Transformando problemas em felicidade

by Thubten Zopa, Thubten Zopa

The author of "Wisdom Energy" brings contemporary relevance to timeless teaching on Buddhist psychology and everyday spiritual living. Commenting on a 19th-century Tibetan text, Lama Zopa inspires readers to be happy by transforming their attitude and radically changing their approach to life's inevitable problems.

Genres: Buddhism, Nonfiction, Self Help, Spirituality, Philosophy, Personal Development, Religion

102 pages, Paperback

First published June 25, 1994

About the author

Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche (Tibetan: ཐུབ་བསྟན་བཟོད་པ་, Wylie: Thub-bstan Bzod-pa, often published as Lama Zopa Rinpoche, the spiritual director of The Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition, is held to be the reincarnation of the Sherpa Nyingma yogi Kunsang Yeshe, the Lawudo Lama. Rinpoche was born in 1946 in Thami, not far from the cave Lawudo, in the Mount Everest region of Nepal, where his predecessor meditated for the last twenty years of his life. While his predecessor had belonged to the Sakya tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, the Lawudo Lama himself had been a great master of the complete tantric teachings of the Nyingma tradition.

Rinpoche left Thami when he was about 4 years old and was put in a Monastery that was very close to the border of Nepal and Tibet. Rinpoche stayed at this Monastery for several years until he went to Tibet and took getsul ordination in 1958, and continued his studies in Domo Geshe's monastery in Phagri, Tibet.

In 1959 Rinpoche escaped from Tibet and continued his studies in Sera Jhe monastery in Buxa Duar, in the north of India. This is where the Indian Government housed the monks from Sera, Ganden and Drepung Monasteries who wanted to continue their studies, along with monks from the other sects. It was at Bux a Duar that Rinpoche became the disciple of Geshe Rabten Rinpoche and then of Lama Thubten Yeshe. Frida Bedi then invited him to join her school for incarnate lamas in Dalhousie where they were given the chance to learn English for 6 months. Upon the completion returned to Buxa Duar and his studies.

Lama Yeshe and Zopa Rinpoche's contact with Westerners began in 1965 in Darjeeling, when they met Princess Zina Rachevsky from Russia. She became the Lamas' first Western student. In 1969 they founded the Nepal Mahayana Gompa Center at Kopan, above Boudhnath Stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal. At the insistence of Zina Rachevsky the Lamas started to teach courses on Buddhism for Westerns at Kopan.

In 1971 Rinpoche took gelong ordination from His Holiness Ling Rinpoche in Bodh Gaya. By 1975, twelve centers had started. In 1976, the growing worldwide organization was named by Lama Yeshe 'the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition'(FPMT). The FPMT is an organization devoted to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation and service.

There are 147 FPMT centers and projects worldwide as of March 2007.

FPMT currently has 8 standard Buddhist education programs that are taught in many of the centers. Two of these, the Masters Program and the Basic Program are committed courses of 6 and 5 years of study respectively. Based on the great philosophical texts studied in the monasteries of Tibet, FPMT holds to rigid standards of translation and has a passion for authentic texts to ensure that complete accuracy of the meaning found within these profound texts is not forfeited in the transmission from East to West.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche has many other projects around the world; one of the most important is the 500ft Maitreya Statue that Rinpoche is building in Bodh Gaya that will include schools, hospitals and other social projects such as Leprosy clinics (these social projects are already in existence and have been functioning for the last
15 years). Some of the other projects that Rinpoche has founded are Sera Jhe food fund – which offers breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday to 2700 monks. The Lama Tsong Khapa Teacher Fund offers an allowance to the
main 100 teachers in the Gelukpa tradition from various monasteries. Rinpoche also has a number of other funds that are for building holy objects, such as Stupas, prayer wheels etc. Rinpoche has a very strong interest in collecting texts from all the different traditions.

Reviews

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I keep a copy of this book next to my bed, bring it with me when I travel, and re-read it when I have a bad day. I’m Lutheran and therefore read through what I guess you’d call a “Christian lens,” but nothing in this text strikes me as contrary to the teachings of Jesus, nor would I hesitate to recommend this book to any of my atheist friends.

TPIH is more about your state of mind and patterns of thinking than it is about what you believe (or don’t believe, for that matter.) I’ve talked to counselors and therapists, kept journals, meditated, took medication, and a host of other things, but NONE of them have helped me to become a calmer, steadier person than this book has.

Highly recommended.

[Leah Hortin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this a chapter(ish) at a time in my Naturopath's office. I love the message and I think it is very clear and concise and easy to read. A lot of philosophy books fly right over my head but this one actually stuck. It's all about attitude. Look on the bright side of everything. I'm trying but sometimes life makes that hard.

[Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short book at 72 pages, this is really a primer on Mind Training (exchanging self for other). If you are familiar with the Mahayana practice already, there isn't really anything new in here for you. If you aren't - Mind Training is one of the key practices in the Tibetan tradition, of transforming suffering into happiness - to turn the suffering of suffering into a tool to advance yourself forwards on the path.

[Hashintha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book and reminding myself to reflect on present difficult circumstances and see it as happiness. Lama Rinpoche provides an thoughtful perspectives on anger, pride, selfishness, and on the happiness based on external factors. A truly enlightening book that transforms the view of difficulties and sufferings in life.

[Jonathan Bracker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really changed my thinking and has helped me change my negative approach to "problems." Now I am much more apt to see them as opportunities to grow. I recommend the book highly.

[Nora Torres Anglin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Positive reframe, y'all.

[Sheena Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is heavy. I read it as a sort of devotional and read one chapter per day, which gave me time to reflect upon the teachings. This book changed my way of thinking.

[Rebecca Noran]

Notes: Judd apatow read on the recommendation of Garry shandling.

[Silvia Souza · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sou uma grande admiradora da Filosofia Budista.
Este é um livro bastante curto, de linguagem simples, que procura ajudar a transformar todos os problemas que vivenciamos em algo positivo, que ajude nosso crescimento pessoal.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book and thought I could read it in a day, but something was tough to understand about it.

Oh well, I'd heard about it as a self help sitting on someone's bookshelf.