Snow Lion Publications

SNOW LION THE BUDDHIST MAGAZINE & CATALOG

176 pp., HEWIFO
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Avoiding the Traffic Demons, Healing with Form, Energy and Light Book Excerpt

I know that many people have difficulty thinking of spirits in the way I describe them [in Healing with Form, Energy and Light]. There are many spirits described in Tibetan texts related to specific places in Tibet.

I'm not sure, if we live in New York or Tokyo, that it's very helpful to try to connect to those spirits. When we are in Western cities, rather than thinking of spirits living in mountain passes or caves, we might find it easier to think that spirits travel the streets, creating anger and agitation in the drivers.

When we experience aggressive driving, it is a good idea to breathe evenly and relax. Otherwise, we may find ourselves connected to traffic demons!

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More about the book . . .

In the shamanic world-view of Tibet, the five elements of earth, water, fire, air, and space are accessed through the raw powers of nature and through non-physical beings associated with the natural world.

In the Tibetan tantric view, the elements are recognized as five kinds of energy in the body and are balanced with a program of yogic movements, breathing exercises, and visualizations. In these Dzogchen teachings, the elements are understood to be the radiance of being and are accessed through pure awareness. Healing with Form, Energy, and Light: The Five Elements in Tibetan Shamanism, Tantra, and Dzogchen offers the reader healing meditations and yogic practices on each of these levels.

Tenzin Rinpoche's purpose is to strengthen our connection to the sacred aspect of the natural world and to present a guide that explains why certain practices are necessary and in what situations practices are effective or a hindrance. This is a manual for replacing an anxious, narrow, uncomfortable identity with one that is expansive, peaceful, and capable. And the world too is transformed from dead matter and blind processes into a sacred landscape filled with an infinite variety of living forces and beings.

"There is more detailed and at the same time easily understood and useful information about the body and meditative practice than any other book I have seen. Spoken with an elegance that melts into your mind."—Anne C. Klein, Professor, Dept of Religious Studies, Founding Director, Dawn Mountain Tibetan Temple, Houston, author of Knowledge and Liberation, Meeting the Great Bliss Queen, Path to the Middle

"The secrets freely given in this volume can help us lay sound foundations for whatever yogic practice we may adopt. Tenzin Rinpoche has rendered all a great service."—Yoga Studies newsletter

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More about the author . . .

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche is one of the few Bön masters now living in the West. His skill as a teacher reflects his more than 15 years in guiding Western practitioners. He is the founder and director of the Ligmincha Institute in Charlottesville, Virginia, and is the author of The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep and Wonders of the Natural Mind.

Books . . .