Customer Reviews

Wisdom Energy: Basic Buddhist Teachings

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This is a deeply refreshing book about elementary Buddhist ideas. The authors, Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche, present the material in a clear logical way that immediately rings true. They are empirical and scientific in their approach, even comparing Buddhist inquiry about the nature of self to a scientific investigation. Their refrain throughout the books is "check it out" --- verify for yourself, in your own practice, that their observations are true. They are not preaching dogma: quite to the contrary, they are proposing "testable hypotheses" of inner life, and they suggest inner "experiments" for the reader to carry out. The analyses are precise, and yet the precision is conveyed without jargon. This book is profoundly accessible to the modern Western reader, particularly to someone who has a background in science. Because of the cogency of the arguments, I would recommend this book not only to students of Buddhism and comparative religion, but also to students of philosophy, psychology, anthropology --- anyone who uses rational and scientific investigation to explore human nature in an attempt to ameliorate human problems.

I'm going to make this short and sweet. ANYTHING authored by Lama Yeshe is worth reading. In the course of a relatively short life span, he managed to inspire and inform many thousands of people. Wisdom Publications has printed several wonderful titles by Lama Yeshe, and they are all gems. If you are interested in pursuing the Dharma through Tibetan eyes, or even if you just wish to garner some insight into this ancient tradition, you must become familiar with the works produced by this highly revered monk.

This book is just wonderful. It provides such a clear, down-to-earth presentation of Buddhist meditation and practice. Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche took the essence of all the Wisdom of the Buddha and put it into a format that is so incredibly accessible to Westerners and is so perfect for putting into practice to transform one's relationships and one's own mind! Incredible!

This relatively short volume covers a lot of ground in terms of explaining basic Tibetan Buddhist concepts. More importantly, it illuminates the human condition and invites the readers into deep inquiry to determine the nature of the world for themselves. This is in the spirit of the original Buddhist teachings where Buddha encouraged people to test his ideas and not follow the teachings blindly. Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche are two of the best Tibetan teachers at explaining Buddhism to Westerners. Here they are at their best. This book is a winner.

This is a great book! This is one of the first books to really turn my mind to the dharma. Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche were like the dynamic duo of Dharma, spreading the truths of the Buddhist teachings to the west. I would recommend reading anything by either of them as their wisdom and skillful means are perfected and help us to understand ways to grow and reach full buddhahood for the benefit of all. If you ever have a chance to receive teachings in person from Kyabje Zopa Rinpoche I would highly recommend taking the opportunity to receive the blessings and transmissions of this enlightened master, Lama, Guru, Shaman, healer, Buddha. I have given this book to relatives and would recommend it to anyone.

Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa are beautiful, clear, insightful teachers. The lectures that are recorded in the book really call for your inquiring mind. This is a fantastic book for anyone, not just budding Buddhists!

I have had a copy of this book since 1978, and just bought this new edition to give to a friend who has developed an interest in Tibetan Buddhism. It's a wonderful book filled with wisdom from two great teachers who can make complex concepts easier to understand. I recommend it whole-heartedly.

Be caredul with this book. It can burn your hands! After you buy this book, you will see a picture of Lama Zopa Rinpoche
with Lama Yeshe. This is fine. Photographs can be fun to look at. But when you go to the next page, you will see another picture of Lama Zopa Rinpoche with Lama Yeshe. But now Lama Yeshe is a boy. How? This is his new incarnation. Now we must keep an open mind. We don't know about this. Maybe Tibetans just find a preganant woman and say, "That is the new incarnation." Actually, their system of recognizing incarnations is pretty scientific. But let us be skeptical.
But what if it is true? Now read more into the book. This book holds no punches. We are lucky if we are reborn a human! This
book may let us down, punch us on the jaw, and then hold us up.
But it will prepare you for what Buddhists really believe. They believe in reincarnation into another form. And you will be oh so lucky if it is a human the next time. This book is brillant and concise. It will cut you into a million pieces. It will leave blisters on your hands. Because despite your love for the teachings of His Holiness the Dali Lama or Sogyal Rinpoche, I am betting that you don't really know what they believe. Buy this book and find out. And if you think that the Tibetans may be onto something, then I think you better do something about it.