The Essential Chogyam Trungpa

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