Dzigar Kongtrul – författare

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 mirror—when insecurities, doubts, and self-centered tendencies arise in our minds? Dzigar Kongtrül 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 Kongtrül 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 Kongtrül’s title: it’s up to you.

Buddhahood, says Dzigar Kongtrül, is nothing but an unobstructed experience of the nature of mind, boundlessly spacious and limitlessly compassionate. The trick is that in order to see the mind accurately, we must use the particular aspect of mind he calls natural intelligence. Natural intelligence enables us to discriminate between what helps or hinders us. But most of all, it’s the part of us that searches for happiness and meaning. In Light Comes Through, he shows us how to skillfully use our wish for happiness as a tool in awakening to the joyous wisdom of mind.

Compassion arises naturally when one comes to perceive the lack of solid distinction between self and other. The Buddhist practice known as tonglen—in which one consciously exchanges self for other—is a skillful method for getting to that truthful perception. In this, his commentary on the renowned Tibetan lojong (mind training) text the Seven Points of Mind Training, Dzigar Kongtrul reveals tonglen to be the true heart and essence of all mind-training practices. He shows how to train the mind in a way that infuses every moment of life with uncontrived kindness toward all.

A little guide to cultivating tsewa: the loving warmth of heart from which the awakened mind arises--from the popular Buddhist teacher and author of The Intelligent Heart.The Tibetan term tsewa is difficult to define, but it can be translated, according to Dzigar Kongtrül, as "an open heart, a tender heart, or a warm energy that we express and receive in relation to others, especially those closest to us." This is his compact guide to developing this wonderful quality in yourself--it''s a quality that leads not only to a transformation in our attitude toward ourselves and those around us, but that we can actually use to heal the world. According to Buddhist teaching, tsewa is, along with the perception of nonduality, one of the two elements of the heart-mind of enlightenment known as bodhicitta. Learning tsewa can be challenging, Rinpoche teaches, but if we want to be truly happy, there''s no alternative, for tsewa is the purest and deepest form of happiness. The other kinds of happiness that we seek are more superficial. They don''t mean much if we lack the joy of an open heart. The good news is that we all have the capacity for it, and it''s a habit that can be cultivated.