Customer Reviews

Rainbow Painting: A Collection of Miscellaneous Aspects of Development and Completion

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Combine Rainbow Painting with the author's son, Tsoknyi Rinpoche's book "Carefree Dignity"... it is clear how simple it really can be to live our daily lives, all day--all night, as a spiritual path. Simple and straight foward, recognize your own nature. A very special teacher. Highly recommended!

While the author teaches in the Dzogchen tradition as he clearly explains in this book, for this reader I can see no difference between it and Zen. "Direct pointing" to that which we call mind is the essence of this book, a real "how-to-do-it" explanation. I have studied Buddhism, and Zen in particular, for over 20 years and this is one of the most helpful texts I have ever come across. I would recommend it to any serious student of Buddhism.

Too often people think that the only way to practice Buddhism is to sit and quiet or empty the mind. Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche effectively rebuts that view. Since this book was published there have been two additional volumes, both of which are excellect (5 stars). They are titled "As It Is," volumes 1 and 2.

While this book includes some exposition of standard material (usually in shortened form) such as Ngondro, tales of past gurus, etc., it also includes more advanced knowledge. The stories are fun, but I refer the reader to Jan Brunvand's many books on Urban Legends. But, the author does a lot more in 210 pages. This is NOT an introductory text--it's more advanced. The author clearly and concisely delineates the differences between approaches (yanas) but also with Mahamudra and Dzogchen. He also explains the Dzogchen view of the relationship between development and completion stages--which in the 100 or so Vajrayana books I've read, I've never heard before. And, it actually makes sense to me! Amazing. He also gives a bit of information about the relationship between Trekcho and Togal, though most of this work is more Trekcho oriented. Overall, the book is written in an easily read style, and the author uses many, many analogies to improve communications and help the reader visualize what is being transmitted. Analogies, while not actually proving anything can certainly illustrate points being made so as to elicit an understanding response from the reader. Several chapters of this book are included in "The Dzogchen Primer," but they are the more elementary ones and, IMHO, not the really fine ones. After reading some more introductory Dzogchen and/or Mahamudra books (there are lots of them out there by Norbu or Thrangu Rinpoche or others), this would be a fine book to read.

I found this book to be full of good, practical advice about living our daily lives as spiritual practice, presented in a most clear and understandable way. It is one of the few books I recommend to persons interested in a book on spiritual practice and/or meditation. Another book I recommend in such cases is Unsui, by Nakamura (U. of Hawaii Press) which delightfully describes life in a Japanese Zen monastery. I also like "Zen Flesh, Zen Bones", by Reps and Senzaki, and "The Diamond Sutra and The Sutra of Hui Neng". Both are handled by Shambala Publishers. These two books have original textual material in the Zen tradition, and I go back to them as "orthodox" texts -- they have endured for centuries.

Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche is rapidly becoming one of my favorite lamas. His teaching has the perfect balance of encouragement and challenge. This collection of teachings, while not appropriate for newcomers to Tibetan Buddhism, is very helpful for those who have been on the path for awhile.

I have read his son's, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche's, books, The Joy of Living, and Joyful Wisdom, and this book was really useful in seeing the key points that Minyur Rinpoche is getting at from a slightly different angle.

Rainbow Painting touches more deeply aspect of the Mahamudra , Dzogchen practices. It gives clear clarifications of why the different points of view , Tawa , vary in the 9 Yanas.

Having been a practitioner for a while I highly recomended it.

Tulku Urgyen was a fine example of a true yogi.
His devotion to his teachers shines through in these pages, and there's more to be learned here than just the verbal info.
I highly recomend keeping this book around.