"Door to Inconceivable Wisdom and Compassion" is one of those texts that you find yourself flipping open and reading from anywhere the pages fall. While it is filled with insight and practical advice on the role of compassion in the Tibetan Buddhist practices,it would be naive to say the material is limited simply to Buddhists. Anyone on the path of ' inner transforation ' (as Tibetan Buddhists refer to themselves), be it by means of Buddhism, Christianity, Kabbalah, classical and neo-Hermeticism,or even some kind of generic New Age/Psychotherapy modality will find that the information in this book is directly applicable to them and their daily life. Therein lies the beauty of a true universalism still richly connected to a particular cultural presentation - we see the whole picture of what it means to be wise and compassionate, and how to become wise and compassionate - without having to pretend to be anything other than what we are right here and now. Bodhicitta, the key practice to Tibetan Buddhism in all of its manifestations, is variously interpreted as "the mind or heart of awakening [to our true nature]" or "the primordial ground of being". In this book, as well as their other works, the Khenpos clearly state and instruct the reader that bodhicitta IS THE TOTALITY of the Buddhist path. It is both the beginning and the end of the journey no matter what practice or meditation instruction you are following. To be both wise and compassionate is the goal, as well as the means, and there are many who can speak of this, but few who have demonstrated it so clearly in their writings and lives as have the Venerable Khenpos. This is an ideal gift book for anyone interested in Buddhism or spirituality in general, as both beginners and advanced students will find it ripe with information and inspiration. Discovering Infinite Freedom, also by the Khenpos, would be a fine companion text as well.
