In Open Heart, Open Mind, Tsoknyi Rinpoche - one of the most beloved of the
contemporary generation of Tibetan Buddhist meditation masters - explains
that a life free of fear, pain, insecurity, and doubt is not only
possible, its our birthright. We long for peace, for the ability to
love and be loved openly and freely, and for the confidence and clarity
to meet the various challenges we face in our daily lives.
Within
each of us resides a spark of unparalleled brilliance, an unlimited
capacity for warmth, openness, and courage, which Rinpoche identifies as
"essence love." Timeless and imperishable, essence love is often
layered over by patterns of behavior and belief that urge us to seek
happiness in conditions or situations that never quite live up to their
promise.
Drawing on rarely discussed teachings of Tibetan
Buddhism, Rinpoche describes how such patterns evolve and offers a
series of meditation exercises to help us unravel them and, in the
process, reawaken an energy and exuberance that can not only bring
lasting fulfillment to our lives but ultimately serve to enliven and
inspire the entire world, as well.
With great humor,
intelligence, and candor, Tsoknyi Rinpoche also details his own
struggles to reconnect with essence love. Identified at an early age as
the incarnation of a renowned Tibetan master and subjected to a rigorous
monastic training, he ultimately renounced his vows, married, and is
now the father of two daughters. As he recounts his own efforts to
strike a balance between the promptings of his heart and an obligation
to preserve and protect the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism, Rinpoche
provides a bridge between ancient wisdom and modern life, and encourages
each of us to rediscover the openness, fearlessness, and love that is
the essence of our own life.
Born in 1966 in Nubri, Nepal, Tsoknyi Rinpoche is one of the most renowned teachers of Tibetan Buddhism trained outside of Tibet. Deeply versed in both the practical and philosophical disciplines of Tibetan Buddhism, he is beloved by students around the world for his accessible style, his generous and self-deprecating humor, and his deeply personal compassionate insight into human nature. The married father of two daughters, Rinpoche nevertheless manages to balance family life with a demanding schedule of teaching around the world and overseeing two nunneries in Nepal, one of the largest nunneries in Tibet, and more than fifty practice centers and hermitages in the eastern region of Tibet. More information abou Tsoknyi Rinpoche, his teachings, and his activities can be found at www.TsoknyiRinpoche.org.
Eric Swanson is coauthor, with Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, of the New York Times bestseller The Joy of Living and its follow-up volume, Joyful Wisdom. A graduate of Yale University and the Juilliard School, he is the author of several works of fiction and nonfiction. After converting to Buddhism in 1995, he cowrote Karmapa, The Sacred Prophecy, a history of the Karma Kagyu lineage, and authored What the Lotus Said, a memoir.
Contents: Open Heart, Open Mind: Awakening the Power of Essence Love by Tsoknyi Rinpoche with Eric Swanson |
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Foreword by Richard Gere |
ix |
A Note About Tibetan Words |
xiii |
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ONE: The Bridge |
1 |
TWO: Starting Out |
17 |
THREE: The Spark |
41 |
FOUR: Mis"I"dentification |
81 |
FIVE: Method
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111 |
SIX: Minding the Body
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123 |
SEVEN: The Subtle Body |
133 |
EIGHT: Learning to Ride |
144 |
NINE: The Inner Speed Limit |
155 |
TEN: Minding the Mind |
167 |
ELEVEN: Inner Space |
176 |
TWELVE: Putting It Together |
193 |
THIRTEEN: Into Action |
202 |
FOURTEEN: Trust |
232 |
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Glossary |
239 |
For Further Reading |
245 |
Acknowledgments |
247 |
Index |
249 |
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