Magic Dance: The Display of the Self Nature of the Five Wisdom Dakinis [Paperback]

Thinley Norbu (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1981 | ISBN-10: 0960700005 | ISBN-13: 978-0960700004 | Edition: 2nd

This is a unique and powerful presentation of the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism on the five elements: earth, water, air, fire, and space. In their gross and subtle forms, these elements combine to make up the infinite illusory display of phenomenal existence. Through teachings, stories, and his distinctive use of language, Thinley Norbu Rinpoche relates how the energies of the elements manifest within our everyday world, in individual behavior and group traditions, relationships and solitude, medicine and art. He explains their links to the five Buddha families and their respective Wisdom Dakinis, and shows how each element relates to our senses, temperament, passions, habits, and karmic potentials. This magic dance of the elements, he concludes, can be transformed through meditation practice and cultivating the calm, vast, and playful state of consciousness that he calls "playmind."

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Thinley Norbu Rinpoche is a preeminent teacher in the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. The eldest son of His Holiness D<meta content="text/html; charset=utf-8" http-equiv="Content-Type" /><meta content="Word.Document" name="ProgId" /><meta content="Microsoft Word 11" name="Generator" /><meta content="Microsoft Word 11" name="Originator" /><link href="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\edintern\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List" /><style> </style>üdjom Rinpoche, he is a primary holder of the D<meta content="text/html; charset=utf-8" http-equiv="Content-Type" /><meta content="Word.Document" name="ProgId" /><meta content="Microsoft Word 11" name="Generator" /><meta content="Microsoft Word 11" name="Originator" /><link href="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\edintern\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List" /><style> </style>üdjom Tersar lineage and is considered to be an emanation of Longchenpa, the great fourteenth-century Nyingma master. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 172 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala Pubns; 2nd edition (September 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0960700005
• ISBN-13: 978-0960700004
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,767,370 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A trip., May 26, 2000

By 

taylor caron - See all my reviews

This review is from: Magic Dance (Paperback)

This is an interesting one. Written in a very unique voice, with a distict sense that many of the words in this book were made-up solely for this book, and may never be used again. The author is one of the sons of the late Dudjom Rinpoche, a massive figure in modern nyingma. Thinley Norbu does much here to break-up some of the notions the reader may have about spirituality, and does it in an almost psychedelic way, what with the plethora of... how to say, -he talks to you directly, from what seems a very spacious and conscious (read: realized?) perspective. Very personal, this book. I think a generous gift from a low-profile but highly developed teacher. Interested?

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars unique & profound, December 15, 2004

By 

T. Furneaux (Earth) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Magic Dance (Paperback)

This is one of my favorite Dharma books, one I find myself re-reading and sitting with, again & again. It's kind of like eating a meal. Each time I taste this book, I discover flavors I hadn't experienced before. This book is a mystery I continue to explore.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In the sky! In the sky!, August 10, 2005

By 

Myron Makewater "redcrosseknight" (Laramie) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Magic Dance (Paperback)

I want to be Thinley Norbu Rinpoche when I grow up. His books reveal a profound and immediate understanding, a playful spontaneity, an intense precision of expression, and a gentle command of the reader's attention. Rinpoche manifests beautifully, and he has something very real to say.

(Of interest to Shambhala people: Thinley Norbu Rinpoche practices the Primordial Stroke on the page with as much skill and impact, or perhaps greater, than Trungpa Rinpoche... and I'm a devoted admirer of Trungpa Rinpoche's vision and presentation.)

Listen: Thinley Norbu Rinpoche knew what he was doing, as a writer and a yogin. He was a spiritual and literary genius. So yes, of course, take this one home with you and take it to heart.

Homage to the dakinis!