Open Heart, Open Mind
Awakening the Power of Essence Love
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4.4 • 13 Ratings
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
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, it’s 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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this intermediate guide to Buddhist principles, popular Tibetan teacher Tsoknyi Rinpoche III writes, "Learning to live with... courage requires us to see the nature of the challenges we face, the nature of ourselves, and the nature of reality, in a radically different light." To this end, the author addresses such obstacles as habitual patterns and the process of identification, then outlines ways to access the individual's "tremendous inner potential for openness, warmth, and wisdom." He provides detailed insights on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness body, feeling, thoughts, and dharma, which he interprets as space, along with discussions of the subtle body, bodhicitta (seeking enlightenment for all), tonglen (cultivating compassion), dzogchen ("great perfection"), and the six paramitas (perfections). Raised in Nepal and now married with two children, Tsoknyi Rinpoche uses many examples from his challenging teenage experiences at a monastery in India and includes anecdotes from his students. His notable skill is using clear language and homespun analogies to illuminate Buddhist concepts. Tibetan terms are explained as well as their Sanskrit equivalents. Simple practices are scattered throughout; a glossary is included. Warm and largely accessible, this book is a master class for practitioners looking for clear explanations of Buddhism's ideas from a Tibetan perspective.
