schinko94's reviews
107 reviews

This book is a wonderful, WONDERFUL resource for anyone who is interested in Obeah. It tends to be one of the African Diasporic Traditions that defies definition, but Mattos Frisvold gives an excellent academic account of its practices and cosmology. The only thing that could make it better would be suggestions as to how to get involved with Obeah yourself; however, it's hard to suggest ways to find a community in this tradition. Obeahmen and women tend to be recluses, and to study under an Obeahman is even rarer, especially for people living in the United States. Even on this front though, Mattos Frisvold is expressly clear about this tradition and how it initiates people--Obi can only be given directly and physically from teacher to student. Any attempt at self-initiation is likely to be misguided and potentially dangerous. Overall, though, this is a fantastic anthropological account of what this tradition entails and how it functions.

This is a wonderful book, but it certainly is not for beginners and it's not for people who haven't had any exposure to Buddhism/eastern religion. I would also argue that an understanding of Kashmir Shaivism helps when reading this book--It's a philosophy that's closely related to Bön Buddhism but it rectifies the ontological mistake that Buddhists make when describing sunya (void). Sunya isn't "emptiness" or "void", even though it is sometimes translated that way. It is the pulsating, vibrating light (spanda) of the universal subjectivity that creates the universe and exists in all living beings. It comes from the fusion of purusha and prakrti, Shiva and Shakti. When experienced directly, this fusion turns into the transparent luminosity of awareness, much like the rigpa that is described in Bön Buddhism. It's simply a different way of describing and understanding the same phenomenon.

That being said, the visualizations and practices that this book presents in the context of Bön Buddhism are very helpful for people who are interested in dream yoga and yoganidra. I've seen some progress already in my dream state and I haven't even been practicing for very long, which tells me that the Tibetans are really onto something with this upaya. Would highly recommend for meditators who are interested in taking yoga to the next level!!

This is a good commentary on a wonderful little monlam by Jigme Lingpa. Very concise with some nice bits of hagiography about Guru Rinpoche as well. My only disappointment was that there wasn't a phonetic transcription of the monlam in the appendices--I can't read Tibetan very fluently out loud, but I like to chant, so a phonetic guide would have been helpful to add. Overall a good read for anyone interested in the Nyingma tradition and Padmasambhava.

This is an absolutely indispensable book for every practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism. If you've received the Vajrakilaya empowerment, this guide contains everything you need to know about the sadhana and how to prepare and accomplish a retreat along with it. Garchen Rinpoche is a great bodhisattva of our time--He regularly displays miracles to his followers, and has devoted his life to practicing the dharma after spending 20 years in a Chinese prison/labor camp. This book will certainly be of benefit to you even if you're only casually interested. Om ah hung

This text and its commentary are both Dzogchen classics. Longchenpa's wisdom is unparalleled, and this book is perfect for students who are studying dream yoga.

"All appearing objects, empty of true being,
Are like castles in the clouds.
All mental states, by nature empty,
Are like castles in the clouds.
Both sense objects and mind are empty;
They're like castles in the clouds.
The slightest clinging or fixation--
Just leave it where it is!"

It's interesting but this is certainly a very dense academic text. I think when I picked it up, I was looking for something a little miraculous or whimsical, but I was met with the opposite. In any case, it's an interesting look at three historical madmen of Tibet and especially at Drukpa Kunley, who has had his story inflated ad infinitum by centuries of yogis. He was actually a rather conservative practitioner that showed disdain for institutionalism in a more subtle way than is depicted in legend. This text is not for beginners and it's not an easy read--At times I feel it's a little redundant as the author analyzes the hagiography first, then true history in comparison to the hagiography, which means the text sometimes repeats itself multiple times. Still a very valuable academic study, though.

This book is a wonderful introduction to prayer wheel practice. Basically, it presents everything that you need to know, and the commentary by Lama Zopa Rinpoche is precious beyond measure. I spin my own prayer wheel constantly and I hope it is a source of benefit to all sentient beings. Om mani padme hum