The Magic of Awareness

by THUBTEN, ANAM

• ISBN13: 9781559393928
• ISBN10: 1559393920
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-05-16
• Publisher: Shambhala

Summary

A Tibetan Buddhist teacher offers guidance on maintaining a state of awareness—demonstrating how enlightenment can be found at any time, in our everyday lives
 
The paradox of awareness is very profound and yet very simple. It can't be described because it has no objective qualities and no limitation. Sometimes it comes naturally to the surface when we are fully in the present moment and no longer lost in thought or mental projections. Pure consciousness is neither high nor low, neither pleasant nor unpleasant, neither good nor bad. No matter where we are, no matter what we are doing, we always have an immediate access to that inner stillness. It can be experienced in an instant in all circumstances once we know how to pay attention to it. It is utterly peaceful and it is also insightful, so it sees through all illusions. Whenever there is a moment of being deluded, we can use that moment to practice settling in the very perfect sphere of the Buddha mind without trying to change anything. When we reside in that liberated mind, we find the very thing we have been seeking all along.

Author Biography

Anam Thubten grew up in Tibet and undertook Buddhist training in the Nyingma  tradition at an early age. He has been teaching in the West since the 1990s and is the spiritual adviser and Dharma teacher for the Dharmata Foundation.

Table of Contents

EditorÆs Preface	p. ix
Being Nobody	p. 1
Flipping Our Consciousness	p. 11
Awakening to Our True Nature	p. 21
Enlightenment as an Ordinary Human Experience	p. 29
The Art of Enjoying Life	p. 41
Unconditional Freedom	p. 49
Melt into Love	p. 59
Transcendent Bliss	p. 71
Relaxing the Mind	p. 77
Glimpsing the Truth	p. 87
Crazy Love, An Ecstatic Way of Transcending Mind	p. 95
Pure Awareness is Available in Every Moment	p. 103
Ecstatic Compassion	p. 115
Waking Up to Real Life	p. 125
Devotion, Surrendering to the Present Moment	p. 137
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

The Magic of Awareness is Anam Thubten's second book based on teachings given at Dharmata Foundation, Pt. Richmond, California. A central theme is that enlightenment is always available, even in this very ordinary moment. It is something extraordinary that ordinary people can witness here and now, whenever we are ready. Spiritual awakening can happen to anyone at any time because it is not bound by culture or religion, and its possibility is our birthright. Rinpoche speaks with startling insight, unflinching honesty, and a great sense of humor. He cuts to the essence, the heart of the matter, drawing from his personal experience of walking the spiritual path, and clarifies subtle, complex points directly, in easily understood language. Rinpoche invites us to fully awaken to the pure, unborn, self-enlightened, unbounded Buddha mind that is already present within us. True spiritual realization, he says, is the experiential understanding of this, and our life's true purpose. He encourages us to embrace real life rather than the one that exists in our head and is actually nothing more than an accumulation of stories from the past and anticipated, unfulfilled fantasies. Real life, he says, is much more rich and interesting, and it is unfolding right now, here in the present moment. He challenges us to embrace and enjoy it fully. It is a pleasure and an honor to work with Rinpoche and to present now to a wider audience the profound, illuminating teachings of this devoted man who has dedicated his life to expressing in words and actions messages of authentic love, wisdom, and compassion.Sharon Roe, editor