Momentary Buddhahood: Mindfulness and the Vajrayana Path [Paperback]

Anyen Rinpoche (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2009

In this book, esteemed scholar Anyen Rinpoche dispels a common misconception among Western Vajrayana Buddhists: that mindfulness is a Zen teaching and thus not essential for tantric practice. Rinpoche is adamant that Vajrayana practitioners should fully understand the crucial support that mindfulness brings to the practice of tantric meditation, especially to Dzogchen meditation. He also clarifies the concept of mindfulness itself, giving it the true depth and meaning that is often lost in Western teachings.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Anyen Rinpoche capably guides the reader toward a remarkable goal, all the while making it seem fully attainable.”—Buddhadharma


“With his brilliant scholarship in Buddhism and intimate knowledge of the minds of both East and West, Anyen Rinpoche has produced a truly insightful guidebook on mindfulness, a precious gift for Dharma students, new and old alike. I trust that by taking in these teachings, we can rejuvenate the mindfulness that is inherent in us all.”-from the foreword by Tulku Thondup Rinpoche, author of Boundless Healing


“Anyen Rinpoche teaches the profound view of Dzogchen as the culmination of a graduated path of practical instructions for transforming our lives. He points out that the experience of the mind's true nature is accessible to us at any time, yet must be cultivated through a lifetime of practice. This accessible book shows how mindfulness is central to this practice, allowing us to recognize our own negative patterns of behavior and transcend them.”-Sam Van Schaik, author Approaching the Great Perfection

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Wisdom Publications (October 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0861715985
• ISBN-13: 978-0861715985
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #516,359 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Anyen Rinpoche is a tulku from Amdo, Tibet, and is an esteemed scholar as well as the heart son of his root Lama, Kyabje Tsara Dharmakirti Rinpoche. He is the fifth in an unbroken lineage of heart sons who received their uncommon lineage of the Longchen Nyingthig and introduction to the Dzogchen teachings directly from the renowned Dzogchen master Patrul Rinpoche. Anyen Rinpoche's training included more than fourteen years of intensive study combined with solitary retreat before he obtained the degree of Khenpo and became the head scholar of his root Lama's monastic university in Kham, Tibet.

Anyen Rinpoche primarily lives and teaches in Denver, Colorado, where he founded the Orgyen Khamdroling Sangha. Rinpoche's focuses include a shedra for Westerners as well as an annual Medicine Buddha Monlam, which gathers people from all walks of life together to pray each year for global peace and wellbeing.

Find out more about Anyen Rinpoche's dharma activity and teachings at www.anyenrinpoche.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A gem for anyone on the Buddhist path, September 27, 2009

By 

Eileen Cahoon, Ph.D. - See all my reviews

This review is from: Momentary Buddhahood: Mindfulness and the Vajrayana Path (Paperback)

I found this small gem of a book clear, direct, pithy, and full of practical advice. For beginners, this book is informative and will help new students avoid many pitfalls. For older students, it is not only a refresher course that integrates both sutra and tantra teachings, but an opportunity to truly reflect on what is missing in our practice and what we can do to strengthen it for better results.
We westerners are very attracted to the higher teachings of Dzogchen and Mahamudra and often give mindfulness training short shrift. Anyen Rinpoche encourages a very honest self-evaluation in this book--with specific instructions and reflections--to see the gaps in our current practice. I particularly enjoyed the section on The Bodhisattva in Samsara. Any ideas of disengaging from the world or escaping samsara are easily put to rest. Also, the chapter on working with the wind energy to liberate concepts and afflictive emotions really clarifies the distinction between sutra and tantra, as well as giving a clear understanding of the goal of tantric practice.
Momentary Buddhahood gives great inspiration that realization is possible, moment by moment, and that if we practice the foundations of mindfulness and discernment until they become effortless, the moments will become continuous.
It is not often we get to read something so crystal clear that, despite having heard many teachings over and over again, we can have many AHA experiences. "Momentary Buddhahood" takes on a meaning that is relevant to our daily life, 24 hours a day.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Critical to the Path, September 25, 2009

By 

John Weber - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Momentary Buddhahood: Mindfulness and the Vajrayana Path (Paperback)

Personally I find that though I have been practicing some thirty years the stability and resultant clarity of my formal practice does not extend into my daily life to a satisfying degree.
In this book Anyen Rinpoche explains how mindfulness remains critical at the stage of Vajrayana. We may receive extremely profound teachings, but without mindfulness we have no way to genuinely engage them and they remain wishful thinking or pure theory. He points out that without mindfulness, receiving instructions that teach how to realize the nature of mind and not receiving the instructions have the same result: we are not able to practice them.
This small volume clearly illuminates how mindfulness is a bridge between our everyday mind and realization; that as we begin to master mindfulness we discover that the experience of enlightenment is possible in each moment.

John Weber
Admin. Director Religious Studies
Naropa University

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Without mindfulness we have nothing." Anyen Rinpoche, October 11, 2009

By 

Sarah Teague Johnson (Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Momentary Buddhahood: Mindfulness and the Vajrayana Path (Paperback)

A well developed foundation in mindfulness is essential for practitioners of all levels of experience. Accordingly, "Momentary Buddhahood" is exceptionally pertinent as a basis to enhance and strengthen the quality of your practice. This book is filled with practical advice which can be put into use immediately.

Beginning with a thorough discussion of mindfulness, Anyen Rinpoche leads us to understand not only the why and when, but especially the how. You will find simple yet profound directives at the end of each chapter to focus your practice. Rinpoche clearly demonstrates the significance and potency of mindfulness on our thoughts and actions, our motivation and self-reflection, our analysis of ordinary appearances, and even learning to balance one's energy. His excellent and concise instruction is indispensable in permeating your daily life with mindfulness - beyond the cushion!

The wisdom presented so clearly in this book will invigorate your view and give you specific tools to keep your practice fresh and alive.