It's Up to You

by KONGTRUL, DZIGAR

• ISBN13: 9781590301487
• ISBN10: 159030148X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-06-21
• Publisher: Shambhala

Summary

On the spiritual path we speak of enlightenment. But how do we reconcile the idea of enlightenment with what we see when we look in the mirrorwhen insecurities, doubts, and self-centered tendencies arise in our minds? Dzigar Kongtrul suggests that we need not feel "doomed" when these experiences surface. In fact, such experiences are not a problem if we are able to simply let them arise without judging them or investing them with so much meaning. This approach to experience is what Kongtrul calls self-reflection. Self-reflection is a practice, a path, and an attitude. It is the spirit of taking an interest in that which we usually try to push away. When we practice self-reflection we take liberation into our own hands and accept the challenge and personal empowerment in Kongtrul's title: it's up to you.

Author Biography

Dzigar Kongtrnl was born in Northern India, the son of the highly respected Buddhist lama Neten Choling Rinpoche. After being recognized as a reincarnation of the nonsectarian master Jamg÷n Kongtrnl Lodro Thaye, he received extensive traditional training in all aspects of Tibetan Buddhist doctrine. In 1990, he began a five-year tenure as a professor of Buddhist philosophy at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. He also founded Mangala Shri Bhuti, his own teaching organization, during this period. He has established a mountain retreat center, Longchen Jigme Samten Ling, in southern Colorado. When not guiding students in long-term retreats and not in retreat himself, Rinpoche travels widely throughout the world teaching and furthering his own education.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Pema Chödrön	ix
Preface by Matthieu Ricard	xi
Author's Preface	xiii
Acknowledgments	xv
Supplication	xvi
Introduction	xxi
PART ONE: THE PRACTICE OF SELF-REFLECTION
1. Looking in the Mirror	3	(8)
2. The Theater of Reflections	11	(6)
3. The Legacy of Cavemen and Sages	17	(4)
4. Our Natural Inheritance	21	(8)
5. The Teacher as Mirror	29	(6)
PART TWO: FEARLESS SELF-REFLECTION
6. Training in Courage	35	(4)
7. Finding a Refuge	39	(4)
8. Dancing with Habits and Fears	43	(6)
9. The Momentum of Delusion	49	(4)
10. Slowing Down	53	(8)
11. Not Hooking the World	61	(8)
12. Being Present	69	(8)
13. Going Beyond Self-Importance	77	(6)
14. Distinguishing Friend from Foe	83	(2)
15. Stretching the Heart Further	85	(6)
16. Having a Sense of Humor	91	(10)
PART THREE: FINDING OUR PLACE IN THE WORLD
17. Action and Intention	101	(6)
18. Awake in Daytime, Sleep, and Dreams	107	(6)
19. Grace and Elegance	113	(6)
20. Creativity	119	(6)
21. Great Possibilities	125	(6)
Suggestions for Further Reading	131	(2)
Mangala Shri Bhuti Centers	133