Beyond Words: Dzogchen Made Simple

by Julia Lawless

Introduces the practice of Dzogchen without requiring readers to know anything about Tibetan history or culture.

Genres: Buddhism

208 pages, Hardcover

First published July 25, 2003

Reviews

[Dean Paradiso · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introduction to the subject matter of Dzogchen as practiced in Tibetan Buddhism, and with a modern slant from the teachings of CH.NN Rinpoche. The book is aimed at Westerners who may be new to Dzogchen, and gives a brief overview of the subject with some traditional cultural history from Tibet and the sayings of various Tibetan masters. I felt it was a good intro for beginners, and although not really practical, it did contain a few gems in the form of stories and quotes that made it worth keeping the book on my shelf.

[Rose E · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good introductory book for people interested in Dzogchen. It is not aimed at being a practical guide but seems more like an entry way, containing many inspiring stories and brilliant quotes from masters, as well as some very basic definitions of terms etc. Extensively footnoted so you can use these to follow more deeply. I particularly enjoyed reading the lives of great masters over the centuries, it was helpful to have a broad view of how these lives and times fit together in the lineage.