Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism

In this modern spiritual classic, the Tibetan meditation master Chögyam Trungpa highlights the commonest pitfall to which every aspirant on the spiritual path falls prey: what he calls spiritual materialism. The universal tendency, he shows, is to see spirituality as a process of self-improvement—the impulse to develop and refine the ego when the ego is, by nature, essentially empty. "The problem is that ego can convert anything to its own use," he said, "even spirituality." His incisive, compassionate teachings serve to wake us up from this trick we all play on ourselves, and to offer us a far brighter reality: the true and joyous liberation that inevitably involves letting go of the self rather than working to improve it. It is a message that has resonated with students for nearly thirty years, and remains fresh as ever today.

This new edition includes a foreword by Chögyam Trungpa's son and lineage holder, Sakyong Mipham.

• The Myth of Freedom and the Way of Meditation (Shambhala Classics)
• Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior
• Training the Mind and Cultivating Loving-Kindness
• Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice
• Smile at Fear: Awakening the True Heart of Bravery
• Turning the Mind Into an Ally
• The Truth of Suffering and the Path of Liberation
• True Perception: The Path of Dharma Art
• The Upanishads, 2nd Edition
• Original Yoga: Rediscovering Traditional Practices of Hatha Yoga