The Essential Chogyam Trungpa

Chögyam Trungpa wrote more than two dozen books on Buddhism and the Shambhala path of warriorship. The Essential Chögyam Trungpa blends excerpts from bestsellers like Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior, Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism, Meditation in Action, and other titles into a concise overview of Trungpa's teachings. Forty selections from fourteen different books articulate the secular path of the Shambhala warrior as well as the Buddhist path of meditation and awakening. This "new classic" vividly demonstrates Trungpa's great appreciation of Western culture which, combined with his deep understanding of the Tibetan tradition, makes these teachings uniquely accessible to contemporary readers. It will appeal to beginning students of meditation as well as seasoned readers of Eastern religion.

Chogyam Trungpa rode the wave of early Tibetan Buddhist teachers to the West, making the biggest splash of them all. Among his dozens of books, Shambhala: Sacred Path of the Warrior and Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism are still popular favorites. If you don't have time to read a couple of dozen books, you might want to try Carolyn Rose Gimian's Essential Chogyam Trungpa, a collection of teachings carefully selected for their lasting relevance and no-nonsense power. Sections such as "Cool Boredom" and "Crazy Wisdom" span the range of Trungpa's teachings on Buddhist practices, while several sections on his Shambhala teachings highlight his notions of creating an enlightened society. Although Trungpa is known as an unorthodox teacher, his teachings themselves hit home in the plain idiom of everyday life, making esoteric ideas as clear as a Tibetan sky. Crack open The Essential Chogyam Trungpa and make a splash in your own life. --Brian Bruya