The Free Mind - by Dza Kilung Rinpoche (Paperback)

About the Book

"Our engagement with digital technology connects us to people but can also cause anxiety, distraction, imbalance, and suffering. This book offers a unique Buddhist approach to develop a clear understanding of our inner lives and the world of digital communication to lessen our suffering and deepen our happiness. Dza Kilung Rinpoche, a respected contemporary Tibetan Buddhist teacher, skillfully addresses these widespread issues in modern life geared toward his Western students and readers. He offers straightforward Buddhist strategies and tools to clear away the distractive clutter that prevents us from advancing in our careers and relationships. The book also explores deeper issues like the nature of wisdom, question of karma, and importance of lovingkindess and compassion. The practices and meditations in this book will appeal to anyone who enjoys mindfulness apps like Ten Happier, Insight Timer, and Headspace. By calming our minds, we can clearly see the sources of our inner and outer problems and begin to work on them for the benefit of ourselves, others, and the earth"--

Book Synopsis

Reduce the distractions, clutter, and anxiety of your digital lifestyle and achieve inner and outer harmony with mind training practices, meditations, and advice from a Tibetan Buddhist master.

This book offers a refreshing approach to understanding the role of digital technology in our world and how we can better manage our relationship to it. Our engagement with digital devices connects us to people and ideas, but it also causes anxiety, distraction, imbalance, and suffering. Rather than a digital detox, we can train our minds to leverage our negative habits and digital temptations to deal with life more effectively, improve our attention span, reduce mental fatigue, and deepen our happiness.

Dza Kilung Rinpoche, a respected contemporary Tibetan Buddhist teacher and author of The Relaxed Mind, skillfully addresses these widespread issues in modern life geared toward a wide audience. In twelve short chapters, he offers straightforward strategies and tools to clear away the distractive clutter that prevents us from living fully and with clarity. The book also explores deeper issues like the nature of wisdom, question of karma, and importance of lovingkindness and compassion.

The practices and meditations in this book will appeal to anyone who suffers from a distracted "monkey mind." By calming our minds, we can clearly see the sources of our inner and outer problems and begin to work on them for the benefit of ourselves, others, and the earth.

Review Quotes

"Kilung Rinpoche seamlessly weaves ancient wisdom with contemporary challenges, guiding readers on a transformative journey toward reclaiming their focus in the digital era. Rinpoche's profound insights and compassionate guidance provide a refreshing perspective on how meditation can not only counterbalance the distractions of modern technology but also become a source of strength and resilience. With wisdom and clarity, Kilung Rinpoche emerges as a beacon of inspiration, offering a profound and practical roadmap for cultivating mindfulness in our tech-driven lives."
--Lodro Rinzler, author of The Buddha Walks into a Bar

"In the age of anxiety and confusion caused by many factors, The Free Mind is a timely book that clearly shows us how to discover inner peace and true happiness."
--Anam Thubten Rinpoche, author of Choosing Compassion

"The perfect book for exploring spiritual practice in today's world! Kilung Rinpoche's warm and gentle approach invites us to look at how, in the face of digital technologies, we can recover individual agency, exercise personal responsibility, and develop a resilient inner peace--and become a source of sanity, balance, compassion, and wisdom for ourselves and those around us. Quietly inspiring, solidly grounded, and completely contemporary."
--Ken McLeod, author of Wake Up to Your Life

"Those looking to put down their iPhones will want to give this a shot."
--Publishers Weekly

"A well-written, clear, accessible, and authoritative book on the practice of meditation in the Tibetan tradition that I can recommend without reservation to anyone interested in exploring this path."
--Ken McLeod, Tricycle

"A smooth intellectual flight that will serve to remind many readers to snap back to reality and reengage with the real experience of living."
--Buddhistdoor Global

About the Author

DZA KILUNG RINPOCHE​ ​was born in 1970 and is head of Kilung Monastery in the Dzachuka District of Kham, Tibet, which he has been working to reestablish as a center of learning and practice since he was a teenager. He has been teaching in the West since 1998 and regularly accepts invitations to teach in Boston, Beijing, Denmark, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Brazil, and Argentina. His home in the West is on Whidbey Island near Seattle, Washington, and he divides his time among Washington, his community in Tibet, and his students worldwide. He is the author of The Relaxed Mind: A Seven-Step Method for Deepening Meditation Practice (Shambhala, 2015).​