Awakening wisdom : heart advice on the fundamental practices of Vajrayana Buddhism

A clear, short, and delightful guide to practicing Vajrayana Buddhism, covering everything a beginner needs to know to get started, including instructions on the Vajrayana preliminary practices. If you are new to Tibetan Buddhism, this short work will help you get started with your practice, and if you are well steeped in these teachings, it will remind you of the essentials points. Framed as a commentary on the Tersar Ngondro by Dudjom Rinpoche, Awakening Wisdom is geared toward connecting people with practice. Part I covers motivation, posture and breathing, mantra practice, and the four reflections that turn the mind toward Buddhist practice. Part II covers mantras and tonglen, the compassion practice that helps us connect to the suffering of others. Part III provides guidance about the preliminary practices themselves: the practice of the threefold refuge; generating the altruistic mind, or bodhichitta; purification practice; mandala offering; and Guru Yoga, explaining how each practice is the antidote to a particular cause of suffering, or “poison.” Part III also includes precious guidance about the Vajra Guru mantra and the transference of consciousness at the moment of death. While these may seem like technical subjects—and this is indeed a traditional presentation—Pema Wangyal’s writing is suffused with warmth and tenderness, making this book quite accessible and inviting to beginners. "This short work really covers the basics for getting started with Buddhist practice yet at the same time a very helpful reinforcement for those well-steeped in these teachings. On the face of it, this is a commentary of a particular ngondro, but it is really geared to simply connecting people with practice. Part I covers motivation, the basic clearing the air yoga, the four thoughts. Part II covers mantras and tonglen. Part III are the ngondro practices themselves: the reasons and practice of the three-fold refuge, generating the altruistic mind or bodhicitta, the six perfections, purification practice, manadala offerings, guru yoga, the transference of consciousness at the moment of death. While these may send like technical subjects - and this is a traditional presentation - there is a warmth and sweetness to this making it accessible and very inviting to beginners"-- Provided by publisher