Freedom is generally thought of as the ability to achieve goals and satisfy desires. But what are the sources of these goals and desires? If they arise from ignorance, habitual patterns, and negative emotions-psychologically destructive elements that actually enslave us-is the freedom to pursue them true freedom or just a myth?

In this book, Chogyam Trungpa explores the meaning of freedom in the profound context of Tibetan Buddhism. He shows how our attitudes, preconceptions, and even our spiritual practices can become chains that bind us to repetitive patterns of frustration and despair. He also explains the role of meditation in bringing into focus the causes of frustration and in allowing these negative forces to become aids in advancing toward true freedom.

Trungpa's unique ability to express the essence of Buddhist teachings in the language and imagery of contemporary American culture makes this book one of the most immediately available sources for the meaning of the Buddhist doctrine ever written.

The Myth of Freedom and the Way of Meditation, Chogyam Trungpa, Shambhala Publications, Paperback, 179 pages, $16.95

Trungpa was born in Eastern Tibet and recognized as an incarnation of the Trungpa line at an early date. He studied with, among others, one of the reincarnations of the Jamgyon Kongtrul who wrote the most famous commentary on the Seven Points. In 1959 he fled to India in the wake of the Communist takeover in Tibet, courageously leading many of his people to safety (this period is described in his book Born in Tibet.) He came to England in the mid-sixties to study at Oxford, learned English, started to teach, and started one of the first Tibetan Buddhist centers in the West. He later dropped his monastic vows, married, and moved to America where he continued his teaching. He founded the Naropa Institute in Boulder, Colorado, a large and highly respected Buddhist university, as well as the Shambhala organization. The influence of both his teaching and his books on American Buddhism was and still is enormous.

Illustrations	ix
Foreword	xi
Preface	xiii
Enthronement	xv
I The Myth of Freedom
Fantasy and Reality	1
Disappointment	5
Suffering	7
Egolessness	12
II Styles of Imprisonment
Cosmic Joke	19
Self-absorption	23
Paranoia	28
Stupidity	32
Poverty	35
Anger	37
III Sitting Meditation
The Fool	43
Simplicity	44
Mindfulness and Awareness	48
Boredom	51
The Way of the Buddha	56
IV Working with the Emotions
The Dualistic Barrier	63
Lion's Roar	69
Working with Negativity	73
V Meditation in Action
Work	83
Love	86
Working with People	90
The Eightfold Path	82
VI The Open Way
Bodhisattva Vow	103
Heroism	106
The Sanity of Earth	111
Patience	113
Tradition	116
Zen and Prajna	119
The Approach to Enlightenment	121
VII Devotion
Surrendering	127
Spiritual Friend	131
The Great Warrior	134
Commitment	138
The Universality of Guru	140
VIII Tantra
Aloneness	149
Mandala	152
Mahamudra Upadesa	157
Appendix	165
Resources	167
Index	169