Musings and Reviews of Metaphysical, New Age and Meaningful Writings

Archive for the ‘Gurus’ Category

Why is the Dalai Lama Always Smiling? #BookReview


screen-shot-2016-12-22-at-3-36-03-pmHow can the Dalai Lama always be smiling and full of love and forgiveness given what has happened during his lifetime to the Tibetan people? In Lama Tsomo’s encyclopedic introduction to Tibetan Buddhism, Why Is the Dalai Lama Always Smiling?: A Westerner’s Introduction and Guide to Tibetan Buddhist Practice, she answers this question in depth, having followed the same ancient traditions to find a new way of living for herself.

I now understand why and how the Dalai Lama, and the monks and people who were lucky enough to flee Tibet when the Chinese took over, did not suffer PTSD despite the horrors experienced, and were able to feel compassion for their persecutors.

Lama Tsomo offers a guide to Tibetan Buddhism with steps to build a meditation practice that will lead you to the same inner peace as the Dalai Lama. She starts with an interesting account of her own spiritual exploration, while going through two failed marriages and having three children. After a 25-year spiritual quest, she found the teacher who would offer a course of study for her spiritual enlightenment whom she trusted when she met Tulku Sangak Rinpoche.

Despite the fact that she feels any serious student of Tibetan Buddhism needs to study with qualified masters (retreats or total immersion worked best for her), she does provide sufficient background in the Buddha’s teachings along with techniques which can be tried on one’s own. These techniques are designed to help remove ego identification to allow our true nature of compassionate awareness to shine forth. It will take a lot of time and effort, but as the author asks, “Do I have something better to do?”

Lama Tsomo recounts scientific evidence that the meditation practices of Tibetan Buddhism can help one replace knee-jerk reactions to people and situations with more balance, constructive responses, and improve one’s focus, memory and mood. Instead of clinging to one’s small, separate self, even in times of misery, the seeker of enlightenment learns to see themselves as one with the vast ocean, the one great mind, and be motivated to help others with love and compassion.

The book includes an envelope of practice cards that you can use to build a daily practice and see if you are called to immerse yourself further in Tibetan Buddhism. If so, she offers numerous resources, including books, other media and websites.

This book is not one I could read straight through, but rather dip into and contemplate what I was learning a little at a time. While a glossy paperback with beautiful color photographs, at its heart, it is a serious textbook for those who want a guide to practicing Tibetan Buddhism.

It can be a bit overwhelming as a first introduction to Buddhism (even with the glossary), but for the serious student, this could be an invaluable guide on their path. If you think you’d like to start 2017 with a serious spiritual effort to achieve your own Buddha nature, reading this book could be a wonderful start.

Why is the Dalai Lama Always Smiling? is available in Kindle, paperback, Audible and in MP3 CD versions.

Namaste!
Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries, Chakra Secrets (FREE through Dec. 23), Balance Your Chakras-Balance Your Life, and The Chakra Energy Diet

www.theChakras.org

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Becca's Inspirational Book Blog, Becca's Inspirational Book Recommendations, Book Review, Gurus, Inspirational Book Review, Inspirational Books, Inspirational Read, Reading Recommendations available on Amazon, Reincarnation, Spiritual Books, Spiritual Stories, Spirituality

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CHAKRA HEALING SECRETS – Free Today on Kindle


Chakra Secrets Twitter coverMy life story, interwoven with the healing and balancing techniques that have kept me uplifted – emotionally, physically and spiritually, Chakra Secrets, is FREE today and tomorrow, Oct 9-10, on Amazon Kindle. I invite you to download it, give it a read, and please take a moment to say what you found interesting or helpful on Amazon reviews. Here’s what a few other readers/writers have said about it.

An Inspirational Memoir ~ R. R. Harris, editor and author of Double Take

Chakra Secrets by Becca Chopra is part memoir, part fun, part romance, part drama and pure inspiration. It’s timeless, offering a look at one woman’s path through tragedy, guilt, unhappiness and chakra imbalance, into a state of grace – happy, healthy and loved. And even better, it’s free today, October 9th through October 10th, for Kindle download to any reading device. Just go to http://amzn.to/15S76wr.

Love, sex and chakras. A great read! ~ Tom Rapsas, author of Life Tweets: Inspirational & Spiritual Insights That Can Change Your Life:

“I thought Chakra Secrets was a blast, an easy read that’s both educational and entertaining. For starters, it appears to be loosely based on the author’s (adult) life story as she moves from one relationship to another while developing an interest and prowess in the chakras. There’s love, sex, loss (the death of her wandering husband), and a foray into reincarnation–even a side story on a notorious Hollywood star and couple that are part of her life (thinly veiled, see if you can figure out who they are). While she touches on the chakras throughout, there’s also a very helpful “Part 2″ at the end of the book. It details the 7 chakras and how to tap into them, including instructions on how to cure what ails you. Highly recommended!”

Reads like a novel with a BONUS! ~ Harriette Knight, author of CHAKRA POWER! How to Fire Up Your Energy Centers to Live a Fuller Life

“Becca Chopra’s CHAKRA SECRETS is both a prequel and sequel to her wonderful CHAKRA DIARIES. What I love most about these books is that they read like a novel, and that the stories overlap. They are totally engaging and engrossing and difficult to put down. Becca’s honesty is searing. She bares her soul for all of us to see, and relate to. There is a human-ness that is shared that goes beyond author and reader. The exercises in the back of the book are a BONUS and one I have referred to over and over. I love how Becca intertwines her own journey with the teachings of yoga and the chakras. She is a gift to all of us and a voice that needs to be heard.”

I Loved This Book! ~ Marla Martenson, author of Amateur Night

“What a great read. I am a fan of memoir and I just love a true story. Becca is brutally honest in this tale of finding herself. I am also an author of memoirs and her story reminded me of myself. She went through heartbreak, confusion, adventures, and learned valuable lessons. I love her writing style, and found the book hard to put down. Becca also teaches us about chakras in the book and gives a great exercise to open them up. I am eager to try it. I have also ordered her other books. She has a new fan!”

A Mainstream Fan ~ Wendy Naarup, author of Piece by Piece

“This honest, candid story about the author’s journey to happiness introduced me to the world of yoga and chakras. I didn’t need a drop of holistic background to fall in love with the characters and empathize with their struggles, the struggles so many of us have trying to find authenticity and balance a midst the confusion and unfairness of life. The author doesn’t just share her life, she offers a path. I’m intrigued. I never thought I’d say this, but I feel like taking yoga.”

Happy reading!

Becca Chopra, author of Chakra Secrets

www.thechakras.org

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Becca's Inspirational Book Blog, Book Review, Chakra Secrets, documentary on meditation, Free Kindle Books, Gurus, Health Benefits of Balanced Chakras, Indie Authors, Inspirational Books, Inspirational Read, Inspirational writing, Love, Memoir, Reading Recommendations available on Amazon, Spiritual Books, Using the Chakras to Better Your Sex Life, Yoga & Meditation

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We Are All Our Own Best Gurus


Screen shot 2013-05-07 at 7.30.58 AMLast night I watched the documentary, Kumare, on Netflix downstreaming. Vikram Gandhi, a 2nd-generation Indian man living in New Jersey wondered about religion, gurus and their authenticity. He searched America and then traveled to his ancestral homeland of India only to find what he felt were “false prophets,” espousing what he already knew. So, he decided to pose as a guru himself, learn yoga, meditation, and see if he could find a following in Arizona. Well, he did.

What he espoused was that he, Kumare, was an illusion, and that the guru was within each one of his disciples. While it almost made a joke of all things new age and spiritual, such as the psychic who saw him as a guru in many past lives, Kumare made a positive impact on everyone he met. He used age-old methods that all Indian gurus have used – yoga, meditation, visualization. And a powerful practice was having his disciples tell him what 5 things he needed to do (as if talking to themselves). Well, they all took their own advice and did what they told him to do.

When he did his unveiling 40 days after leaving the group, a few were shocked and upset, while the rest embraced him as just another fellow traveler sharing his wisdom and knowledge.

The message: We all have the power within us. We are all our best gurus.

But, watching the documentary, it also became clear that we as humans benefit from helping each other, energize each other when doing group practices, and feel happiest when in community. Vikram said he was his best self as Kumare. I think we are all our best selves when helping each other, sharing our inspiration, our knowledge, our wisdom. Because we are all on a search for meaning, for happiness and love.

FREE TODAY: My memoir of finding my own power, Chakra Secrets, is free for Kindle download today or tomorrow, May 7-8, at http://amzn.to/129rO5I

Namaste!

Becca Chopra

www.thechakras.org

Category:

Chakra Secrets, documentary on meditation, Free Kindle Books, Gurus, Yoga & Meditation

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