A no-nonsense, firm, but gentle warning note to those of us committed to the so-called path of self-development. Trungpa patiently brings into fresh air the dangerous and destructive method by which we typically approach the notion of spirituality: i.e. as something to be developed, learnt through discipline or otherwise achieved much as we seek to aquire the prizes in our everyday material life. Trungpa's message was ideally suited to that aspect of ourselves - the Eastern mind as much as the Western - which is constantly looking for something external through which we hope to secure our sense of self and make us happy. Exposing this tendency with great skill and clarity, he outlines a more open, direct and yet infinitely more challenging way to experience Mind beyond the self through correct meditation. Even amongst Buddhist literature this is wonderfully refreshing and at once destroys all hope of bettering oneself and yet points to a far brighter fact: that true liberation inevitably involves letting go of the self rather than working to improve it. The often rather painful process of spiritual awakening is made sense of in this book if we begin to see that our emotions and thoughts cloud our direct experience of reality. An apt message befitting an enlightened being who wore his suits 2 sizes too small as a constant reminder of the irritation and dissatisfaction of the samsaric world.

Excellent discourse and scathing on modern day ooey-gooey chocolaty tranquiliser meditation(TM). Discover truly what TRUTH (Guru) is all about.

Do you think you're becoming a better person?

Trungpa's book is a reality check for wide-eyed spiritualists, mystics and "believers" of all kinds. He makes a clever back door assualt on the ego and its overwhelming tendency to hijack the spiritual process. While I found some parts rather arcane, it's generally an economical text. I would especially recommend it to anyone with an interest in self-development who is exploring the spiritual path (is that what it's called?). Read it before committing yourself any further to may be just more BS. For me, this book brought years of self-gratifying meditation practice to a sudden halt. Rather like waking from a warm happy dream, and I have not looked back.

This book consists of selections from Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche's books, put together carefully by Carolyn Rose Gimian. Some of Rinpoche's poetry is also included.

The book is roughly divided into five sections: Shambhala, an introduction to basic Buddhist ideas, and each of the three yanas (vehicles) of Buddhism - Hinayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana (or tantra). Each part has several selections from Rinpoche's work. Being relatively new to Shambhala and Buddhist thinking, I found these essays very useful to get a better understanding of the basic ideas. However, I found the section on Tantra difficult to comprehend; a more advanced practitioner may find it more useful.

The chapter "Art in Everyday Life" was particularly refreshing. Rinpoche writes about practicing a non-aggressive and positve approach to art, linked to awareness practice.

Overall, this book is a comprehensive introduction to Trungpa Rinpoche's teachings. It has given me a good global picture and an idea of where to go next on this journey.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to improve as a human being. I must have read three or four books on Tibethan Budism, and I can honestly say that Chogyam Trumgpa is my favourite monk so far.

His writings are really unique, since for the first time I could find a Tibethan who could share all of their ancient wisdom, but at the same time would still keep in mind how different and complicated our western societies are.

Mr. Trumgpa approaches several important and essential aspects of our lives, with such clarity and sweetness, that it was almost surprisingly how easily I could relate to most of his writings.

His writing style is really beautiful, reading like a "floating feather", yet approaching and analyzing several important subjects and aspects of human life.

This volume is particularly interesting, since it is a compilation of his thoughts, with selections from most of his books. This way, you can later easily choose which books by him to read, to further deepen into his writings.

One of the most important aspects of this book, is that I noticed that almost never Mr. Trumgpa puts himself in the position of a master talking to his students. On the contrary, he kindly puts himself among the human beings, and writes as someone who seems to understand how insane and stressful a western existence can be.

In short, this is a very interesting book, which packs a lot of wisdom. It may help we to achieve some balance, bring us back to track or help we finding new ways in our lives.

Using impecably plain language, this book summarizes the most essential spiritual teachings from the master who brought forth the Shambhala system of spiritual warriorship.

Carolyn Rose Gimian does a splendid job of selecting and adapting key sections from Ripoche's books. The teachings are woven into a compendium of fundamental guidelines for both spiritual advancement and living a more harmonious life in the material world.

This is unquestionably the one book I would share with everyone who wanted to understand the essential principles of buddhism, or just to find more peace of mind.

This book records the teachings of 12 Theravada Buddhists, mostly famous ones in their own societies: Achaan Chaa, Mahasi Sayadaw, Sunlun Sayadaw (via a disciple), Achaan Buddhadasa, Achaan Naeb, Achaan Maha Boowa, Taungpulu Sayadaw, Mohnyin Sayadaw, Mogok Sayadaw (via a disciple), U Ba Khin, Achaan Dhammadaro, and Achaan Jumnien. These are basically the most famous meditation instructors in Myanmar (Burma), Thailand and Laos. If you want to learn about Theravada meditation, either for scholarly reasons or to practice, you can't do better than this book without learning their languages.

However, I think it represents a sort of elite perspective on Theravada Buddhism. Many practitioners don't share exactly the spiritualities expressed by these teachers, and I think their practices and beliefs (some would say superstitions) are an important and valuable part of Theravada Buddhism, not to be neglected by either scholars or practioners.

This book although now a little dated, is still brilliant.Here in one book are the many diverse strands of Theravada Meditation, the Thai Forest Ajahns & the Burmese Vipassana Sayadaws are present. The material covers a very broad spectrum of Teachings & approaches. I am loving reading this book.

I loved this book. It gave the paths and teachings of different Buddhist teachers. It was interesting to see how they all used different methods to acheive similiar results. It's a must read for anyone interested in Buddhism.

This very surprizing (sorry!) book by a very contraversial author is a true prize. Maybe it had to stay hidden like Terma Teaching until the right time in His Story.

I have read a lot of Tibetan Buddhist texts but this one seems to put it together in a modern, understandable, workable form.

Thank you, Osel Tendzin. Such a shame you had to die in the attempt.

So many books on philosophy and religion talk "at" the system rather than offering a hands on real life feel. Buddha in the Palm of Your Hand is one of the rare books that leaves you feeling like you have something to actually go with in a practical sense...not just another idea to ponder and let your head go crazy with...no pedantic BS here! This easy to read book leaves you with a sense of peace and purpose. It also helps to de-complex a system that people have managed to make more complex than was intended. Loved it

In Glimpses Of Abhidharma, Buddhist mediation master and scholar Chogyam Trungpa discusses the development of ego as it is explained in the "Abhidharma", a collection of Buddhist scriptures which investigates the workings of the mind and the states of human consciousness. A provocative interpretation of ego and psychology, Glimpses Of Abhidharma reveals the practice of mediation within the Buddhist tradition to be an effective means of enabling us to see our psychological situation clearly and directly. Glimpses Of Abhidharma is an imposing and highly recommended addition to Buddhist scholarship.

I read this book a long time ago. The Abhidharma consists of three "heaps". One is Psychology. Trungpa was at his very best when this book recorded some of his lectures. And it is "greatly" underrated. He covers pieces of the Abhidharma like a wizard. Each lecture is followed by a question and answer period. So it's really great. One question was what people who were really nuts could do for their pain. Trungpa replied that getting anchored in the body, at what he calls "the animal realm", will help greatly. Years after reading this, I was leading a Codependents Anonymous meeting. One lady had just been diagnosed as a manic-depressive (no, this is not "nuts"). When my turn came, I suggested that anybody who is zippering off into outer space would usually benifit by manual labor. Such as doing the laundry or washing the dishes. When her turn came again, she said that was exactly what she was going to do (crosstalk is not allowed). I learned this from Trungpa. He also was very much against labeling people this-or-that. In this book, when he was forced by the audience to speak about insanity, he did so in a way that made it sound like insane people were egomaniacs like the rest of us. But so much so that they "spin off". He describes the two forms in which he believed this happens. I have not looked at this book in 15 years. But it is very good. Perhaps Trungpa's most concise work ever. Please buy it and read it. It really strikes deep into the heart of Buddhist Psychology. Thank you.

This book is one of the best books ever written on the contemporary poetry scene. It is smart, tough, and accurate.

Poetry abandoned its sense of reason, and in swept gangsters like Trungpa and Ron Padgett. Result: read all about it in Clark's book, if you can find a copy.

The same thing happened at Rajneeshpuram, and other hippy meccas. Sneaky finks calling themselves gurus swept into the vacuum left by the vacant minds of hippies, and the result was sheer terror.

What was that somebody said about eternal vigilance? I must have smoked too much pot. I can't remember.

Clark has a funny brutal sense of reality. I recommend all his books to anyone who wants to stay alive. He functions. While most of his generation of poets were just idiots swimming in swill, and happy to do so, Clark was a citizen that the founders of this republic would not have scorned. He is a man of principle, and God save the creeps that Clark chooses to ridicule.

Wonderful, funny, and scary book about poetry, buddhism, and craziness. I read this years ago and want to re-read it again soon.

This collection of fifteen essays and talks offers an excellent introduction to the teachings of Chogyam Trungpa (1940-1987) as they relate to daily life. Trained in Tibetan Buddhism, Trungpa Rinpoche put aside his monastic robes when he came to the United States, believing that Buddhism needed to be taught "free from cultural trappings and religious fascination" (pp. 241-42). He criticized the materialistic and commercialized "spiritual supermarket" he encountered in the West, and encouraged his students to simply practice sitting meditation so that "it becomes an actual part of life" cutting through to the heart of the spiritual journey (pp. 34; 242). He introduced profound Buddhist teachings to the West in "a thoroughly contemporary way" (p. 243) and, for instance, there are teachings included in this 260-page book applicable to relationships, money, raising children, and drinking alcohol.

Our spiritual journey is a solitary one. The Buddha encouraged us to work out our own salvation with diligence, and "in some sense," Trungpa Rinpoche writes, "Buddhism can be described as a do-it-yourself process" (p. 69). THE HEART OF THE BUDDHA is organized into three parts. In the "Personal Journey" part of this book (pp. 1-82), Trungpa encourages us to confront ourselves directly through meditation practice. Rather than struggling to escape our pain, he writes, we must make it our path (p. 64). In the second part, "Stages of the Path" (pp. 83-170), Trungpa discusses the hinayana, mahayana, and vajrayana stages of the Buddhist path, which ultimately take us from our own inner self to facing life fearlessly. In the last part of the book, "Working with Others" (pp. 171-216), he demonstrates how meditation practice reveals the sacred quality of our everyday experience. This book delivers exactly what its title promises--teachings that cut straight to the heart of Tibetan Buddhism.

G. Merritt

This book proves beyond doubt the class of Chogyam Trungpa as a real master of the noble lineage of Karma Kagyu tradition.There are two chapters which require an in-depth reading: 1)The four foundations of mindfulness, and 2)Sacred outlook. The chapter titled sacred outlook contains the heart of the tantra tradition. Understanding the Vajrayogini principle so very clearly explained in this text will clear up all confusion in the minds of the students of the Dharma regarding the total absence of connection between sex and the Buddhist tantra. For those who question the ritual aspects of the Tibetan Buddhism, the answer lies in the explanation given by Chogyam Trungpa of the symbolism of the iconography of the Vajrayogini. I would like to share with all the following nuggets embedded in this chapter: "Experiencing the vajra mind of Vajrayogini is so deep and vast that if thoughts arise, they do not become highlights: they are small fish in a huge ocean of space" "All the dharmas comprising grasping and fixation become empty. From within emptiness.....arises the triangular source of dharmas....On that is the nature of my consciousness....Like a fish leaping from water, I arise in the body of Jetsun Vajrayogini" "The best translation of yidam that I have found is "personal deity". I strongly recommend this book for all students of Buddhism.

Adventure, courageous effort, dedication, humor, tragedy, magic, and enlightenment. Must reading for anyone interested in Tibetan Buddhism and Tantra in particular. Read the biographies of Naropa and Milarepa to get a larger picture of this lineage of masters. For those involved in Dharma practice reading these biographies gives a clearer sense of what hard practice is, and what a life in Dharma may be like for sincere practitioners. It is always refreshing to hear about the actions and words of truely clear headed masters.

Nearly every spiritual aspirant has read about Milarepa, the master yogi of Tibet. Now there is information about his guru Marpa, the translater and actually importer of Buddhism from India to Tibet. Marpa stands in the lineage of Naropa, Marpa, Milarepa, Gampopa and then the Karmapas. But Marpa was no regular saint or yogi. He was married and had an awkward personality. His tough and difficult character made it possible to persevere unbearable hardships of traveling, finding a guru in a remote country and following that gurus path. And it was no easy task to become accepted by Naropa as a pupil. And it was no easier to deal with his own pupil Milarepa. Marpas power has proved to outlast history: The Karmapas are still around and they are no easier to deal with today.

I've read this book three times and took Shambala Training. Many years ago, I saw a young girl sitting on a park bench reading this book. I thought "uh-oh!" Chogyam Trungpa was considered one of the greatest meditation masters in American Buddhism. The Karmapa approved of him totally. He was a brillant man who understood the inhibitions and neurosis of Westerners possibly better than any teacher who has taught Tibetan Buddhism in the West. He helped me a great deal. I no longer became embarrassed about being a human being. His books are and were great. But sadly enough, we have to face facts. I have talked to many many people in the last twenty years who knew him. His conduct was, to say the least, deplorable. He constantly violated four out of the five Buddhist precepts. Buy the book. All of Trungpa's books and his teachings were fundamentally kind and compassionate. Just do what the Dalai Lama suggests. Be wary with any personal teacher. Best of luck.

such as 'Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism', which is a very good read. His words in this book are not very concise and he never goes deep into his topics. It is much like a cliff notes for 'The Road Less Traveled' - by Scott Peck. If you want to read about how to live everyday life, go for Scott Peck. If you are looking for a book on Zen or meditation read 'Zen Mind, Beginners Mind'. Shambhala wasnt a terrible book, but it wasnt a life changing, thought inspiring one either. Hope this review helped!

"The Shambhala teachings are founded on the premise that there is basic human wisdom that can help to solve the world's problems. This wisdom does not belong to any one culture or religion, nor does it come only from the West or the East. Rather, it is a tradition of human warriorship that has existed in many cultures at many times throughout history". - Chogyam Trungpa

The book looks at the principles of warriorship, and this is non-aggressive, no swords and daggers here.

I read this book and it was like having spent my whole life walking from place to place. Then one day being given a bicycle to travel around. And one night, whilst asleep, dreaming of the awesome speed I was now able to travel at, someone sneaks into my garage and fits a turbo charged, jet powered, rocket engine.

I would recommend this book to anyone, and have been doing, if you are reading this now then your search is complete, there is no need to go any further. Put it in your shopping basket and get ready for the rollercoaster ride of your life.

What do salty sailors, communists, ad execs, and Tibetan Buddhists have in common? The Power of Slogans! From 'Have a Coke and a Smile' to "Be all that you can Be", the brain loves a good saying. This book is Trungpa's translation of the 59 slogans used to instruct Tibetan Buddhists, with his commentary on each. Trungpa is unassailable as an instructor: the 11th generation of a line of chosen Tibetan Trungpas, he went to oxford on a scholarship and then moved to the US in the 1970's where he founded what remain as among the foremost Buddhist/meditative institutions in the country. I tend to believe Buddhism gained a little more than it lost en route to japan, so I prefer the zen stuff, but this book has a lot to offer anyone. Some nitpicking: For a guy who dedicated his life to bringing jargonless Buddhism to the west, the book is a little full of 'mystical-sounding foreign words' though thankfully the glossary is very fine. And plenty of important Buddha concepts don't shine through (cause and effect, and the big mirror concepts don't get too much play here) so just make sure this isn't the only book you read on the topic. And some of the slogans are simply not too memorable and consequently lose their force; 'always be grateful' is dandy, though 'the mahayana instruction for ejection of consciousness at death is the five strengths' seems like an important one that alas probably won't be dancing off too many tongues at the critical moment. Still this is a fine book, a great book for beginners or advanced alike, coming from any tradition whatsoever. & the small format fits well, making it a great book for commutes or travels. Enjoy! (& remember: just because I didn't like the book as much as you doesn't mean you should vindictively vote against my review!)

It is always amazing to me that more people don't know the wonderful work that Trungpa did in bringing Buddhism to the West. He was a proponent of loving kindness who skillfully assisted thousands in understanding both the basic precepts of Buddhism, and specific traditions of Tibetan Buddhism as they are now practiced in both East and West.

This small format book is a wealth of information -- more than the mere "slogans" which lead each section. It is a careful revelation of principals and practices one usese to train the mind, emphasizing how one can use compassion and intelligence in dealing with everyday situations. A real gem of a book to read and read again.

Bringing Buddhist teachings to a western mind is no easy task. I find that the material in this book clearly allows one to understand Dharma in a crisp and refreshing light. The ability to apply this to the western life is well stated.