Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, sometimes controversial but almost universally regarded as a great master of Tibetan Buddhism, was the founder of the Shambhala lineage in the US (now a worldwide movement). This record of two dharma talks Trungpa Rinpoche gave in 1970 and 1971 have since become classic, required reading for Buddhists of any stripe and spiritual seekers in general. The premise of the book is that our spirituality can, and often does, become one more form of attachment that is detrimental to our practice. Addiction to spiritual paraphenalia, our obsessive impulse to collect spiritual goodies such as empowements, dysfunctional relationships with our teachers, and pride in our own perceived progress only serve to further entrench the ego, while in a state of self-deception, we believe we are rooting it out. Trungpa Rinpoche expands on these concepts with a more general discussion of Tibetan Buddhism and how the practices of that tradition can help us break free from our attachments and find the reality that lies behind ego. His writing is powerful, and he pulls no punches. Direct and hard-hitting, this book blasts away at our conceptualizations like a howitzer. Trungpa Rinpoche's concept of "crazy wisdom," which is complicated and a potential pitfall for beginners should be noted, but this book nonetheless serves a great guide to "waking up."
