Karma: What It Is, What It Isn't, Why It Matters

by Traleg Kyabgon

Overview

A master of Tibetan Buddhism cuts through prevalent misconceptions around karma and rebirth to get to the root cause of our suffering—and how we can end it
 
The Buddha’s teaching on karma (literally, “action”) is nothing other than his compassionate explanation of the way things are: our thoughts and actions determine our future, and therefore we ourselves are largely responsible for the way our lives unfold. Yet this supremely useful teaching is often ignored due to the misconceptions found in popular culture, especially oversimplifications that make it seem like something not to be taken seriously. Karma is not simple, as Traleg Kyabgon shows, and it’s to be taken very seriously indeed.
 
In this book, Kyabgon cuts through the persistent illusions we cling to about karma to show what it really is—the mechanics of why we suffer and how we can make the suffering end. He explains how a realistic understanding of karma is indispensable to Buddhist practice, how it provides a foundation for a moral life, and how understanding it can have a transformative effect on the way we relate to our thoughts and feelings and to those around us.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781590308882
Publisher:	Shambhala
Publication date:	06/30/2015
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	231,947
Product dimensions:	5.52(w) x 8.43(h) x 0.51(d)

About the Author

TRALEG KYABGON (1955-2012) was born in eastern Tibet and educated by many great masters of all four major lineages of Tibetan Buddhism. He is the founder of the Kagyu E-Vam Buddhist Institute, which is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, with a major practice center in New York City. He taught extensively at universities and Buddhist centers in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia beginning in 1980, and is the author of numerous books that present Buddhist teachings to Western readers, including The Essence of Buddhism and Mind at Ease.

Table of Contents

Foreword Ogyen Trinley Dorje vii

Introduction 1

1 The Origins of the Concept of Karma 13

2 The Buddha's View of Karma 27

3 The Yogacara School's Contribution to Karmic Theory 59

4 The Bardo Teachings on Death, Intermediate State, and Rebirth 65

5 No Karma-Emptiness and the Two Truths 73

6 Meaning in Life and the Fear of Death 85

7 Immortality, Reincarnation, and Rebirth 97

8 Karmic Theory as a Possible Foundation for Ethics 105

9 The Empirical Aspects of Karmic Theory and Rebirth 121

10 Working with Karma 135

Conclusion 145

Notes 151

Bibliography 153

Index 155

Editorial Reviews

Karma is often a misunderstood topic in Buddhism. This clear explanation from such an eminent teacher as the late Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche, who possessed great knowledge of both dharma and the Western mind-set, will bring profound benefit to us all.”—Dzigar Kongtrül Rinpoche, author of It’s Up to You

From the Publisher