Books

A clear-headed and relatable guidebook for navigating the student-teacher relationship by one of the first female Buddhist teachers in the West.

All major forms of Buddhism stress the need for a teacher. However, the importance of having a guide or guru is sometimes a source of cultural and spiritual confusion as Buddhism expands in the West. A clear understanding of the Buddhist view of the guru is essential for the student-teacher relationship to be beneficial for one's spiritual growth.

Collecting over fifty years of personal experiences as both a student and a teacher, Shenpen Hookham writes candidly of the opportunities and challenges facing modern Dharma students in the West who wish to study with a teacher. Traditional texts often do not reflect how the student-teacher relationship manifests in practice, which leaves many pressing questions and a great deal of confusion in communities taking root in the West. With honesty and clarity, Hookham discusses the roles of the teacher, practices related to the guru, and commonly asked questions she receives as a teacher. This handbook is the first of its kind, breaking down in a pragmatic and relatable way everything you need to know to enter a student-teacher relationship with open eyes and an open heart.

"What is the meaning and role of a guru on the Buddhist path? This book offers a wealth of insight for students wishing to begin to understand the guru principle. Writing from vast experience and understanding of the topic, Lama Shenpen Hookham provides timely guidelines for discernment as one starts out on this journey of discovery. Beginning with the Buddha, 'the enlightened one, ' who taught that all beings could awaken to their enlightened nature, the significance of the guru in this process of awakening is explored in a wide range of traditional, contemporary, and cultural contexts. In the context of Buddhism in the West in particular, this ground provides a valuable support for an ever-deepening understanding of the guru principle." -- Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche, author of This Precious Life

"All major traditions of Buddhism seem to place emphasis on the importance of the teacher-student relationship. In the Vajrayana tradition, the teacher is called guru or 'one who dispels the darkness.' Thus, the guru is considered to extend kindness to their students that excels the kindness of even the Buddha Shakyamuni himself, for it is through our own direct relationship with a genuine master that we can really begin to work out what the Buddha was trying to get at through his 84,000 groups of Dharma teachings. As much as the teacher-student relationship is indispensable, it is also not to be entered into lightly--either by the teacher or the student. And, since it involves human beings, it can become confusing if not illuminated by skillful wisdom and compassion on each step of the journey.

Since this topic is so deserving of a thoughtful approach, I am very pleased that my Dharma sister, Lama Shenpen Hookham -- who possesses deep experience with both journeys of the student and the teacher -- has offered this open-minded and comprehensive exploration of the key principles of the teacher-student relationship. Framing her presentation around key questions that may well dawn naturally in the mind of any curious practitioner, Lama Shenpen shares her insights and understanding generously and accessibly. I am confident that this skillful and kind guide will be of great benefit to many individuals who wish to make the wisdom of the Buddha a part of their lives." -- Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, author of Rebel Buddha and Mind Beyond Death

"In her new book, The Guru Principle, Lama Shenpen Hookham gives important consideration to the roles of the guru and disciple, especially with regard to Vajrayana Buddhism. She calls on her years of experience as both a student and a teacher to clarify such issues as spiritual authority in Buddhism and how to choose a guru.
In an area where confusion and wrong views are rampant, Lama Shenpen skillfully helps to unravel many knotty points, shedding light and order on many misunderstood issues concerned with this controversial subject. This book can certainly be recommended reading for all those in search of a deeper understanding of the guru principle." -- Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, author of Into the Heart of Life

"Lama Shenpen Hookham is not only an acclaimed scholar but also a well-known and highly respected teacher of Tibetan Buddhism. 'Guru' has often been a misunderstood and sometimes misused term in the West. This book attempts to clear that mystery." -- Ringu Tulku Rinpoche, author of Confusion Arises as Wisdom

Tathagatagarbha -- Buddha Nature -- is a central concept of Mahayana Buddhism crucial to all the living practice traditions of Tibetan and Zen Buddhism. Its relationship to the concept of emptiness has been a subject of controversy for seven hundred years. Dr. Hookam's work investigates the divergent interpretations of these concepts and the way the Tibetan tradition is resolving them.

In particular she does this with reference to the only surviving Indian commentary on the Tathagatagarbha doctrine, the Ratnagotravibhaga. This text addresses itself directly to the issue of how to relate the doctrine of emptiness (the illusory nature of the world) to that of the truly existing, changeless Absolute (the Buddha Nature).

This is the first work by a Western writer to present an analysis of the Shentong tradition based on previously untranslated sources. The Shentong view rests on meditative experience that is inaccessible to the conceptualizing mind. It is deeply rooted in the sutra tradition of Indian Buddhism and is central to an understanding of the Mahamudra and Dzogchen traditions and Tantric practice among Kagyupas and Nyingmapas.

"It takes a very good mind to have a synoptic view of the whole Buddhist movement with the key doctrine well in focus. The author has demonstrated a fine blend of the ideological and practical nature of things. We are treated to a fine analysis of the historical and ideological developments from India proper to Tibet, including some references to China, and on up to the 20th century interpretation. This will become a pivotal work for future studies on the subject. It will bring Tibetan studies to a new high in terms of its focus." - Kenneth Inada, State University of New York at Buffalo.

People begin to meditate for different reasons. Maybe you want to be calmer, more relaxed, at peace or at ease. Maybe you are curious about what Buddhism and meditation have to offer. Maybe you have a sense of being unhappy with your view of reality and want some sense of meaning or truth. Or maybe tyou have an inkling that there is something to discover beyond their everyday reality and are looking for answers to some of life’s big questions, such as, why is there so much suffering and pain? What does death mean? What are we doing here at all?

Meditation is at the heart of Buddhism, and at the heart of the ‘Living the Awakened Heart’ training. All the themes that you explore in the course relate to meditation. By reflecting on these different themes, you will be homing in on your own direct experience. That experience is then stabilised and taken deeper through the meditation taught in this book.