Peaceful Heart - by Dzigar Kongtrul (Paperback)

About the Book

"An introductory guide to cultivating patience and opening your heart to difficult circumstances from leading Buddhist teacher, Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche. Patience is one of the most important qualities we can develop, as it represents our mind's ability to work positively with anything that bothers us, including anger, loss, jealousy, and helplessness. We are consistently confronted with situations or outcomes we weren't expecting or didn't want, and our default response is to reject what happened with feelings of mild irritation, inward complaining, self-aggression, or seething resentment. Patience is an antidote to all these forms of rejection. Those who have mastered patience have learned to welcome all challenging situations, people, and emotions as opportunities to open their hearts rather than close them. Based on the teachings of the sixth chapter of Shantideva's The Way of the Bodhisattva, Peaceful Heart explores how Buddhist teachings on patience can help you work with whatever disturbances arise in your life and in your mind. Dzigar Kongtrul provides practices and examples throughout the book to challenge readers on the path to developing a more patient heart"--

Book Synopsis

An introductory guide to cultivating patience and opening your heart to difficult circumstances from leading Buddhist teacher, Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche.

In the Buddhist tradition, "patience" is our mind's ability to work positively with anything that bothers us--a vast spectrum of particulars that all boil down to not getting what we want or getting what we don't want. In fluid, accessible language, Dzigar Kongtrul expands on teachings by the ancient sage Shantideva that contain numerous powerful and surprising methods for preventing our minds from becoming consumed by what bothers us--especially in anger. The result of practicing patience is a state of mind where we can feel at home in every situation and be fully available to love and care for others. Patience is the lifeblood of a peaceful heart.

Review Quotes

"In the more than two decades since I've met Rinpoche, he has given me many priceless instructions on how to work with my own impatient states of mind. One of my favorites, which you find in this book, is 'the propensity to be bothered.' No matter how perfect or imperfect our world is, working with this propensity is indispensable to well-being. It is the only way to achieve a peaceful heart."
--from the foreword by Pema Chödrön, author of Welcoming the Unwelcome and When Things Fall Apart

"In Peaceful Heart, Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche brings to life the indispensable practice of patience in everyday life. Expounding on the 'patience chapter' from one of the most beloved and renowned classical texts of Buddhism, The Way of the Bodhisattva, Rinpoche shows us, in everyday language, how to transform situations that test our patience into opportunities to develop empathy and insight. Kongtrul Rinpoche's unparalleled understanding of the world we live in and of the practical application of timeless wisdom in our contemporary society makes this book indispensable reading for all who seek sanity and patience amidst adversities and conflicts. Peaceful Heart invites us to awaken to our innate qualities of patience and compassion, which can be our greatest contribution to the world."
--Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche, author of How Not to Miss the Point and This Precious Life

"What is the ultimate skill in times of anger and hardened views? It's patience. With patience we can realize the tender heart that's with us all the time, and develop the capacity to change our own minds. This powerful book is the support each of us needs in this new world we've landed in, where patience is needed more than ever."
--Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness and Real Change

"Buddhists will appreciate Kongtrul's ode to Shantideva, but even non-Buddhist readers will enjoy this powerful work's vivid writing and wise instruction."
--Publishers Weekly

"With admirable elegance, [Kongtrul] discusses the art of training the mind to be strong and resilient."
--Spirituality & Practice

About the Author

DZIGAR KONGTRUL RINPOCHE grew up in a monastic environment and received extensive training in all aspects of Buddhist doctrine. In 1989, he moved to the United States with his family, and in 1990, he began a five-year tenure as a professor of Buddhist philosophy at Naropa University. He also founded Mangala Shri Bhuti, his own teaching organization, during this period. He has established a mountain retreat center, Longchen Jigme Samten Ling, in southern Colorado. When not guiding students in long-term retreats and not in retreat himself, Rinpoche travels widely throughout the world teaching and furthering his own education.