The Heart of Unconditional Love: A Powerful New Approach to Loving-Kindness Meditation

by Tulku Thondup

Overview

The unconditional love that we all long for can be experienced in the practice of loving-kindness. In this popular form of meditation, the love inherent to our own nature is gradually expanded until it embraces infinite beings. Tulku Thondup introduces a new four-stage format for this practice, rooted in the traditional teachings of Tibetan Buddhism: We first meditate on the Buddha of Loving-Kindness as a body of unconditional love and receive his blessings. This spontaneously awakens his unconditional love in our heart. We then find the whole world reflecting back to us as a world of love and peace. Finally, we remain in oneness in the realization of ultimate love.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780834800533
Publisher:	Shambhala
Publication date:	04/21/2015
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	296
File size:	775 KB

About the Author

Tulku Thondup Rinpoche was born in East Tibet and was recognized to be a tulku at age five. He studied at Tibet’s famed Dodrupchen Monastery, settling in India in 1958 and teaching for many years in its universities. He came to the United States in 1980 as a visiting scholar at Harvard University. For the past three decades he has lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he writes, translates, and teaches under the auspices of the Buddhayana Foundation. His numerous books include The Healing Power of Mind, which has now been published in eighteen languages, and Boundless Healing, which has been published in eleven languages.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Acknowledgments xiii

Introduction 1

Opening Verse 11

Part 1 View: What Is Loving-Kindness and How to Develop It 15

1 The Importance of Training Our Mind 17

2 Essential Tools for Meditation 29

3 Devotion and Trust: The Keys to Loving-Kindness 41

4 The Essence of Loving-Kindness 53

5 The Four Buddha Stages 71

Part 2 Practice: Meditations on Loving-Kindness 87

6 Meditation on the Outer Buddha 89

7 Meditation on the Inner Buddha 113

8 Meditation on the Universal Buddha 121

9 Meditation on the Ultimate Buddha 127

10 Enhance the Effects 137

11 Move Forward Step by Step 141

12 Dedications and Aspirations 157

13 Benefits of Loving-Kindness Meditation 159

Part 3 Loving-Kindness in Daily Life 165

14 Healing Physical and Mental Ills 167

15 Dealing with Challenging People 179

16 Daily Activities as Training in Loving-Kindness 183

17 Compassion Meditation 191

18 Rebirth in the Pure Land 193

Part 4 The Practices in Brief 199

19 Prayer Texts 201

20 The Four-Stage Meditations in Brief 209

Closing Verse 215

Notes 217

Glossary 229

Bibliography 247

Index 255

Editorial Reviews

Tulku Thondup has truly given us a powerful new approach to loving-kindness meditation. Utilizing the peace and joy generated by devotion, we are guided through embodying love, experiencing the whole universe as love, and ultimately realizing loving-kindness free from concept. This book is a rare treasure.”—Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness

“Warm, inviting, authentic, and complete, this book highlights Tulku Thondup’s special gift for conveying the richness of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition in an enchantingly open, profound, and imaginative way. Taking the Buddha of Loving-Kindness, Avalokiteshvara, as the focus and inspiration, he offers a wonderful step-by-step guide to how we can all tap into the wellspring of unconditional love that we have within us and allow it to permeate every aspect of our lives.”—Sogyal Rinpoche, author of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying

From the Publisher