Alejandro Chaoul received a PhD focusing on Tibetan Religions from Rice University and has been teaching Tibetan meditation and mind-body techniques under the auspices of the Ligmincha Institute in various parts of the United States, Mexico, and Poland since 1995. He is now an Assistant Professor at the McGovern Center for Humanity and Ethics at the University of Texas, Houston, with an adjunct position at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, where he researches the use of Tibetan mind-body techniques for cancer patients.
"Alejandro Chaoul provides a scholarly, well-informed, and
illuminating introduction to chöd in the Bön tradition, telling us
much along the way of other aspects of Bön tantra and spiritual
life, and of the wider context of the chöd practices within Tibet.
His work is an important contribution to our knowledge of these
fascinating and attractive modes of spiritual practice."—Geoffrey
Samuel, author of The Origins of Yoga and Tantra: Indic Religions
to the Thirteenth Century and Civilized Shamans
"Drawing on both Tibetan primary texts and the living oral
tradition, Chaoul provides us with the most complete picture yet of
the history and practice of Bön chöd to appear in a Western
language. . . . A major contribution to the literature of both Bön
and chöd."—José Ignacio Cabezón, XIV Dalai Lama Professor of
Tibetan Buddhism and Cultural Studies, University of California,
Santa Barbara
"In the last few years, the interest in chöd has suddenly
re-emerged, and a few books have been written about it from the
Buddhist perspective. Chaoul's work on chöd from the Bön's
perspective could not be more timely. His thorough analysis of this
syncretic and fascinating religious practice and the use of the
metaphor of cutting as a way to go beyond assumed boundaries
provides a broader picture of chöd and sheds light on the
interrelation of Buddhism and Bön."—Giacomella Orofino, Professor
of Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, University of Naples
"Chaoul's book offers a comprehensive intellectual understanding of
chöd and its origins within both the Bön and Buddhist traditions,
and as such will have great benefit for scholars as well as for
those who wish to engage in chöd as a daily ritual or meditation
practice. . . . Through this ancient and profound practice, anyone
who is able to recognize their own fear—whether its source is
external or internal—can face that fear, challenge it, and overcome
it. Ultimately fear becomes a tool to cultivate enlightened
qualities. . . . An excellent contribution."—Tenzin Wangyal, author
of Healing with Form, Energy, and Light and The Tibetan Yogas of
Dream and Sleep
"Fascinating subject. . . . Documents the unique combination of
meditation and shamanic rites that go beyond ego and literally
invite our most fearful aspects to the light of day. . . . This is
a valuable addition to the Tibetan Buddhist library."—New Age
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