There’s a rebel within you. It’s the part of you that already knows how to break free of fear and unhappiness. This rebel is the voice of your own awakened mind. It’s your rebel buddha—the sharp, clear intelligence that resists the status quo. It wakes you up from the sleepy acceptance of your day-to-day reality and shows you the power of your enlightened nature. It’s the vibrant, insightful energy that compels you to seek the truth. Dzogchen Ponlop guides you through the inner revolution that comes from unleashing your rebel buddha. He explains how, by training your mind and understanding your true nature, you can free yourself from needless suffering. He presents a thorough introduction to the essence of the Buddha’s teachings and argues that, if we are to bring these teachings fully into our personal experience, we must go beyond the cultural trappings of traditional Asian Buddhism. “We all want to find some meaningful truth about who we are,” he says, “but we can only find it guided by our own wisdom—by our own rebel buddha within.”From Publishers WeeklyScholar and teacher Dzogchen Ponlop (Mind Beyond Death) focuses on the experiential aspects of Buddhism that transcend culture, in the vein of writer-teacher Stephen Batchelor's idea of "Buddhism without beliefs." He argues that everyone has a "rebel Buddha" within that wants to wake up, be free, and see the truth in the midst of illusion. The traditionally educated Tibetan-American uses straightforward, informal language with fresh analogies to examine a range of basic and more advanced aspects of this wisdom tradition, such as the nonexistence of the self, compassion, and relationships with spiritual teachers. Meditation instructions are included in the appendix. The author's practical approach is disarming, especially when applying Buddhism to the challenges of everyday life. The content is based on two lecture series on dharma and culture; tighter editing would have eased the transition between the spoken and the written word. While more concise primers for the novice practitioner exist, more advanced students of Buddhism who want to explore newer voices may find this book of particular interest. (Nov.) (c) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review“Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche shatters old myths and sweeps away cultural baggage, presenting the essence of the Buddha’s teachings in a fresh, contemporary voice. With uncommon clarity and authority, he offers a new vision for the future of Buddhism that is at once shocking and hopeful. This is a small book with a big message that is timely and important.”—Pema Chödrön, author of When Things Fall Apart “Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche has a remarkable ability to present the wisdom of the Buddha’s teachings in a manner that is as fresh and accessible as it is profound. With Rebel Buddha, he goes straight to the core of the spiritual path, showing how the Buddha’s liberating insights transcend race, religion, and culture. This book is sure to provoke, inspire, and move us one step closer to creating a thoroughly modern approach to spirituality.”—Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, author of The Joy of Living “A seminal work for the growth of Buddhism in contemporary society. Fearlessly and intelligently, Ponlop Rinpoche invites the reader to make these ancient tools meaningful in our lives, without any fetishizing of someone else’s culture. Rinpoche’s voice roars with the relaxed confidence of authenticity, and the fierce urgency of now. In Rebel Buddha, Rinpoche establishes himself as something we need now much more than a Tibetan lama: he is among the first of the American Buddhist masters.”—Ethan Nichtern, author of One City: A Declaration of Interdependence “This book does a wonderful job of bringing the Buddha’s teachings to all of us here in the West. Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche has great insights into the workings of our minds, guiding us from delusion to clarity.”—Sharon Salzberg, author of *Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience * “Dzogchen Ponlop is a gentle voice for an emerging and more accessible Buddhism. He seems comfortable in the role of ‘Rebel Without a Cause,’ but in his case, a rebel willing to meet everyone where they live. Dzogchen Ponlop exposes some of the cultural overlays of Buddhism and unearths aspects of the essential teachings. He is a kind of second-generation pioneer...a product of both traditional and modern lifestyles. Rebel Buddha is in many ways the perfect representation of a more mature Buddhism in America, a Buddhism that has put down roots but with fresh and unknowable revolutions ahead.”—*Tricycle * “Concisely shares insights into all Buddhism has to offer the modern mind today, with a global view that transcends the limitations of culture. It is a true meeting of East and West.”—*San Francisco Book Review * “Rebel Buddha is uniquely straightforward and well-suited to the Western reader.”—New Age Retailer
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