There has never been a time when human beings have been free from confusion and pain, but these days things seem especially tough. You can feel it in the atmosphere. Dealing with the habits that cause ourselves and the world suffering has become a life-and-death matter. People are asking, “What can I do?”
The book you are holding is full of practical solutions. Though the lojong teachings have been around for a thousand years, they are very much teachings for this age. Lojong aims directly at the core of our confused mind and gives us a multitude of tips for working with our habits on the spot. Yet lojong doesn’t dwell on our confusion. Its purpose is to uncover the basic wisdom and compassion that is our deepest nature. We practice lojong to connect to the natural tenderness of our heart by opening up instead of closing down. We aim to wake ourselves up so that we can help others do the same.
I feel that there is no better teacher to present this wisdom to a modern audience than Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche. I have known Rinpoche since the mid-1990s, when we met at a Buddhist teachers’ conference. Since the passing of my root teacher, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, I hadn’t met anyone who could sense where I was stuck. I was very good at conning everyone and talking about not getting hooked, but Rinpoche somehow had this great ability to hook me. Soon after our meeting, I asked if he would take me as his student, and he accepted. He’s continued to mess with me ever since.
Because the original work is very pithy, it can be quite difficult for a modern audience to appreciate. Rinpoche’s commentary makes this classic text come to life. His way of explaining the material is a great inspiration for my own teaching. Rinpoche has a wonderful sense of humor, but he’s also very wrathful at times and pushes your nose into some of the undesirable qualities we human beings exhibit. You will see yourself in this book. You may not see yourself in every example, but there is something for everybody.
—PEMA CHÖDRÖN