Bruce Newman - A Beginners Guide to Tibetan Buddhism: Practice, Community, and Progress on the Path

I wanted to call this book Tantra for Dummies. Unfortunately, thefor Dummies name is trademarked. Nevertheless, this is going to be that kind of book.

When you buy a computer, it comes with an instruction manual. It is usually too brief and obtuse, and it never talks about the stuff youre really interested in. So you go buy a book like Windows for Dummies or Macs for Dummies, and it leads you through everything you have to do, step by step. It doesnt assume you know anything, and it leaves nothing out.

When you study Tibetan Buddhism, either by reading books, listening to teachings, or participating in a center, a lot goes unsaid. A great deal of background knowledge is assumed by the author, the speaker, the older students running the center. It takes a while for the neophyte to gather this background and learn the ropes, and by then, who knows? You may have become discouraged and quit.

I dont want you to quit. Tibetan Buddhists have a system of wisdom and technique that is just amazing. The more I learn about it, the more impressed I am. Also, Im sure your interest is sincereyou really want to better yourself and perhaps attain a level of realization. So in this book, well try to make the pieces match.

Perhaps it will make things clearer if I begin by talking about myself and how I got involved in Tibetan Buddhism and how Ive struggled and persevered, zigged and zagged, over the years. I feel some reservations about talking too much about myself, that as a Buddhist I should be more anonymous and self-effacing and make the presentation more traditional and less personal. However, when I was struggling at the beginning of the task of writing this book, my primary teacher, Chkyi Nyima Rinpoche, advised me to make the book more personal and autobiographical. When I took his advice, the material seemed to just pour out of me. With time Ive come to believe that, as much as anything else, what we older students have to offer is our own personal story of practicing the path. Tibetans have been enthralled by the stories and songs of Milarepa for centuries; theyve served as models and guides for countless followers. Im no Milarepa, but perhaps the reader will be able to learn and benefit from reading about my limitations and the errors Ive made along the way. I strongly feel that by sharing experiences that are unique to Westerners in our modern age, we are offering support to all Western practitioners.