The buddha walks into a bar

INTRODUCTION

This isn’t your grandmother ’s book on meditation. It’s for you. That is, assuming you like to have a beer once in a while, enjoy sex, have figured out that your parents are crazy, or get frustrated at work.

It’s a book that doesn’t put Buddhism on some pedestal so that you have to look up to it. It’s about looking at all the nooks and crannies of your life and applying Buddhist teachings to them, no matter how messy that may be.

Do you have to become Buddhist to like this book? Hell, no. Whatever wisdom lies within these pages is a result of excellent instruction on the part of my teachers and my own process of trial and error. The Buddhist dharma, or teaching, is not meant to be looked at as some obscure tome that needs to be dissected and analyzed. It is meant to be lived. So don’t feel like you have to be Buddhist to get into this thing, you just have to have lived a little and be willing to look at your life from a new point of view.

Next question: Do you have to change your life to live the truths of this book? Hell, no, again. This book is for anyone who has ever said, “I’m spiritual,” or “If I’m anything, I’m Buddhist.” It’s about taking these traditional teachings that have been tried and tested over thousands of years and saying, “I am going to try to live my day with a bit more compassion,” or, “I’m going to slow down a bit and enjoy my life.” You don’t have to change you. You are great. This book is just about how to live your life to the fullest.

In it we explore the four dignities of Shambhala and the three yanas, or vehicles, of traditional Tibetan Buddhism. I’ll offer what I know, but the rest is up to you. It is you who has to go out and live your life with mindfulness and compassion. You already know this. After all, true wisdom comes from within you. What this book provides is a series of tools to access that wisdom. We’ll get into simple practices, advice, and teachings that can help you align yourself with your personal moral compass, the dignity of your own heart.

So if you want to be more in the “now,” read this book. If you want to change the world, read this book. If you want to be a meditator and still enjoy a good drink, read this book. I wrote it for you.

When you’re done, drop me a line. I truly want to hear what you think.

Lodro Rinzler June 2, 2011