Stilling the Mind: Shamatha Teachings from Dudjom Lingpa's Vajra Essence

In-depth instructions to still the mind.

This text enhanced my learning of the practice of Buddhism. I would highly recommend to anyone who wants to dive deep into learning how to live in the present moment and turn your focus inward.

Dr. Wallace's "The Attention Revolution" is the best guide to shamatha meditation I know of, offering an excellent overview of three important techniques, starting with mindfulness of breathing grounded in the Theravadin tradition and going on to two approaches from the Tibetan tradition that are infused with the flavor of Dzogchen."Stilling the Mind" goes into the second of the three techniques presented in the earlier book, resting the mind in its natural state, in great detail. This book is in the form of a translation of the root text by Dudjom LIngpa with an extensive commentary by Dr. Wallace. His writing here is so clear and personal you feel like you're being guided through the practice one-on-one by a master practitioner - which is exactly the case. The power and blessings of the original text are obvious from the outset, and Dr. Wallace's commentary is wonderfully lucid about fine points of practice I've never seen addressed before. A treasure for practitioners.

One of the most prolific writers on this subject. He is amazingly in depth and concise, he gives you a guide here that can help solidify your Shamatha practice. Not a "basic" book, it helps if you have some background in Dzogchen and Shamatha in general. If you are just starting out with Shamatha you may not get the teaching he is writing about. This is definitely a book for more advanced students. Still, it is good to have on the shelf as you progress on the path!

Shamatha meditation in the context of Dzogchen teachings is basic in an exceptional sense. The distinctions between the neutral 'alaya'(vijnana) consciousness or "pure consciousness" and Rigpa, or the dharmadhatu state of intrinsic awareness, is exceedingly useful in practice. It is somewhat parallel to what Glenn Mullin observes about the term "enlightenment" - better rendered as "fully awakened" - like in THINK FAST or WAKE UP! But we can only hope that this is the beginning of the complete translation of Dudjum Lingpa's work, Vajra Essence. Thanks, Gyatrul Rinpoches and B. Alan Wallace. May you live a hundred more years (in the best of health) to accomplish your enlightened work.

For those who have discovered the meditation techniques originally taught by the Buddha as laid out in the Anapanasati Sutra and the Sattipatana Sutra, Stilling the Mind will be a welcome discovery. The opening section of Vajra Essence by Dudjom Lingpa, a ninteenth centry monk, is translated here and Alan Wallace adds a commentary verse by verse to make the original work crystal clear. This is a valuable work for those perfecting shamatha, calm abiding, the prerequisite for effective insight (vipassana). For the Buddha, shamatha was the sine que non of true insight, and Alan Wallace has added to the treasury of this great method by bring us the Stilling Mind. We can only hope he will in the future bring us a translation of the rest of the Vajra Essence with his commentary.

Stilling the Mind is a difficult read, but worth the effort. This book is useful after reading four or five other books on the same subject and having some meditation experience, but not as a starting point. Dr Wallace has here translated the first part of Dudjom Lingpa's Vajra Essence. This part covers Shamatha.As in most of his books that I have read, Dr Wallace presents Shamatha (Tibetan Mind training) as an essential starting point for one to make any real progress towards enlightenment. From a foundation of ethics, one settles their mind (shamatha) and then can proceed to gaining wisdom. He says it better than I can.

Certainly one of the best books I've ever read. Alan Wallace is a really wise and skeptical schollar, monk, who knows directly the depths of the mind and teaches it with clarity and skillful means through the wonderful work of Düdjom Lingpa. Thanks for this wonderful jewel, Alan!

This is an excellent book on Shamatha. So interesting and at time a revelation . Thank you Alan

A good comapnion for those who practise resting the mind in its natural state shamatha meditation.Helpful guidelines for knowing what to expect in terms of hinderances and obstacles when progressing with the meditation.

worth getting even if you have read lots of others as this brings a lot of key ideas together.

This is A VERY GOOD AND HELPFUL book for both beginners, to provide overall understanding of what effective buddhist meditation is all about & to CHOOSE THE RIGHT PRACTICE and for more advanced ones, to check how well they are doing. I can't thank Allan enough for his insight and willingness to explain the teachings which would've been left obscure and 'mysterious' until you find it out EXPERIENTIALLY yourself.

Alan Wallace is the most clear, practical, and accessible English teacher of Dudjom Lingpa texts and this, like his others, is a treasure. My copy is heavily highlighted and earmarked and I have taken to carrying it with me for quick reference. This would also be useful on a solely scholarly basis if that's your angle, but for those interested in applying the practice and moving through the stages, this is the most clear and practical manual for the practice of shamatha that I've encountered in English.