Rebel Buddha

On the Road to Freedom

By: Dzogchen Ponlop

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis, Dzogchen Ponlop (introduction)

Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

There's a rebel within you. It's the part of you that already knows how to break free of fear and unhappiness. This rebel is the voice of your own awakened mind. It's your rebel buddha - the sharp, clear intelligence that resists the status quo. It wakes you up from the sleepy acceptance of your day-to-day reality and shows you the power of your enlightened nature. It's the vibrant, insightful energy that compels you to seek the truth.

Dzogchen Ponlop guides you through the inner revolution that comes from unleashing your rebel buddha. He explains how, by training your mind and understanding your true nature, you can free yourself from needless suffering. He presents a thorough introduction to the essence of the Buddha's teachings and argues that, if we are to bring these teachings fully into our personal experience, we must go beyond the cultural trappings of traditional Asian Buddhism. We all want to find some meaningful truth about who we are, he says, but we can only find it guided by our own wisdom - by our own rebel buddha within.

Introduction read by the author.

©2010 Dzogchen Ponlop (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche shatters old myths and sweeps away cultural baggage, presenting the essence of the Buddha’s teachings in a fresh, contemporary voice. With uncommon clarity and authority, he offers a new vision for the future of Buddhism that is at once shocking and hopeful. This is a small book with a big message that is timely and important." (Pema Chödrön, author of When Things Fall Apart)

"The author's practical approach is disarming, especially when applying Buddhism to the challenges of everyday life." ( Publishers Weekly)

Makes Buddhism easy to understand

What did you love best about Rebel Buddha?

Rebel Buddha makes Buddhism so easy to understand. Using references from today's western culture, Ponlop puts these ancient teachings in perspective for spiritual explorers in a easy, non-threatening way. Highly recommend!

Who was your favorite character and why?

N/A

Have you listened to any of Jonathan Davis and Dzogchen Ponlop (introduction) ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, but I don't recommend that as it is rich in content and needs to br digested.

Buddhism for daily life

Take Buddhism out of the prayer hall, divorce it from mysterious superstition and vague crystal waving and you're left with a clear reasonable approach to living well. The author does a great job of removing the 'hocus-pocus' while guiding the reader to the common sense core of Buddhist philosophy.

Well done!

Old age philosophy - new age practice

Great audio and application in real life a real winner for better life in a modern world

This book made me generally happy :)

I am very happy that I read this book, I felt as if it was a good intro into Buddhism, and I look forward to reading more Buddhist styled books.

Buddhism for a new generation

I have read various books on Buddhism over the years, but Ponlop is a special teacher who provides a vision for a new generation that is not stuck in the trappings and outward appearances of previous generations who have wrapped Buddhism up as something exoctic. Ponlop offers teachings that help connect Buddhism to the hear and now the way that Buddha intended it to be. For those of Generation Xers such as Ponlop, I think it is easier to find the meaning in the teachings in the way that they are presented here. I was not overly thrilled by the performance. It is hard to make this type of writing interesting when you are not the one who wrote the words. The content, though, more than makes up for the delivery.

DO NOT MISS OUT ON THIS MESSAGE and Narrator

Wow, what a great fine on the $5 replay sale!!! First, most people in this genre do not realize who narrator, Jonathan Davis is? He is so wonderful, I buy what I can as he narrates mostly Sci Fi and that is not my genre. The author’s introduction makes you realize what great information you will receive in this book. This is not about religion but the internal YOU. You must want to learn self enlightenment and not just have it handed to you. One reviewer, totally missed the point of this book as they want total Buddhism. Read other 5 star reviews to get the author’s intent. For $5 dollars you will fine the road to inner peace, self doubt and over come the fear of success to your goals.
Were my comments of help?

Rebel Budda: On the Road to Freedom

First, I throughly enjoy Jonathan Davis as a narrator! I will always check the books he has done first. His voice is annimated and very easy to listen to. In the reading of Rebel Buddha his voice was a pleasant smile.

Rebel Budda is a book of searching for the buddha in yourself. It addresses the rebel part in us all. In questing our truth we often look to teachers or books before we examine what our basic question is. Dzogchen talks of letting the question grow and ferment first to get to fully understand the question. This one statement resonated for me all through the book.

This is an excellent read for anyone with a questioning mind, seeking answers for themselves.

Approachable

I really enjoyed listening to Rebel Buddha, but I know I will need to listen to it again. There were so many good concepts to digest I know this will be one of those where I pick up something new each time. I find the writing very approachable for the modern reader and I learned a lot about Buddhist concepts which is just what I was looking for.

Spoken in Today's English

A wonderful book that expresses the teachings of the Buddha in a way that us mere mortals can understand. The book uses 'today's language' it is not full of terms that are foreign that can belittle the reader unlike a number of books about Buddha that I have read. The meditation examples are also excellent and have been a real help for me. The speed is great, the narration is excellent, I couldn't recomment the experience highly enough.

Great listening to an unusual Buddhist

What did you love best about Rebel Buddha?

Dzogchen Ponlop is one of the leaders in Westernizing Buddhism. Although born and trained in a traditional Tibetan style, he now lives in Seattle, starts his day with coffee and ends it with The Daily Show. This book provides teachings on the Buddhist path in a straightforward manner that is accessible to everyone. If you have wondered if Buddhism is for you, or are just curious about it, this book is a great beginning.