expect to come of this (Fruit). The ideas are laid out in logical arguments and continually reinforce the importance of continued practice of contemplation of these notions. The author urges the reader not to confuse the nature of the mind with what the mind does: “Meditation involves the activities of the mind and the erecting of mental constructions, but is itself limited by the mind.”

Overall, Self-Liberation is an accessible text that will provide much food for thought to anyone who is interested in and familiar with Buddhist teachings. It is not, however, light reading.

Written by: Kari O’Driscoll, January 18th 2011

The Wisdom of Imperfection: The Challenge of Individuation in Buddhist Life

andrea — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 12:00:00 +0000

By Rob Preece

Snow Lion Publications

Rob Preece does a convincing job of bridging Jungian psychology to Buddhist practice in The Wisdom of Imperfection. Preece explains how Carl Gustav Jung’s notion of Individuation—the process of the personality’s growth and expansion into the wider psyche towards a potential state of wholeness, coincides with Buddhist ideas of bringing the ego into greater presence and awareness into one’s life. He illustrates the similarities between these philosophical angles by using examples from his own life experience, and this sincere exploration enhances the quality of his discussion.

Not quite a page-turner, but a book that slowly carries you deep into thought page after page, offering light-bulb moments for those who already have a basic understanding of Jung’s thought and the Buddhist way. A text I’d therefore strongly suggest for those with some knowledge of the two fields—though a glossary is provided.

As a feminist thinker, I felt critical of the author’s use of western mythologist, Joseph Campbell’s study of the hero’s journey as the model for the spiritual path of gradual awakening. The hero’s adventure is a metaphor of the Individuation process in Jungian psychology. Typically in myth the hero, usually male, responds to the call to leave home, encounters a dragon he must slay and returns home with renewed perspective or enlightenment. What is troubling is that the archetypal patterns described in this quest are based on men’s experiences of the world. Women as central characters experience a different reality—one that is neglected by Campbell’s view. His study approaches the female element in the journey as either the prize or the engulfing presence. Equally disturbing is the assumption that the woman can simply model her spiritual path on male rites of passage and psychological transformation.

So, I was happy to read of Preece’s vigilant awareness of patriarchal bias in both Western and Eastern beliefs. However, the process of Individuation is mostly described here through examples of male heroes. This is understandable since he relies on thinkers who have constructed their thought around a male structure of psychological reality. Also, I was a little sceptical of the idea of the hero (the personality or ego) who must severe ties with the mother archetype in order to begin the adventure, when French feminists such as Luce Irigaray insist that this relationship be healed not broken in order for men and women to respect the feminine. The daughter should certainly not break away from the mother (psychic or real) if a woman is to develop a healthy relationship with herself.

Still, The Wisdom of Imperfection makes a great effort to marry Western psychotherapy to Eastern spiritual thinking and quite clearly informs the reader of the need to address patriarchy in both cultures when seeking one’s own truth. With engaging drawings of Buddhist deities throughout the book, Preece offers the reader insightful wisdom for those on the path to self-discovery, particularly those struggling to negotiate their Buddhist practice with Western reality.

Written by: Payal Patel, December 13th 2010

Daring Steps: Traversing the Path of the Buddha

alicia — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000

By Ringu Tulku

Snow Lion Publications

In his interview last summer with Jet Mort, Ringu Tulku—teacher, author, and Rinpoche—detailed the necessity of helping, healing, and harmony to grant meaning to otherwise meaningless lives. His book Daring Steps advances all three through its thorough and accessible description of the Buddhist path. The three vehicles—yanas—are described: Shravakayana (Theravada), Mahayana and Vajrayana, or tantra. The author emphasizes that the three are aspects of one entity at different levels, not separate. Many Western Buddhists omit the direction in the Shravakayana system, believing that knowledge of the Vajrayana is sufficient. Ringu Tulku gently disabuses novices of this notion with an amazing array of references to methods and instructions.

The characteristic of Daring Steps that I most appreciate is its consistent relevance to the reader’s life. Ringu Tulku alternates description of the Dharma with the essence of the Buddha’s enlightenment and contemporary anecdote. Shravakayana contains the foundation for all further studies: the Four Noble Truths are in the Theravada. The most simplified Western version of the Four Noble Truths tends to be written as follows:

"To live is to suffer.
Attachment brings suffering.
An end to suffering can be achieved.
There is a path to the cessation of suffering."

Shravakayana focuses on meditation and concentration, the eighth of the Eightfold Path. Its resulting emphasis on a monastic life renders it less attainable to the majority of the population, those who must live and work in the world. In the first century AD, individuals including the philosopher-monk Nagarjuna, Asanga, and Vasubandhu changed Buddhist practice to a more accessible version. This revised practice came to be called Mahayana, or “Greater Vehicle,” due to its capacity to reach a greater number of individuals in varying walks of life.

Vajrayana Buddhism is a more complicated system that formed over centuries of practice and contains many inconsistencies. A distinguishing characteristic of Vajrayana is ritual, which is utilized as a substitute for more challenging meditations. (If I have offended any readers who follow Vajrayana, I humbly beg their pardon and ask them to remember that I am a neophyte.)

Do not take this overview as an indication that Daring Steps is an esoteric history. Far from it—in example, here is a passage from Ringu Tulku’s direction regarding Right Thought: “We have to adopt the habit of being joyful. When we are very depressed and narrow, very sad, we cannot expect to become joyful just by wishfully thinking, ‘Now I am very sad, but something will happen.’ As if joy might fall from the sky.” Don’t wait for this book to fall from the sky: it is a highly recommended addition to the shelf of any library containing texts on meditation or world faiths.

Written by: Erika Mikkalo, December 6th 2010

The Three Principal Aspects of the Path

priyanka — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0000

By Ruth Sonam, Geshe Sonam Rinchen

Snow Lion Publications

Buddhist philosophy seems simple only until we attempt to implement the teachings; as any practitioner quickly realizes, as soon as we are faced with the real world, even the straightest path to enlightenment is riddled with potholes and roadblocks, not to mention those confusing road signs that seem designed to discourage us wholly from the pursuit of compassion. Emptying our minds, sitting motionless in excruciating positions, meditating on seemingly nonsensical koans—if we survive all that, we still have to maintain compassion for the jerk who cuts us off in traffic and for the rude plumber who tracks mud all over our house.

It’s a rocky road for anyone to traverse, but the going is made easier by masters like Geshe Sonam Rinchen who elucidate the wisdom and inspire us on our journey. In the introduction to this beautifully produced volume, Rinchen assures us that we can achieve “an inner transformation if we approach [the teachings] in a constructive way by avoiding three faults and fostering six attitudes.” These faults and attitudes are neatly explained within the introduction, allowing readers to prepare and remain open to the commentary that follows.

This volume, The Three Principal Aspects of the Path, is based upon an oral teaching given by Geshe Sonam Rinchen regarding the brief but insightful teaching of Je Tsongkhapa. Born in Tibet in the fourteenth century, Tsongkhapa is surrounded by legends of mystical activity and intellectual prowess. It is said that he experienced visions of the master Manjushri through which he was guided for the rest of his life. Tsongkhapa’s The Three Principal Aspects of the Path, inspired by Manjushri, is a summation of the traditional practices leading to enlightenment.

One might assume that such a work is complete and that devoted aspirants could find full wisdom through Tsongkhapa’s words. Like all apparently simple instruction, however, this summation leads to even more questions and confusion. While students should look to the source for themselves, teachers such as Geshe Sonam Rinchen do us an honor by expounding upon what others have recognized and experienced, and by sharing their own understanding of those teachings. Tsongkhapa’s root teaching is included at the end of Rinchen’s book, but I recommend to readers that they turn first to that brief summation and return to the beginning of The Three Principal Aspects of the Path after considering Tsongkhapa’s original work.

Rinchen’s attentive exploration touches on specific areas within the text that may be overlooked even by those who are deeply familiar with it. Beginning in his prologue, Rinchen addresses at length the importance of Tsongkhapa’s opening statement, “Homage to the venerable and holy teachers!” Especially in the Western world where we put great value on individual achievement, self-help, and do-it-yourself, the treasure of a human teacher is often ignored. Rinchen insists, “No one has ever gained, nor will ever gain, a state of high realization without guidance from a spiritual teacher.” He then provides us with a list of the ten most desirable qualities to be found in a teacher, drawn from Maitreya’s Ornament for the Mahayana Sutras.

As Rinchen moves through the remainder of Tsongkhapa’s work, addressing the wish for freedom, altruistic intention, and correct view, his approach is both humble and firm. Though Tsongkhapa’s three principal paths teaching contains “quintessential Buddhist practices” and is a point of reference in many talks, Geshe Rinchen’s unique and clear approach to The Three Principal Aspects of the Path is accessible for beginners while also providing thoughtful advancement for more experienced students.

Written by: Deborah Adams, October 25th 2010

Wise Teacher, Wise Student: Tibetan Approaches to a Healthy Relationship

admin — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 22:00:00 +0000

By Alexander Berzin

Snow Lion Publications

Wise Teacher, Wise Student by Alexander Berzin explores the intricate and complex relationship between Western students and Eastern teachers. This particular type of relationship has its own unique set of challenges due to language barriers, cultural divides, and occasionally conflicting expectations. Berzin focuses on bridging the gap between the two worlds by exploring the student-teacher relationship through the Tibetan Buddhist outlook and its implications for Western students.

The text explores the basics of Tibetan Buddhism, including what a typical spiritual seeker in traditional Tibet would look like. I appreciated that Berzin provided information about the influence on Chinese occupation of Tibet as a means of bringing Tibetan Buddhism to the West. While this occupation is indeed tragic, it has provided the vehicle for Western students to learn about and participate in spiritual rituals and practice. I found this to be an important piece of information for understanding why this particular type of relationship needed special exploration in the first place. According to Berzin, Western spiritual seekers are very different from their Eastern counterparts. Tibetan seekers usually start their spiritual journey and education at a very young age, while most Western students begin their study as adults, after receiving a formal education, and expecting equality and full knowledge of each and every step of the spiritual journey.

After exploring these differences, Berzin touched on foundational concepts and ideas such as the Four Noble Truths and the Eight Fold Path, rectified terms, including the differences and misconceptions surrounding the terms guru and lama; and laid out basic requirements for a seeker and teacher. While this was only the first of three sections of the book, this one definitely feel the heaviest and most time consuming due to the sheer volume of information it contained. The other two sections explored the dynamics of a healthy relationship with a spiritual teacher, and unhealthy relationship behaviors such as fear, overdependence, and even rebellion. These two I found much more interesting, although somewhat dry.

The section that struck me most was on the importance of establishing a relationship based on respect. Part of establishing a healthy relationship with a mentor is focusing on that mentor’s good qualities and strengths. This is not to say that the student should ignore the bad qualities or shortcomings of their mentor, but that they should mediate and focus their energy on the positive attributes. By dwelling on the negative aspects and things one doesn’t like about their teacher, a student can potentially miss out on the lessons and parts that are positive. I found this to be a great overall piece of advice for engaging in any sort of relationship, be it with a spiritual teacher, a friend, family member, or partner. Many times relationships, of any kind, can be trying and difficult, but if you can focus on the things you appreciate about the person, you’ll be much more willing or in a place to engage in a respectful and healthy manner. Any relationship based on respect, on behalf of both parties engaged, has the greatest chance at being healthy and fruitful for all involved.

On a whole, I found the book to be very overwhelming. There was a lot of important information packed into relatively small sections. At times, it assumed the reader had a slightly greater than basic understanding of Buddhist concepts and practices, but at others, found space to break down actual terms into digestible nuggets of information. Due to this strange assumption about the knowledge base of the reader, I had a difficult time figuring out who the target audience for such a book would be. While I understand the desire to appeal to and be useful to a wider audience, I found it difficult to navigate some of the information. I found it most appropriate for a class at a Dharma center, or an intermediate course on Buddhism.

Written by: Liz Martin, August 9th 2010

The Power and the Pain: Transforming Spiritual Hardship into Joy

admin — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0000

By Andrew Holecek

Snow Lion Publications

In The Power and the Pain, Andrew Holecek divides chapters of his teachings by the Three Turnings, or teachings, of the dharma, and associates different cycles of suffering with each. Applying Buddhist principles to different hardships and difficulties along the Buddhist Path, he writes to help those cope with obstacles we stumble upon while moving forward.

In “Hardship as Loss of the Feminine” Holecek explains the concepts of masculine and feminine principles in relation to suffering. In Buddhist cosmology, Holecek writes, ladies come first. I took this chapter with the understanding that Holecek writes on Tibetan Buddhist ideologies being transmitted through Western society, and any critique would require an analysis that takes this into consideration.

Holecek uses terminology that is specific to Buddhism, but it is definitely not only for Buddhists. The Three Turnings are presented as a template for hardships that arise on a spiritual path. Holecek makes the point early on that one might enter the path unconsciously, and what I got from that was the idea that these practices would be beneficial for healing the heart and spirit, even if one doesn’t necessarily believe they are on a spiritual path.

Life is never as tidy as going from Point A to Point B to Point C, and it was possible to read select chapters and not feel you were missing anything. I received The Power and the Pain during a most spiritually tiring time in my life. I was going back to school after a five year hiatus, and the kids were on their summer break (and this meant childcare issues, or lack thereof). These challenges were coupled with serious transitions happening at work. Being a non-linear reader, I randomly opened the book to start reading and found this: “If you are wondering where you should go on your path, look into those areas that scare you and you will find your next step.” That seemed pretty right on.

Even though I am not a practicing Buddhist, I found that The Power and the Pain spoke to me as a guide, and I often went back to passages that connected how outside pressures and events can affect one’s spirit, which made the connection click.

Written by: Noemi Martinez, August 7th 2010

A Complete Guide to the Buddhist Path

admin — Sun, 16 May 2010 00:00:00 +0000

By Khenchen Konchog Gyaltshen

Snow Lion Publications

I guess I was expecting more of a “Buddhism for idiots” type of book when I picked up A Complete Guide to the Buddhist Path by Khenchen Konchog Gyaltshen (a title which means, roughly, “great abbot”). For better or worse, that’s not what this book is. Before I read the book, I knew nothing of Buddhism except that some people call it a philosophy rather than a religion and Buddhist nuns have to shave their heads upon joining their order. I don’t know why I knew those two things and nothing else, but nevertheless I was pretty ignorant of all things Buddhist.

A Complete Guide to the Buddhist Path is commentary based on The Jewel Treasury of Advice: A Hundred Teachings From the Heart by Drikung Bhande Dharmaradza (1704-1754). Each of the 103 verses—plus some introductory verses—is taken as its own piece of wisdom and expounded upon in one to four pages by Gyaltshen. I read through it as one would a novel—not something I’d recommend since there’s a lot of material and quite a bit of repetition from one verse’s exposition to the next. (The preface by the editor warns of the repetition, but I didn’t pay much attention to that until I started thinking, “Hey, didn’t we go over this already?”) In fact, the author and editor anticipated reading the book in sections so that each verse would be contemplated fully before going on. Each verse and commentary is a complete thought and could have its own review, so writing about the entire book in such broad terms is difficult.

Most of the verses in The Jewel Treasury of Advice end with the words, “This is my heart’s advice.” Gyaltshen writes, “[Bhande Dharmaradza] is giving this advice from his heart, completely for the benefit of others. So we should sincerely take it into our heart.” I liked the Advice about the Six Perfections the most. The six perfections are: generosity, moral ethics, patience, perseverance, meditative concentration, and wisdom awareness. While I don’t think reading this book all the way through like a novel is a good idea, I also don’t think a reader should read the verses out of order. The author of the commentary mentions words like samasara, dharma, and skandha, and only defines them the first time. If the book is read out of order, those definitions are lost to the reader, although there is a glossary of terms and names at the end.

This book works better as a meditation tool for those who have already been introduced to Buddhism. It does not work well as an introductory text, despite what the title might suggest.

Written by: Viannah Duncan, May 15th 2010

Heartfelt Advice

admin — Fri, 14 May 2010 16:01:00 +0000

By Lama Dudjom Dorjee

Snow Lion Publications

Heartfelt Advice is a record of ninety-five conversations between the Lama Dudjom Dorjee and his student Aaron Price. In each section, a small portion of a Tibetan text was read to Mr. Price, who then recorded both the translation and the explanation. The result is not the typical recitation of concepts one finds in most introductory writings on Buddhism. Instead, the concepts are explained via the personal experiences of Lama Dudjom Dorjee, and have a more intimate tone than only the translations would provide.

I am a sucker for books on Buddhism. I have a full shelf of books on the subject, and I find myself in the section nearly every time I visit the bookstore. I am enticed by the serene faces of the smiling monks on the covers, and the words of the sutras seem calming even if I sometimes don't understand them.

Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ve gotten past the second chapter of any of the books I’ve purchased. Usually by that point, I find myself overwhelmed, depressed, and feeling more than a little guilty. The initial chapters are always confusing, full of indecipherable imagery and vocabulary. Very early on, it begins to appear that the path to peace and enlightenment requires superhuman devotion; you must utter no bad words, think no bad thoughts, and perform no bad actions. You must accept that nothing is permanent and give up all attachment; to your life, loved ones, ideals, even the very idea of yourself as an individual. This is where I get depressed, feeling that I am just not up to the task of being that devoted. I begin to feel guilty when I contemplate that millions of people worldwide practice this religion and live by its teachings, and I can’t even manage to stop swearing.

This book is somewhat easier to handle. The conversational feeling of the sections allows you to absorb the concept at hand without having to fight so hard to understand it. That is not to say that this book sugarcoats any of the concepts; there is plenty of what Westerners term “hellfire and damnation," especially in the sections on the wheel of karma. The puzzling vocabulary is still present, but this book has the extremely helpful addition of a glossary. The book's format is also helpful, as it doesn’t require you to read the chapters in order: each section deals with a different topic, so flipping through the book is allowed, and may actually even be encouraged.

If you are anything like me, and approach Buddhism with as much attraction as apprehension, this book might just be the stepping stone for you. It shows that yes, studying Buddhism is a lifetime commitment, but it makes it seem a little less daunting than usual.

Written by: Melissa Ruiz, May 14th 2010

Amy and Gully with Aliens

admin — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 09:00:00 +0000

By W.W. Rowe

Snow Lion Publications

Amy and Gully with Aliens looks promising from the title, and the immediate jump into action makes this Buddhist children’s book a breeze. Although a quick read (108 pages with large print), the story comes packed with a heavy moral punch that is based somewhat on the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh: Amy and Gully find themselves learning from aliens about “love and kindness”—a repeated theme throughout the short book.

While the religious and moral story is compelling and resonates with the reader, the feminist aspect leaves something to be desired. In the opening pages of the book, Rowe depicts a quintessential 1950s family. Mrs. Trent (the mother) “flips a pancake.” Mr. Trent (the father) is reading his newspaper, irritated with the kids, and "needs to make some phone calls” before he can take them to school. Mrs. Clearpot is the plump, nature-nut biology teacher that kids ignore, while Mr. Wilkins, the school principal, is capable of teaching those kids a lesson.

While the gender assignments, admittedly, are not pivotal to the plot of the story, they encourage obsolete stereotypes. The easy categorizing of male and female roles in the story is not overt or malicious, but it was seemingly done without thought. It is the nonchalant way women are portrayed as existing only to fill the role of caretaker or are unable to win the respect of their students that makes these roles seem so common. Conversely, men are depicted as busy, important, and in control.

Even when Amy and Gully, the sister-brother duo, fully encompass our attention aboard the spaceship where most of the story takes place, it is Gully who thinks of clever ways to distract the Snoods, their captures, and who plans their escape. Amy is, obviously, helpless. (In W.W. Rowe’s defense, Amy possesses an admirable capacity for sympathy and love—two of the most valuable characteristics, according to the philosophy of the book—even if she is lacking in brains and brawn.) Most of the cliche gender assignments are gone by chapter six when Mala, the all-seeing, all-knowing alien of truth and light, comes to run a final “zarbite” (the Snood’s word for experiment) on the children. This is, of course, where the children are exposed to ideas of inner peace, love, and kindness.

On a moral level, Amy and Gully with Aliens is a great story for children, regardless of religion. The book offers a good option for those seeking moral literature outside traditional Bible stories. At the same time, if you have the goal of teaching non-traditional gender roles, this may not be best book to convince your impressionable young son or daughter that women are just as capable as men.

Written by: Tatiana Ryckman, February 20th 2010

The Courage to Feel: Buddhist Practices for Opening to Others

admin — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 01:00:00 +0000

By Rob Preece

Snow Lion Publications

As someone who recently developed an interest in Buddhism, I feel like a walking cliché. It seems almost inevitable that one will explore an alternative religion at some point in their life. We have become a society of seekers. Maybe it started when the Beatles visited an Indian ashram back in the early '70s and returned to record a number of psychedelic tracks featuring sitar music in the background, thus introducing Eastern religion and music to a whole new generation, or maybe it’s just part of our collective psyche to be explorers of both the material world and unseen spiritual realms.

As part of my process of discovery, I found myself intrigued by the title of Rob Preece’s book The Courage to Feel. Preece is a psychotherapist and longtime practitioner of Buddhism who looks at Tibetan Buddhist meditation and practice through a Western psychoanalytic lens. He begins his introduction by asking readers to think about their approach to suffering—both their own, and suffering on a global scale. He suggests that our natural human tendency is to contract into a fearful and self-preoccupied place when we are going through challenging circumstances, but there is an alternative: to open up your heart and identify with the suffering of others.

In Tibetan Buddhism there is a term called the Bodhisattva, or “the awakening warrior.” The Boddhisattva “cultivates the capacity to live within the raw reality of suffering on the ground and transform life’s adverse circumstances into a path of awakening.” Preece draws a parallel between the Tibetan word for awakened mind, “Bodhichitta,” and Carl Jung’s theory of individuation. Jung believed that individuation takes us beyond the ego to a more profound awakened state of wholeness, which ultimately leads us to finding a sense of purpose in our lives to serve the greater good.

Included in this book are a number of meditations, some that Preece has modified slightly for the Western practitioner. What I found especially helpful was his acknowledgment that certain Buddhist meditations and practices can be problematic for Westerners. For example, the meditation “recognizing that all beings have been our mother” requires that one believe in multiple reincarnations with various beings and species having been our mother. As Preece explains, “the process of reincarnation means that we have had a continuous stream of lives and that the beings we see around us have also had a continuous stream of incarnations. Those we have been related to in these lives are all around us, even though we do not easily recognize the connection…potentially our mother has been closer to us emotionally and physically than most other connections. She is important to us in all the different states of incarnation, whether human, animal, bird, fish or insect.”

Preece points out that meditation is not a “cure all” for everyone and that there are times when therapy or counseling is needed to work through emotional wounds from childhood or adulthood. He also stresses that Buddhist teachings on the cultivation of Boddhichitta are sometimes misinterpreted to mean self-effacement, or not setting appropriate boundaries in order to give up “self-cherishing” tendencies. Depending on one’s individual spiritual evolution, a healthier and more assertive self-orientation may actually be in order.

This is one of those books that I find myself returning to over and over again for spiritual encouragement and inspiration. If you’re looking to learn more about the theory and practice of Buddhism, this is a great book to read to start the new year.

Written by: Gita Tewari, January 21st 2010

Chöd Practice in the Bön Tradition

admin — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 17:01:00 +0000

By Alejandro Chaoul

Snow Lion Publications

In Chöd Practice in the Bön Tradition, author Alejandro Chaoul presents a scholarly overview of a form of meditative practice that is little known in the Western world. It is called chöd, a term that translates to “cutting.” Chaoul’s presentation studies chöd in the context of the Tibetan Bön tradition and differentiates it from the practice of chöd in the Buddhist tradition.

While Chaoul offers a valuable text on what is a rarely studied ancient tradition, readers should be forewarned that although this is a slim book, it is not a light read. The subject matter is fascinating, however, due to what may appear to some as an extreme type of meditation. The purpose of performing chöd, according to Chaoul, is to cut through the practitioner’s ego as a step toward achieving enlightenment or buddhahood. Chöd is considerably different from our typical view of meditation. Simply put, this type of meditation is performed in such a way that it induces fear in the practitioner so that he or she may “sever” or see through their fear.

To practice chöd, a person usually meditates at night in a frightening place, such as a cemetery or charnel ground. The practitioner performs music with traditional instruments that historically have been constructed with human bones. The drum, for example, is ideally made of two human skulls, one of a 16-year-old male and one of a 16-year-old female. Chaoul writes that it is best if the skulls come from children who have passed away in accidents and not from sickness. During the meditation, the practitioners are to envision their bodies being cut up and served to various demons.

The desired result of the chöd practice is to transcend human ignorance, which has placed us within samsāra (“a cycle of birth, sickness, aging, death and rebirth”). Chaoul writes that chöd is “considered to be a powerful method to liberate one from this cycle.” Not only does this practice offer insight but it’s also a lesson in the ultimate act of generosity: the offering of the practitioner’s physical body. It’s these two attributes (generosity and insight) that Chaoul states are “the two main ingredients in developing the mind of enlightenment.”

In Chöd Practice in the Bön Tradition, Chaoul gives an overview of the history of chöd, discusses ancient related texts, and explains how it is practiced. Chaoul also touches briefly on what he calls “the representations of the female aspects of reality” in chöd. In this tradition, “when one is freed from one’s body, one returns to the oneness of the great womb.” Unfortunately, as interesting as further explanation on this would be, Chaoul admits but does not go into reasons why he was unable to include additional discussion on how practitioners view the feminine as it relates to chöd.

Written by: Beverly Jenkins-Crockett, January 8th 2010

Transcendent Wisdom

admin — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 01:00:00 +0000

By B. Alan Wallace, His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Snow Lion Publications

This recent translation of a teaching presented by His Holiness the Dalai Lama on a chapter of the same name written by Indian scholar Shantideva in A Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life serves as a guide to more thoroughly understanding of this particular work. Initially spoken to thousands of Tibetans in 1979, the ideas and wisdom of this chapter continue to exist and are translated to illuminate those pondering a Buddhist Centrist view and how it relates to and exists in the contemporary world.

Utilizing his experience as a teacher and trainer, B. Alan Wallace selected this information for interpretation and clarification. With points numbered from the original work, Wallace presents questions and opposing concepts (some of which may fall into the realm of Western thought) to each idea; this leads to further developing the work, each point acting as a building block to develop a further understanding of the Madhyamaka view of Buddhism.

Devoting his life to teaching and Buddhism, Wallace trained as a Buddhist monk in several countries and serves as a major Tibetan translator, editor, and author for over thirty books. His studies in religion support his pursuits in communicating to readers as he combines his training in science and religion as it applies to our contemporary living. Divided into three parts, this singular text identifies major aspects of the Centrist view. Through detailed elaboration on each point, Wallace provides necessary commentary to help make the reading more achievable.

Even without a tremendous awareness of Buddhism, one can maneuver through Transcendent Wisdom carefully and deliberately. With a minor foray into understanding the philosophy of Buddhism, one can utilize the footnotes for a more elaborate experience into the active acceptance of this specific branch of the faith. As a tool, this text delivers a more ornate explanation and a bounty of substance to bring the reader to a better understanding of what this religion embraces. Dry but clear, this text requires sincere focus and time; however, as one adventures into the writing, one may adopt a more Buddhist way of being.

Written by: Carolyn Espe, December 15th 2009

2010 Complete Tibetan Calendar

admin — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:46:00 +0000

By Nitartha International, Nalandabodhi

Snow Lion Publications

The 2010 Complete Tibetan Calendar is, as calendars go, pretty nifty. It features an astrological forecast for each day of the year, determined by a combination of three factors: element combination, ruling conjunction, and auspicious combination. If you do not know what any of these things are, don’t worry; located at the end of the calendar, in the “About This” section, is a wonderfully constructed chart that explains what each astrological indicator is and how it affects a person’s daily life. The indicators are listed in both English and Tibetan, giving the calendar a nice cultural flare. There is also a key that tells one how to read all the information listed on each day’s calendar square, making it all very easy to use and understand. In addition, there are also a few paragraphs on Buddhism and Tibetan astrology that, while not deeply detailed, are still informative and educational.

Each month of the calendar features a drawing of an Arhat, a person who, in layman’s terms, is an elder in the Buddhist religion who has reached enlightenment. These particular drawings were done by the Seventeenth Karmapa Orgyen Trinley, a current spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism. The sketches are very rudimentary with a minimum of lines and colors, but it is this very simplicity that gives them their charm.

One really wonderful thing about the calendar is that it marks Buddhist holidays, as well as the traditional Western ones for countries such as the United States, Canada, and Australia. All the astrological information is conveniently located at the bottom of the square for each day, leaving plenty of room to write in appointments, birthdays, reminders, and other important notes. This feature makes it useful as a functioning calendar, as well as an astrological chart.

The 2010 Complete Tibetan Calendar is created by Nitartha International and Nalandabodhi, two non-profit organizations which strive to preserve the traditions and culture of Tibet.

Written by: Victoria Kroeger, November 30th 2009

Buddhist Fasting Practice: The Nyunge Method of Thousand Armed Chenrezig

admin — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:02:00 +0000

By Wangchen Rinpoche

Snow Lion Publications

Starting in high school, I became very interested in Buddhism, which really did not sit well with my Catholic family. The philosophy behind Buddhism intrigued me, as well as the history. That is why I was interested in reading Buddhist Fasting Practice. It is more than just a book on fasting: it encompasses the history, the philosophy and the practice of Tibetan Buddhism.

Wangchen Rinpoche goes into great detail about the history of the Nyunge method, which is a specific type of fasting, beginning with Gelongma Palmo, a princess stricken with leprosy. When Gelongma Palmo performed the Nyunge method, her leprosy was cured, and she entered enlightenment. In addition to Gelongma Palmo, Rinpoche discusses other great gurus of the Nyunge method; the amount of information that he provides in this section could be a book on its own.

The benefits of the Nyunge method, according to Rinpoche, are enlightenment, as well as cleansing. In the Buddhist tradition, misfortunes are due to bad karma, either in this life or previous lives. By performing the Nyunge method, the practitioner's karma is cleansed and she is born into a higher being her next life. One round of the Nyunge method includes a day with only one vegetarian meal, and another day of fasting. Practitioners can choose to continue the fasting, which provides even more benefits. In addition to the fasting, Rinpoche includes the chants used in phonetics and Tibetan prints. Pictures are also included of sacred images.

Buddhist Fasting Practice can be a tough book to get through: the information is dense and Rinpoche covers a large amount in his book. However, it is a valuable resource for people interested in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and Buddhist fasting methods. Scholars of Buddhism will find that Rinpoche knows what he is talking about as he provides an in-depth look at the Nyunge method and tradition.

Written by: Elizabeth Stannard Gromisch, October 17th 2009