Welcoming Flowers is a pointed critique of the Buddhism chapter of Pope John Paul IIs 1994 best seller, Crossing the Threshold of Hope,
written by the highly respected Buddhist teacher Thinley Norbu. In
responding to the false charges of Buddhists indifference to the world
and rejection of reality, Norbu clarifies the Buddhist doctrines of
detachment and enlightenment. In addition, he covers the topics of good
and evil, human nature, karma, cosmology, and dualistic mind, bringing
them into conversation with the Christian perspective as presented by
the Pope. Norbus approach is not to shoot back arrows in attack of
Catholicism but to spread welcoming flowersthat is, to present the
exalted teachings of the Buddha in all their loveliness. In this sense,
the book serves as a helpful introduction to the Buddhist worldview.
Welcoming Flowers from Across the Cleansed Threshold of Hope: An Answer to Pope John Paul II's Criticism of Buddhism, Thinley Norbu, Shambhala Publications, Paperback, 116 pp, $19.95
Thinley Norbu Rinpoche (1931-2011) was a preeminent teacher in the
Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. The eldest son of His Holiness
Ddjom Rinpoche, he was a primary holder of the Ddjom Tersar lineage
and considered to be an emanation of Longchenpa, the great
fourteenth-century Nyingma master.
Thinley Norbu (1931-2011) was a master teacher of the Nyingma lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, with many devoted students in the West as well in Asia. Revered as an emanation of the fourteenth-century master Kunkhyen Longchenpa, Kyabje Thinley Norbu Rinpoche was a scholar, writer, poet, and translator, whose prolific publications include A Cascading Waterfall of Nectar, his masterwork on the ngondro, or preliminary practices; The Sole Panacea, on the Seven-Line Prayer of Guru Rinpoche; and A Brief Fantasy History of a Himalayan, an illustrated account of personal reminiscenses.
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