Customer Reviews

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

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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?

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.

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!

The first thing i noticed after i started reading this book was how poetic it was...it kind of reminded me of Chogyam Trungpa. With each chapter he presents a topic then proceeds to comment from every concievable angle. While the student familiar with Vajrayana's more secret practices will understand his allusions, he certainly presents his topics in such a way that they apply to everyone. An exhilerating read.

I found this book to be both delightful and challenging. I am in agreement with several other reviewers that Thinley Norbu has a compassionate teacher's command of English. He knows as a dharma teacher just how difficult the concepts that he speaks of are to grasp, even when taught in his native Tibetan, a language specifically tailored to the explanation of Buddhist philosophical concepts.

The difficulty of explaining these concepts in English, a language that does not have words to distinguish between many subtle mental phenomena are always a challenge for Buddhist teachers. The main topic of this book, the Buddhist view on the five elements, earth, water, air, fire and space are illustrative of the difficulties in translation. Calling these things elements, in English means they are like carbon or hydrogen. The might also be called qualities like solid or liquid, or principles like animate or inanimate, pathways like multiple or unitary, etc. The Buddhist term for them, "Wisdom Dakinis" contains all of these meanings and many more.

You will find if you give this text your full attention, reading and re-reading it with the receptive mind that it requires; that the Rinpoche has opened various cracks in your preconceptions of the nature of reality. If you contemplate the concepts that he has exposed, resting your mental weight on them, you will find that you gain new insight of the energy essences that "appear" the ordinary world. This process is called penetration though more often it feel like free fall, as the solid floor of ordinary conception breaks under you.

A simple review like this can do little to capture this experience. I would encourage anyone interested Buddhist natural philosophy to take a sip from this cup and then enjoy the fall!

Not the usual Dharma book. More like a poem or song than a treatise. Lyrically presents the 5 elements and the 5 Dakinis (sky dancers).

HH Dungse Thinley Norbu Rinpoche has few books out. This is one of them. Invaluable as the direct words of a modern accomplished practitioner.

This is an excellent text on the Tibetan Buddhist teachings on the five elements. It is well-written and thorough, not to mention poetic. There are many powerful metaphors used to explain difficult concepts. This is a book you can read over and over again and never run out of things to learn. It covers a lot of ground in a very short space. Lucid and profound.

I found this book to be challenging and interesting. It presents the five elements and the five Dakinis in a very particular way. In their gross and subtle forms, these elements combine to make up the infinite illusory display of phenomenal existence. Can be a difficult book for anyone not grounded in Vajrayana Buddhism.