Peaceful Heart: The Buddhist Practice of Patience

by Dzigar Kongtrul, Pema Chodron (Contribution by), Joseph Waxman (Editor)

Overview

An introductory guide to cultivating patience and opening your heart to difficult circumstances from leading Buddhist teacher, Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche.

In the Buddhist tradition, “patience” is our mind’s ability to work positively with anything that bothers us—a vast spectrum of particulars that all boil down to not getting what we want or getting what we don’t want. In fluid, accessible language, Dzigar Kongtrul expands on teachings by the ancient sage Shantideva that contain numerous powerful and surprising methods for preventing our minds from becoming consumed by what bothers us—especially in anger. The result of practicing patience is a state of mind where we can feel at home in every situation and be fully available to love and care for others. Patience is the lifeblood of a peaceful heart.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781611804645
Publisher:	Shambhala
Publication date:	12/22/2020
Pages:	232
Sales rank:	603,666
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

DZIGAR KONGTRUL RINPOCHE grew up in a monastic environment and received extensive training in all aspects of Buddhist doctrine. In 1989, he moved to the United States with his family, and in 1990, he began a five-year tenure as a professor of Buddhist philosophy at Naropa University. He also founded Mangala Shri Bhuti, his own teaching organization, during this period. He has established a mountain retreat center, Longchen Jigme Samten Ling, in southern Colorado. When not guiding students in long-term retreats and not in retreat himself, Rinpoche travels widely throughout the world teaching and furthering his own education.

Editorial Reviews

10/05/2020

In this short but powerful work, Kongtrul (It’s Up to You), a Tibetan Buddhist lama, teaches ways of finding peace and patience in a flawed world. Kongtrul starts by explicating the destructive power of anger—which even in small amounts, he writes, can nullify efforts toward generosity and goodwill—and elaborates on the causes of mental disturbance, including not getting what one wants and getting what one doesn’t want. He then recommends practices and techniques inspired by the work of eighth-century Indian philosopher Shantideva for reducing aggression and building patience, such as meditations on giving up control and a list of “seventy-two ways we get disturbed.” Kongtrul skillfully weaves together the writings of Shantideva with Tibetan folktales and personal anecdotes (such as how cutting down trees to contain a forest fire in Bhutan reminded him that one must “let go of attachments” to control “the fire of anger”), and makes even abstract recommendations accessible, as with his description of the practice of sitting with pain as “simmering.” Buddhists will appreciate Kongtrul’s ode to Shantideva, but even non-Buddhist readers will enjoy this powerful work’s vivid writing and wise instruction. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

In the more than two decades since I’ve met Rinpoche, he has given me many priceless instructions on how to work with my own impatient states of mind. One of my favorites, which you find in this book, is ‘the propensity to be bothered.’ No matter how perfect or imperfect our world is, working with this propensity is indispensable to well-being. It is the only way to achieve a peaceful heart.”
—from the foreword by Pema Chödrön, author of Welcoming the Unwelcome and When Things Fall Apart

“In Peaceful Heart, Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche brings to life the indispensable practice of patience in everyday life. Expounding on the ‘patience chapter’ from one of the most beloved and renowned classical texts of Buddhism, The Way of the Bodhisattva, Rinpoche shows us, in everyday language, how to transform situations that test our patience into opportunities to develop empathy and insight. Kongtrul Rinpoche’s unparalleled understanding of the world we live in and of the practical application of timeless wisdom in our contemporary society makes this book indispensable reading for all who seek sanity and patience amidst adversities and conflicts. Peaceful Heart invites us to awaken to our innate qualities of patience and compassion, which can be our greatest contribution to the world.”
—Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche, author of How Not to Miss the Point and This Precious Life

“What is the ultimate skill in times of anger and hardened views? It’s patience. With patience we can realize the tender heart that’s with us all the time, and develop the capacity to change our own minds. This powerful book is the support each of us needs in this new world we’ve landed in, where patience is needed more than ever.”
—Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness and Real Change

“Buddhists will appreciate Kongtrul’s ode to Shantideva, but even non-Buddhist readers will enjoy this powerful work’s vivid writing and wise instruction.”
—Publishers Weekly

“With admirable elegance, [Kongtrul] discusses the art of training the mind to be strong and resilient.”
—Spirituality & Practice

From the Publisher