Zen Tapes: Eighteen Talks by Rama

Rama - Dr. Frederick Lenz, was an American-born enlightened Buddhist teacher. Since Buddhism had adapted in very different ways in countries such as China, Japan, and Tibet, Rama taught Buddhism in contemporary American terms while strictly adhering to the highest traditional standards. He defined the core process as "Self-Discovery," and the spiritual practice as "The Enlightenment Cycle." The Enlightenment Cycle is a balanced combination of intensive daily meditation with full participation in the world, rather than a separation between monastic and worldly life. It is the quality of your morning meditation that enables you to overcome workplace obstacles, and then through excellence in the workplace positive internal energy is generated that in turn fuels an outstanding evening meditation. This daily cycle is the modern "short path" to enlightenment. Although in 25 years of teaching he held many public meditations for over 100,000 people, Rama worked directly with only a few hundred students during most of that time. He integrated other spiritual paths that he felt were on the same level as Vajrayana and Zen Buddhism, in particular the Vedanta tradition of Shankara and Ramakrishna, and the American Indian mysticism described by Carlos Castaneda. He also tried to find things in modern life that would further one's self-discovery, and in computer science saw a career that had much in common with Buddhist mind-strengthening visualization techniques. This book presents a series of 18 transcribed talks in which modern American life issues are solved through Zen. Talks address such issues as "Developing Will Power," "Overcoming Stress," "How to be a Successful Student, "The Zen of Sports and Athletics," "Winning," and "Happiness." There also are talks that discuss spiritual growth methods, including "Tantric Zen," "Advanced Meditation," "Psychic Development," and "Enlightenment." Truly a complete course in how to utilize Zen's rich tradition today.