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The Peaceful Stillness of the Silent Mind: Buddhism, Mind and Meditation
Lama Yeshe on "Buddhism is not just about one or two small things; it is not some tiny philosophy. Lord Buddha explained the nature of every single phenomenon in the universe."On "At certain times, a silent mind is very important, but 'silent' does not mean closed. The silent mind is an alert, awakened mind; a mind seeking the nature of reality."On "Meditation is the right medicine for the uncontrolled, undisciplined mind. Meditation is the way to perfect satisfaction. The uncontrolled mind is by nature sick; dissatisfaction is a form of mental illness. What's the right antidote to that? It's knowledge-wisdom; understanding the nature of psychological phenomena; knowing how the internal world functions."This book is made possible by kind supporters of the Archive who, like you, appreciate how we make these teachings available in so many ways, including in our website for instant reading, listening or downloading, and as multimedia, printed and ebooks. Our website offers immediate access to thousands of pages of teachings and hundreds of audio recordings by some of the greatest lamas of our time. Our photo gallery and our ever-popular books are also freely accessible there. Please help us increase our efforts to spread the Dharma for the happiness and benefit of all beings. You can find out more about becoming a supporter of the Archive and see all we have to offer by visiting our website.Thank you so much, and please enjoy this book.
120 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
73 people are currently reading
182 people want to read
About the author
Thubten Yeshe
66 books94 followersLama Thubten Yeshe was a monastic teacher of Tibetan Buddhism most closely associated with the Gelug school of the Dalai Lamas. He established the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), and was succeeded in leadership of that organization by his heart-disciple Lama Thubten Zopa in 1984.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
November 14, 2020
The content of this book is based on Lama Yeshe teachings on 1975 at his visit.
Some recurring topics that Lama Yeshe mentioned several times are:
1. the correct attitude of a religious person of ANY religion.
2. explanation about different teachings based on level of understanding of the student.
3. on meditation
4. on balance and moderation.
My first reading of Lama Yeshe, and I like the explicitness of his teachings, especially his explanation about fanaticism.
Some recurring topics that Lama Yeshe mentioned several times are:
1. the correct attitude of a religious person of ANY religion.
2. explanation about different teachings based on level of understanding of the student.
3. on meditation
4. on balance and moderation.
My first reading of Lama Yeshe, and I like the explicitness of his teachings, especially his explanation about fanaticism.
June 8, 2022
I am glad that I read this book about a year after starting to meditate as I, on my own, realized may of the benefits and intents of mediation that the author discusses. I found his writing not just passive aggressive, but aggressive. I could look past that because I understood the purpose of this book was to be a free book to indoctrinate people into Buddhism, and I think the author was being aggressive to put Westerners on our guard to more easily convince us to follow his teachings. But ignoring the aggression and indoctrination, it was an amazing book with amazing insight into how humans act and interact - and how to achieve right action and right thought. I have learned so much about how I can improve myself (impermanence, less attachment - even to positive things) to obtain peace.
March 28, 2022
A very good book for daily practice. I read it slowly, a couple of pages per day as part of my meditation practice. You don’t have to be a practicing Buddhist to appreciate it, anyone interested in incorporating it into meditation would appreciate it. Lama Yeshe has a very easygoing manner, very practical, without being New Age-y or wishy washy.
January 1, 2019
The author emphasizes the following:
1. to take the middle path; take things in moderation (don't be extreme);
2. respect other religions;
3. question and investigate what was taught by buddha;
4. different people would have taken different paths, and may have therefore subscribed to different religions in order to find their path;
5. charity, if given must be accompanied by morality, patience, effort, concentration, and wisdom; and
6. when meditating, do not reject the thoughts that come, but instead investigate them thoroughly; and
7. that change is the only thing certain (as propounded by pre-Socratic philosopher, Heraclitus).
However, like many books on explaining religion, it would shy away from morally controversial subjects such as moral relativism and moral nihilism. This can be seen when the author characterized stealing from the rich and giving to the poor as not 'charitable', which arguably in context may not be 'moral' either. The so-called morality of rebellion and insistence on following the letter of the law is thus left unexplored.
He also stated, "If you understand that different people's minds need different methods and solutions, you'll see why there's a need for many religions." This is a problematic statement as he suggests religion (or in this case multiple religions) need to exist, but there is a growing concern that many religions are merely well-organized cults. At the same time, author acknowledges essentially what I would call the principle of exclusion which applies to many people subscribing to one religion often means rejecting all others.
He also states, "... Before you come out of your mother's womb -- even when you're only a few cells in size -- your consciousness is already there", which is questionable even by scientific standards.
One of the biggest point of disagreement I would have is that he insists that everyone is a believer, which may extend to even atheists. He stated "... Check up: you're a believer. Just two or three questions will prove that. Do you think some things are good? Do you think some thing are bad? Of course you do. Those are beliefs. Otherwise, what is belief?". A believer can be defined as "someone who has confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so". The key part of this definition would be "without absolute proof that one is right in doing so". Therefore, by this definition, I am not a believer as I would require absolute proof, and by referring again to the author's statement, I do not believe that things are good or bad, they just ARE, as I subscribe to moral nihilism, and in this context, I am not a believer.
In closing, it is a decent read for anyone intending to read up on Tibetan Buddhism, but it does contain fundamental incongruities with more moral philosophy, especially in realtion to moral relativism and moral nihilism.
1. to take the middle path; take things in moderation (don't be extreme);
2. respect other religions;
3. question and investigate what was taught by buddha;
4. different people would have taken different paths, and may have therefore subscribed to different religions in order to find their path;
5. charity, if given must be accompanied by morality, patience, effort, concentration, and wisdom; and
6. when meditating, do not reject the thoughts that come, but instead investigate them thoroughly; and
7. that change is the only thing certain (as propounded by pre-Socratic philosopher, Heraclitus).
However, like many books on explaining religion, it would shy away from morally controversial subjects such as moral relativism and moral nihilism. This can be seen when the author characterized stealing from the rich and giving to the poor as not 'charitable', which arguably in context may not be 'moral' either. The so-called morality of rebellion and insistence on following the letter of the law is thus left unexplored.
He also stated, "If you understand that different people's minds need different methods and solutions, you'll see why there's a need for many religions." This is a problematic statement as he suggests religion (or in this case multiple religions) need to exist, but there is a growing concern that many religions are merely well-organized cults. At the same time, author acknowledges essentially what I would call the principle of exclusion which applies to many people subscribing to one religion often means rejecting all others.
He also states, "... Before you come out of your mother's womb -- even when you're only a few cells in size -- your consciousness is already there", which is questionable even by scientific standards.
One of the biggest point of disagreement I would have is that he insists that everyone is a believer, which may extend to even atheists. He stated "... Check up: you're a believer. Just two or three questions will prove that. Do you think some things are good? Do you think some thing are bad? Of course you do. Those are beliefs. Otherwise, what is belief?". A believer can be defined as "someone who has confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so". The key part of this definition would be "without absolute proof that one is right in doing so". Therefore, by this definition, I am not a believer as I would require absolute proof, and by referring again to the author's statement, I do not believe that things are good or bad, they just ARE, as I subscribe to moral nihilism, and in this context, I am not a believer.
In closing, it is a decent read for anyone intending to read up on Tibetan Buddhism, but it does contain fundamental incongruities with more moral philosophy, especially in realtion to moral relativism and moral nihilism.
September 10, 2017
Lama Yeshe speaks with precision about our materialistic delusions. He urges deep insight into our own personal minds - that we may meditate to get to the truth of our behaviours and gain wisdom that will serve us on a day-to-day basis.
August 30, 2018
Amazing
This book has very useful and easy to understand advice from a Buddhist teacher. I highly recommend to anyone on the Buddhist path or interested in it.
This book has very useful and easy to understand advice from a Buddhist teacher. I highly recommend to anyone on the Buddhist path or interested in it.
August 19, 2019
wonderful
November 5, 2019
Crystal clear lectures. As Yeshe says, you will get more from this book, when you are really ready. It took me multiple reads to relate with what he says.
April 13, 2020
short read, very basic, but i felt nice while reading it :)
November 20, 2020
This is a very readable and logical introduction to Tibetan Buddhist meditation and more.
December 26, 2021
Very insightful
I studied world religions years ago. Great subject to study as it allows you to appreciate a variety of paths that people take to commune with God. I learned long ago to let God decide who to accept into His kingdom. I appreciate the views and insights of the Lama as to how people seek their paths. Seems that what he presents not only accommodates the pathways of the various faiths, but also addresses the cultural perspectives of the East and the West. Having been raised in the Russian Orthodox faith in America, I appreciate what the Lama says about the West and East, not only in terms of faith, but also in the view towards psychology. I have been in healthcare most of my adult life with a chance to serve in Civil Affairs in the Army as well, so this book has great relevance in looking at my life experiences and provides some validation to observations I have made from those experiences. When you venture to read and explore, not only do you get a better understanding of others, but a better appreciation of your own faith.
I studied world religions years ago. Great subject to study as it allows you to appreciate a variety of paths that people take to commune with God. I learned long ago to let God decide who to accept into His kingdom. I appreciate the views and insights of the Lama as to how people seek their paths. Seems that what he presents not only accommodates the pathways of the various faiths, but also addresses the cultural perspectives of the East and the West. Having been raised in the Russian Orthodox faith in America, I appreciate what the Lama says about the West and East, not only in terms of faith, but also in the view towards psychology. I have been in healthcare most of my adult life with a chance to serve in Civil Affairs in the Army as well, so this book has great relevance in looking at my life experiences and provides some validation to observations I have made from those experiences. When you venture to read and explore, not only do you get a better understanding of others, but a better appreciation of your own faith.
March 7, 2022
Non-Buddhist, but still found very insightful principles. Worth a read, especially for those of us that consider ourselves "devote" in some other religion. Will recommend for book club.
April 25, 2023
Un recueil d'enseignements de Lama Yeshe qui permet d'apprécier son style oral: direct, dynamique, percutant mais toujours éclairant pour un esprit ouvert.
Read
January 29, 2025book about Buddhism. A pretty short read and interesting.
August 1, 2015
Lama Yeshe was one of the first to teach Tibetan Buddhism to westerners. His interest in explaining relationships between "the supreme psychologist, Lord Buddha" and limited knowledge of the workings of the mind in the pretty young western science of psychology makes intriguing reading.
The beautiful title of 'The Peaceful Stillness of the Silent Mind' stood out to me when approaching the small books of the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive. The book is the fourth in a series of lectures from the 1970s and 1980s given by Lama Yeshe and published to be given for free to people interested.
This collection contains the gem "An Introduction to Meditation", explaining how the function of meditation is to reintegrate the split and fragmented mind so that you can transcend your impulses and sense perceptions of the agitated mind, the root of dissatisfaction. You need to get to know your own mind deeply in order to overcome this dissatisfaction or agitation. "Watching your own mind is much more interesting than watching TV," he says in this book. "Once you've seen your mind, you'll find television boring."
Meditation is not a quick and easy fix: "You cannot stop problems simply because somebody says 'you have this problem because of this, that or the other.' Somebody interprets something for you, says a few words, and all of a sudden you see the light, 'oh yes, thank you; my problem is solved.' That is impossible. The root of problems is much too deep for something like that to work." We have to look much deeper, and through meditation learn to understand the workings of our own mind, to "become your own psychologist."
As a novice on the path of learning to know my mind through meditation, I believe I will return to this and the other books of the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive again and again. A lot of work by modern Buddhist psychologists, both western and eastern, has been inspired by the foundation of Lama Yeshe's and his main disciple, Lama Zopa's, teachings. This is what we need to move beyond a fashionably superficial spread of mindfulness practice everywhere to something more rooted and complex.
Meditation is not a wellness programme, as my meditation teacher and originally from Lama Yeshe's organization, says. But it may be "a way of helping you to become strong enough to face your problems instead of running away from them. It allows you to face and deal with your problems skillfully", as it says in 'The Peaceful Stillness of the Silent Mind'.
The beautiful title of 'The Peaceful Stillness of the Silent Mind' stood out to me when approaching the small books of the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive. The book is the fourth in a series of lectures from the 1970s and 1980s given by Lama Yeshe and published to be given for free to people interested.
This collection contains the gem "An Introduction to Meditation", explaining how the function of meditation is to reintegrate the split and fragmented mind so that you can transcend your impulses and sense perceptions of the agitated mind, the root of dissatisfaction. You need to get to know your own mind deeply in order to overcome this dissatisfaction or agitation. "Watching your own mind is much more interesting than watching TV," he says in this book. "Once you've seen your mind, you'll find television boring."
Meditation is not a quick and easy fix: "You cannot stop problems simply because somebody says 'you have this problem because of this, that or the other.' Somebody interprets something for you, says a few words, and all of a sudden you see the light, 'oh yes, thank you; my problem is solved.' That is impossible. The root of problems is much too deep for something like that to work." We have to look much deeper, and through meditation learn to understand the workings of our own mind, to "become your own psychologist."
As a novice on the path of learning to know my mind through meditation, I believe I will return to this and the other books of the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive again and again. A lot of work by modern Buddhist psychologists, both western and eastern, has been inspired by the foundation of Lama Yeshe's and his main disciple, Lama Zopa's, teachings. This is what we need to move beyond a fashionably superficial spread of mindfulness practice everywhere to something more rooted and complex.
Meditation is not a wellness programme, as my meditation teacher and originally from Lama Yeshe's organization, says. But it may be "a way of helping you to become strong enough to face your problems instead of running away from them. It allows you to face and deal with your problems skillfully", as it says in 'The Peaceful Stillness of the Silent Mind'.
March 25, 2015
A brief and excellent book about Buddhism as taught and practiced by a Tibetan lama. I am very unfamiliar with the tenets of Buddhism, nor do I really understand the religion of the Tibetans, but I am interested in learning more, and mentioned this fact to one of my students…who happens to be a Tibetan Buddhist. He, very excitedly, brought me six or seven 'free' books written by Lama Thubsten Yeshe. This was the first.
Buddhism seems very inwardly directed. It is more about the mind than are religions like Christianity or Islam or Judaism (which are all about an external God and his rules). I found much of what the lama discussed to be quite insightful, albeit wildly different from the spiritual practices and teachings I am familiar with. Buddhism seems to be more of a 'do' than a 'have': you don't have to believe anything; it's more like you are doing something from which understanding will arise.
I admit, I am intrigued. Plus: great title for a book!
Buddhism seems very inwardly directed. It is more about the mind than are religions like Christianity or Islam or Judaism (which are all about an external God and his rules). I found much of what the lama discussed to be quite insightful, albeit wildly different from the spiritual practices and teachings I am familiar with. Buddhism seems to be more of a 'do' than a 'have': you don't have to believe anything; it's more like you are doing something from which understanding will arise.
I admit, I am intrigued. Plus: great title for a book!
February 3, 2014
I would definitely recommend reading this book. What I love about books by people like Lama Yeshe is the approachability with which they write about complicated Buddhist concepts and the way in which it is readily applicable to your life and mind despite your religious belief or place along the spiritual path. It is even applicable to those who don't believe to be on a spiritual journey at all. Mindfulnees is such an important life skill and everyone should consider practicing it if they find their mind and life in constant motion (like many Americans). A few lines in the book touched me deeply and I am trying to apply them to my perspective right away. These books are free to get and it was interesting because the copy I have had already been read and had some underlines in it. It made the experience that much more communal.
April 15, 2015
Brilliantly clear and accessible, I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking a clearer understanding of Buddhism!
April 25, 2009
Fantastic. Love his words on developing equilibrium.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews