Tarthang Tulku - Openness Mind
This comes from the Nyingma Psychology Series printed by Dharma Publishing.
Excerpt from Foreword:
To the extent that the reader is drawn into what may be termed 'applied Buddhism', the reader will note that the book, in its progression from chapter to chapter, is a 'trail guide'. The field through which it points the way is the rich and intricate nature of man. In thus being a guide, the book is very traditional in the sense that it restates the fact that man is capable of growth and that growth is a continuous process of expansion into ever-widening horizons. It is also like climbing a mountain peak where we have to watch every step in moving tip, while simultaneously being taken in by breath-taking views. Such 'guides' have been known as lam-rim (Stages on the Path) in Tibet, and an extensive literature on this subject has been preserved.
The earliest work of this kind is attributed to Guru Padmasambhava, a person whose historicity has been overshadowed by myths and legends, all of which attest to the impact his presentation of Buddhist ideas has had on those who came under their spell. What distinguishes his work (as well as those works that developed in the tradition initiated by him and known as the Nyingma order) from the works of the same nature in other schools of thought, is the vividness of presentation. It is the presentation of lived-through experience, not a stale piling up of quotations from canonical texts. The same vividness and directness the reader will find in this book whose author is one of the foremost Nyingma scholars.
Openness Mind has been written for those who dare to ask questions which touch on the meaning of life, and it has taken form from out of such questions asked. Needless to point out that the title itself is a challenge - to open up ourselves is to have mind restored to its creative openness. Openness Mind certainly points the way in that direction.
~ Herbert V. Geunther
Excerpt from Preface:
Meditation is the common ground of many and varied interests. It is a vast and complex subject, aimed at the development of an understanding of the mind, an understanding which we can carry into the whole of our experience. Meditation is not a withdrawal from life, it is an extension: we can take it with us to enrich whatever we do, wherever we go. This concept is basic to the Nyingma teachings, which are designed to provide inner strength and self-reliance. . .
When we have understanding of the nature of the mind, we can approach the problem of life with a sureness and integrity that give a wholesome quality to all we do. We interrelate smoothly and flowingly with the world around us.
By means of meditation we can teach our minds to be calm and balanced; within this calmness is a richness and a potential, an inner knowledge which can render our lives boundlessly satisfying and meaningful. We can tap the healing qualities of our minds. While the mind may be what traps us in unhealthy patterns of stress and imbalance, it is also the mind which can free us.
Within the mind we can find the sense of purpose and the abilities which can bring meaning to our lives. We can learn to deal readily and effectively with what have seemed to he insolvable problems, by bringing to them the simple techniques we learn in meditation. The mind can become a familiar and useful tool which we can put to use for the enrichment of our experience. In this way, as we bring balance to our inner environment, our outer environment becomes balanced as well. We learn self-reliance, the natural freedom of mind.
Contents:
PART ONE: OPENNESS
• Learning through Experience
• The Self-Image
• Self-Change
• Transforming Fear
• Meditation: Let It Be
PART TWO: DEEPENING THROUGH MEDITATION
• The Deepening Stream
• Opening to Feeling
• Transcending Emotions
• Fascination and Anxiety
PART THREE: REALITY AND ILLUSION
• Reality and Illusion
• Moving Tapestry of Dreams
• Dream Lotus
• The Ground of Being
PART FOUR: BEYOND MEANINGS
• Dimensions of Meditation
• Thoughts
• Beyond Meanings
• Awareness
• The Illusion of Now
PART FIVE: THE LIVING DHARMA
• Refuge
• Love and Compassion
• The Seed of Enlightenment
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