Book Description
"Cheever's true heir, our major American short story writer."—William Harrison
Here are stories about fathers and sons, stories about men and women, and stories about the relationships between men by one of our most gifted story writers. The narrator of "The Who, the What and the Why," begins breaking into his own house as a sort of therapy after his daughter dies. In "The Human Use of Inhuman Beings," the main character realizes that his closest relationship is to an angel, who appears to him only to announce the death of loved ones. All Things, All at Once reminds us why Lee K. Abbott is to be treasured: his perfect pitch for tales of hapless Southwesterners, his way with sympathetic irony, his eye that skillfully notes the awkward humiliations—common heartbreak, fractured families—and records it all in lyrical, affectionate language. In tales new and from previous collections Abbott examines lived life and the lies we necessarily tell about it.
Customer Reviews:
Thematic Repetition.......2007-08-23
For the most part, the stories collected here are very good. Some of them are staggeringly good. The only thing I would note is that the story uses the same limited number of scenarios (and to a smaller degree character types), a few too many times. That's not to say variation does not adequately set them apart, but it makes the end of the collection a little less pressing to arrive at.
Aptly titled, from a writer hailed by Ann Beattie, Richard Ford, Frederick Busch, and more. .......2007-05-26
Juno Diaz has said that he read short story collections by many writers and learned from every author. Abbott's writing is "hailed by the best minds in in American short fiction, among them Ann Beattie, Frederick Busch, and Richard Ford" per William Giraldi, who also says in "The Georgia Review" that Abbott is "a writer's writer, rarely reaching out to the middle-class white female," although I am one, and I love his stories -- his characters, his humor, his voice. Women, come see what you have missed.
His humor, and as Giraldi says, "his mythmaking, his ecstatic vision of squalor and grandeur...should be at the center of our new-found zeal for the short story." Read Abbott for pure enjoyment, (or to learn) for his humor and pathos, and for demonstrating that we humans are lovable characters, especially when we are the most human, when wrong and when wronged -- that the human condition can be touchingly beautiful, tragic, and humorous all at once -- an aptly titled collection, indeed.
Best Story Collection I've Read in Years.......2006-12-12
I already own most of Abbott's story collections, so I was slow to pick up this New and Selected collection. Now that I have it, however, I'm more pleased than ever. The new stories in here are some of the best Abbott has written. "One of Star Wars, One of Doom" is amazing. And the selected stories really are the best from his previous collections (unlike other selected stories or poems collections I've bought).
This collection is a great introduction to Abbott's work and probably one of the best story collections published in the past several years. Buy it. You won't be disappointed.
Covers the human spectrum.......2006-11-04
Lee K. Abbott's writing covers the human spectrum: generosity, greed, happiness, despair, beauty and ugliness. I alternately thought, "I know people like that," and "I don't ever want to know anyone like that." An unforgettable book!
Remarkable.......2006-08-28
Lee K. Abbot writes with clarity and authority about those odd spaces in our lives that are least discernable to ourselves and to others. His subjects and narrators tumble through the mental tumults of drunken stupors, layered confusions, daydreams and heartbreaking epiphanies, yet all the while, we as readers can see each moment clearly. It is one hell of a magic trick and Lee K. Abbot is one hell of a writer.
Book Description
Across the ages roams an immortal troupe of actors, gifted with fantastical powers and led by a mysterious artiste with a penchant for meddling. Wherever they roam, they encounter magic and monsters and evil that requires taming.
This is the first anthology based on characters from the extraordinary novella “The Travelling Players of Gilean”, by Margaret Weis and Aron Eisenberg, which was featured in The Best of Tales, Volume One. This new anthology also features novellas by best-selling Dragonlance authors Douglas Niles, Richard A. Knaak, Paul B. Thompson, and a new collaboration by Jean Rabe and Aron Eisenberg.
Contents
"Command Performance" by Douglas Niles
"Papilla" by Fergus Ryan
"Enter, a Ghost" by Paul B. Thompson
"Perfect" by Donald J. Bingle
"A Matter of Honor" by Richard A. Knaak
"Rewrites" by Aron Eisenberg and Jean Rabe
Customer Reviews:
Good book, but several discrepancies.......2003-12-22
I liked this book, as all the stories in it were very good, but I did have some minor complaints:
1. all of the stories are novellas (ie they're too damn long for my relatively short attention span)
2. There are several blatant discrepancies between the stories (the one that I can remember being that in one story it is rather explicitly stated that the company wouldn't be stupid enough to recruit a gully dwarf and in the very next story a gully dwarf soundman plays a large part)
3. Apparantly the company has a huge turnover, as only one character except Sebastius (the theatermaster) makes a second apperance in any of the stories (Now, This is a little harsh, but the idea of the entire troupe changing every few years or so just seems rather ridiculous to me). I feel that this book would have been much better had all the authors sat down and talked about their stories with each other, so there won't be things like illusionists providing the scenery in one story and nothing even similar in the next.
Great book by a great author.......2003-09-04
This book is defienetly cheese. Cheese is the only word that I can use to describe it. READ IT Cheese.
Great book by a great author.......2003-09-04
This book is defienetly cheese. Cheese is the only word that I can use to describe it. READ IT Cheese.
Average customer rating:
- It's good, but I would've liked a stronger ending...
- Not McHugh's Best Work
- This books feels incomplete
- Interesting Concept; Writing Not Srong
- Great theme--ok plot
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Nekropolis
Maureen F. McHugh
Manufacturer: Eos (HarperCollins)
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ASIN: 0380974576 |
Amazon.com's Best of 2001
Hariba, a poor young Near Eastern woman, sells herself into a slavery guaranteed by "jessing," a biochemical process that makes her permanently loyal to her owner. She would be content, if not happy, in her new house-servant's life--if her mistress didn't own a harni. A harni is a chimera, a genetically engineered man who may or may not be human, but who is stunningly handsome and who treats Hariba with a gentle, attentive consideration she has never before experienced. The chimera, Akhmim, is so unlike Hariba's expectations that her fear and hatred give way to love and, impossibly, to dissatisfaction with her scientifically cemented loyalty. Hariba and Akhmin flee to the Nekropolis, the Moroccan cemetery/ghetto in which she grew up. But her family and best friend are unhappy to see her and horrified by the chimera, and running away from her bonded master precipitates a serious, potentially fatal illness. Her family and friends are too poor and too afraid of arrest to hire a physician. And the unfailingly patient and considerate chimera begins to have strange effects on the women in Hariba's life.
Like Maureen F. McHugh's previous novels, Nekropolis is beautifully written, thoughtful, and powerful, with complex, sensitively delineated, always believable characters. McHugh portrays human behavior with a rare and sometimes heartbreaking honesty and with an exceptional insight into the interplay of male-female relationships and the dilemma of the stranger in a strange land. Like McHugh's debut novel, China Mountain Zhang (winner of the Hugo, Tiptree, Lambda, and Locus awards), the chapters are narrated in alternating first-person viewpoints that offer fresh and contrasting angles and understanding of the characters and their world. --Cynthia Ward
Book Description
An extraordinary literary artist offers a powerful vision of tomorrow in a world barely touched by the passing centuries.
There is life in the Nekropolis -- but no future. Hariba spent her youth here, among the exquisite paper flower wreaths her mother meticulously constructed, playing contentedly with other children around the rows and rows of old buildings housing the crumbling bones of the dead. But when an older brother's criminal indiscretion robbed Hariba of any possibility of a husband, she agreed to have herself "jessed" -- submitting to the technoblological process designed to render her docile and subservient to whomever has purchased her service. In this way, Hariba could escape the confinement of her surroundings and hopelessness of her fate...though she could never again be truly free.
At the age of twenty-six, she enters the house of a wealthy merchant as an indentured servant. It is a new world for Hariba, filled with many wondrous objects and strange amusements that she has never before seen. But there is one thing in this place that greatly disturbs her: a harni, an intelligent, machine-bred creature of flesh and organs, a perfect replica of a man. A menial, like herself, it calls itself "Akhmim." And it unsettles Hariba with its beauty, its naïve, inappropriate tenderness -- and with prying, unanswerable questions like "Why are you sad?"
But slowly, almost imperceptibly, Hariba's revulsion metamorphoses into acceptance, and then into something much more. For Akhmim, like her, is a nonentity at the very bottom of the social order -- and the harni's gentle concern for her is real. And if she shuts out the accusing voices in her head, Hariba can even forget that Akhmim is less than human.
Dangerous thoughts, however, must inevitably lead to dangerous actions -- and outlaw emotions can breed an unholy love defying the strictly enforced edicts of God and man. Soon feelings Hariba can neither control nor ignore have her contemplating the unthinkable -- escape. But the "jessed" abandon their masters at the risk of sickness, pain, imprisonment, and perhaps even death. And there is no safe haven for a rebel servant and a runaway A.I. -- not even within the shunned, technology-barren bowels of the city of the dead.
Hugo Award winner Maureen F. McHugh has written a provocative, powerfully dazzling novel of repression and reawakening -- and a unique, profoundly moving love storythat stands alongside the acclaimed works of Ursula K. Le Guin and Margaret Atwood.
Download Description
"
Fleeing an empty future in the Nekropolis, twenty-one-year-old Hariba has agreed to have herself ""jessed,"" the technobiological process that will render her subservient to whomever has purchased her service. Indentured in the house of a wealthy merchant, she encounters many wondrous things. Yet nothing there is as remarkable and disturbing to her as the harni, Akhmim. A perfect replica of a man, this intelligent, machine-bred creature unsettles Hariba with its beauty, its naive, inappropriate tenderness ... and with prying, unanswerable questions, like ""Why are you sad?"" And slowly, revulsion metamorphoses into acceptance, and then into something much more. But these outlaw emotions defy the strict edicts of God and Man -- feelings that must never be explored, since no master would tolerate them. And the ""jessed"" defy their master's will at the risk of sickness, pain, imprisonment ... and death.
"
Customer Reviews:
It's good, but I would've liked a stronger ending..........2006-10-01
One of the quotes for the book is plastered on the cover: "A literary novel in sci-fi clothing!" (Cleveland Plain Dealer), and that's just about accurate. To clarify my own definition of "literary": it does not mean literature. It may be work aspiring to become literature one day, but what is literature is not necessarily literary, and what is literary is not necessarily literature. Too many people think that "literary" means GREAT FICTION, but that's not true. There's lots of great literary work out there, but there's lots of crap literary work out there too.
Just want to clarify that.
This is indeed a literary focused novel, in that characters and symbols (and writing style) are more important than the setting or the plot, the latter two being hallmarks of the science fiction and fantasy genres. But it works, here: I never had a problem grasping the setting (and being set in a futuristic Morocco, particularly Nekropolis, where futuristic technology is only available to the wealthy), and the science fictional aspects of were very well described and not so technically ambled about that a non-sci-fi reader would get bored.
Like most soft science fiction, it focuses on the human reaction to technology, and pushes us to define what exactly in means to live in our society with our ideals, etc. The harni (chimera) are particularly interesting, especially when we see Akhmim's point of view for ourselves. And the concept of jessing is wonderfully eerie. Both the harni and the jessing raise a lot of questions about ethics, morality, and society. There's a lot of meat in this story.
Yet, the strongest section was the first part, told from Hariba's point of view. The second part, Akhmim's, is also very good, but it's in that part that the reader recognizes this book will not have a happy ending. We three other parts: one from Hariba's mother, one from Hariba's best friend, and then lastly, from Hariba once more. My one complaint about the structure is that we're left to figure out who's speaking to us when there's a new part. And that's rough, since each part is told from the first person, present-tense point of view. McHugh handles it well, but a little header with the character's name wouldn't have hurt either.
Ultimately, it is a bittersweet ending. I'm sorry it ended like it did, but I see that it had to end that way. Though, the ending didn't feel complete. Like most literary fiction, it ended on a symbol, and while it's powerful, I would've liked to see more of a change within Hariba herself. In this case, the decision wasn't enough. I wanted to see the fruits of it.
It's a good book, and I'd recommend it to people who like quiet, literary, soft science fiction. Character-driven, definitely, and not for those who are more plot or setting driven in their reading. I'll definitely read some of McHugh's other work, cause I'd like to see just how diverse it is. :)
Not McHugh's Best Work.......2005-12-28
In Nekropolis, Maureen F. McHugh tackles gender issues in a way that hearkens to some of Ursula K. LeGuin's best work. Nekropolis is at it's heart the story of a forbidden love. Hariba is a Moroccan woman sometime in the future who has had some type of behavior modification (jessing) performed which transforms her into the perfect servant. In the house of her owner, she meets a Harni - a man-made organism that looks and acts much like a human but is not quite human. Hariba falls in love, and the Harni apparently falls for her too. The plot of the novel follows their struggle to find a way to make a life together in a society in which their love is taboo. Unfortunately, that's also where the novel goes astray. To me, the most interesting aspect of the story is the nature of their relationship. Harni's are created to do everything they can to please humans, indulging their every whims. It brings into question how genuine the feelings the Harni claims to have for Hariba actually are. That issue is only really explored in what turns out to be a denouement which lasts far too long after the main plot has resolved. The "action/adventure" plot involving their attempt to escape Morocco takes over the novel and pushes the more interesting relationship issues to the side, only to be resurrected in a whirlwind epilogue that feels forced and too brief to contain the story that needs telling. Additionally, the epilogue lacks the emotional punch it should have, as all the tension built up in the action/adventure plot has been resolved, leading to a very strange rhythm to the novel. This book could have been so good. Ms. McHugh has the capability to write the book I'd hoped this would be - she succeeded in China Mountain Zhang and Mission Child in raising fascinating issues regarding the human condition, but unfortunately for those of us impressed with her previous work she misses the mark with Nekropolis.
This books feels incomplete.......2005-09-05
While I found the style of this book engaging, I had two major problems with it.
The first is its similarity to _The Silver Metal Lover_, by Tanith Lee. Both books feature a young female protagonist in the future who is confronted with an AI designed to please. Revulsion turns to love turns to a desperate escape, etc. I found I was reading this book to find similarities to SML, and there were plenty. _The Silver Metal Lover_ is a better book, and more satisfying, so this pales in comparison.
The other problem I had was the ending -- far too abrupt. I felt that there was a last chapter of the story which had been left out of my copy. Some tension and conflict is set up and characters lives are changed in dramatic ways, raising questions that are never answered. Now, I'm not expecting a happy ending, but I would like an ending. The last chapter cuts the story off, and I guess we are supposed to figure it out how it ends. Unfortunately, the author didn't give us enought to do that.
The book is short, so it takes very little time to read. The locations are fairly exotic but not detailed enough. I cannot recommend it.
Interesting Concept; Writing Not Srong.......2004-12-22
The cover states "A Literary novel in Sci-Fi clothing" but, really its the other way around. Characters are not particularly strong. A poor woman's version of Margaret Atwood. The concept: lab-created people and jessed people try to find happiness in a future world should be compelling, but the writing doesn't quite carry it off. This has the look and feel of a pulp novel. It's a little better than that, but it's not "literature".
Great theme--ok plot.......2004-09-11
This is a hard book to rate because it is not really a "fun" read. It's more like something that you would read for a class discussion. I'll steal someone else's word for it...it is an "unsettling" book.
From reading the reviews, I think that what might irritate people about this book is that the main character is not really that strong. I don't think she is meant to be. Her decision to "jess" herself was one based in a fear of emotion, but also from the a desire to relinquish responsibility for her emotions. She is a "voluntary" slave made so by fear and irresponsiblity--these fears are shaped by personal and cultural experiences.
***possible spoiler to follow***
Akhmim on the other hand was someone who has no choice but to be a slave. He was created for that purpose. Interestingly enough his bond was not of "love" but of slavery as well. Therefore, while she was oppressed, she was also an oppressor. His character was also interesting because he remembers being happiest as part of his "pack" if you will, but he couldn't go back. This is another theme of the book.
***end of possible spoilers***
essentially, this book is meant to make you think...it's not meant to be a light read, or really an enjoyable read. In the end, I think that it does what science fiction does best. Gives us the "what if we could..." and shows how individuals, society and cultures would probably react--and that those reactions might be present here and now.
However, having said all that, I personally get a little irritated when a theme overshadows the story and I think that is what happened in this book. Lots of great points to think about, very interesting ideas, very interesting theme. Not so interesting story. She is much more interesting to discuss than she is to read about.
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Nekropoli drevnego Khorezma: Arkheologiia i antropologiia mogilnikov
L. T IAblonskii
Manufacturer: Vostochnaia literatura RAN
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NEKROPOLIS
Maureen McHugh
Manufacturer: Eos
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ASIN: B000GREADA |
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Nekropolis
Michael Ruetz
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Radovi na nekropoli (Biblioteka Poezija danas)
Boris Biletic
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Luk'ianivske tsyvilne kladovyshche: Putivnyk (Seriia "Nekropoli Ukrainy")
Liudmyla Protsenko
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Nekropoli Kieva
IU. N Kvitnitskii-Ryzhov
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Nekropolis.
Boris Pahor
Manufacturer: Berliner Taschenbuchverlag
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ASIN: 3442761042 |
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Stranitsy voennogo nekropolia staroi Odessy: Biograficheskii spravochnik (Nekropoli Ukrainy)
I. V Divnyi
Manufacturer: Natsionalnaia akademiia nauk Ukrainy, In-t Ukrainskoi arkheografii i istochnikovedeniia im. M. Grushevskogo
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ASIN: 5770208392 |
Book Description
Using the traditional Tibetan Buddhist framework of the Four Reminders—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 make the world a better place. The book includes contemplative exercises that encourage us to appreciate the tremendous potential of the human body and mind.
Customer Reviews:
Clear Wisdom.......2005-04-30
This is a wonderful book. The forward is written by the Dalai Lama. The information preceding the actual text of the book is different from most that I have read over the years. There seems to be a sense of urgency, a respectful tone that sometimes has not been present before. There is a supplication page and the translation of the four reminders themselves by Jetsun Dechen Paldron.
The four reminders. Ideas that are essential to understanding and developing a practice.
This transmission is laid out traditionally. There are lists. This has always been a little confusing to me in Buddhist writings but in this book she goes from one to the next smoothly and understandably. The `gist' of the book is unmistakable and impossible not to perceive. You might, at the end, not quite remember which point was on which list but what she is trying to transmit to you will be unmistakable - it goes to the heart.
The first thought is the preciousness of human life. Today that is an urgent thought. By virtue of possessing a human birth, the cessation of suffering is possible and the gateway to liberation is open to us.
Globally we are in a very precarious position ecologically and humanely. We are still practicing genocide and irreverent destruction of the earth. Realizing our preciousness can stop it and turn it around. I think that sometimes there is resistance to the concepts of viewing ourselves, and a human life as precious. Sometimes (well, ok many times) in the past that has led to a frightening degree of arrogance associated with that feeling of preciousness, and we all know what that resulted in. The message contained in this book, and in Buddhism as well, is different. You can know how incredibly precious a human life is and also learn to be a more loving compassionate steward of ourselves and the planet.
In her explanation of these principles she uses traditional descriptions but also intersperses them with her own interoperations that are humorous (although I'm not quite sure she was trying to be), and easy to apply to our lives. In the chapter on the eight freedoms the seventh freedom is to be born in a place where there have been Buddha's. It was an interesting statement and one that was new to me. Obviously, it is a thing to be grateful about but it's much deeper than that. Imagine the barrenness, emptiness of a landscape that had never been touched by the incredible peace of Buddha's teachings. It's a statement that works for any religion and it makes you think.
The last chapter, "Entering the Gateway" sums up the lessons in the book. There are many, many beautiful statements. I liked her point that you can use every situation to generate an attitude of vastness. Her example, seeing a beautiful flower, was to say or think, "May the beauty of this flower be experienced by all sentient beings; at this moment, may all beings wake up to nature and be able to see this." She also talked about another example that was interesting. An animal was being abused and her teachers advise was to do Tonglon in order to soften the heart and then pray for it. She also stated not to get dramatic. Not to cry and have great anger and irritation for the person causing the harm. She stated that we must look at our own aggression. We may not beat animals, but we may display unceasing ignorance toward ourselves and those around us. If our actions still say mine and yours, right and wrong, good and bad, how genuine is our commitment to overcome ignorance?
There were a few concepts that seemed a little contradictory. One was supporting your Sangha no matter what. Later, when talking about teachers she stated that if you feel that a teacher is not living up to the Buddhist principles it is ok to go to another. I also didn't agree with the comment about giving one's life for the dharma. Both of those could have been a problem with the translation or my perception.
This a very readable book and people new to Buddhism will probably understand it and be able to grasp many if not all of the concepts. I understand there is a CD series available on this same title by the same author.
Average customer rating:
- Elementary but nicely written
- The Buddhist Path to Enlightenment: Simplified
- Brilliant
- An uplifting work embracing the philosophy of self-improveme
- Not simply for beginners and based upon experience
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This Precious Life: Buddhist Teachings on the Path to Enlightenment
Khandro
Manufacturer: Shambhala
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Buddhism
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
Tibetan
| Buddhism
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Other Eastern Religions
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1570623074
Release Date: 2003-08-12 |
Book Description
Using the traditional Tibetan Buddhist framework of the Four Reminders—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 make the world a better place. 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'll look back and it will all seem like a dream." The book includes contemplative exercises that encourage us to appreciate the tremendous potential of the human body and mind. They focus on how we can learn to see this life as a gift—and how, by achieving peace in our own lives, we can bring a seed of happiness to other people. Although raised in Asia, Khandro Rinpoche is well-versed in Western culture, which allows her to translate Tibetan Buddhist wisdom to Westerners with remarkable authenticity and immediacy. She is also one 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 brings a unique feminine perspective to the wisdom tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.
Customer Reviews:
Elementary but nicely written.......2005-05-24
Khandro Rinpoche is the only female "precious one" I've come across. She is the daughter of a tulku (reincarnated lama) and is supposed to be one herself. I read 2/3 of the book and then (amazingly) lost it. So, I'm giving some benefit of the doubt. I wouldn't be rating it, but the prior reviews for both hard & softback versions seem overly generous to me--I believe in balance. The material here is VERY elementary though the author's style is quite easy to follow. It has IMHO a somewhat lukewarm foreward by the Dalai Lama too. The material is basic to Buddhism but not, at least to me, very enlightening. There are many female Buddhist authors (Pema Chodron, Thubten Chodron, Ayya Khema, etc.) who publish books with more knowledge, practicality, and even wisdom. Still, this book might serve as a low-key introduction to Buddhism. But, I'd probably recommend Thubten Chodron's "Buddhism for Beginners." Of course, it's possible the last 1/3 of this book is exceptional. But, I doubt it. The book does have an extensive description of the 6 worlds; it's hard to say if the author takes them literally or not. I do not. I believe it was Shantideva who asked--who could have built the iron halls of hell (or something like that). In any case, if you are looking more for a "feel" of Buddhism in light reading, this book might just be for you. If so, enjoy. Different strokes for different folks.
The Buddhist Path to Enlightenment: Simplified.......2004-10-04
This is an exceptionally well-organized and simplified exposition of the Buddhist path to enlightenment. Drawing upon the Tibetan tradition represented by the Dalai Lama's The Path to Enlightenment, Khandro Rinpoche re-introduces us to the four reminders: 1) the preciousness (and rarity) of a human birth, 2) the certainty of death, 3) the six realms of existence and the sufferings of each realm; this is particularly detailed and descriptive, and 4) the effects of karma on our continued reincarnations through samsara. In the fifth part, she shows us how to escape from samsara to nirvana through seeking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. She also reveals the beginnering, intermediate, and advanced practicioner's motivation for attaining enlightenment and finishes with a convincing case for dedicating one's life to the Buddhist path through formal monastic vows. Highly recommended for anyone interested in learning about the Buddhist path to enlightenment.
Brilliant.......2004-03-01
Khandro Rinpoche is particularly exceptional, exceptional in that she is a female Rinpoche who is both an upbeat, but also very insightful, Tibetan Buddhist teacher. She's very well versed in the English language and understands well our culture. This places her in a unique position to be able to translate Tibetan wisdom with astonishing clarity and legitimacy to all of us readers. She has been traveling Europe and the United States teaching the Tibetan way for over 15 years. It's remarkable.
In Tibetan Buddhism, there is a teaching called the Four Reminders. Khandro uses these teachings as the framework for this important work. The 4 reminders include: preciousness of human birth, the truth on impermanence, the reality of suffering, and the inescapability of karma. She uses this book to explain to us just how and why we should and can use our lives to make this world a much more enjoyable place to live. This text also includes contemplative exercises which help us grow to a ripened state in our spiritual lives. A wonderful book.
"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 fresh contemporary clarity to her explanation." - His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
An uplifting work embracing the philosophy of self-improveme.......2004-02-07
Featuring a foreword by the Dalai Lama, This Precious Life: Tibetan Buddhist Teachings On The Path To Enlightenment by Khandro Rinpoche is a soulful work of insight. The text of This Precious Life informatively examines the "Four Reminders" of Tibetan Buddhist teachings: the preciousness of human birth; the truth of impermanence; the reality of suffering; and the inescapableness of karma. Khandro Rinpoche insightfully explores how all of us have the potential to best enjoy, use, and fulfill the brief years of our short lives. An uplifting work embracing the philosophy of self-improvement and opening one's mind to maximum possibilities, This Precious Life is particularly recommended to the attention of both students and practitioners of Buddhism.
Not simply for beginners and based upon experience.......2003-12-03
This book is not another dry academic tome, adding to an already considerable collection of ngondro teachings. If you've think you've heard everything about karma and the six realms, try this book! Like Gen Lamrimpa and some of Alan Wallace's books, Khandro Rinpoche uses actual experiences of selflessness experienced in meditation in order to re-examine the nature of karma and the six realms. It's one of a few books that tries to actually encapsule how selflessness is discovered in meditation, how we elaborate and distort what we experience, and how this gives rise to the dream-like aspects of life. Then, within this context, that of a meditator, she re-examines what karma, the six realms, and dream-like nature of the world really mean. This book is very clearly written and a joy to read.
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