Andrew Holecek is an in-demand teacher of Tibetan Buddhism. As founder of the Forum of Living and Dying, he teaches seminars throughout the country on spiritual hardship and the Tibetan views of life, death, and beyond. He is also the co-founder of the Himalayan Dental Relief Project, which serves impoverished children in five Asian countries. Dr. Holecek is affiliated with Shambhala centers worldwide and was adjunct faculty at Naropa University and the Ngedon School of Buddhist Studies. Additionally, he has contributed to a number of Buddhist magazines and has an ongoing column in Bodhi Magazine published by the Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche.
"From Andrew Holecek's first words, you know you can trust him. He
writes from deeply felt experience as well as a masterful grasp of
the vast dharma. His essential point is riveting: the path leading
to the cessation of suffering necessarily includes suffering. This
book is the essence of good meditation instruction."—Irini
Rockwell, author of The Five Wisdom Energies
"With brilliance and kindness, Andrew Holecek brings the shadow
side of the spiritual path into the light helping the practitioner
navigate the hardships he or she will inevitably discover. Holecek
shows them for what they are—necessary obstacles on all levels of
the path that can either hinder or strengthen our practice, and we
can indeed be grateful to him for so clearly and completely
elucidating this profound and necessary but rarely mentioned side
of the spiritual path."—Dr. Jeremy Hayward, author of Warrior-King
of Shambhala: Remembering Chögyam Trungpa
"The spiritual hardships that each of us face along the way can be
literally hard to bear whether these are purely psychological
pressures or events that impact us on a physical level as well. Yet
they can be ameliorated when we see their connection to our path as
a whole. That is the distinctive gift of The Power and the Pain for
contemporary Buddhist practitioners. It helps us make sense of our
individual experiences which, as unique as they are, have been
challenging practitioners in different ways since the time of the
Buddha. . . . When we move beyond our theories about the spiritual
path into the actual practice of it, that is when the insights and
methods offered in this book will become truly useful. Andrew's
book is, in this sense, a compassionate refuge for troubled
times."—Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, author of Rebel Buddha
"When practicing on the spiritual path, often people do encounter
difficulties and hardships. It is important to understand what
these hardships are and how to deal with them when they occur. I am
very glad that Andrew Holecek, who has studied and practiced
Buddhism for many years, has written this book that will help
people work through the situations they face as they practice the
path."—Thrangu Rinpoche
"A wonderful guidebook for spiritual travelers who are facing the
challenges of daily living—and that is most of us surely."—Mandala
Magazine
"A demanding yet valuable take on the joys and challenges to be
found on the Buddhist path. The author places particular emphasis
on pain and strife, applying philosophy from Tibetan Buddhist
practice to direct readers toward mastery of problematic
emotions."—Publishers Weekly
"Andrew Holecek helps us to accept the inevitability of difficulty
and find new ways of coping with challenge."—Andrea Miller,
Shambhala Sun
"At last, a book that really spells out what you're in for when you
step onto a serious spiritual path. . . .[A] profound and powerful
book . . . probes deeply into our dark corners . . . but also comes
up with some singular antidotes."—Buddhist Review
"Even though I am not a practicing Buddhist, I found that The Power
and the Pain spoke to me as a guide and I often went back to
passages that connected how outside pressures and events can affect
one's spirit, which made the connection click."—Noemi Martinez,
Feminist Review
"Through clear and patient wisdom warmed with subtle humor, Holecek
helps make sense of the hardships that shock, scare, and surprise
us on the path. The Power and the Pain expands our view of good
news to include chaos and destruction as means for
transformation."—Elephant Journal
Ask a Question About this Product More... |