The author of this book is the abbot of Kilung Monastery in Kham, Tibet. He spends much of his time teaching in the West, from a base on Whidbey Island in the state of Washington.
The book was compiled by an editor from transcribed audio files of Rinpoche’s teachings. There are twelve short chapters. They don’t necessarily flow from one to the next in the style of an author composing a book. They are more like short essays, each on a topic of human distraction and what to do about it from a Buddhist perspective.
The subject of the opening chapters on “Our Digital Lifestyle” and “The Tale of the Monkey” move over familiar ground for anyone trying to live peacefully in the modern world (Rinpoche even refers to Apple Watches and TikTok), all the while with a “monkey mind,” as Buddhist teachers have long explained. Rinpoche summarizes at one point: “The monkey — representing our minds and the way our thoughts normally proliferate — swings through the trees and vines, attracted to everything it sees.”
Being unfocused and distracted was already a problem. Then came the digital age. And that’s really what Rinpoche speaks about: practices and solutions for the situation we’re in.
These practices, explored in the other chapters, include how to develop patience and openness, how to apply mindfulness in a daily life, the importance of compassion for others and for oneself, and what happiness is and how to locate it.
try a spiritual practice about peace
Go Deeper:
Practicing Spirituality with His Holiness the Dalai Lama: An e-course with Nobel laureate and revered leader Tenzin Gyatso, the highest spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, which includes passages on taming the mind.
