Customer Reviews

Illusion's Game: The Life and Teaching of Naropa (Dharma Ocean Series)

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Naropa thought he knew everything about Buddhism, having studied at the best Buddhist school on Earth. But he allowed himself to begin following his intuition, which led him to the realization that scholarly learning is not the heart of buddhism. In following Tilopa in Tibet, he had many trials and much suffering, many losses, which helped him lose his self-importance, the main obstacle to buddha nature. This has meaning for us today. We always wish there was less suffering. More popular Buddhist books now seem to teach that suffering can be avoided. Naropa did not avoid, but embraced the meaning inherent in the suffering, practiced vulnerability rather than protection, and as a result, came to understand his true nature. Not only an excellent teaching, but a fascinating story, a real page-turner.

This book is densely packed with thought-provoking discussion. I have been studying it part-time for about two years and have not even finished it once. I keep re-starting to get a better grasp of what's being discussed. I plan to keep re-reading it over and over in order to to get a grasp of what they're talking about -- but that's a good thing.

I highly recommend this book, but I believe you'll need to take it very seriously; this is not fluffy subject matter.

I love the story of Naropa and wanted to love this modern interpretation of it too, but found it instead to be just more of the same of Trungpa's view of things. This may be just fine if you like his approach or don't know any better, but with Trungpa I feel a bit like Dorothy after she's had Toto pull the curtain back from the manipulative little wizards little booth.

Years ago as a beginning dharma student I was taken in and found Trungpa very helpful (his life story Born In Tibet is superb in it's detail and telling, and Garuda V: Transcending Hesitation (v. 5), Glimpses of Abhidharma: From a Seminar on Buddhist Psychology and Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism (Shambhala Dragon Editions) were all fundamental to my early understanding of buddhism and vajrayana), but after maturing in my own practice and discovering what really went on within his sangha it seems he really did use the model and archetype of the mahasiddhas of old to justify his own eccentricities (ie ego).

So, what is it about this particular book I don't like? As I said I really wanted to like it, but was immediately turned off by Trungpa's attitude towards his audience (at a series of talks in New York and Vermont in '72 and '73). He starts right off on the first page by saying, "I find it necessary to express my negativities about presenting such potent - 200% potent - teachings to the people of the continent of North America, or to the West altogether. Nobody here seems ready for this material at all. People are relating with the starting point of practice, and as far as we know, nobody in America has a complete understanding of even the hinayana level of Buddhism. People have hardly any understanding at all." Well, how is that for arrogant assumptions!?

This hyperbole could be seen merely as a teaching devise to prepare the listener's mind for the profound and exceptional teachings that follow... or it could be seen as an old tried and true technique to brainwash and manipulate the susceptible by insulting with one hand while praising with the other (the praise comes next with the presentation of the gift of exceptional teachings). Besides the obvious warning bells such attempts at manipulation set off for me, what do we make of the exaggerated and meaningless "200%" used to describe Trungpa's teaching? The point of the Buddha's dharma was to reveal the exact nature of reality, just as it is. To me that means 100%, no more, no less. This small point completely illustrates my criticism of Trungpa's approach...

This book does go on to present Naropa's interesting and illustrative spiritual path, but what could have simply and clearly been a teaching about this instead becomes mired in a rambling and disjointed psychological mish-mash. There is wisdom somewhere within all this but to the same extent that there is fruit within a smoothy! It really does make me think Trungpa had more trauma from his paralyzing brain injury than Westerners could at first discern. Fortunately since the '70 the quality of teachings (both the skill of the teachers and translators) has grown in leaps and bounds, as well as our understanding of both the cultural context of buddhism in Tibet, and the fallibility of "enlightened" teachers (and devoted students).

By halfway through the book I couldn't read any more, and so put it down for a year to get some distance and let it settle. When I recently picked it back up I could again only see Trungpa's ego riding on the wisdom waves of Naropa's mahamudra (and he wasn't even doing a very skillful job of surfing!). It may appear to be a subtle thing, but it's actually not. The dharma is very clear and simple, and of course it gets confused and muddled by mind, ignorance and ego, but a good teacher should cut through this. Alas, this teaching beguiles instead of enlightens. Fortunately we have many more authentic alternatives available today.

The point here is not how the dharma looks on paper, or sounds in a lecture hall, but how it feels when applied. Does it awaken recognition and unshakable familiarity with your own original face (like a clear mirror), or does it just excite, and shake you up (like an amusement ride)?

There is not much I can say that will suffice...if you are a practitioner of Tantric-Buddhism (and irrelevant factor in regards to the truths presented in this book), or just a seeker after Ontognosis in general, this book is a must have for your collection.

It's as though you have been graced by being allowed to sit and listen in on the discussion of an enlightened master and his chief disciple, expounding the truth, through the explanation of Naropa's story...that suffering will never truly be avoided until the reality of suffering is embraced as the path to liberation itself.

You are asked to re-orient your thinking so as to understand the allegories of Naropa's trials toward enlightenment not merely to understand the story, but to take you on your own journey toward your only cognitive reflection, and facing your own suffering AS your own path to liberation...

Every page opens the eye...