Using the traditional Tibetan Buddhist framework of the four reminders, also known as the four thoughts which turn one’s mind to the Dharma, or the four mind-turnings, or the four ordinary preliminaries (the preciousness of human birth, the truth of impermanence, the reality of suffering, and the inescapability of karma), Khandro Rinpoche explains why and how we could all better use this short life to pursue a spiritual path and be of benefit to ourselves and others. She says, “Think of all the time you’ve wasted hesitating or feeling distracted, or expending useless energy feeling jealous or angry, or being selfish. At the time of death, you will look back and it will all seem like a dream.” This book includes contemplative exercises that encourage us to appreciate the tremendous potential of the human body and mind. They focus on how we can see this life as a gift, and how, by achieving peace in our own lives, we can bring a seed of happiness to others.
Khandro Rinpoche’s teachings on the four elemental realities of our
lives – precious human birth, impermanence, suffering, and karma – offer
an inspired and vivid opportunity to connect with the profound
simplicity of the Buddha’s wisdom.
--Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche
This Precious Life,
the authentic teachings on the four mind trainings, is inspiringly
intimate, extraordinarily clear, and profoundly meaningful – a must for
all serious students of Buddhism.
--Tulku Thondup
The
Four Reminders, explained here, form the bedrock of Buddhist practice.
Khandro Rinpoche has had the benefit of combining religious upbringing
and training with modern education, which lends a refreshing
contemporary clarity to her explanation.
--His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama
Born
in India, Khandro Rinpoche is the daughter of His Holiness Mindrolling
Trichen Rinpoche and is herself a renowned teacher in the Kagyu and
Nyingma lineages of Tibetan Buddhism. She is one of the most highly
trained living Tibetan masters and has been teaching in the United
States and Europe for over fifteen years, during which time she has
attracted thousands of students. She is the head of a Tibetan Buddhist
monastic center for women in India and divides her time between there,
teaching in the West, and supporting charity projects for Tibetan
refugees in India.
192 pages. Paperback.