I read and reread this remarkable book years ago when I first became acquainted with the Buddhist teachings from Tibet. The author dedicates his work to Western students of the Dharma. This is most appropriate since if there was one book I would recommend to anybody interested in learning about the Tibetan approach to meditation and the Buddhist teachings, this book would be the one.
Tarthang Tulku guides the reader on the path of awakening in a most gentle and sweet manner. To provide a sampling, here are a few quotes with my own commentary as a Westerner having practiced the Dharma over the span of thirty years.
"I think Westerners can automatically understand many of Buddha's beginning teachings because there is a lot of frustration here. We can understand a great deal just by studying our own life experience."
The author lets us know as Westerners that we can use our own culture and background as a powerful way to access the Dharma. Buddha didn't teach for the benefit of Asians only; Buddhism and the Dharma is meant for everybody willing to step on the path.
"Our senses are nourished when we become quiet and relaxed. We can experience each sense, savoring its essence. To do this, touch on one aspect of the senses, and then allow the feeling to go farther. As we go to an even deeper level, we can intensify and enjoy the values and the satisfaction to be found there. We can explore the creamy texture of our deeper feelings, and contact an ever subtler level of beauty within our bodies and senses. Within the open space of meditation we can find infinite joy and perfect bliss."
You can read and study dozens, maybe hundreds, of texts in Western philosophy and religion going back to Plato, Aristotle, Plotinus, Augustine, and Aquinas, but you will not find anything in any of those ancient and medieval texts like what Tarthang Tulku has written here.
"When you realize that everything is like a dream, you attain pure awareness. And the way to attain this awareness is to realize that all experience is like a dream."
The author presents the teaching of dream yoga in such an approachable and easy-to-understand way. This will be a unique experience for Westerners, since, sadly, we lack comparable teachings within our Western tradition.
Tarthang Tulku relates a number of unforgettable stories about old Tibet. This is one I recall in my own words: One young lama bragged about his fearlessness in doing the Chod practice of calling out to demons while sitting alone is a spooky cemetery at night. The other lamas got tired of his bragging and one night they smeared their bodies with sulfur paste so they glowed. When the young lama called out to the demons that night, all the glowing lamas came out from hiding and moved toward him. Seeing this sight, the young lama took to his heels, fast! The next morning at breakfast, the lamas didn't have to listen to all his bragging about his Chod practice and fearlessness. Rather, he ate in silence.
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