Title: Rebel Buddha: On the Road to Freedom
Author: Dzogchen Ponlop
Publisher: Shambhala
Publication Date: November 9, 2010
Hardcover: 224 pages
ISBN: 78-1590308745
Genre: Philosophy, Non-Fiction
About the Book:
There’s a rebel within you.
It’s the part of you that already knows how to break free of fear and unhappiness. This rebel is the voice of your own awakened mind. It’s your rebel buddha — the sharp, clear intelligence that resists the status quo. It wakes you up from the sleepy acceptance of your day-to-day reality and shows you the power of your enlightened nature. It’s the vibrant, insightful energy that compels you to seek the truth.
Dzogchen Ponlop guides you through the inner revolution that comes from unleashing your rebel buddha. He explains how, by training your mind and understanding your true nature, you can free yourself from needless suffering. He presents a thorough introduction to the essence of the Buddha’s teachings and argues that, if we are to bring these teachings fully into our personal experience, we must go beyond the cultural trappings of traditional Asian Buddhism. “We all want to find some meaningful truth about who we are,” he says, “but we can only find it guided by our own wisdom — by our own rebel buddha within.”
My Review:
Rebel Buddha: On the Road to Freedom by Dzogchen Ponlop is a fresh and intriguing look at Buddhism. From a non-Buddhist who knew little about Buddhism prior to reading this book, except for a college course I took decades ago, I worried I might be intimidated by the wording and was pleasantly surprised at the laid back, easy to comprehend approach used to teach the reader about Buddhism. Dzogchen Ponlop discusses how we should look at drama in our lives and know the difference between drama and dharma. He also emphasizes the important aspects of mind, self, and heart in this brief, yet refreshingly straightforward approach to Buddhism. Complete with appendices and an index, as well as a modern approach to teaching the practice of Buddhism, Rebel Buddha not only serves as an educational source for those simply interested in learning about Buddhism, but also offers up new ways of thinking about Buddhism for the well versed. I would recommend Rebel Buddha to any reader looking for a modern view of Buddhism.
Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche is a widely celebrated teacher known for his skill in making the full richness of Buddhist wisdom accessible to modern minds. A lover of urban culture, Rinpoche enjoys writing poetry and creating art of various kinds in his leisure time. Based in the United States for the past 20 years, he devotes much of his energy to his vision of a genuine American, and Western, Buddhism, free from the cultural trappings that sometimes distort the Buddha’s essential message of wakefulness. Born in 1965 in northeast India, Rinpoche received comprehensive training in the meditative and intellectual disciplines of Indian and Tibetan Buddhism under the guidance of many of the greatest masters from Tibet’s final pre-exile generation. Among the many organizational roles he juggles, he is the founder and principal teacher of Nalandabodhi, an international network of Buddhist practice centers. His latest book is Rebel Buddha (Shambhala Publications) forthcoming in November 2010.
For more information, view Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche’s Website.
I received a complimentary copy of Rebel Buddha by Dzogchen Ponlop from FSB Associates. Receiving a review copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.
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