Lama Surya Das is one of the most well-regarded Buddhist teachers and scholars in America today. His books have sold hundreds of thousands of copies and his seminars and retreats are continually in demand. In part, it is his straightforward, accessible, and humorous approach that audiences react so strongly to, and in The Mind Is Mightier Than the Sword, Surya brings that unique approach to a comprehensive guide to the most essential Buddhist teachings.

For beginners and experienced practitioners alike, Lama Surya Das outlines his Six Building Blocks of Spiritual Practice and offers insight and advice not only on how to find and develop a spiritual center, but how to integrate it into your daily life. From daily meditation and yoga to creative work, journaling, volunteering in your community, and finding teachers in unexpected places, Buddhist practice can and should be part of everything you do. The Mind Is Mightier Than the Sword is a practical guide to using the teachings of Buddhism to live a happier, healthier, more enlightened life.

SURYA DAS is the highest trained American lama in the Tibetan tradition. A poet, translator, and full time spiritual teacher, he is the author of the bestselling Awakening the Buddha Within and Awakening to the Sacred. Surya Das lectures and leads meditation retreats worldwide. Awakening the Buddhist Heart will be his fourth book, and his third published by Broadway Books. Surya Das lives outside of Boston, Massachusetts

	Contents: THE MIND IS MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD: Enlightening the Mind, Opening the Heart
	Acknowledgments	vii
	Introduction: Living Dharma: Old Wine in New Bottles	1
	part I SUSTAINING THE ESSENCE: You must Be present to Win	9
Chapter 1	Natural Meditation: The Power of Nowness	11
Chapter 2	Enlightened Living: The Heart of Awakening	27
Chapter 3	Swooping Down from Above While Climbing Up from Below: Absolute Outlook and Relative Practice	47
	part II THE FACTS OF LIFE FROM A BUDDHIST PERSPECTIVE: Turn the Searchlight, the Spotlight, inward	63
Chapter 4	Buddha's Enlightenment Experience	65
Chapter 5	Suffering and the Cause of Suffering	79
Chapter 6	The End of Suffering	91
Chapter 7	The Three Trainings	108
Chapter 8	The Eightfold Path to Enlightenment	120
Chapter 9.	The Five Skandhas and the Nature of Individuality	132
Chapter 10	The Six Principles of Enlightened Living	147
	part III PRACTICE IS PERFECT: Just Do It	163
Chapter 11	Taking Refuge: Awakening Compassion	165
Chapter 12	The Teacher: Learning from Both the Foolish and the Wise	180
Chapter 13	The Lion's Roar: The Challenge of Dharma	196
Chapter 14	Sangha Means Community	207
Chapter 15	Chanting and Sacred Sound	217
Chapter 16	Altar Practice	230
Chapter 17	Tibetan Energy Yoga	237
Chapter 18	Tibetan Dream Yoga	253
Chapter 19	Deepening Practice Through Retreat	269
	part IV CONTEMPORARY SPIRITUAL EXPRESSIONS: Integrating Dharma into Daily life	279
Chapter 20	Spiritual Intelligence	281
Chapter 21	Creativity and Spirituality	298
Chapter 22	Living Up to Death	314
Chapter 23	Opening the Third Ear: The Art of True Listening	332
Chapter 24	Being Peace, Disarming the Heart: Anger and Nonviolence	349
Chapter 25	Opening the Book of Nature	369
Chapter 26	What I Teach and Why	380
Afterword	What I Teach and Why	403
	Index	413