Touching Enlightenment

October 29, 2007
Ray, a student of Tibetan Buddhist master Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, has written several other books and very evidently knows a great deal about meditation and the Tibetan Buddhist tradition as passed down by his unconventional guru. This book about the ultimate nonconceptual wisdom—what we can know in our bodies —is, paradoxically, highly conceptual and very slow going. The prose is labored (“a clear and accurate conceptual understanding of the subtle processes involved is necessary so we have the apparatus to receive, comprehend and give voice to our experience”). Frequently, Buddhist teachers use concrete examples or real-life stories to illustrate difficult or subtle points. Ray shares one important anecdote from his own life, but more tales from his or his students’ lives would help. The critique of Western overdependence on thinking is certainly familiar, so the author’s starting point is not new. The visualization exercises he offers in the book’s appendix are comparatively fresh. But these instructions are probably more effective heard than read, and Ray’s publisher indeed offers an audio program of related meditation practices. This book could use hard editing and clearer, more concrete language and examples.