Wisdom Energy: Basic Buddhist Teachings

by Thubten Yeshe, Thubten Zopa Rinpoche, Jonathan Landaw (Editor), Alexander Berzin (Editor)

Overview

Wisdom Energy is a simple and compelling introduction to Buddhism by two Tibetan lamas renowned for their insight and skill in teaching Westerners. Containing an entire meditation course, it goes to the heart of basic Buddhist practice and discusses the meaning and purpose of meditation, the causes of dissatisfaction and unhappiness, and the methods for subduing them and gaining control over our minds and lives. Originally published in 1976, Wisdom Energy still preserves the power, humor, and directness of the lamas's first teaching tour of North America, giving the reader the feeling of an intimate audience with two highly respected teachers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781614290469
Publisher:	Wisdom Publications MA
Publication date:	01/14/2012
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	160
File size:	975 KB

About the Author

Lama Thubten Yeshe (1935-1984) was born in Tibet and educated at the great Sera Monastic University. He fled the Chinese oppression in 1959 and in the late 1960s, with his chief disciple, Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche, began teaching Buddhism to Westerners at their Kopan Monastery, Kathmandu, Nepal. In 1975 they founded the international Buddhist organization, the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), which now has more than 160 centers, projects and services worldwide.

Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche is the Spiritual Director of the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), a worldwide network of Buddhist centers, monasteries, and affiliated projects, including Wisdom Publications. Rinpoche was born in 1946 in the village of Thami in the Solo Khumbu region of Nepal near Mount Everest. His books include Transforming Problems into Happiness, How to Be Happy, and Ultimate Healing. He lives in Aptos, California.

Jonathan Landaw was born in New Jersey and has traveled the world since 1970. He spent six years living in northern India studying Tibetan Buddhism and is the editor and author of a number of Buddhist books, including Wisdom Energy, Introduction to Tantra, and Buddhism for Dummies. He lives in Santa Cruz, California.

Table of Contents

Preface vii

Introduction to the First Edition 1

Part 1 Entering the Spiritual Path

1 The Purpose of Meditation 13

2 Approaching the Study of Dharma 21

3 Searching for the Causes of Unhappiness 31

4 How Delusions Arise 39

5 Understanding Suffering and Controlling the Mind 47

Part 2 A Meditation Course

6 The Three Principal Aspects of the Path to Enlightenment 67

Purification Visualization 67

The Superiority of Spiritual Practice 69

The Preciousness of Our Human Form 72

The Fully Renounced Mind 75

The Renunciation of Suffering 78

The Six Realms of Samsara 82

How We Create Samsara 87

The Advantages of an Enlightened Motive 91

Achieving Equilibrium 94

Remembering the Kindness of Our Many Mothers 96

Benefiting Others 99

Perceiving the Nature of Reality 102

Conclusion 108

7 Integrating Dharma into Everyday Life 111

Glossary 129

Suggested Further Reading 137

Index 141

Editorial Reviews

"...immensely practical advice and suggestions."

The Middle Way

"This is a superb book....presents basic Buddhist teachings with great lucidity and clarity." —

Resource

"In this wonderful book, Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche—two highly accomplished Tibetan Buddhist teachers—bring alive the rich tradition of Buddhism in a way that is directly relevant to modern life. Filled with profound wisdom and useful advice, Wisdom Energy is a lucid introduction to the key principles and practices of the Buddhism. It demonstrates the authors' remarkable talent for illuminating sometimes complex ideas in a manner that is easily grasped by Westerners. I highly recommend this exceptional book."

Howard C. Cutler

"...immensely practical advice and suggestions." —The Middle Way

"This is a superb book....presents basic Buddhist teachings with great lucidity and clarity." —Resource

"In this wonderful book, Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche—two highly accomplished Tibetan Buddhist teachers—bring alive the rich tradition of Buddhism in a way that is directly relevant to modern life. Filled with profound wisdom and useful advice, Wisdom Energy is a lucid introduction to the key principles and practices of the Buddhism. It demonstrates the authors' remarkable talent for illuminating sometimes complex ideas in a manner that is easily grasped by Westerners. I highly recommend this exceptional book."—Howard C. Cutler, M.D., co-author of The Art of Happiness

From the Publisher