The preliminary practices of Tantra aren''t a hurdle to be gotten through in order to get somewhere else; they''re an extraordinarily rich collection of practices which have much to offer as a means of cultivating and maturing the practitioner''s psychological ground. They can enable experiences to unfold, and they can clear the way when there seem to be problems or hindrances practitioners are struggling with. In Preparing for Tantra, Preece draws on his experience as a Tantric Buddhist practitioner, meditation teacher, and psychotherapist to explain how to make the preliminary practices psychologically meaningful and spiritually transformative. He examines each of the practices with an eye to revealing how they may be used to heal and transform psychological trauma and offers practical suggestions for integrating them into daily life—as well as ensuring that practitioners are prepared psychologically, emotionally, and energetically to start out safely on the tantric path. Preparing for Tantra is an accessible guidebook for engaging in ngondro, the preliminary practices that are done before engaging in a long tantric retreat. These practices are also powerful tools for purifying negativities and alleviating guilt, healing difficult experiences, and enriching our minds with goodness so that we will be able to progress in our Dharma practice and gain realizations of the path.

The realm of emotion is one of those areas where Buddhism and Western psychology are often thought to be at odds: Are emotions to be valued, examined, worked with as signs leading us to deeper self-knowledge? Or are they something to be ignored and avoided as soon as we recognize them? Rob Preece feels that neither of those extremes is correct. He charts a path through the emotions as they relate to Buddhist practice, showing that though emotions are indeed "skandhas" (elements that make up the illusory self) according to the Buddhist teaching, there is a good deal to be learned from these skandhas, and paying attention to their content contributes not only to psychological health but to deep insight into the nature of reality. He draws on his own experiences with emotions and meditation, through his training in both Tibetan Buddhism and psychotherapy, to show how working with emotions can be a complement to meditation practice.

This book masterfully clarifies the nature of tantric practice. In contrast to the approaches of conventional religion, tantra does not attempt to soothe the turmoil of existence with consoling promises of heaven and salvation. The tantric practitioner chooses to confront the bewildering and chaotic forces of fear, aggression, desire, and pride, and to work with them in such a way that they are channeled into creative expression, loving relationships, and wisely engaged forms of life. In order to make the processes of tantra psychologically intelligible for a contemporary reader, Rob Preece makes judicious use of the work of modern psychotherapy, forging a compelling link between a Western tradition that hearkens back to the alchemical traditions of our own past and the comparably alchemical strategies of Tibetan Buddhist tantric practices. In keeping with the pragmatic and therapeutic aims of both psychotherapy and Buddhist meditation, The Psychology of Buddhist Tantra never loses sight of the central importance of applying these ideas to the concrete realities of day-to-day life. By illuminating the richly symbolic language of tantra through the intermediate language of psychology, The Psychology of Buddhist Tantra points to the transformative nature of tantric practices.

If you have been practicing Buddhism for a while, why do you still have so many problems? And how do you balance the sometimes different needs of spiritual and psychological perspectives? Rob Preece draws on his personal experience—over two decades as a psychotherapist and many years as a meditation teacher—to explore and map the psychological influences on our struggle to awaken. For psychological and spiritual health, acceptance of imperfection is key. Wisdom does not always come as a flash of inspiration but from the slow, often painful, workings of experience. As we detach from our ideals of perfection and develop our acceptance of imperfection, our love and compassion can grow in ways that are both psychologically and spiritually healthy. The Wisdom of Imperfection delves into this journey of individuation in Buddhist life, articulating the psychological processes beneath the traditional path of the Bodhisattva.

Buddhist tantric practices are examined from a psychological perspective by a long-time meditation teacher and psychotherapist. The foundational practices he presents are for the purpose of transforming and healing psychological wounds in order to gain the grounding and well-being necessary for advanced tantric practices. Preece shows how to effectively integrate these practices into one's daily life.

If you have been practicing Buddhism for a while, why do you still have so many problems? And how do you balance the sometimes different needs of spiritual and psychological perspectives? Rob Preece draws on his personal experience—over two decades as a psychotherapist and many years as a meditation teacher—to explore and map the psychological influences on our struggle to awaken. For psychological and spiritual health, acceptance of imperfection is key. Wisdom does not always come as a flash of inspiration but from the slow, often painful workings of experience. As we detach from our ideals of perfection and develop our acceptance of imperfection, our love and compassion can grow in ways that are both psychologically and spiritually healthy. The Wisdom of Imperfection delves into this journey of individuation in Buddhist life, articulating the psychological processes beneath the traditional path of the Bodhisattva.

A psychologist and longtime practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism shows how emotions relate to spiritual practice--that our feeling life is truly at the heart of our awakening.

The realm of emotion is one of those areas where Buddhism and Western psychology are often thought to be at odds: Are emotions to be valued, examined, worked with as signs leading us to deeper self-knowledge? Or are they something to be ignored and avoided as soon as we recognize them? Rob Preece feels that neither of those extremes is correct. He charts a path through the emotions as they relate to Buddhist practice, showing that though emotions are indeed "skandhas" (elements that make up the illusory self) according to the Buddhist teaching, there is a good deal to be learned from these skandhas, and paying attention to their content contributes not only to psychological health but to deep insight into the nature of reality. He draws on his own experiences with emotions and meditation, through both his training in Tibetan Buddhism and psychoth

The preliminary practices of Tantra aren''t a hurdle to be gotten through in order to get somewhere else; they''re an extraordinarily rich collection of practices which have much to offer as a means of cultivating and maturing the practitioner''s psychological ground. They can enable experiences to unfold, and they can clear the way when there seem to be problems or hindrances practitioners are struggling with. In Preparing for Tantra, Preece draws on his experience as a Tantric Buddhist practitioner, meditation teacher, and psychotherapist to explain how to make the preliminary practices psychologically meaningful and spiritually transformative. He examines each of the practices with an eye to revealing how they may be used to heal and transform psychological trauma and offers practical suggestions for integrating them into daily life—as well as ensuring that practitioners are prepared psychologically, emotionally, and energetically to start out safely on the tantric path. Preparing for Tantra is an accessible guidebook for engaging in ngondro, the preliminary practices that are done before engaging in a long tantric retreat. These practices are also powerful tools for purifying negativities and alleviating guilt, healing difficult experiences, and enriching our minds with goodness so that we will be able to progress in our Dharma practice and gain realizations of the path.

The realm of emotion is one of those areas where Buddhism and Western psychology are often thought to be at odds: Are emotions to be valued, examined, worked with as signs leading us to deeper self-knowledge? Or are they something to be ignored and avoided as soon as we recognize them? Rob Preece feels that neither of those extremes is correct. He charts a path through the emotions as they relate to Buddhist practice, showing that though emotions are indeed "skandhas" (elements that make up the illusory self) according to the Buddhist teaching, there is a good deal to be learned from these skandhas, and paying attention to their content contributes not only to psychological health but to deep insight into the nature of reality. He draws on his own experiences with emotions and meditation, through his training in both Tibetan Buddhism and psychotherapy, to show how working with emotions can be a complement to meditation practice.

This book masterfully clarifies the nature of tantric practice. In contrast to the approaches of conventional religion, tantra does not attempt to soothe the turmoil of existence with consoling promises of heaven and salvation. The tantric practitioner chooses to confront the bewildering and chaotic forces of fear, aggression, desire, and pride, and to work with them in such a way that they are channeled into creative expression, loving relationships, and wisely engaged forms of life. In order to make the processes of tantra psychologically intelligible for a contemporary reader, Rob Preece makes judicious use of the work of modern psychotherapy, forging a compelling link between a Western tradition that hearkens back to the alchemical traditions of our own past and the comparably alchemical strategies of Tibetan Buddhist tantric practices. In keeping with the pragmatic and therapeutic aims of both psychotherapy and Buddhist meditation, The Psychology of Buddhist Tantra never loses sight of the central importance of applying these ideas to the concrete realities of day-to-day life. By illuminating the richly symbolic language of tantra through the intermediate language of psychology, The Psychology of Buddhist Tantra points to the transformative nature of tantric practices.

If you have been practicing Buddhism for a while, why do you still have so many problems? And how do you balance the sometimes different needs of spiritual and psychological perspectives? Rob Preece draws on his personal experience—over two decades as a psychotherapist and many years as a meditation teacher—to explore and map the psychological influences on our struggle to awaken. For psychological and spiritual health, acceptance of imperfection is key. Wisdom does not always come as a flash of inspiration but from the slow, often painful, workings of experience. As we detach from our ideals of perfection and develop our acceptance of imperfection, our love and compassion can grow in ways that are both psychologically and spiritually healthy. The Wisdom of Imperfection delves into this journey of individuation in Buddhist life, articulating the psychological processes beneath the traditional path of the Bodhisattva.

Buddhist tantric practices are examined from a psychological perspective by a long-time meditation teacher and psychotherapist. The foundational practices he presents are for the purpose of transforming and healing psychological wounds in order to gain the grounding and well-being necessary for advanced tantric practices. Preece shows how to effectively integrate these practices into one's daily life.

If you have been practicing Buddhism for a while, why do you still have so many problems? And how do you balance the sometimes different needs of spiritual and psychological perspectives? Rob Preece draws on his personal experience—over two decades as a psychotherapist and many years as a meditation teacher—to explore and map the psychological influences on our struggle to awaken. For psychological and spiritual health, acceptance of imperfection is key. Wisdom does not always come as a flash of inspiration but from the slow, often painful workings of experience. As we detach from our ideals of perfection and develop our acceptance of imperfection, our love and compassion can grow in ways that are both psychologically and spiritually healthy. The Wisdom of Imperfection delves into this journey of individuation in Buddhist life, articulating the psychological processes beneath the traditional path of the Bodhisattva.

A psychologist and longtime practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism shows how emotions relate to spiritual practice--that our feeling life is truly at the heart of our awakening.

The realm of emotion is one of those areas where Buddhism and Western psychology are often thought to be at odds: Are emotions to be valued, examined, worked with as signs leading us to deeper self-knowledge? Or are they something to be ignored and avoided as soon as we recognize them? Rob Preece feels that neither of those extremes is correct. He charts a path through the emotions as they relate to Buddhist practice, showing that though emotions are indeed "skandhas" (elements that make up the illusory self) according to the Buddhist teaching, there is a good deal to be learned from these skandhas, and paying attention to their content contributes not only to psychological health but to deep insight into the nature of reality. He draws on his own experiences with emotions and meditation, through both his training in Tibetan Buddhism and psychoth