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.

I started reading this book shortly after the death of my step-father and my mother's being diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. As I joined my siblings to help our mother deal with the death of her husband, and to help her adjust to the knowledge of her own condition, I used this book to keep me from getting lost in a whirlpool of thoughts and feelings that would have been of no help to anyone.

I would read the book and see exactly where the things Lief discusses in her work could be applied in my own situation. I tested it, on the spot. It works. There's no magic to this book, no secret code to it. Don't be put off by the fact that it's a "Buddhist" guide...you could be Catholic, Hindu, Muslim or Jewish, from any walk of life, any race or creed, on any spiritual path, and still benefit tremendously from this book.

You don't necessarily have to be "dying" or standing next to someone who's dying to benefit from the book as well. It's really a book for people who are living, moment-to-moment, in the vulnerable awareness of death as a fact of life, something not to be avoided, but met, befriended.

Lief has a simple, direct way of speaking about the dying and those who are near to them, caring for them, as they are dying. She has the kind of light touch and sense of humor (at specific points) that indicate the true depth and intensity of her point of view. There is a warmth throughout the work that gives you a sense that she's not in some ivory tower somewhere "thinking" about the best way for people to handle death. Neither is she in a cave in Tibet "having dreams and visions" about it. You get the sense, as you read the work, that she's standing right next to you, helping you to work your way through your own situation. I never felt, as I read the book, that she was an outsider looking in on my situation.

It's a good book for people going through transitions of any sort whatsoever. People aren't the only things that die. Relationships, jobs, dreams, institutions, ideas...all these things die too and in a very subtle way, Lief's book helps us to deal with the death (and birth) of these things too.

Something about this book makes you feel very connected to life.

This is an excellent down to earth guide to the various issues surrounding death. The first section is entitled "Cultivating a personal awareness of death." Many analogies and examples that we can all relate to are given about our views of the subject. Simple excercises at the end of each chapter give the reader a chance to illuminate his or her views. Meditation practice is introduced as a tool to make friends with ourselves and to settle our minds. Then contemplation of death is introduced to help us face death and change with equanimity and to develop a reverence for life. The second section is entitled "Opening our Heart". Here Lief describes how the simplicity of death cuts through our superflouous concerns and opens. The various descriptions of dysfunctional compassion are the best I've seen anywhere and worth it for all of us to check out. The final section is practical advise in the form of "slogans" or reminders to help us when we are actually working with a dying person. This is a book that is useful at any time in one's life so that when one does encounter death, be it one's own or a close frind or relative, one is able to respond with composure and kindness.

Jean-Claude van Itallie has done us all a wonderful service by adapting his rich and meaningful play into a lovely book that is a feast for the eyes, ears, and mind. This book makes a perfect, accessible introduction to one of the core teachings of Tibetan Buddhism. Without being morbid, the text takes us on the journey of a soul facing death, and gives ageless advice on how to approach not only death, but also the little deaths we face in everyday life. The combination of poetic yet pragmatic text, with evocative photos and images, is achieved simply and elegantly. I would recommend this book to anyone, but especially to those learning about Buddhism or interested in Tibet, or to those who know of one who is facing death or loss. This book would be a treasured and memorable gift. Bravo to van Itallie for bringing these ageless teachings into the modern world with such elegance and spirit!

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.

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.

"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!