Customer Reviews

Wonders of the Natural Mind: The Essence of Dzogchen in the Native Bon Tradition of Tibet

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Recently, in the West, a number of books have appeared on the subject of Dzog Chen. This is the first book to describe the Bon-Po point of view of these high teachings. This pleases me greatly. They are derived from the Zhang Zhung Nyan Gyud, which is the most essential within the Bon-Po Dzog Chen.

Lama Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche has been trained in this lineage since he was fourteen by the Venerable Lopon Sangye Tenzin and the Venerable Lopon Tenzin Namdak. From the early days on, he has shown a special gift when it comes to these meditations.

The book is written in clear and concise English. This is particularly important as the teachings are very elaborate and at times hard to understand. The simple language used clarifies tremendously. The authentic descriptions of Dzog Chen give the serious student ample material to practice Dzog Chen.

This book doesn't include stories; it explains the quintessential aspects of Dzog Chen. In other words, it gets right to the point. Especially the chapters such as the ones on Contemplation and Integration. I highly recommend this book to any serious student of these high teachings.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama writes, "This book will be of great help to readers wishing to find a clear explanation of the Bon tradition, especially with regard to its presentation of the teachings of Dzogchen."

Indeed! *Wonders of the Natural Mind* is a treasure trove of information --- appropriate for any level of practitioner. Here's an excerpt from the back cover of the book:

*Wonders of the Natural Mind* is a presentation of Dzogchen as taught in the Bon tradition. Dzogchen has begun to be familiar to Westerners principally through the teachings of the Nyingmapa school, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and other Tibetan teachers residing and teaching in Western countries. In *Wonders of the Natural Mind*, the author presents the Dzogchen teachings based on the *Zhang Zhung Nyan Gyud*, the fundamental Bon text. The book gives an epitome of the main points of Dzogchen, its relation to the various systems of Bon teaching, and the author's personal reflections on the practice of Dzogchen in the West.

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, a Lama in the Bon tradition of Tibet, presently resides in Charlottesville, Virginia. He is the founder and director of The Ligmincha Institute, an organization dedicated to the study and practice of the teachings of the Bon tradition. He was born in Amritsar, India, after his parents fled the Chinese invasion of Tibet, and received training from both Buddhist and Bon teachers, attaining the degree of Geshe, the highest academic degree of traditional Tibetan culture. He has been in the United States since 1991 and has taught widely in Europe and America.

This is one of the best books I have ever read on Tibetan culture and religion. It is clear and concise. It is extremely informative, revealing practices that have been kept secret, for some unknown reason, for centuries. A great book!

This book packs a punch. If you are talented at reading between the lines this book is even better. While it is mostly an overview the specifics are mind boggling. Make it a companion for a month and watch what happens.

This is a unique, special, down to earth, direct, powerful book on dzogchen. What I liked most about it is Tenzin Wangyal's humble and honest way of teaching. But he also tells fantastic stories about his youth and his teachers. this book is quite beautiful and moving, opening one up to realizing the nature of mind.

I highly recommend this book as an excellent introduction to the Bon tradition of Tibet. In this book the author explains what the Bon tradition is and how it differs from Buddhist beliefs and practices. The author explores in depth the foundational beliefs and practices of the Bon tradition while also explaining how they can be meaningfully applied to the life of the practitioner. What I like is that its also clear that this tradition has its own perspective on emptiness, which I found useful for getting a new perspective on it. Overall, I recommend this book for anyone serious about doing internal work.

The book presents personal as well as an academic accounts of the ancient religion of Bon, which just until recently was a complete mystery to the Westerners.

A system outlined here is unlike anything I ve read before. Unlike a more excepted view of their similarities, this book shows that the above system is pretty dramatically different from Tibetan Buddhism. They do come from the same plato, but the Dharma of Bon has to be somewhat differnt. Being also a Buddhist practitioner, Mr. Wangyal does a great job of outlining the Bon religion without interfering with anyone's personal feelings about the matter. Plus, the book is full to the curb with knowledge.

Thanks so much for this excellent book. It is one of the best books about the practice of this Way on WHOLE day. I don't practice Dzogchen but it is easy to see that the quality of teachings of this book are superior. One of the best books of practical Buddhism that I have read.

The simple way to expose the deepest matters and the humility and high knowledge shows the great level of practice of the author and the importance of this Tibetan school. Helpful to any Buddha follower. Excellent purchase. Recommended 100%.

Tenzin Wangyal's style of writing is clear, concise, and helpful to a beginner on the Dzogchen path. There are so many areas of Bon that are very similar to the Nyingma teachings.

This great book describes the Dzogchen teachings within Bon, Tibet's oldest spiritual tradition. It is impossible to do this book justice here, but much like Buddhism, with which Bon has much in common, it is though concentration (control and observation of the mind), comprehension (retaining presence in the state of the inseparability of clarity and emptiness), and integration (i.e. integrating presence with the activities of body, voice, and mind in daily life) that we are able to discover the natural clarity and joy and freedom of the "unobstructed" mind. Clearly written and practical in intention, it is one of my favorite books, and as a matter of fact, is my favorite book on meditation. See also his book on dream yoga.