Way Things Are, The – A Living Approach to Buddhism

The highest teachings on the nature of mind are like a diamond, transparent and indestructible, also reflecting the color of the society into which they are introduced. Originating in India, Buddhism migrated to Tibet, and is today taking a style more appropriate to educated and independent minds in the West. Lama Ole, one of the few qualified western lamas of the Karma Kagyu tradition, is a major driving force in this process, providing here a fresh, exciting summary of Buddha's timeless wisdom. This seminal work offers the liberating and powerful methods of Diamond Way (Vajrayana) Buddhism for readers seeking to incorporate Buddhist practice into their daily lives. In language that is witty, easy to understand, and without compromising on the essentials, Ole answers the questions that Westerners ask. How do Buddha's teachings utilize the potential of our full being in today's world? Through which practices may we experience mind as limitless space and bliss? How can one use the daily joys and difficulties in one's job, family, or partnerships for spiritual growth? And what is spiritual growth and how does one recognize it? "The Way Things Are" answers these questions and provides practical methods for developing mind, and makes the timeless wisdom of Buddhism accessible to an intrigued western audience, itself increasingly drawn to Tibetan Buddhism. This is a revised, much expanded (three times the length) and up-to-date edition of the original book published in 1997.

Lama Ole Nydahl is one of the few Westerners fully qualified as a lama and meditation teacher in the Karma Kagyu Buddhist tradition. In 1972, after completing three years of intensive meditation training, Lama Ole began teaching Buddhism in Europe at the request of H. H. the 16th Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, the spiritual head of the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. He has since transmitted the blessing of the lineage in a powerful and contemporary way, traveling and teaching worldwide almost continuously. He has established over 450 Diamond Way Buddhist centres in the Western world. It is especially noteworthy that he has taught over 50,000 students the Buddhist practice where one trains to die consciously for the moment of death called Phowa. Lama Ole is now under the spiritual guidance of the H. H. the17th Karmapa, Thaye Dorje.