I read this book because it was required for Session's Philosophy course at Sierra College. Those of you who can read it without experiencing Professor Sessions have a great advantage. He put together an excellent book, unfortunately he is a real jerk. I have never had an instructor talk down to students the way he did. That being said, Deep Ecology is a fascinating topic. Reading the essays in this book will open your eyes to a very different philosophy on life. The simple arguments carried out by main-stream environmentalists and their counterparts become almost useless. If you are looking for an alternative to the money motivated lobbying of many contemporary organizations or if you just want to read a different viewpoint, I recommend this book!

Absolutely spectacular anthology! I lost my copy and could barely keep from crying. Great information for those new to Deep Ecology. Terrific reading for those familiar with it.

This was my first exposure to the Tibetan book of the Dead. Basically this book is an instuctional guide for traveling thru the Bardo; the period or place in which we find ourselves after death, and before incarnating into our next life or form. The book gives a very detailed description of the deities and phenomena one can expect to encounter in the Bardo, and the actions one must take to facilitate an optimal incarnation. It also instructs on the practices that we should engage in while living, to prepare for the Bardo, and therefor have the best out come of that experience. In addition, this is a guide for facilitating and guiding another person thru death and the Bardo. This is a straight forward reading of the book by Gere, it is clear and easy to understand. He is easy to listen to. The descriptions of the various dieties get a bit long winded as he decribes at least a hundred of them. Some of it is gruesome and down right scarey sounding. But the basic thing to remember is, that it is all emenating from our own mind, and not to be overcome by fear. Exposure to this information, practice and meditation on these deities can help prepare us for this experience. Apparently, if we take the correct actions (or non actions) in the bardo, we may not have to continue in samsara but can go directly to the Buddha state, or at least an incarnation in one of the more pleasant realms. I am fairly new to Tibetan Buddhism, so my interpretations of what I heard may not be a perfect reflection of the actual teachings. But that is how I heard it.

Sadly, even amongst some practitioners of other sects and traditions of Buddhism not much is known about the mythology and philosophy of many of the sects and lineages of Tibetan Buddhism. The Venerable Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche released many of the teachings of the Kagyu and Nyingma traditions of Buddhism (into which he had been trained and initiated) to the general public and as a result provided a wonderful source of information to the student, practitioner, and teacher of Buddhism.

Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche's Journey Without Goal: The Tantric Wisdom of the Buddhas was published 25 years ago. Though the language is somewhat dated, this compilation of teachings on Vajrayana practice is an excellent introduction and explanation of the methods and intentions of the ordinary and extraordinary practices. We are indebted to Trungpa Rinpoche and will always be grateful for his courage in bringing Tibetan Buddhist dharma to the West in English. Some have been critical of the trend resulting from this 1970's me-decade contact that produced what Gary L. Ray in CyberSangha (Spring 1996) says could be termed

THERAFIRMA BUDDHISTS: Intellectual Buddhists, usually psychotherapists, who believe in Buddhism strictly as a psychological process and reject any hints of extraordinary aspects of the tradition.

Indeed, in Journey we find explanations of one's emotional life as it relates to the five Buddha families, and we are made conscious of the characteristically Western (it seems) tendency to what has become known, after another famous title by him, as spiritual materialism. But if you are looking for a concise, clear explanation of what is meant by tantric Buddhism ie. Vajrayana, and how it accomplishes the transformation that certain individuals with a strong attachment to sensory input may seek, this is a good book with which to begin.

Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche's Journey Without Goal: The Tantric Wisdom of the Buddhas was published 25 years ago. Though the language is somewhat dated, this compilation of teachings on Vajrayana practice is an excellent introduction and explanation of the methods and intentions of the ordinary and extraordinary practices. We are indebted to Trungpa Rinpoche and will always be grateful for his courage in bringing Tibetan Buddhist dharma to the West in English. Some have been critical of the trend resulting from this 1970's me-decade contact that produced what Gary L. Ray in CyberSangha (Spring 1996) says could be termed

THERAFIRMA BUDDHISTS: Intellectual Buddhists, usually psychotherapists, who believe in Buddhism strictly as a psychological process and reject any hints of extraordinary aspects of the tradition.

Indeed, in Journey we find explanations of one's emotional life as it relates to the five Buddha families, and we are made conscious of the characteristically Western (it seems) tendency to what has become known, after another famous title by him, as spiritual materialism. But if you are looking for a concise, clear explanation of what is meant by tantric Buddhism ie. Vajrayana, and how it accomplishes the transformation that certain individuals with a strong attachment to sensory input may seek, this is a good book with which to begin.

Very interesting and refreshingly raw written material(Trungpa is Tibetan writing in English), beautiful art reproductions.

An intriguing and insightful, if somewhat formalized, approach to art-making. I believe it could be appreciated by most visual artists.

Problem is I feel that the design of the book is unsuccessful; for example, to me the paper is not pleasing (glossy, gold colored), which takes away from the impact of the message of inspired design. Should possibly be re-released in paperback with a new look.

This is a very good introduction to the history, major schools, and philosophical doctrines of Buddhism. Particularly good on the Madhyamika school of Mahayana Buddhism. An extremely useful antidote for all of the "inspirational" books on Buddhism which line the shelves of bookstores, but leave the beginning student with a confused, anti-intellectual, and Pollyanna view of Buddhism, particularly among misguided adherents of American "anything goes" Zen. This will give the beginning student a solid grounding for his/her practice.

The concepts in this book focus on the Mandala principle of Buddhism, presented as a series of commentaries and questions from students following each commentary. The author reveals the subtle wisdom behind the mandala principle and how it relates to our own personal styles. It is good reading for those who wish to know more about the perspectives of Buddhism

This is a really wonderful collection of poetry. Flipping through these pages proved to be a most rewarding experience. I can not say that it will replace Whitman and Dickinson in the classroom but it is a sweet volume of Tibetan verse nevertheless. I had read Warriors Path To Enlightenment and was familiar with Trungpa through his friendship with Allen Ginsberg. This purchase was a whimsical choice and it has been duly rewarded. The poems are honest and heartfelt. There are little pearls of zen wisdom as well as some that bear the influence of Ginsberg and of Jack Kerouac. A poem like Missing The Point does anything but. I was enthralled by poems like Completely Intoxicated By You and I Miss You So Much. Trungpa seemed to possess a certain purity of thought that I admire in poetry. I would recommend this book to poetry afficianados as well as persons with an interest in Asian arts and culture. It is a fine collection.

This book is a very interesting window into the mind of a Buddhist student who thought that the crucible of wisdomfire was supposed to be a democratic tanning salon. Consistently, Mr. Butterfield's misunderstandings and fear are laid out as a series of revelations. His prose is rich in sportscasting and identity politics. We end up with a portrait of someone who, suckling the teat of skepticism and mistrust, missed the vital points of dharma over and over again.

Parts of this book are interesting. It does provide a glimpse into the basic foundational practices of vajrayana, which is good. Unfortunately, the information that is there becomes sullied by the author's personal hesitations and glee in revealing "secrets."

There are a lot of concepts in this book, but there is no heat. It nitpicks at the problems of Trungpa Rinpoche's sangha (admittedly serious as some of them may have been) while providing little to no window into the strengths inherent in the Buddhist lineage and the force of blessings therein.

It is truly sad that Mr. Butterfield's "revelation" has the potential to turn away legitimate spiritual seekers. My advice: don't let this book be your only window into Buddhism OR the life of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. That would be a tremendously unfortunate thing.

In Double Mirror, Stephen Butterfield discusses some of his experiences with the controversial Tibetan Buddhist guru, Chogyam Trungpa. There is quite a bit of information here on Tibetan Buddhist beliefs and rituals --the stages of initiation, the principle of "emptiness" and the fundamental law of absolute devotion to the guru. Butterfield never becomes fully reconciled to the latter. His feelings about Trungpa and his organization are ambivalent throughout this book. On the one hand, Trungpa is described as an authentic teacher of Buddhism, inspiring Western students with his "crazy wisdom" tactics (in many ways similar to Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh). On the other hand, Butterfield gives ample evidence that this was as much a cult as a religion. There is a strict hierarchy within the organization; higher-ups live in luxury while beginners are treated as serfs. Worst of all, Tendzin, Trungpa's second in command, knowingly infected many students with AIDS. To complete the picture, Butterfield describes both Trungpa and Tendzin as alcoholics. These facts seem to go beyond the limits of even tantra or crazy wisdom and into the realm of pure exploitation and hypocrisy. Butterfield never fully reconciles the two sides of his experience, which gives the title of this book a double meaning (the first meaning is that a Buddhist perspective sees the inner and outer worlds as mirroring each other). He tries to reconcile a skeptical mind with a tradition demanding absolute obedience to a guru. This is a very difficult issue for someone raised in a Western culture and following an Eastern discipline, so I can't really fault Butterfield for not solving this dilemma. Still, there is something askew about the way he alternately praises and condemns the organization. More than having mixed feelings about it, he almost seems to have a split personality regarding it. Apparently, he left the group very conflicted and unable to synthesize his thoughts and feelings into either a positive or negative conclusion. He tries to justify this using the Buddhist doctrine of nonduality (the double mirror again), but I don't think this kind of ambivalence is quite the ideal aspired to by mystics. I wish the book had a little more about Butterfield's life and experiences within the group and less about ritual. There are many pages of detailed descriptions of rituals, using technical Buddhist terminology. To me, this detracted somewhat from the larger picture. Still, very interesting and recommended for spiritual seekers, especially those interested in Eastern religions.

Good book, very interesting. Stephen T. Butterfield is quite an entertaining writer. This book is especially good if you have read Trungpa's books. I found myself asking the same questions that Butterfield ask's after reading Trungpa, and came to the same conclusions he does. "Authentic response, fully experienced". Or as Trungpa himself once said, "perhaps there is no such thing as spirituality except stepping out of self deception".

"A picture is worth a thousand words". But if you are expecting to see the beauty of Dharma Art in pictures, be prepared for real disappointment. There are NO color pictures/photos; only a few pages of black-and-white photos and the only one that can be considered as "art" is that of a thangka painting. If you want to see beautiful Dharma art, look elsewhere.

This is NOT a coffee table book meant to showcase the artist's work; this is a practical manual for *doing* art from a contemplative (i.e. meditative) perspective--that is, fresh, unpremeditated, direct from one's sense perceptions, and unmediated by concept. Written in Trungpa Rinpoche's engaging, inimitable, and often elliptical style, it offers a number of startling and surprisingly useful insights into the nature of perception and the creative process--for instance: "Before we produce anything at all, we have to have a sense of free and open space with no obstacles of any kind" (p. 111). Now, this might seem elementary, but if you look carefully, the source of every creative or artistic block is having some concept in mind beforehand--either fear, or ambition, or an idea of where one wants to go before one gets there--"starting with the wrong end of the stick," as Trungpa Rinpoche used to say. This is a manual for freeing oneself of artistic blockages and reacquainting oneself with the freshness of unbiased perception. To my knowledge, there's nothing else remotely like this out there.

I'll make this brief. I bought this with high hopes and couldn't even finish it. I couldn't really follow much of a logical thread in what trunpa was saying. It just seemed like a bunch of ramblings to me. Believe me, if I would have gotten ANY THING out of this mish-mash I would have finished the book, if only to recoup the money I'd spent on it. I find a lot of his books like this--just kind of a weird stream of consciousness not really tied to anything and not really going toward any ultimate point I can discern. Of course, they say he was alchoholic and died of sirosis of the liver, maybe this is just what he sounded like. Other than the fact that he was one of the very first Tibetans in the west and he went to Oxford, what do they see in this guy? Somebody please tell me!