Customer Reviews

Crazy Wisdom (Dharma Ocean Series)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My father gave me a copy of "Crazy Wisdom" on my twelfth birthday. I am now 20 years old, and I still struggle with the enormity of what this book implies. I have read it several times, left it behind, returned to it with new experiences and gained new insights. Basically, the book contains Tibetan philosophical wisdom, but it is infinitely more. I'd recommend this book to everyone who is interested in philosophy (and in particular Oriental and Tibetan). The book is a powerful and relatively understandable introduction to contemporary Tibetan philsophers, based largely on Buddhism, but the religious aspect of the book is negligible. This is not a cheap "This will change your life" scam, but contains some serious and powerful methods of working with the mind.

Trungpa's Crazy Wisdom is the wisdom of compassion; it is also the best gift a compassionate Buddhist Master bestowed to the Western world. When reading his teaching, I can feel in any moment that the teaching is passed on to me from his heart, his linage and his being. This is the best book I have read by far which could use the most earth English language to hand over the most profound teaching from the Vajrayana tradition.

If you want Buddhism in a neat little peaceful container this is not for you. If you want to see the dark, wild underbelly - both within Buddhism and yourself - buy this book immediately. Trungpa's most vivid and audacious work.

Chogyam Trungpa puts into words such subtle and deep lessons that at times I found myself reinvigorated with the thirst for Dharma knowledge. There are so many texts to choose from within the "genre" of Buddhist literature and at times it can seem disheartening. It is almost as if the great lessons have yet to be translated, but fear not! This book has immediately become one of the most precious books in my library. I have long been a fan of Padmasambhava and have read a few accounts of his life story, but Crazy Wisdom abandons the trappings of linear progression and gets to the heart of the matter. If you value Tibetan Buddhism than I strongly suggest you purchase and voraciously consume the text inside. It will change you.

I plan to eventually purchase the entire collection of books by the 11th Tulku of the Trungpa lineage and look forward to what the 12th incarnation will bring into the world.

I am only on page 48 of the kindle edition of this book. Having read hundreds of books on Buddhism, I would so far rank this among my least favorites. It is interesting for the few historical insights into Padmasambhava's life but the rest seems to be some modern day psychological mumbo jumbo. The American slang used is annoying and uninspiring. I rarely get a clear picture of what the writer is trying to convey. I understood Nagarjuna and Dogen but can't understand what is being conveyed here.

I will update this review after I finish the book.

Some great Buddhist books are:

Mahamudra: The Moonlight -- Quintessence of Mind and Meditation

The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Majjhima Nikaya

The Jewel Ornament of Liberation: The Wish-Fulfilling Gem of the Noble Teachings

The Words of My Perfect Teacher

The Golden Letters by Garab Dorje

Shobogenzo.:Zen Essays by Dogen by

The Dark Red Amulet: Oral Instructions on the Practice of Vajrakilaya

Path of the Bodhisattva Warrior: The Life and Teachings of the Thirteenth Dalai Lama

The Tibetan Book of the Dead: Or The After-Death Experiences on the Bardo Plane, according to L=ama Kazi Dawa-Samdup's English Rendering by Karma-Glin-Pa, W. Y. Evans-Wentz and Donald S. Lopez Jr. (Sep 28, 2000)

Tibetan Yoga and Secret Doctrines: Or Seven Books of Wisdom of the Great Path by W.Y. Evans-Wentz

Magic and Mystery in Tibet by Alexandra David-Neel, A. D'Arsonval and Paul Tice (Jan 1, 2000)

The Secret Oral Teachings in Tibetan Buddhist Sects by Alexandra David-Neel and Michael Lally (Jan 1, 2001)

for beginners:

Stages of Meditation by The Dalai Lama

The Middle Way: The Story of Buddhism - Audible Audio Edition - Unabridged by Jinananda, David Timson and Anton Lesser

How to Practice : The Way to a Meaningful Life by Dalai Lama and Jeffrey Hopkins

and one of the greatest books in the World:

The Way of the Bodhisattva (Shambhala Library) by Shantideva and Padmakara Translation Group (Oct 14, 2008)

The book was great, except the fact that I didn't understand what the author was talking about. His words were confusing and just over my head. However, this book is great for someone who understands Buddhism and how everything works. But with knowing nothing about that relgion, I was completely lost.