Vajra Speech: A Commentary on The Quintessence of Spiritual Practice, The Direct Instructions of the Great Compassionate One [Paperback]

Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche (Author), Marcia Schmidt (Compiler), Erik Kunsang (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 24, 2004

This book contains selected pith instructions from a master of the Practice Lineage. Vajra Speech, by Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, renowned for his extraordinary experience and realization, is a wide-ranging collection of pith instructions for the Dzogchen yogi. This Tibetan master’s advice reduces negative emotions and naturally enables loving kindness, compassion and wisdom to flourish.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche (1920-1996) was one of the outstanding Tibetan Buddhist teachers of his generation. Forced into exile by the Communist invasion of Tibet, he came to settle in the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal. Though spending over 25 years in retreat, he not only taught extensively, but also founded numerous monasteries and retreat centers the world over. He is the author of such popular books as Rainbow Painting and As It Is Vols. I & II.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: North Atlantic Books (May 24, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9627341444
• ISBN-13: 978-9627341444
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.5 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #747,951 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fine quotes = pithy excerpts from a master's works, January 4, 2005

By 

Neal J. Pollock (VA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Vajra Speech: A Commentary on The Quintessence of Spiritual Practice, The Direct Instructions of the Great Compassionate One (Paperback)

This is an unusual Dzogchen book. Essentially it is a book of quotations taken from Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche's other works. Since I've read "Rainbow Painting" (my favorite one) and "As It Is" volumes I & II, though not "Repeating the Words of the Buddha," it seemed a bit redundant to me at first. But when viewed as a reference work, its value becomes apparent. It would be difficult for a reader to understand many of the entries in this book without a considerable background in Dzogchen (or at least Vajrayana) prior to reading it. On the other hand, one way to learn an esoteric subject is to immerse oneself in it-reading everything one can get one's hands on - and allowing what was read to coalesce in one's (unconscious as well as conscious) mind. Certainly, Urgyen Rinpoche was a great contemporary Dzogchen master. So there is much to like about his teachings, and this book is a great condensation of those. It could serve as an introduction to his larger works-inspiring readers to investigate the teachings more deeply. There are many things to learn: objects are merely appearances (p. 69), "Obstructing forces are one's own thoughts arising externally; they are also called harmful spirits. They are the forces that pull one back from attaining the state of enlightenment and they originate from one's own thoughts, from ignorance" (p. 105), The only way to acquire all the great qualities of enlightenment is to repeat many times the short moment of recognizing mind essence...by practicing many times, we get used to it (p. 126), you need to be able to dissolve dualistic mind in nondual awareness (p. 141), the training in recognizing mind essence is this: short moments repeated many times (p. 172), In Dzogchen, the ultimate view is to relax into nondual awareness (p. 180). Perhaps best of all are his specific quotes on Trekchö and Tögal on pages 140-1 and page 174 and on the View on page 180-2. Indeed, the more extensive entries (alphabetically listed titles) allow one to view what the author said on a particular subject at different times in different books. This throws considerable light on such subjects-when one can see them from several angles at once.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars extraordinary, simple, direct, pointing out, September 13, 2009

By 

Shiwa Cholu (Boulder, CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vajra Speech: A Commentary on The Quintessence of Spiritual Practice, The Direct Instructions of the Great Compassionate One (Paperback)

A wonderful book. Every quote you read is marked by Tulku Urgyen's direct pointing out the nature of mind. It brings you back over and over to the main point. Most highly recommended for practitioners who have received the pointing out instructions and wish to renew and deepen their understanding. If you haven't received them, perhaps reading this will inspire you to seek out an authentic Tibetan buddhist master who will give them to you. An amazing book.