Dangerous Friend: The Teacher-Student Relationship in Vajrayana Buddhism [Paperback]

Rig'dzin Dorje (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 6, 2001

Although Tibetan Buddhism continues to grow in popularity, the crucial relationship between teacher and student remains largely misunderstood. Dangerous Friend offers an in-depth exploration of this mysterious and complex bond, a relationship of paramount importance in Tibetan Buddhist practice.

According to Tibetan Buddhist tradition, the student must have complete trust in the teacher (the "dangerous friend") if he or she is to achieve any understanding. It is the teacher's responsibility to uphold the integrity of the tradition, the basis of which is compassion for all beings, by transmitting it properly to an appropriate student. Likewise, it is the student's responsibility to meet the challenge of carrying on the lineage of teachings. By entering such a relationship, both teacher and student accept the burden of protecting those teachings by understanding them completely and correctly, by practicing them fully and faultlessly, and by transmitting them without omission.

Dangerous Friend includes discussions of the following topics:

   •  Meeting and recognizing an appropriate teacher.
   •  Understanding the gravity of entering the teacher-student relationship.
   •  Shifting one's approach from spiritual materialism to genuine Buddhist practice.
   •  Accepting the challenge of being truly kind, honest, and courageous.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A vibrant, provocative work."— Tricycle

About the Author

Rig'dzin Dorje is a practitioner and teacher in the Nyingma School of Vajrayana Buddhism. He is currently spiritual director, in the lineage of the Aro gTer, of Buddhist centers throughout Europe, and he spends much of his time traveling and teaching. He lives in London with his wife and son.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala; 1 edition (November 6, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570628572
• ISBN-13: 978-1570628573
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.4 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #393,511 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Much-Needed Clarification, February 8, 2002

By 

JG (Berkeley, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dangerous Friend: The Teacher-Student Relationship in Vajrayana Buddhism (Paperback)

This book is an excellent introduction to the practice of vajra commitment (samaya or damtsig), which is an essential part of Vajrayana Buddhism but is very much misunderstood in the West. Rig'dzin Dorje, a Western lama and the disciple of a Western lama, clearly presents the nature of this crucial relationship from the point of view of both the lama and the disciple, including the responsibilities each takes on toward the other. The author also describes and demonstrates, in a beautiful and inspiring way, why students continue to enter into this relationship and why it is necessary for success on the Vajrayana path.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a fascinating book about a fascinating subject, October 9, 2011

By 

Pysanka - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dangerous Friend: The Teacher-Student Relationship in Vajrayana Buddhism (Paperback)

This is a fascinating book about a fascinating subject: the teacher-student relationship in Vajrayana Buddhism. The author, who is both a student and a teacher himself, is a passionate advocate of vajra relationship and he presents a well-written, well-researched discussion of how this relationship has functioned over the centuries as the most important method of practice in Vajrayana. Rig'dzin Dorje presents numerous anecdotes, both historical and from his own experience, illustrating the power and effectiveness of this style of teaching. His devotion to his own teachers is eloquent and touching, and his writing style is erudite and entertaining at the same time.

Most books on the teacher-student relationship constitute dull exercises in being cautious and sensible above all. In contrast, Rig'dzin Dorje encourages us to reach for the stars. I really enjoyed this book.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Breath of fresh air, February 6, 2002

By 

"jyon" (Berkeley, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dangerous Friend: The Teacher-Student Relationship in Vajrayana Buddhism (Paperback)

Rig'dzin Dorje's 'Dangerous Friend' is long overdue--a book about the mechanics of the teacher-student relationship in Tibetan Buddhism, approached from the student's perspective, in accessible plain English. It is clear that he writes with intimate knowledge of both the working details of this kind of relationship, and the Western culture from which we approach it. There has been so much hyperbole around this issue that it is a relief to find a sane voice willing to offer some personal experience and sensible rationale, rather than merely scriptural citation.