Allison Choying Zangmo

Discover succinct instructions for ending the habits that cause you so much suffering in this contemporary exploration of a foundational four-line teaching from Vajrayana Buddhism. How do we break free from the habits and compulsions that bring us suffering? In the twelfth century, Sakya Drakpa Gyeltsen penned four short but significant lines, known as Parting from the Four Attachments, offering a concise guide to becoming a genuine dharma practitioner and charting a path to enlightenment. In The Flowing River of Dharma, Anyen Rinpoche and Allison Choying Zangmo offer a fresh, contemporary exploration of this foundational Vajrayana Buddhist text, drawing on insights from Anyen Rinpoche's teacher Khenchen Tsara Dharmakirti Rinpoche and a cave-dwelling hermit known as Lama Tsepel. Using the rime approach, which promotes cross-tradition learning, the authors refer to teachings from a variety of traditions, in particular The Four Dharmas of Gampopa, as well as wisdom from the Sakya, Kagyu, Nyingma, Kadam of old, and Gelug traditions of Tibet. With clear language and a candid look at the challenges of dharma practice, Anyen Rinpoche explores the power of renunciation, understanding samsara's true nature, and cultivating bodhicitta as pathways to a meaningful life. Buddhists of all backgrounds will discover how these lojong (mind training) teachings can anchor us firmly on the path and ensure that we don't stray from it until we reach complete liberation.

Navigate the transformative potential of the spiritual student-teacher relationship with open eyes, no-nonsense advice, and personal accounts from two female students with decades of experience working with Buddhist guides. Taking a spiritual path that genuinely transforms our lives is no easy task. It engages the deepest parts of ourselves, and there are many pitfalls and ravines that can carry us away on this sometimes treacherous path. There are times when we can get lost, become confused, or even misunderstand our own state of mind and what is right from wrong. A spiritual guide who is genuine and experienced is vital for navigating such obstacles--someone to give perspective, someone to trust, someone to light the way. The teacher-student relationship has been a core part of Buddhism from the time of the Buddha and his first disciples over 2,500 years ago, and it continues to be central to navigating a spiritual path of meditation and reflection. In The Guide to Enlightenment, Carolyn Kanjuro and Allison Choying Zangmo provide a road map to help students make the most of studying with a spiritual teacher. As students themselves, Kanjuro and Zangmo have both experienced the great benefits and challenges of studying nearly 24/7 with their teachers while serving as translators and conduits for the communities around them. In a time when Buddhists and spiritual seekers are increasingly doubtful about the benefits of studying with a master, the authors share their support and encouragement for cultivating such a relationship. From guidance on how to find a teacher to how to face issues of miscommunication and confrontation, Kanjuro and Zangmo help readers consider their own goals and emotional boundaries as a starting point for building a positive new spiritual connection. Through honest, personal stories, the authors share the importance of opening ourselves with trust, warmth, and daring in order to follow a path of greater awareness and compassion.

How to be free from bondage to your emotions: a practical and powerful Buddhist teaching for training the mind to be content in any circumstance. Are emotions our friends or our enemies? Is it possible to free ourselves from emotional conflict? The Buddhist practice of lojong is a way of letting go of attachment to both "positive" and "negative" emotions and leads to profound insight and compassion, unbounded by our habitual reactions. This book provides a set of tools that you can apply in daily life to gradually relieve your own suffering and extend that relief to everyone you encounter.

A daily companion for embracing life, preparing for death, and awakening to reality. Anyen Rinpoche, Tibetan Buddhist master and teacher, and his longtime student and translator Allison Choying Zangmo present ancient and rich teachings on death in a contemporary, accessible manner. Learn how to release your attachments, embrace impermanence, cultivate virtue, and see the world as it really is--one day at a time. Their practical, disciplined timeline encourages step-by-step development of qualities such as lovingkindness, compassion, generosity, and patience. Each day offers a short teaching followed by a specific, concrete exercise to help you reflect on and fully integrate the message. Through vivid and evocative contemplative scenarios and action items, Living and Dying with Confidence brings practice off the cushion and into ordinary life.

Heal the body, quiet the mind, and find emotional balance with simple practices from Tibetan Yantra Yoga. Vibrance, good health, and longevity have one thing in common--they all begin with the breath. Modern science and classic spiritual traditions agree: regulating the breath leads to radiance and wellness in the body, mind, and spirit. " The Tibetan Yoga of Breath" pairs the teachings of Tibetan Yantra Yoga (breathing yoga) with select contemplative ideas and practices and examines how well they complement each other through the lens of Western medical science. The benefits of proper breathing are offered from the point of view of classical Indian/Tibetan practice, and contemporary medical research supports how breath cultivates physical, emotional, and spiritual health. Basic Yantra Yoga techniques--also called wind energy training--are the key practices for achieving this vitality, down to the cellular level.