Author: | Khenpo Kyosang Rinpoche | ISBN: | 9781301588404 |
Publisher: | Khenpo Kyosang Rinpoche | Publication: | January 26, 2013 |
Imprint: | Smashwords Edition | Language: | English |
Author: | Khenpo Kyosang Rinpoche |
ISBN: | 9781301588404 |
Publisher: | Khenpo Kyosang Rinpoche |
Publication: | January 26, 2013 |
Imprint: | Smashwords Edition |
Language: | English |
This profound and striking book is by its genre a collection of religious sermons. However, its author, Khenpo Kyosang Rinpoche, who has been living in Europe for many years, never was a priest. He, director of the Je Tsongkapa College, is an outstanding Buddhist lama.
Rinpoche never wrote these sermons. He spoke them on different occasions, both in German and in English. He never allowed recording his voice. Yet this rule was broken for several times. Each time he permitted me to keep the record for a week. I was sorry to lose them altogether so I read them from the recorder and typed the sermons before deleting the records. This is how this book was created.
To read this book one must be open-minded. Rinpoche’s observations about Western society may shock anyone. However shocking they may seem, their truth will strike the reader. Meditating on them one cannot help seeing how true they are.
It is not only criticism, though, that makes the book worth reading. Rinpoche gives astonishing answers to the questions many of us are asking ourselves.
The first title of the book was “Teaching beyond Tradition”. Rinpoche disliked this title. He said that no one of his sermons went beyond the tradition of Buddhism. I was meditating on the title when I suddenly came across the picture of the Lion and the Unicorn created by Sir John Tenniel as an illustration to the famous fairy-tale of Lewis Carroll. I showed this picture to Rinpoche, and he laughed heartily. “This lion exactly represents Europe,” he said. This is how the present title (and the frontispiece picture) appeared.
The reader will excuse slight irregularities of the text when considering that English is neither author’s nor editor’s native language.
May all sentient being be happy!
Ludwig Roemer
This profound and striking book is by its genre a collection of religious sermons. However, its author, Khenpo Kyosang Rinpoche, who has been living in Europe for many years, never was a priest. He, director of the Je Tsongkapa College, is an outstanding Buddhist lama.
Rinpoche never wrote these sermons. He spoke them on different occasions, both in German and in English. He never allowed recording his voice. Yet this rule was broken for several times. Each time he permitted me to keep the record for a week. I was sorry to lose them altogether so I read them from the recorder and typed the sermons before deleting the records. This is how this book was created.
To read this book one must be open-minded. Rinpoche’s observations about Western society may shock anyone. However shocking they may seem, their truth will strike the reader. Meditating on them one cannot help seeing how true they are.
It is not only criticism, though, that makes the book worth reading. Rinpoche gives astonishing answers to the questions many of us are asking ourselves.
The first title of the book was “Teaching beyond Tradition”. Rinpoche disliked this title. He said that no one of his sermons went beyond the tradition of Buddhism. I was meditating on the title when I suddenly came across the picture of the Lion and the Unicorn created by Sir John Tenniel as an illustration to the famous fairy-tale of Lewis Carroll. I showed this picture to Rinpoche, and he laughed heartily. “This lion exactly represents Europe,” he said. This is how the present title (and the frontispiece picture) appeared.
The reader will excuse slight irregularities of the text when considering that English is neither author’s nor editor’s native language.
May all sentient being be happy!
Ludwig Roemer