Tsultrim Allione

Initially I thought, "Wow! Incredible so far. Wish I had read this along side Pema Chodron's "When Things Fall Apart" back in 2007 for the first time." After the first couple chapters I realized this entire book could have been limited to a third or less of the content. Brevity would have made this a five-star book. Principle is simple.

Feeding Your Demons shows how to use a five-step process, rooted in the Tibetan Buddhism practice of Chod, to understand and embrace the forces that hold us back. Ultimately the negative force turns to a positive ally we can work with. I often see powerful ideas in Eastern religion but then find them too obscure and impractical. This book was an exception. Not only are the five steps direct and clear, the coverage of the concept of ego was equally crisp and relevant.

Lama Tsultrim Allione teaches you an ancient tibetan buddhism practice revisited for western people. It is a pragmatic exercise that can be done easily at home. A bit strange for everyone that meet this spiritual practice for the first time but definitely something to try or deepen.

It is a sort of self-guided meditation that light up reasons behind inner conflicts in order to solve them.

The book is really well written. Easy to understand and easy to read. There are summaries sections, case show more studies and a chapter dedicated to the original ancient practice.

Even skeptics can learn something behind Tsultrim Allione's words. show less

This is the second book by Tsultrim Allione, an American woman who studied Tibetan Buddhism for several years in the Himalayas, was eventually ordained, and now is a respected Western Buddhist teacher in the United States. She uses the word "demons" to mean obsessions, fears, depression, anxiety, addictions, etc. And, the basic premise of this book is that the best way to counteract negative and chaotic feelings that interfere with one's ability to actively live a life of joy and harmony is show more to replace the strategy of "fighting the demons" with the strategy of "nourishing the demons". The validation of this practice dates back the 11th century when it was developed by a female Buddhist teacher, Machig Labdron.

The introductory pages provide a clear understanding of the principles of the overall process and the following chapters detail the 5-step meditation practice as well as providing insights into 9 categories of "demons" : fear, love, addiction, abuse, mind, elation, egocentricity and family demons. Allione approaches discussion of these demons from a spiritual-psychological perspective, including real-life stories of people who have used the 5-step practice.

On the surface, the 5-step method seems relatively straightforward and simple, yet, in my actual practice over a period of several weeks, I found that it became an overwhelmingly multi-dimensional experience...yielding both peaceful resolutions and new "territory"horizons. Starting the practice again, following a sabbatical from it, I found it to be quite energizing.

Simply reading the book is worthwhile, and if one wishes to try the 5-step practice the rewards may very well be a better understanding and acceptance of oneself. show less