Customer Reviews

The Practice of Tibetan Meditation: Exercises, Visualizations, and Mantras for Health and Well-being

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I felt uncomfortable when I read the negative reviews on this book and the CD that accompany this volume. Took me a bit before deciding to express my feelings.

First, the writer had passed away and there would be no new title from this author.

Secondly, the CD instructing on the proper pronunciations of the mantra is meant to inform, and the following chanting is the way that mantra been used for centuries in Tibet. It is hard to find, listen, and much less to able to learn from a session of mantra chanting. The daughter of the author is a recording artist, and her album "Universal Healing Power Of Tibetan Mantras" is wonderful.

The author did not hold the hands of the readers and point out every detail that one would encounter in this journey to the inner self, much to the dismay of some western educated readers. For those who seek instant gratification, it won't help them in this journey. Not able to achieve the results and realization of the author within a time period, the impatient would simply place the blame on the writer's inadequacy.

Artisha's Lamp is a simple reading, and so is the Heart Sutra, but mountainous volumes have yet finish explaining them. Simple and yet concise instructions are given and the realizations of the results are left to the readers.

I guess writing this review is contrary to Buddha's teaching, but not commenting on the negative reviews would be unfair to those who have place effort in benefiting others.

Dagsay Tulku Rinpoche was an esteemed Lama at a secluded Tibetan monastery. In 1959, Political unrest tore him from his illustrious religious position and threw him first into the bamboo barracks of a refugee camp in India, and then into the materialistic western world. In the capitalist and haste ridden environment of the Western world, he found that the ancient spiritual practices he had mastered in Tibet took on even greater necessity in the tumult of 9 to 5 jobs and making ends meet. The author did not forget his spirituality, but realized how important the practices of Tibetan Buddhism are to a world stricken with greed, ignorance and hate.
Commonly, we associate books with reading. This book, however, is a book of doing. Within its pages, the author unfolds dozens of meditative exercises based on the Tibetan system of spirituality. Dagsay Tulku Rinpoche provides excellent foundations of meditative breathing, posture, visualization, and vocalization. Preliminary sections detail preparation for meditation, correct posture, mental focus, and breathing technique. The majority of the book is composed of two sections, the first is concerned with relieving suffering and bringing about happiness, the second section is devoted to overcoming the origins of suffering. Within each section are comprehensive instructions detailing how to perform a plethora of meditative purifications and visualizations that, when employed together with specific vocalizations, or mantras, yield extremely powerful psychological-physiological results. The book covers a wide spectrum of needs ranging from a chapter on massage to meditative preparation for death.
The simple, unembellished approach of the book is a true shining point. Throughout the book, each exercise begins with a brief and easily comprehensible discussion of the theory and functions of the exercise, followed by easy to follow step by step instruction, with diagrams of various postures, and suggestions of variations to accommodate greater flexibility in the technological age.
Each exercise is related to a mantra that intensifies the effects of each practice. The author was kind enough to provide a CD of each mantra with the book. The mantra CD is 58 minutes long, and contains 19 mantras. This CD is invaluable, as proper pronunciation of each Sanskrit syllable of a mantra is ultimately important to its functioning in meditative practices. As an avid student of both Tibetan and Hindu mantras, I have long been at a loss when it came to reciting the words since I have no training in speaking Sanskrit. Thanks to the CD in that accompanies this book, I have 19 very powerful mantras perfectly spoken so that I can practice the proper pronunciation. The CD alone is worth the price of the book. On the way to work in the morning, with the sun climbing over the horizon, I focus on enjoying the calming influence of the peaceful female voice that sings each mantra in the most beautiful Sanskrit dialect.
The power of this work is greatly diminished if the book is digested solely on an intellectual basis, without performing even the introductory exercises. For many of us, finding the courage to try something new is a battle against procrastination, anxiety, and a lack of creative energy. Find the time to make the exercises in this book part of your life, and enjoy increased peacefulness, awareness, and happiness, regardless of what events arise in your life.

Not the best book I've ever read, but a lot more useful than most. As the title says, it is about the PRACTICE of Tibetan Meditation. If you just want to look at pictures or read about Buddhism there are a lot of better books. The reason I gave it five stars is because you will only truly find the dharma within you and your own experience. The practices in the book are effective and if utilized might even be sufficient. What more could you reasonable ask for?
If you don't want to do the work, by a book about cooking. Of course you won't get any more out of that one if you don't use the recipes, but the pictures will be better.

Excellent book. If you are interested in learning basic beginning to some slightly advanced techniques this is a wonderful introduction. Well written with nice drwaings of poses, etc. Also the CD is very authentic. Enjoy.

The world seems to need to rid itself of the Big Three (Anger,
Depression, and Anxiety) or it will blow up! But nothing seems
to work except people-centered therapy, biological psychiatry,
and twelve-step groups. And these answers, very limited answers
mind you, have simply not worked on a global level. Tibetan
Buddhism, although very promise-looking, has really offered
us nothing. We have been kicked aside in two ways. First, we
are supposed to shoot for enlightenment. Or secondly, we need
a teacher. The common man has been left with nothing. Until
now...This book is written by a qualified Tibetan lama. It is
for mental and physical strain. And you simple do not need a
teacher to follow this program. This is the first time that
Tibet has offered a "limited budget" man or woman a sandwich
that reduces Anger, Depression, and Anxiety. This book will
certainly move us past the third revolution of psychiatry (psychopharmacology) into a fourth. What could be called
meditational therapy. The author outines in the back remedies
for psychiatric problems such as panic and depression. The CD
may distract you. His first line of defense are actual visualizations. Than you can add the mayonaise and mustard
in the form of mudras (body or hand positions) and mantras
and chants. The mudras and mantras make the actual visualizations more powerful. He also gives you three degrees
of intensity. I have three meditations for depression. But
only one is at an easy intensity. It is suggested that you
ease into each meditation session with nine preliminary conditions or checkpoints (like adjusting your posture). The
manual is so user-friendly that even psychotics and AIDS patients
can find great benefit. One does not need a therapist to process
a meditation program. The entire program is earmarked for potential psychic landmines. I do hope that this great treasure
for mankind will usher in a fourth generation of psychiatry and

relieve the planet of so much stress. Now do your part. Buy
the book and CD. I bless you from every region of my being. Good luck.

I did not read any pages of the book before buying it. Relying on the first two reviews, thinking that it was a great book, I bought it.

Didn't take me long to realize the exaggeration on the usefulness of the book. It seems to be mixing some New Age flavor into it if you listen to the CD. Yes, I agree with later reviews. The singing was unpleasant.

Next time I will wait for more reviews to be posted before making any purchase again. A valuable lesson: Pay serious attention to negative reviews especially those that comment on the actual content.

The singing is BAD!! I will not use it for meditation as I find the singing too modernized. The text of the book is below average. When it comes to visualizations, I was expecting a good look at mandalas---that is not the case here. Also there is no coverage of the origin and/or beliefs behind the mantras.

A waste of money in my opinion.

I listened to the CD and wondered if any of the previous reviewers ever listened to it. It was bad, real bad. Too much of New Age flavor in the music and also the singer's (yes, sounded more like singing than chanting) control of voice was deplorable. Read the book... the singer is the author's daughter. Better get someone who can sing properly... I cannot imagine how anyone can use this CD for meditation purpose. So bad that I am not going to use the CD ever again.

There isn't much info about the mantras either. If you have the chance to get hold of a copy, browse through and you will agree with me.

I was hoping to get a book with a decent CD of mantras. This is definitely NOT what I expected. There are better ones out there, I am sure. You can leave this one out.

The CD content was a real horror and the contents of the book is of little substance. What I learnt from this purchase is not to believe that every book written by a so-called Tibetan lama must be good. Wasted my time and money on this one. Give negative reviews some serious thought----they are more often right than those positive ones. I have just read the other negative reviews on this book and I agree with them FULLY.

This will be my first and last purchase of any book by this author!! Would like to give zero stars if I could.