The Secret Oral Teachings in Tibetan Buddhist Sects Paperback – February 14, 2017

A book this amazingly great should be able to speak for itself. So here we go--Page 95:"...outside of our mind which creates it, this world does not exist."Page 109:"The meaning of the term 'void'...has been the subject of numerous commentaries and eager controversies...neither the ones nor the others have ever thought of making the void of which they speak an equivalent of nothingness...absolute Nothing is inconceivable. He who says 'Nothing' incorporates himself in this vacuity simply by the fact that he himself must exist in order to have the idea of it."Page 111:"Being the sphere of complete absence of manifestation, the Void is inconceivable...the origin of things is not situated in any place or moment of past time; it is produced now, at each instant, in our minds."Page 127:"The mind is comparable with space; like space it has neither interior or exterior; in its depths one finds nothing but the Void."

In the seventies, Alan Watts lamented the fact that it was unavailable in print in the US. We are so lucky now! It is short, beautifully, clearly, articulately written and translated. It makes the most difficult topics quite clear. I have read literally hundreds of books on spirituality and this is the best by far!

I'm giving it a 5 star in spite of publishing issues. I bought this book because Alan Watts recommended it in one of his lectures and it surpassed my expectations. Publishing values are a bit low, looks like it was just cut and paste without any formatting adjustments. Also, for a book this good, I'd like to see it in a Kindle version so I can highlight text, export notes, and directly search unfamiliar terms. Aside from that, the content is great.

An enlightening introduction to Tibetan Buddhism by a truly extraordinary human being was cited by Alan Watts in one of his lectures, and the book did not disappoint. Not light reading, but it definitely gave me thought-provoking concepts for my daily meditation. Only downside, I finished the book in about two hours. Will definitely read again and am sure I will learn more and more as I do revisit it.

I have been trying to work through this book since I was given a 1st edition of it wayyy back in 1969. Not that it is a difficult read, heck - it's rather skinny.But the concepts/precepts contained in it REMAIN a "secret" to me, even to this day.One thing I DO know for sure; you cannot KEEP this book! You will be tempted to loan it to someone, and they will NEVER return it. EVER. Even people who always return things will find an excuse to keep it, I know this for a fact.This time, I ordered 2 copies. That makes a grand total of about a dozen copies I have purchased through the years.After so many years, I am hoping to grasp the contents this time around. Have no doubt: the authors recognize the reader as likely an idiot, and say so. But they do their best to assist.(If you want to see someone's head explode, try discussing the contents with a dyed-in-the-wool Fundamentalist Anything - or better yet, a Catholic. THEY will tell you all are simply "Mysteries" of the Universe!)Alexandra David-Neel and Lama Yongden allow one to unravel those mysteries, those "secrets" if you will. I think.I dunno. 42+ years later, I still don't quite "get" it.Good Luck to You!Update: 45+ years study now, and I know even less now than I did back in the 60's when first gifted with a copy of this book. I don't know what I know as a result of reading this. I used to know what it was I did NOT know, but further reading has changed even that.I am purchasing a copy today for my grandson. When I asked his age on his birthday recently, he stated "Everyone thinks I'm seven years old. I'm not supposed to tell how old I really am". When I inquired further, he started chuckling, jumping up and down whilst making animal noises, and ran away screaming and laughing, refusing any further discussion on the matter.I am hoping HE can give me a few explanations.

I haven't started to read this historical account, but it's important to know the reproduction and print quality is excellent. A well made book.

This is one of my favorite books of Alexandra David-Neel. She is amazing! What a character.

David-Neel was a remarkable woman. This is the first written Vajrayana teaching in English. It 's an oral tradition so it will be difficult to use or understand without being given by an authorized lama who has the transmission. But with oral instruction from an authentic lama, these teachings are good and it's interesting to see them from a European.