Training in Tenderness: Buddhist Teachings on Tsewa, the Radical Openness of Heart That Can Change the World

by Dzigar Kongtrul, Pema Chodron (Foreword by)

Overview

Best Spirituality Books of 2018 - Spirituality & Practice

A little guide to cultivating tsewa: the loving warmth of heart from which the awakened mind arises—from the popular Buddhist teacher and author of The Intelligent Heart.

This is a call to a revolution of heart. In Tibetan Buddhism, it is taught that one of the most essential qualities of enlightenment is tsewa, a form of warm energy and openness of heart. It is the warmth we express and receive through empathy with others, especially those closest to us. In this compact gem of a book, Dzigar Kongtrul opens the door to this life-changing energy and shows us how to transform our attitude toward ourselves and those around us through its practice. And through its practice, we can actually heal our fractured world.

This is a guide to the building blocks of compassion and the purest and deepest form of happiness. And with these tools, we can awaken the most powerful force in the world—a tender, open heart.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781611805581
Publisher:	Shambhala
Publication date:	05/22/2018
Pages:	120
Sales rank:	437,548
Product dimensions:	4.90(w) x 7.00(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Dzigar Kongtrul 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.

Table of Contents

Foreword Pema Chödrön viii

Editor's Preface ix

Introduction I

1 Like Oxygen 9

2 The Tender Heart Is a Seed 19

3 The Tender Heart Is Water 29

4 Removing Impediments to Tsewa: The Mind in Crisis 35

5 Opening the Injured Heart 43

6 Clinging to the Self: The Root of All Impediments 63

7 The Fruit of Tenderness: Benefiting Others 73

8 Tsewa and Relationships: The Need for Discernment 81

9 Meeting Death with an Open Heart 93

10 The World and the Future 99

Editorial Reviews

★ 03/12/2018
Kongtrul (The Intelligent Heart), a Tibetan Buddhist teacher, shows how the cultivation of tsewa (a Tibetan word for “the innate tenderness of our own heart”) can lead to increased personal happiness and positive change in this uplifting book. By comparing tsewa to natural elements such as oxygen, seeds, water, and trees, he explains why tsewa is fundamental to human well-being (underlying even such key Buddhist concepts as compassion and loving-kindness) and explores how it can be developed through self-inquiry. His discussions of letting go of grudges and using discernment to improve relationships are particularly strong as he describes how one negative experience, if processed through anger, can ripple through the mind to have negative affects on overall health. His approach is firmly grounded in Mahayana Buddhist concepts (such as the bodhisattva path of service to help all beings attain enlightenment), but Kongtrul offers general, accessible principles (such as resisting gut reactions and allowing time before making large decisions) that will work for readers who have no knowledge of Buddhism or any interest in meditation. With clarity, brevity, and grace, Kongtrul ably conveys his hopeful vision that all individuals can “live a life full of joy, meaning, and profound value to the world.” (May)

Publishers Weekly

Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche is one of the most highly qualified people I know. . . . I am hopeful that Rinpoche’s new book will help many of us get to know and make the best of our own warmth of heart. May Training in Tenderness help to heal the anxiety and polarization of our world!”—Pema Chödrön, author of When Things Fall Apart

“A warm and affectionate heart frees us from whatever binds us and connects us empathetically with all beings. This simple yet life-changing attitude makes our own life meaningful and has the power to heal the world. I strongly encourage anyone who encounters Kongtrul Rinpoche’s beautiful book to take its profound wisdom to heart.”—Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, author of The Joy of Living
 
“Kongtrul Rinpoche delivers a series of profound explorations and expositions on one of the most important aspects of our spiritual practice—uncovering the tender warmth and affection in our hearts. This tenderness is the root source of all that is truly beneficial in the world. Rinpoche leads us through a foundational training for compassionate vision and our own liberation, with joyful diligence and an open heart.”—Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness and Real Love
 
“Let this gem of a book be your faithful guide and companion in opening your heart to others. It unlocks the door to that most precious human quality of all: unconditional tenderness for all beings.”—Matthieu Ricard, author of Altruism and Happiness
 
“Deep, inspiring, and disarmingly simple, this book demonstrates our innate capacity for tenderness. A warm heart is the source of compassion, loving-kindness, and equanimity, even in the face of death. Thanks to the clear mind and kind heart of Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche, we now have a guide to cultivating this most precious quality and letting it shine out to the world.”—Jan Chozen Bays, author of Mindful Eating
 
“It is possible to cultivate true happiness in all aspects of our daily lives and to change our reality—and that of the people around us—in the process. It’s all about arousing the warmth of heart that is our birthright as humans. Dzigar Kongtrul’s potent instruction manual shows you how.”—Lodro Rinzler, author of Love Hurts

“With clarity, brevity, and grace, Kongtrul ably conveys his hopeful vision that all individuals can “live a life full of joy, meaning, and profound value to the world.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“’Without tsewa, is there any other source of happiness?’ This is the question posed by Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche in Training in Tenderness. Always circling back to this Tibetan word meaning love, tenderness, or warmth, Kongtrul pushes us to honestly examine what fulfills us and what doesn’t.”—Buddhadharma: The Practioner’s Quarterly 

"An immensely appealing tribute to the spiritual practice of an open heart."—Spirituality & Practice

From the Publisher