Reddit reviews Turning the Mind Into an Ally

I've been meditating for almost 2 years and I love it. My favorite side-effect from meditating is that I start to see the beauty in the world around me more and more. For example, there's a stretch of road I go down on my way home where I am kinda high up and I get a tremendous view of the city and sky. But I never really noticed how beautiful the view was until I started meditating. Also, you may become more patient and compassionate and you will begin to have greater control over your emotions. The time between an event and your reaction to that event will slowly grow. For example, if someone cuts you off in traffic you might immediately start cursing. But after a great deal of practice, you might discover that, after being cut off, you have a few seconds to decide how you want to react instead of instantly reacting. I hope that makes sense.

I recommend finding a group. Doing this on your own will be good for a while but you will quickly get tired of it and eventually quit (if you're anything like me). An experienced group with a good instructor can make all the difference. You will have a support group who you can complain to about the downfalls of sitting (a sore back, a wandering mind, etc.) and you will have people who can give you advice. If you're a little shy about finding a group, don't worry! They're the most laid back non-judgmental people you will ever meet!

Find out if there is a meditation group in your area. I recommend Shambhala. The Shambhala group was founded by a Buddhist monk who set out to make the practice of meditation a little more laid back and westernized. Also, two great books to start out with are Turning the Mind into an Ally and The Sacred Path of the Warrior. And just about any book by Pema Chodron, Chogyam Trungpa, and Sakyong Mipham will probably help.

Good luck!

Sure thing!

tl;dr Tibetan Buddhism is complex and it helps to have context before reading the books I've linked at the bottom. Also Twin Peaks is great.

I’m not sure how familiar you are with the general principles/history of early Buddhisms across Asia, but it’ll be helpful to have some context. Before you even dive into a book, there are loads of resources online to help you begin to understand the philosophy, and by extension, the practices of all Buddhisms. I find that having a frame of reference of other traditions helps place the Tibetan schools in context, giving you an enriched understanding.

First, read up on the differences on the “Vehicles” in Buddhism - the Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana. Understanding these will provide the framework to understand the various philosophies and practices you’ll inevitably encounter.

Much like the Catholic tradition, there have been several councils of Buddhist philosophers and teachers who gathered to make some kind of assertive statement about what the dharma is and means. The first council began shortly after Gautama Buddha’s death and they kept evolving through the years both in representation and thought. As the distinctions in practice and interpretations of the teachings emerged, so too did varying traditions.

Hinayana Buddhism is what you see in Shri Lanka, which sticks very near the ribs of the original teachings of Gautama Buddha. The foundations of Mahayana Buddhism began, arguably, with Gautama Buddha’s Flower Sermon (which is absolutely beautiful) and gave rise to traditions like Soto, Chan (Zen), etc. Tibetan Buddhism is in the Vajrayana vehicle, and is actually considered an extension of Mahayana. My teacher looks at our tradition as both requiring and encompassing the Hinayana and Mahayana elements of practice to thrive.

Feel free to check out more on r/Buddhism, but it tends to be a lot of fluff. You can also check out r/vajrayana, but it tends to be more technical. If you’re interested in Zen, r/zen is probably one of the more contentious subs on reddit, but I like how crazy it is so I am a regular contributor there.

Back to the big picture here, the main distinction between Tibetan Buddhism and the rest of Mahayana is the use of tantras or secret mantra. Get ready for some potentially new terms. Although there are some other schools outside of Tibet that do practice tantra, such as the Japanese Shingon and Tendai schools, Vajrayana Buddhism considers itself Mahayana Buddhism with a richer treasury of skillful means than the "common Mahayana" schools. That is a gross oversimplification, but hopefully you get the gist. Actually, nearly all major branches of Buddhism have used tantras at some point or another, but what that looks like in their cultural and particular spiritual tradition’s context varies.

Anyway, Tibetan Buddhism descended from medieval Indian Buddhism later than when Buddhism left India for China and Sri Lanka. In India, the Madhyamaka and Yogacara schools eventually came about, which carefully explained the view taught by the Buddha in the Mahayana sutras. The pandita style of the Tibetan schools to this day places a strong emphasis on studying Madhyamaka and Yogacara shastras and commentaries.

There are shamanistic elements of the Tibetan traditions of Bön (opposed to the spiritual tradition of Yungdrung Bön) incorporated in Tibetan Buddhism, but this is a common thing everywhere: in Thai Buddhist temples you'll find shrines to local protective deities and Hindu gods and the same goes for Chinese and Japanese Buddhism. This does not affect the more central Vajrayana methods such as the Yidam practices though. Besides, you also find Vajrayana in China and Japan, and previously in Sri Lanka, Indonesia and of course earliest in India.

Tantra is a complicated subject although you can naively think of it as a category of teachings that emphasize how one can come into contact with, recognize, and accomplish the Mahayana doctrines of Shunyata (emptiness) and Tathagatagarbha (Buddha nature). Tantric teachings are said to be much swifter than common Mahayana, and can lead to Buddhahood in a short number of lifetimes, or even in this very life. Whereas in the common Mahayana sutra teachings, it takes three incalulable eons to become a Buddha.

The Nyingma school is the old school of Tibetan Buddhism, and it has a distinct transmission of tantra that came from the land of Oddiyana. King Ja discovered the first tantras in 853 B.C. I forget when the Nyingma school dates Shakyamuni Buddha, but it should be after this date. Sometime around the 8th century, King Trisong Deutsen of Tibet requested Shantarakshita and Padmasambhava to bring Buddhism to Tibet. Shantarakshita was an Indian Buddhist monk, the abbot of Nalanda University. He was the prime figure in establishing the Yogacara-Svatantrika-Madhyamaka school, which assimilated both Madhyamaka and Yogacara philosophy. Padmasambhava was the great Lotus-Born Guru, the second Buddha who brought tantra from the land of Oddiyana to Tibet.

The Nyingma tantras teach something called Dzogchen, which is an entire subject in itself. The Nyingma school is really diverse and is not exactly a school in the sense of a clearly defined clerical establishment. 'Nyingma' is more of an umbrella term for all of the old traditions of Buddhism in Tibet and there are six major monastic traditions that are the most prominent. There is now a head of the Nyingma school, but it is more of an iconic position of solidarity that has only existed since the Tibetans went into exile.

The Sarma (New) schools of Tibetan Buddhism are a little different. They also descended from medieval Indian Buddhism, although a few hundred years later.They generally do not practice the tantras from Oddiyana and only practice the ones originating from India in the traditional locations. The Sarma schools have a practice called Mahamudra, which may be seen as rougly analogous to Dzogchen.

As far as Zen-style “meditation” goes, the Kagyu school is probably the only school that would offer something like that. The other schools tend to focus on sadhana practice. Sadhana practice in the Tibetan schools mainly comes from the Highest Yoga Tantras. Highest Yoga Tantras include practices of the two stages: Generation and Completion Stage. It also includes the Dzogchen or Mahamudra teachings. These kinds of practices usually involve things like: mantra, mudra, deity visualization, vajra and bell, musical instruments, dance, etc. Each individual's path will be different, but in general, most Tibetan Buddhist practitioners will focus on this category of practice, which is distinct from East Asian Mahayana Buddhism.

That’s a very broad strokes contextual explanation and I hope it’s helpful. If you really want to dig in and read a book, there are some excellent works out there that get to the essence of what I think Tibetan Buddhism is trying to communicate - a rich, sensorial experience of your own life in a full state of wakefulness. Imagine if the next drink of water you took was so fulfilling that you had the subtle and emotional sense that you’d never need another thing in your entire life. That kind of equanimity doesn’t operate in a vacuum in Tibetan Buddhism though. We regularly deal directly with strong emotions and psychological states that cause us all to suffer, rather than using meditation as a form of escape. Everything in your life can be used as a vehicle to wake up.

Uma Thurman’s dad, Robert, is a wonderful scholar and practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism and he wrote a book called The Jewel Tree of Tibet: The Enlightenment Engine of Tibetan Buddhism. My teacher wrote one called Turning The Mind Into An Ally. Although it doesn’t explicitly deal with Tibetan philosophy so much as it does the practical application of Tibetan practices in contemporary life.

Again, I find it kind of hilarious that this topic is getting fleshed out in the Twin Peaks sub, but I'm glad it is. lol.

You aren't doing anything wrong. This is a common experience for mediators, so kudos to you for sticking with your practice long enough to encounter this. Keep with it and pay attention to the annoyance as you feel it.

You might be interested in the answers I got when I posted the same question: http://redd.it/iegpa

I found it helpful to join a local meditation group so I could take a class and ask questions.

You may also enjoy the book Turning the Mind into an Ally: http://amzn.com/157322345X . There is a chapter that discusses the phenomenon you're describing.

I have been hospitalized 2 times in my life. Both times from mania.
I have never regretted spending the time to get help.
Time with care from professionals will help you immensely. Think of it as a chance to decompress and focus on yourself.

Your family will be happy you asked for help. There is nothing wrong with admitting you need help. Suicide is not the answer. Your pain MAY end but you will create exponentially more pain by doing so.

Research some psychiatric In-patient hospitals near you. Then admit yourself for treatment. Life has just begun at 17.
You have so much to experience still.

Also look into meditation. Clearing your mind of constant thought can really help. It will be very hard at first. It just takes practice.

This book helped me get control of my mind.

Turning the Mind Into an Ally

https://www.amazon.com/dp/157322345X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_xigeBbRXXAZ3S


Stay positive and ask for help. Humans love helping one another.

Since you practice Uechi, check this out.

Not the best book ever, but lots of good stories and history.

General good reading for martial artists: Turning the mind into an ally.

A really good book is 'Turning the Mind into an Ally'. It's from the perspective of the Buddhist faith, but it's the most comprehensive one i've seen. (I'm also big on the meditation) http://www.amazon.com/Turning-Mind-Into-Sakyong-Mipham/dp/157322345X

There are lots of different kinds of meditation. That said:

Turning the Mind Into an Ally

And if you're into Vipassana: [Goenke's The Art of Living] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Living-Vipassana-Meditation/dp/0060637242)

I'd advise seeing if you can find a center to get some in person instruction if at all possible. Best of luck!

I may offer you a nontraditional answer, but here goes. haha.

Yes, I think the 4 Noble Truths and the 8-fold Path are the keys to understanding (with knowledge) what the Buddha taught. In fact, if you read nothing else on Buddhism, those are the things you should cover. I'll link you to them now:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_Eightfold_Path (Yes, it's Wikipedia, but it's well-researched)

After that, I would point you toward Sakyong Mipham's book: Turning the Mind into an Ally.
http://www.amazon.com/Turning-Mind-Into-Sakyong-Mipham/dp/157322345X

It takes you on the journey of meditation.

Once you're meditating daily and living under those precepts outlined above, you have your "script" so to speak.

Then, your path truly begins after that. The lines become blurred, and everything is dependent on the moment. That's the best advice I feel I could give you today.

Turning the Mind into an Ally by Sakyong Mipham with foreword by Pema Chodron

The Places that Scare You by Pema Chodron

This is a great, quick read that really goes into the heart of mindfulness awareness, how to meditate, and the effects on daily life.

It's really a very difficult process to begin, don't feel bad for having a hard time with it at first. I started getting interested in it in 2007 and began reading books at about that time; I loved the concepts but the meditation part felt impossible. It really wasn't until almost a year and a half later that I had a breakthrough and meditation finally became somewhat more natural. I still struggle from time to time, but the struggle is worth what I get from it personally.

A few books for you:

Turning the Mind Into an Ally; Sakyong Mipham

The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying; Songyal Rinpoche (this is a long read)

The Power of Now; Eckhart Tolle (This isn't Buddhism, but the tenants of much of the book are based on non-attachment, presence, and awareness... which are the basis of all forms of Buddhism, and Tolle presents them in a very accessible way.)

The most helpful for me was Turning The Mind Into An Ally, but its instruction is a bit specific to the Shambhala tradition. Still, great meditation guidance that goes beyond everything else I read when I was beginning.

I've read your post. For the sake of keeping my response brief, though I'm happy to talk more as you like, I'll reference the tl;dr.

>Tips on where to begin, where to go

Look for other Buddhists. The directory and Manjusri are non-exhaustive lists of centers across the world.
>what to read for someone new to practicing, but not new to the idea.

A little more tricky. Maybe something like Turning Your Mind Into an Ally?
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If you can find it in your area, you might check out a Shambhala center.

excellent book...Turning the Mind into an Ally