Not for Happiness: A Guide to the So-Called Preliminary Practices

"Do you practise meditation because you want to feel good? Or to help you relax and be happy ? Then frankly, according to Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse, you are far better off having a full-body massage than trying to practise the Dharma. Khyentse shows that genuine spiritual practice, not least the Ng ndro preliminaries, will not bring the kind of comfort and ease most worldly people crave. Quite the opposite, in fact. But if your ultimate goal is enlightenment, Ng ndro practice is a must, and Not for Happinessyour perfect guide, containing everything an aspiring practitioner needs to start to practise, including advice about- renunciation mind discipline, meditation and wisdom using your imagination in visualisation practice why we need a guru Students Reactions to Not for Happiness- Having a map of the path that shows where each practice is headed helps me to see what each stage is preparing me for. Even the chapters that at first didn t seem relevant to my current practice contained such great gems of teaching that they turned out to be extremely relevant and very helpful. Catherine Fordham To me, this book is like the wor… (more)